Wednesday August 12th
Starting weight: 309
Today's weight: 268
Yeah, that's right, 41 pounds. So today we continue our 500cal/day diet, as well as tomorrow and Friday, as the HCG works its way out of our bodies. Theoretically we should start getting hungrier and hungrier.
Don't know if we're supposed to continue to lose weight or not, but I'll say this: I honestly believe the HCG protocol helped me lose over 40 pounds, and that's completely the opposite of what the AMA suggests, that it's ineffective. AMA also says it's not safe, though I can probably agree with that because of the side effects I encountered during the protocol (severe gout, dizziness and lightheadedness) so the use of the protocol should be monitored by a doctor.
I unscientifically believe this statement:
hCG’s role is supposedly to trigger the hypothalamic lean-protection mechanisms Simeons thought he saw, thus promoting mobilization and consumption of abnormal, excessive adipose deposits, while protecting normal adipose and lean tissue from being consumed, with the assumption that these protective hypothalamic mechanisms exist in males as well as females, to be acted upon by hCG.
It seems to have done that very thing.
So unless anything dramatic occurs, I'm going to switch to a weekly blog update during the next phase (phase three, 2000 cal/day diet, gradual increase of starch/sugar).
As a side note, the largest county fair in the state will be taking place when we prepare for the next phase 2 diet. So one of our loading days will be at the fair, eating scones, elephant ears, corn dogs, bbq, everything we can get our hands on. It'll be ridiculous.
I can't wait.
Ciao for now.
No longer skeptic,
alan
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Today, I made a phone call to an office of an osteopathic doctor who says she treats obese patients. I was expecting a diet doctor, and I was surprised to learn that she uses the HCG injections along with a diet.
ReplyDeleteI've never been a fan of HCG advocate Kevin Trudeau, and I'm not sure I want to do the HCG thing. However, in looking for information, I came across your blog, so I've got this question for you:
Since the HCG program apparently involves a very low calorie diet, why wouldn't the diet alone work, without the controversial HCG injections?
Jim,
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question, and pretty much the one question I needed answered (mostly because I didn't want to sit around starving).
In theory, if you starved yourself three things would happen. One, your body would attempt to hold on to as much nutrition and weight as possible. Two, you would be constantly hungry. Three, you would be doing possibly irreparable harm to your internal organs like your stomach.
If you could stand those three things, your weight loss would come from your lean muscle tissue, your lean fat, and your excessive fatty deposits. You would look gaunt and sickly.
However, because HCG tells your hypothalamus to release fat only from your excessive deposits and not your muscles, you're spared the gaunt and sickly look.
Because, it is said, HCG releases around 2000 calories daily into your bloodstream, you don't feel hungry.
Lastly, Simeons suggested that the very mild euphoria HCG provides also contributes to a lack of craving for alcohol.
I can't speak strictly to the scientific points, but I have not been hungry nor have I lost muscle tissue - in fact the opposite, I've gained muscle but that's because I found it easy to do a little light weightlifting during the protocol.
I cannot recommend against trying a 500 calorie diet alone strongly enough. It would be extremely dangerous and damaging to starve yourself thusly. Also, you'd be pretty miserable.
Other than the potential side effects (gout, lightheadedness, and in very few cases gynecomastia), the HCG diet is fairly safe if you go to a reputable doctor who gives you a very full, very complete understanding of exactly what you're in for.
I've lost about 40 pounds in about 40 days and couldn't be happier.