Thursday, January 13, 2011

My First Day Taking HCG

  Hello! My name is Ally, and this is my online diary tracking my progress on the hcg diet! I am a happily married mother of 4 boys, and a stay at home mom who has no excuses to not be in better shape! I want to say now that I am NOT an expert on this diet. My research has included Dr. Simeon's book Pounds and Inches, and several online sites dedicated to the hcg diet. If you are thinking of starting this diet my best advice is to be prepared! You can download Dr. Simeon's free book here

 Today is my first day taking Nigen Biotech Homeopathic HCG drops. I will be taking these until my "real" hcg comes through the mail. Patience is NOT my strong point, and from what I have read I will be able to switch mid-round without interrupting my progress. Homeopathic drops do NOT have real hcg in them, but thousands say they work all the same. I was cheap when I first ordered so I opted for hhcg, but after thinking about it I decided to order sublingual hcg. Its more expensive, but I feel a little more confident knowing it has real hcg. It ships from overseas, so it will take a little longer to get here. You can also get a prescription from your doctor if you have a doctor around that will be willing to offer you support.

  If you dont know exactly what HCG is, you can find information on several websites including www.hcgdietinfo.com. In short, HCG is a hormone produced by pregnant women. The theory behind the science is that if you are NOT pregnant and you take hcg in very small doses, it will trigger your brown fat (the fat that is VERY hard to lose, think love handles) to release itself into energy. Its highly controversial, but there is some science behind the madness.

  One of the main reasons this diet is so debated is that while you are taking the hcg, you must also follow a very strict, very low calorie diet, or VLCD. I will eat approximately 500 calories per day of very lean meats, vegetables, fruits, and an occasional Melba toast. The hcg triggers your fat stores to release, uses the adipose tissue for energy, releases the minerals and blood back into your system, and in turn you lose fat (not muscle). This sounds a lot like a starvation diet, I know. But the science says differently, and so do many hcg users. People who have used hcg have claimed to not be hungry, despite eating so very little. The theory behind that is since the hcg is releasing your fat stores, you are still getting the nutrition your body craves since the fat stores are releasing nutrients along with energy, so you dont crave actual food as much. Some have expressed different side effects, including heightened energy, mood swings, headache, and occasional nausea. I haven't experienced any of these yet, but I'm also only on day one!

  As you can tell, I am still a little skeptical of this diet, but I like to see things for myself when they sound too good to be true.

  Day 1

 I drank too much last night and forgot to eat the huge steak I made so I woke up very dehydrated and hungover, but one of the highlights of this diet are the first couple days, also known as LOADING DAYS.

  During the loading days, the dieter starts taking their daily dosage of hcg, and get to eat whatever they want, preferably in large portions. BEST DIET EVER!! Dr Simeon's recommends high fat foods such as milk chocolate, donuts, fried pork, high fat ice cream, etc. The reason behind this seemingly unnatural approach to dieting is when you binge on high fat foods, it tells your body that its okay to release the fat it has been storing. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but the proof is in the pudding (or pizza, or cheeseburger...). I believe its also a good time to say "good-bye" to those foods you will surely crave in the weeks to come. You don't absolutely have to do these loading days, but the people who have done them usually lost more weight than the people who opted out. 

  Now this sounds easy, and rather fun, but let me tell you, its not! The hcg is already making me less hungry, and add the fact of being hung-over... I'm trying to keep everything down.

  Today I had half a steak and baked potato with butter, cheese, and sour cream. I couldn't finish it all! I then ate a few bites of cheesecake about an hour ago, still feeling a little queasy. I'm drinking coke since it will be awhile before I taste it again. For lunch I might have hot dogs. Dinner, fettuccine Alfredo. Dessert, brownies and ice cream. My kids are going to love me the next couple days. My stomach is going to hate me! I'm actually really looking forward to the low calorie diet at this point.

I took a "before" picture so I can compare later on.

  My goal weight is somewhere around 150, about 29 lbs away. I am 5'9. I will be doing at least 21 days on the hcg and VLCD, no more than 40. Then I will do 3 weeks in phase 3, which is the phase the hcg is out of your system and you get to eat "real" foods again, except for sugars and starches. This phase is crucial as this is one of the main reasons people do not gain the weight back.

 Well, that's all for today. I will update later!
     

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