Tressa put this post together so nicely that I have asked her to use the information below as is pretty much the gist of this new forum.
Welcome to the HCG Protocol thread. We are here to support each other and answer questions we can. This post is a quick overview of the protocol. For more information see:
-Dr. Simeons’ manuscript, Pounds and Inches.
- Kevin Trudeau’s book, The Weight Loss Cure.
HCG Program Overview
(This information is not my own. It has been compiled from many sources including, but not limited to; Dr. Simeon’s manuscript, Pounds and Inches, Kevin Trudeau’s book, The Weight Loss Cure, Happily Thinner After forum and Biz’s brilliant mind. See resources above for more information.)
In the 1950's a British doctor, Dr. A.T.W. Simeons, discovered that the hypothalamus is the major cause of obesity. The hypothalamus controls the storage of fat in the body.
The first type of fat in our bodies is structural fat, the fat that cushions our organs and insides. The second type of fat is normal fat, the padding on our hands and feet, etc. The third type of fat is abnormal fat, our love handles, bellies, back fat, spare tires, saddle bags, etc.
When the hypothalamus is working properly, it stores the excess fuel we eat as structural or normal fat it can access at a later time for energy and nutrients. Dr. Simeons discovered that because of genetics, eating refined foods/sugar, hydrogenated oils, etc. the hypothalamus gets overloaded with more excess fuel than it can handle. Because the structural and normal fat reserves are at their maximum already this excess fuel that the hypothalamus cannot handle gets stored as abnormal fat - fat that cannot be easily accessed or used.
Today we know that the hypothalamus does much more than store fat in the body.
The Health Maintenance Organization of the Body
The hypothalamus is called the brain of the brain. It appears that almost everything the hypothalamus does is related in some way to the management of brain and body connection, linking the psyche (mind) to the body, weight management and controlled weight loss.
The hypothalamus is located immediately below the thalamus at the center of the brain, and controls many automatic functions of the body. This means it has the power to govern the autonomic (automatic or subconscious) nervous system. The hypothalamus also controls pituitary output by secreting specific chemicals to the pituitary's front lobe.
Very simply, the Hypothalamus organizes and controls many complex emotions, feelings and moods, as well as all motivational states including hunger, appetite and food intake, and everything to do with the concept of pleasure including satisfaction, comfort and creative activities. The neurons in the Hypothalamus produce neurotransmitters which relay information and instruction to all parts of the brain and body, directly influencing the pituitary gland, where growth hormone, thyroid hormone releasing factor and other neuropeptides.
Ultimately the hypothalamus can control every endocrine gland in the body. It controls the function of the pituitary and thyroid glands.
When the hypothalamus doesn’t work properly
When the Hypothalamus is not working correctly we are lead to faulty perceptions which are very subtle but nonetheless powerful, making us feel empty, deprived and emotionally "unsatisfied." Dysfunction of the hypothalamus often leads to depression, hyperactivity, abnormal responses to stress, or disturbances in brain and limbic functioning.
Some of the physical aspects of Hypothalamic dysfunction are: disordered sleep, multiple hormonal dysfunctions, immune dysfunction, autonomic dysfunction, and altered body temperatures.
What causes dysfunction in the hypothalamus?
The function of these vital systems can be altered by various causes ranging from food mishandling, dependency & substance withdrawal, stress or psychological responses to simple functional deficits, hyperactivity, hypoactivity or learning disabilities. Unfortunately, Hypothalamic function becomes impaired with age, so as we grow older the Hypothalamus needs support to maintain optimum performance.
The Missing Piece
HCG is found in trace amounts in men and women alike. A pregnant woman produces mass amounts of HCG. Dr. Simeons discovered that HCG allows the hypothalamus to function at a higher capacity thus allowing the fetus to have the nutrients and energy it needs to grow.
The premise behind the HCG protocol is that by taking HCG and doing a very low calorie diet, your hypothalamus is able to function at a higher capacity and access that abnormal fat it usually can't access. You eat 500 calories and take the HCG. 500 calories doesn't sound like much, but because your body is using the abnormal fat as its energy and nutrition you are actually metabolizing between 2500 and 4000 calories.
When people usually go on diets or exercise to lose weight, they are losing their normal fat or structural fat first because it is nearly impossible for the body to access that abnormal fat. The beauty of the HCG diet is that you burn the abnormal fat and you literally re-sculpt your body. Your skin doesn't get flabby; it actually tightens. Looking at before and after pictures you would think that someone had liposuction or plastic surgery.
Life after the HCG Protocol
The HCG Protocol is learning a whole new lifestyle, a new approach to the way you will eat for the rest of your life. You will have a new relationship with food and have new habits that will assist you in making the right food choices.
After successfully completing a round of HCG protocol you have reset your hypothalamus, increased your metabolism, and have a new weight set-point for your body to maintain.
If you go back to eating fast food, restaurant food and foods containing trans-fats, high fructose corn syrup, highly refined foods, artificial sweeteners, etc., etc., etc., you may in fact regain the weight. If you make healthy food choices you will maintain the weight you lost during the protocol and even continue to lose with careful observation.
Dr. Simeons did not specify phases, but generally people reference four different phase identified by Kevin Trudeau in his book The Weight Loss Cure.
Phase 1 – Cleansing and Preparation (optional)
Phase 2 – HCG and VLCD (very low calorie diet)
Phase 3 – Maintenance
Phase 4 – Transition and Lifetime Maintenance
Phase 1 (optional)
30 days
(Compiled from Kevin Trudeau’s book, The Weight Loss Cure)
This Phase wasn’t needed during Dr. Simeons’ time. They didn’t have pesticides, preservatives, hydrogenated oils, etc. Today, however, Phase 1 is essential for optimal weight loss. This is a period of 30 days of preparation and cleansing. The benefits of Phase 1 include increased energy and mental clarity, increasing metabolism, decreasing hunger, decreasing food cravings, alleviating depression and increasing overall health and vitality. These results are achieved by cleansing the liver and colon, reducing Candida yeast overgrowth, handling nutritional deficiencies, correcting the thyroid, pancreas and hormonal imbalances, cleansing the body of toxins, hydrating the cells, reducing heavy metals, reducing parasites, stimulating the lymphatic system, and reducing stress.
Doing Phase 1 will have tremendous long-term benefits. It will make your fat and weight loss during the protocol happen faster and you will lose more weight than if you do not do Phase 1. Ideally, do this phase for at least thirty days. You can do this phase for a shorter or longer period if you want. When you complete this phase you would immediately start Phase 2.
*Personal Note: You can purchase KT’s book. It does have some very good cleansing information.
Phase 2
26 days (minimum)
It is suggested that you read Dr. Simeons’ manuscript, Pounds and Inches, thoroughly before starting the protocol. Here is a quick breakdown of the Phase 2 but you will need to read P & I for more detailed information.
Day 1 and 2
Take the HCG as directed. These are your loading days. You can eat all you want and eat to capacity.
Day 3 - 23
Continue the HCG as directed. Begin the 500 calories diet; follow exactly for a minimum of 21 days for best results.
From P & I:
Breakfast: Tea or coffee in any quantity without sugar. Only one tablespoonful of milk allowed in 24 hours. Saccharin or Stevia may be used as a sweetener.
Lunch:
1. 100 grams (3.5 oz) of veal, beef, chicken breast, fresh white fish, lobster, crab, or shrimp. All visible fat must be carefully removed before cooking, and the meat must be weighed raw. It must be boiled or grilled without additional fat. Salmon, eel, tuna, herring, dried or pickled fish are not allowed. The chicken breast must be removed from the bird.
2. One type of vegetable only to be chosen from the following: spinach, chard, chicory, beet-greens, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, cabbage.
3. One breadstick (grissini) or one Melba toast.
4. An apple, orange, or a handful of strawberries or one-half grapefruit.
Dinner:
The same choices as lunch (above).
Day 24-26
Discontinue the HCG and continue eating 500 calories. It takes 72 hours for the HCG to leave your body.
Phase 3
(21 days)
Phase 3 is vital to the protocol. Phase 3 is the maintenance phase. The goal is to maintain the weight you were when you finished Phase 2, your last injection weight. This will allow the body to stabilize and set a new weight-set point for it to reference.
From P & I:
When the three days of dieting after the last injection are over, the patients are told that they may now eat anything they please, except sugar and starch provided they faithfully observe one simple rule. This rule is that they must have their own portable bathroom-scale always at hand, particularly while traveling. They must without fail weigh themselves every morning as they get out of bed, having first emptied their bladder. If they are in the habit of having breakfast in bed, they must weigh before breakfast.
As long as their weight stays within two pounds of the weight reached on the day of the last injection, patients should take no notice of any increase but the moment the scale goes beyond two pounds, even if this is only a few ounces, they must on that same day entirely skip breakfast and lunch but take plenty to drink. In the evening they must eat a huge steak with only an apple or a raw tomato. Of course this rule applies only to the morning weight.
*Personal Note: Dr. Simeons was pretty vague about the 21 days of maintenance. He says, “they may now eat anything they please, except sugar and starch”. While this works for a few, P3 is a little more complicated than that. Biz at Happily Thinner After has a P3 Boot Camp where you check in daily and she supports you throughout P3 and transitioning to P4. Through experience and trial and error she has come up with some great tools and formulas that make P3 successful. Go join today!
Again, welcome and feel free to ask any questions you may have. We will do our best to answer or direct you to someone that can!
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Tressa -LovesLifeGal
I am not a medical professional. The things I post here are my personal opinion and are based on personal experience and research.
"The thing to do with life is....LIVE it!"
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