hcg diet help | Imamother

amother

Mon, Oct 03 2011, 5:47 am

Hello all, HCGIsrael here with my weekly report.

Rosh Hashana was quite nice and suprisingly manageable. I had my usual shabbos "cheats" such as the whole wheat matza, the extra milk in my coffee, and a bit extra protein, but I still lost. I am really loving this diet. I find it easy to stick to, I'm not hungry, and I feel healthy and motivated. I find myself having a new attitude toward food - I'm not sure why but I feel like food tastes better and I'm seeing what it's like to be full on less. I would sing it's praises from the rooftops if it weren't for the negative attitude that so many people have toward it. So for now, it's my little secret. I wasn't out much on YT because I was home with the kids, but 2 people that did see me mentioned how much weight I lost. Felt great! A neighbor also came over to borrow some coffee, she mentioned how her husband started drinking his black for dietary reasons and right away I said, "Is it HCG?" (Understand that it's still very new here - Only 2 sellers in the country, and only as of last couple of months.) She right away became wary and said, "Yes...why?" and I, restraining myself from throwing my arms around her said, "OMG!! Me too!!" She was thrilled and explained he hadn't told a soul because of all the negativity but she was so happy to have someone to talk to about it now since she was the one preparing his meals, etc. It really does stink that when you tell someone you're on weight watchers they want to know every minute detail but when you tell someone your on HCG you get mussar.

Anyway, this morning, I'm slightly under 198, 14lbs down in 3 1/2 weeks weeks, almost 20 if you count loading. A bit slow but understandable with the Yom Tov cheats (and regular cheats such as Sweet N Low). Considering that before HCG, I'd have a slice of challah on shabbos and gain 4 pounds, this is just wonderful. In addition, I have lost so many inches from my waist and hips that I realized that in the beginning, what I measured wasn't my real waist at all! How embarrassing is that?! After the fat disappeared I'm able to see that my waist is in a different place entirely. Oops.

I'm planning on going the full 40 and I'm trying to plan for Yom Kippur.
Do you stock up on extra lean protein, fruits, or vegetables before the fast?
After the fast, do you take more HCG to make up for the day?

Thank you all again, HCGIsrael.

OOTBubby

Mon, Oct 03 2011, 8:42 am

Great work -- keep it up!

For YK (and all fast days) I've just eaten my normal meals before (never on P2 for YK but was for other fasts including Tisha B'Av) and after -- however, I fast very easily, so you may be better off asking the others what they do.

I had a bit of a rough time over RH as it is just the beginning of P3B adding in carbs. In general I want to stay away from carbs altogether, but with so much available it was tough.

I am up a couple of lbs. and will now do a few protein days which should take care of it.

You're doing great.

amother

Mon, Oct 10 2011, 10:32 am

OOTBubby

Mon, Oct 10 2011, 10:49 am

amother wrote:

Hi all, I'm coming up on the last week of Phase 2. I'm thrilled at the weight loss. It's definitely not as much as I'd have wanted (18 lbs. so far) but as I've written before, I don't lose weight easily EVER, so this is a very large amount for me.

Now that I'll be moving into phase 3, I have some questions.

1. Am I correct in understanding that natural fats are okay? I don't mean potato chips but nuts, skin on chicken, etc.?

That is correct. Add back in all fats and oils.

2. I read that the one does not become immune to the spray. Therefore, can I go a little longer then 40 days? What about phase 4, do I have to go the full 3 weeks adding carbs and sugar before I begin another round?

I don't know about your provider, but Ketomist says that you go up to 50 days.

3. What can we substitute for flour? I substitute sweet N low for sugar, but if I want to make phase 3 cookies, what does one substitute? I read people use almond flour, is that okay? Any other tips?

Almonds are considered a "cautionary" food in P3A. For some people (including me) they do fine with them, others gain weight eating them. You can try and see. While I ate almonds in P3A, I didn't start using almond flour until 3B (my choice). I do have some good almond flour recipes (mainly courtesy of Flower Mom on here). Let me know if you want them. In 3A it is really best to at least start out eating mainly P2 foods in greater quantities plus fats, then adding other proteins, other vegetables (and mixing them) and other fruits (be careful of "cautionary" ones -- I can't handle higher sugar fruits -- they cause me to gain). Then as you get into 3B you will add more foods.

4. How vital are vitamins? I haven't taken vitamins all along, but as I read more and more, I think that was a mistake.

Ketomist tells us that vitamins -- especially Omega 3 are very important in P3 and onward, but should not be used at all in P2.

Basically, I've read that phase 3 is the most vital part of the diet so I'm pretty nervous about it, much more then before starting phase 2. Did you find that you had to do an apple day or steak day often? Anything else I should know?

Apple days are for P2 not for P3. In P3 you can do a steak day or protein day (you must do so if you are up more than 2 pounds from last spray weight). I have done protein days occasionally.

Thank you all for your support along the way. I'm still going to be updating here on phase 3 and 4, and after that I'll be here for my second round.
HCGIsrael

Sounds like you're doing great. Keep it up!

amother

Wed, Oct 26 2011, 4:02 am

Well here I am, HCGIsrael, officially on Day 1 of Phase 3!
Looking back at my posts, I can't believe this day has come.

As for my results, in 40+ days, I lost 21 pounds (Could be a bit more, TOM is coming...). I'd have liked more, but I'm fine with that, given the Yomim Tovim, etc. I'm already marking phase 4 on the calendar, and the exact day that I'll be starting my Round 2. I'm very much looking forward!

I've been hyper-researching phase 3, reading about how to increase the proteins and choose fattier proteins rather then introduce eggs, cheese, nuts, etc. right away. The only problem is that I woke up today with some sort of stomach bug and I can't take the thought of eating anything. Hopefully that will pass.

2 Questions:

Other then oil, I can't figure out a way to get in much fats here in Israel. I checked everything and there's sugar in it! Dressings, Salsa, Mayo....does anything NOT have sugar?? Then I said fine, forget the condiments, I'll have some salami...that's fatty, right? Guess what? SUGAR! I mean seriously??? Are there any options at all??

About the calories, I plugged my info into an online calculator and it says I need about 2000 calories a day to maintain. Does that mean I should be shooting for that goal? That sounds like a lot. Then again, I don't want to reset at too few calories, that was my problem before HCG!

Thank you again, all of you, and especially ootbubby, for all your help throughout the past couple of months. I don't think I could have done it without you and I look forward to sticking around, encouraging others, and updating into my second round, iyH! This has been the best diet I have ever been on, the one that worked for me the best, and the one that taught me the healthiest habits as well as tackling the hypothalmus problem that the other diets, even the ones I lost on, only made worse.

OOTBubby

Wed, Oct 26 2011, 9:25 am

amother wrote:

Also, one more thing, (Sorry!), my entire life I drank skim milk, I'm now learning that skim, low fat, diet, etc. are not healthier but just full of extra sugars and chemicals and in most cases, it's healthier to opt for the full fat version. (Am I understanding that correctly?)

Anyway, I just made coffee with whole milk, about half a cup, and I see that milk has sugars! Does that mean I can't have milk in phase 3?

The hidden sugar thing is hard to avoid. Make your own mayo and full fat salad dressings using olive oil. Use Stevia if you need them sweeter.

It isn't necessary to totally avoid adding cheeses and nuts and it is totally fine to eat eggs (they're even allowed in P2). Just add new things gradually to make sure you do okay with them. And watch out for certain nuts that aren't allowed in P3 (off hand, cashews). Most people eat almonds even in P3A.

Increase quantities of your proteins significantly. And add in other proteins that weren't allowed before like salmon. Have more beef, etc.

Don't pay too much attention to the online calculators. If you can do it, just eat as much as you want until you aren't hungry of the allowed stuff and you should be fine. And, make sure to always be over 1500 calories. That said, I do watch calories, because as I say, my fuel gauge (and thermostat) is broken. I really can't judge how much I should eat. But you should get a feel for it.

For milk, I think the sugars are natural milk sugars which are okay. I switched from skim to 2%.

Most people fine P3 to be scary because P2 was so simple and straightforward and in P3 you have so many choices to make, but that is how you will learn to live for the future.

One piece of advice. If you plan to do another round after you finish P3, you might want to stay on P3A (no starches or sugars -- or at least limit them) for the whole time instead of adding those things back in after 3 weeks, since you'll just be eliminating them again right away for your next round.

Keep up the great work!

OOTBubby

Wed, Oct 26 2011, 9:52 am

HCGIsrael -- if you have anyone coming from the US, we do have sugar free mayo and peanut butter here (you can also have almond butter).

Other good things to add to increase calories are: shredded (unsweetened of course) coconut and soybeans.

Of course you can also increase your quantities and selection of fruits, but many people find that a lot of fruits have too much carbs/sugars and make them gain. You need to test each thing for yourself.

For example, I have no problem with cheeses and nuts, but have to be very careful with fruits. You might be the opposite.

Keep a careful record of what you eat and what your weight is each day so you can see what works for you.

amother

Thu, Oct 27 2011, 6:14 am

OOTBubby wrote:

One piece of advice. If you plan to do another round after you finish P3, you might want to stay on P3A (no starches or sugars -- or at least limit them) for the whole time instead of adding those things back in after 3 weeks, since you'll just be eliminating them again right away for your next round.

Keep up the great work!

Thank you OOTBubby, that makes a lot of sense.
If phase 3 resets the hypothalmus, and I plan on starting a round 2, must I really do the 3 week Phase 3B (adding starch and sugar) at all? Can I just do the 3 weeks of 3A and right on to loading? What's the point of 3B?

smilethere

Thu, Oct 27 2011, 8:32 am

I'm thinking of starting this and I have some questions:

Can I read the book of instructions before buying the spray?

Do you ship to London?

Anybody had any issues whilst nursing?

If I don't have a massive amount to lose, can I stop the diet after I have lost my goal amount?

Can one stop and start, for example do a week, then at a later stage do another week? I can't imagine being hungry for so long.

Does the weight stay off? Do you have to maintain a diet?

TIA

OOTBubby

Thu, Oct 27 2011, 9:06 am

amother wrote:

If phase 3 resets the hypothalmus, and I plan on starting a round 2, must I really do the 3 week Phase 3B (adding starch and sugar) at all? Can I just do the 3 weeks of 3A and right on to loading? What's the point of 3B?

Yes, you must do 3B. Your body needs the full 6 weeks to "restock" itself to prepare for another round.

Ketomist has done extensive tests of people who have skipped all or part of P3 and they have shown that the full P3 is necessary for another successful round.

Do it right -- you won't regret it.

OOTBubby

Thu, Oct 27 2011, 9:12 am

smilethere wrote:

Go to this link http://ketomist.com/cmd.php?af=1205831 and you can download the eBook there written by Dr. Simeons who originated the HCG protocol. Note that there are some differences in the food plan because Ketomist is homeopathic (such as no coffee is allowed and vegetables are unlimited in quantities at each meal as long as you only eat the allowed ones and don't mix them). This eBook isn't the book of "instructions", but rather the explanation of the whole concept.

I don't know if they ship to London -- where they ship to depends if they have a way of shipping where the spray won't be xrayed since xray ruins the homeopathic effect. Using the above link, you can send them a message to ask if they ship there.

The Ketomist people do not recommend it be used while nursing as it may impact your milk supply. That said, there is someone who did it very successfully while nursing with her doctor's encouragement who has a blog about it -- you can find the blog with a Google search.

The weight stays off if you use the lessons you learn during Phase 3 (maintenance) as to what works for your body. If you go back to how you ate before, most likely you will regain the weight. However, you will be able to eat much more than before (especially of proteins and fats -- possibly not carbs and sugars) and not gain.

Once you lose, the rest teaches you how to eat for your body to maintain your weight loss. The maintenance phase is really excellent and has taught me things that 35+ years of dieting didn't.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

smilethere

Mon, Oct 31 2011, 6:14 am

OOTBubby wrote:

smilethere wrote:

Thank you for your answers, just a repeat of one of my queries, can I stop the diet at any point? I see recommended length is 4-7 weeks, how do I know how long to do it for?

I will probably then wait until I stop nursing because I wouldn't want to have any chance of impacting my supply.

OOTBubby

Mon, Oct 31 2011, 9:30 am

smilethere wrote:

You need to spray for a minimum of 23 days (2 days Phase 1 before that plus at least 23 days spray). If you lose the desired amount of weight before 23 days, you will raise your calories (there's instructions for that) but continue to spray for 23 days.

After that, you must do the full 6 weeks maintenance (regardless of how long you sprayed).