I tried for nearly six months to get my
dietician friend Ariel to write a post about her first-hand experiences working at an HCG diet clinic. But she isn’t really a writing machine, and has been busy. Suffice it to say, she decided to quit working at the clinic even though the money was great ? because the people being treated looked and felt ill, and were not seeing lasting results from the very expensive treatment.
What is HCG? HCG is a pregnancy hormone, and the HCG protocol and diet developed by Dr. A.T.W. Simeons is hotter than Kristen Stewart. Or, in the international language of 80’s movie references, ?It’s the hottest thing since sunburn.
Basically, per the theories of Simeons, you inject the pregnancy hormone or, even hokier, have a little bit of the homeopathic HCG ‘spray? or’sublingual drops.With this you eat what could best be described as a ?protein-sparing modified fast,? known as PSMF. PSMF is basically a diet where you eat your biological requirement for protein (1 gram per kilogram of ideal body weight), eat enough carbohydrate to keep that protein from being converted to glucose (so it is used instead to help you maintain muscle mass ? roughly a half gram of carbohydrate for every gram of protein does this well), and cut virtually all fat out of the diet. This usually equates to no more than 500 calories per day, sometimes less ? although some HCG practitioners are allowing higher calorie intakes ? like
Tuscon, Arizona Naturopathic Doctor Garrett Smith (who follows this blog and who I openly invite to write an article on his personal experiences with HCG as a practitioner for submission to the 180 blog).
The idea is that, by supplementing with the HCG, following the precise diet, and following what is best described as a post-diet weight setpoint resetting period, you can ?get away with? losing the weight. In other words, you can lose weight, keep it off, and do so all without a drop in your metabolic rate. In addition, the HCG ?pregnancy hormone,? despite many pregnant women wanting to eat the ass end of a cow with pickles and banana custard all over it, supposedly helps to kill hunger.
Sure enough, most people who try the HCG diet and are substantially overweight, note very little hunger ? often less than normal. Energy levels soar. They feel great, lose weight rapidly, and rave about the diet. The internet is littered with hip-hip-hoorays for how effective the HCG is.
And for some, it surely does seem effective for losing weight and keeping it off ? at least for a year or two. But from what I gather, most follow it once and do well. It almost has a rejuvenating cleansing effect to do this type of diet for several weeks or a month. I mean, you are cutting out all things like excessive polyunsaturated fat, many allergenic foods presumably, food additives, and who knows what else. You are eating real foods ? mostly lean protein and vegetables.
But ultimately, those who try round 2 and beyond find it’s not as good as the first. Yet they keep trying it and trying it. What might have potentially been benign or even beneficial at first turns dark. Typical dieter’s symptoms like hair loss, loss of libido, poor wound healing, autoimmune disease, constipation, food allergies, nutrient deficiencies, low metabolic rate/body temperature ? these things start to set in just like you might see in someone who has undergone bariatric surgery or suffers from an eating disorder. At least that is my impression from the dozens of communications I have received about it since people began begging me to write about this subject a couple of years ago.
But I’d certainly champion it over getting bariatric surgery. Hell, I’d even recommend the incredibly ridiculous 5-Bite Snickers Diet over bariatric surgery! Or at least watching the video for comic relief!
Anyway, here are my unadulterated feelings about the HCG protocol?
The HCG injections are totally and completely bogus, do nothing at all, and are a way for practitioners to make lots of money ? while providing patients/clients with a powerful placebo.
But if people aren’t hungry on this diet and feel great, then clearly the HCG must be doing something!
I don’t think so. It’s been known for 80 years now that doing a protein-sparing modified fast in which muscle mass is not lost has the exact same effect as reported by HCG dieters. In a 1931 study conducted by Frank Evans and J.M. Strang entitled ?The Treatment of Obesity with Low Caloric Diets,? the 187 obese subjects following the 400-600 calorie protein-sparing fast noted dramatic improvements in energy and vitality and very little hunger?
?The subjective changes which the patients reported constituted some of the most striking clinical results of the treatment. Contrary to their expectations, they were not weak and hungry. It was rare for a patient to complain of hunger after the first two or three days. In fact, one is astonished by the unanimity with which patients reported a return of vigor, a feeling of well being and resistance to fatigue which had been lost for months or even years. A great variety of obscure symptoms and minor ailments disappeared. Headaches, which afflicted so many of these patients, some even migrainous in type, were relieved in every instance, and usually within the first two weeks. Dyspnea and orthopnea diminished rapidly. Minor skin disorders were frequently relieved. Intertrigo disappeared or became easy to control in every case in which it was found. In one case, diagnosed epidermophytosis, and in another presenting such annoying pruritus vulvae that oxyuris infestation was seriously considered, complete relief was obtained in three and six weeks, respectively. The symptomatic improvement which all patients experienced far outran the rate of weight loss and was far greater than could be accounted for by the mechanical relief from a burden of from 5 to 10 pounds.
Accompanying the disappearance of unpleasant symptoms, there was very frequently an additional return of joie de vivre. This factor was of real significance in girls of school and college age who not only found a relief from a social semiostracism on account of the excess weight but also were again able to wear clothes of a style proportionate to their years.
The objective changes appeared somewhat more slowly. Very striking changes in the circulatory apparatus were among the first to appear. The rapid depression of elevated blood pressures was one of the commonest and earliest signs. Changes in the skin were always noted when any large loss of weight was secured.
In the study, the subjects, on average, lost roughly 3.5 pounds of pure body fat per week for 20 weeks ? an average of 77 pounds of fat loss. They had no losses of nitrogen or creatinine, meaning that they showed little to no signs of starvation and lost zero lean tissue.
So I’m calling bullshit on the injections, as many have since Simeons conjured up the idea to give them decades ago. The diet component itself, which seems to obviously be the source of this success, is probably too good to be true as well. Obesity studies show that, regardless of how much weight is lost or how it’s lost, the fat tissue itself seeks to be restored, and brings about a series of hormonal and enzymatic changes that ensure your body stores more food than it burns until fat stores are fully replenished or worse within a year or two. There is no known long-term ?cure? for obesity other than eating to appetite of healthy, nutritious, whole foods and being physically active while keeping your fingers crossed (as this works for some, and doesn’t work at all for others).
Furthermore, Evans and Strang note that the subjects with low thyroid function were often losing as little as one pound of body fat per week, and were seeing substantial drops in metabolic rate compared to what should be normal for people of their height, weight, age, and gender. While in 1931 the number of subjects who fit this description was very small, I have every reason to believe that the number of people with a subnormal metabolic rate (indicated best by a body temperature well below the ideal 98.6 degrees F or above) has dramatically increased in the last 80 years just as Broda Barnes observed ? not to mention thyroid seems to drop with each repetition of dieting (and today’s typical obese person has done dozens of them by the time they reach morbid obesity).
If you are dangerously obese (like over 400 pounds) and desperate ? facing serious health complications and even death, then it’s something to give a shot and will be a lot safer, easier, and ultimately more effective and healthy than bariatric surgery or continuing on the weight-gaining path you are on. But you don’t need to inject yourself with anything. That smells like a scam to me.
And note, the diet employed by Evans and Strang worked because the lean tissues of the subjects were feasting on their fat tissue, which supplied 1,500-3,000 calories per day. If you are not very fat, eating a diet like that will cause hunger, complete loss of energy and vitality, and substantial loss of lean tissues ? potentially doing irreparable harm to your metabolism.
?Diets containing 1 Gm. of protein and 0.6 Gm. of carbohydrate per kilogram of ideal weight and no fat, other than that inseparable from the protein ration, afford menus of from 400 to 600 calories on which these patients lose weight rapidly.
The patients are not hungry. They report an increased feeling of well being and resistance to fatigue. Headaches, minor disorders and frequently dysmenorrhea are relieved early in the period of dieting.
The satisfactory clinical results are obtained because only the inactive excess fatty tissue is being removed. The vital tissues are not wasted as in starvation, as shown by careful studies of oxygen, nitrogen and creatinine metabolism.
I have been amazed at how many people have tried HCG. Why not just avoid the middle man (HCG) and just starve yourself on a 500 calorie diet to get the same results?
I also think it is ironic that nobody thinks twice about injecting hormones in an attempt to lose weight, but if someone does it to get bigger muscles it is frowned upon and illegal.
Because you dont get the same results. My first time I tried HCG I used a homeopathic and it did nothing – I was starving and could think of nothing but food. I have since done 2 rounds of HCG with injections and have no hunger, lost over 40 pounds and have dropped pounds and inches – not muscle mass (which you would do if you were starving). Check out HCG Chica and see her body fat losses and muscle mass comparisons – it totally worked for her and its been over 3 years since her last round.
HCG is often using in conjunction with testosterone replacement to keep the testicles healthy.
Hey, don't knock the Snickers diet. I LOVED it…until day three when I had (WARNING: TMI) explosive diarrhea.
So glad to see you addressing this Matt! I've been meaning to but been preoccupied with other interests.
This is an especially disconcerting trend in low carb circles and I can't help but wonder WTF. I mean the same folks who try not to go under 1000 calories and "up the fat and calories" are now injecting (or, as you say ingesting the hokier homeopathic alternatives) some hormone and starving themselves.
This makes no sense to me. Especially since so many high fat low carb advocates now trash KimKins and Dukan as dangerous, unsustainable, etc. low carb/low fat plans.
Wake up folks!
I assumed that hCG, being a peptide hormone, would have to be administered with a shot– like insulin. So "giving it a shot" would involve giving yourself a shot, right?
Anyways, this is some good evidence for your belief that it's the diet and not the hormone. The few people I've heard from who've done it said that they keep the weight off only if they continue to follow the diet, or a basic low carb diet. Of course, this is not Kevin Trudeau's story. He apparently used to be overweight, and after doing hCG, claims that he eats whatever he wants (as long as its organic). Unlike most, I don't think he's a con, though he is a bit crazy (Scientologist).
Also, has anyone ever tried doing a regimen of hCG without the diet? If it really did something, there should at least be some result.
I tried doing the 500 calorie diet with homeopathic drops (which I have now learned do not have HCG) and was starving. I could not make it a week. I have now done two 40 day rounds with injectable HCG and lost over 40 pounds with no hunger. There was certainly a difference!
Interesting. Last Sunday, I accidentally did that sort of diet because I had nothing left in my fridge but rice and cottage cheese. By the end of the day, I felt so shitty I thought I would vomit. Not being hungry, feeling awesome? Not for me.
But then even RRAARF hasn't helped me feeling well again, either. I still can't sleep and my skin is itchy, red, and dry. And I never seem to recover from even the tiniest bit of exercise. Adding fruit juice hasn't helped. Adding gelatin seemed to help a bit with the skin but now everything is back to eczema again. I have gained approx. 30 pounds since I went off my paleo diet around a year ago. It doesn't annoy me except for the sore spots I get between my legs from them rubbing against each other when I walk in hot weather. And I tend to be short of breath lately. My cholesterol is now a bit above the normal range. And I tend to have a feeling of pressure on my ear. If you had told me in 2009 that my health would take such a nosedive I would have laughed at your face. Gosh, a diet mentality can really fuck you up. If I were president, I'd declare diet books the new porn. Or even better: I'd start a war on exerdietism.
As a certified acronym alchemist, I declare that HCG + PSMF = WTF
Left Armpit-
The first several days are miserable, like pretty much all sudden dietary changes, and only works if you are really obese.
Hopefully my work this summer in West Virginia studying under Challen will yield some more knowledge about specifics, and helping you sort your own personal case out. I will be writing about this extensively once I begin studying with him in July.
What I want to know about the HCG scam is: what's the deal with the claim that it permanently resets your set point via the hypothalamus? This is the holy grail of diet science, and from what I can gather after several eye-blurring hours reading mouse study abstracts online, it's as of yet impossible, unless you're Jon Gabriel.
I noticed in the literature that they seem to have discovered that appetite suppressants are actually just set point adjusters, so taking them causes your set point to drop so your weight still drops even if you start eating more (against appetite). Is HCG just an extra effective version of this?
Thanks for this Matt…good one to pass on to my clients, yes the HCG is still going around fast and furious.
What amazes me is that people who would not eat anything but "organic, pure and high vibration" foods would jump at the chance to inject this baloney!
Geesh!
Sounds like a culturally excepted starvation diet– with a price tag.
Please tell more about Challen? Who is he– and what will your focus be?
I agree, Matt. Miserable that day was indeed. And I think that is probably a warning. I remember the 'carb flu'. Only a few days of no-carb-misery and then everything will be fine. No. It's more like your body is a baby. And even babies stop crying at one point when nobody listens to them.
By the way: There is something I wanted to ask you about your thoughts on intuitive eating and food sensitivities. Does intuitive eating mean you should stop eating food that will make you sick or does eat mean to continue eating foods you like in spite of the sickness they may induce? Also, would it be better to avoid foods you are sensitive to when doing rraarf to give your organism a break and an opportunity to heal?
Okay, I guess I have a lot to say about this since I've done it and am actually on Hcg injections right now. I did my first round about a year ago and used homeopathic drops and lost about 25 pounds in 3 weeks, did the 3 week no starch/sugar stabilization period and then the 3 weeks with starch/sugar and I was fine. Next round though, I only lost about 10 pounds and was unbearably hungry. After a while I did start to slowly gain some weight back so decided to do another round. I started the round, but after about 4 days, decided to quit and planned to start up again some time later. Right after I quit, I gained about 30 pounds right away (like within a month and a half) and continued to gain until I started this last round. If you start a round, you have to go through with it I guess. I basically ended up at the same weight I was before my first round of the diet.
Anyways, why would I be crazy enough to do yet another round? Well, all those other rounds I used the homeopathic drops, which I really do believe are a scam. This round I'm using the real prescription Hcg. However, I am not going to a clinic which totally rips people off, I'm paying only about 15.$ for one vial of hormone. I think most clinics don't follow the original protocol and according to Dr. Simeons, the protocol has to be done exactly. I think this is why so many who go to the clinics fail at it. I belong to a couple Hcg support groups and most everyone has lasting success with it.
Of course, until I see success with myself I won't totally believe it, but I think my mistake was to use the phony Hcg, rather than the real Hcg.
I don't think diet without the hormone would work. First off, I'm a total compulsive eater and (this current round with the real Hcg anyways,) I can actually control myself. I don't feel that hungry or tempted. I still cook for my husband and son so I am exposed to yummy foods. This round (a little over 3 weeks so far) I've only had one day where I totally lost it and cheated and then I realized not until the evening that I forgot to do my shot in the morning.
I've been taking my temp every morning and it has not decreased, it's still at about 96.9-97.5, just like when I eat regularly. If I try to just cut back food I feel like I'm starving and daydream about food. With this diet you do feel a bit crappy for the first few days, but then it passes. I take potassium which gets rid of the lightheadedness and I am not at all constipated.
My sis has been doing round after round with the homeopathic drops, and has lost about 100 pounds in the last year and hasn't regained any weight in between rounds. I feel so happy for her.
Even if you eventually gain some weight back, you can just do another round.
It may not be a permanent fix, but what else can one do? Rather than being horribly fat straight through my whole life, I would be much happier to at least have some periods of relief. At least during the thinner times I can really enjoy myself and do things that I don't want to do during my fatter times, like traveling.
I would not advise this diet for someone who has little weight to lose though.
Anyways, I've lost about 25 pounds in this round so far and will go until the maximum, which is 40 days. Hopefully the weight will stay off because at this point, I feel this is my only hope.
Hi where did you purchase your HCG for 15$? THANK YOU
Jared bond,
Hasn't Kevin trudeau been to jail for credit card fraud?
Can't wait to hear more about Challen too and this period of study–great idea, btw, to find someone you admire and go learn with them.
RC,
Maybe, but that doesn't really concern me. I think his net benefit to society has been positive. He was the first to enlighten me personally to not trust the medical industry, and I'm pretty sure he's single-handedly responsible for the dramatic rise in organic food sales in the last 7 years or so.
Vida – Good luck with the diet. I have spent the past six months researching it and I don't think it is a scam at all. Have you been to Dr. Denis Clark's site? He has a lot of excellent info on HCG.
In my research I found many people who have maintained their HCG weight loss for years – Biz at HTA and Coleen and others at the hcgdietinfo forum for example. On the thyroid forum I visit, one lady lost 20lbs two years ago and again has kept it off. Plus, I talked to Garrett Smith about this and he says his patients maintain, no problem.
I totally agree with you on the weight thing too – life is pretty horrible when you are overweight and so much more fun when you are normal or slim.
I'm sending lots of good vibes your way, I do believe that the homeopathic stuff is bad news, so it is good you are using the real stuff.
So. Just wondering…if you'd recommend it over bariatric surgery…what do you "say" when/if the weight comes back and perhaps worse? Wouldn't it be "safer" to just recommend NOT using this stuff???
Just wanna say, thanks Matt for leaving up/not deleting my random bizarre comments all this time. Thanks. Shazam! (poof)
HCG is also a cancer hormone. If I recall correctly, it performs the same function it does in pregnancy, protecting the growth of new tissue, so that it isn't attacked by the immune system.
If a man has something like testicular cancer, and thus is likely to have high HCG, he could test positive on a pregnancy test. Women could also get false positives for pregnancy when they really could have cancer, because the pregnancy test tests for HCG in the urine.
I strongly believe HCG (ha-even the "benign" homeopathic kind) gave me cancer. A mammogram (don't do them girls!) gave me a bruise/lump which stayed the same for 2 years until I took the HCG. Then the thing took off and became huge and cancer set in. So, 2 things to avoid here…mammograms and HCG – both are money makers for the industry.
this is unrelated but I need some insight on these health issues I've been having and know no better place to try first.
background:
I am a lean and fit looking guy of 22.
I started eating healthy because I allways felt tired. tried primal (without restricting carbs much)for a short while but wasnt sold and found this blog.
Since about 2 months I only try to eat natural and minimize omega 6. Before that I limited my sugar mostly to fresh fruit but the rest was the same (about 3 months more).
Problem:
Since about a month my resting heart beat is really high, ranging from about 85 to close to a 100. I also often (more than not and even at night) feel my heartbeat in my stomach, head and chest. It feel as if I'm extremely nervous all the time, like when you have two aces in an important game of poker :P. It doesnt feel good at all.
I had this before but only for short times (half an hour or a little more) and not often.
I also feel that meat and salt makes it worse and that fruit and sweets help.
Any ideas what could cause this and how to over come it?
ofcourse "Ive been having" doesnt belong in the first sentence…
MATT-
Hey, you stole my snickers diet video Mr. Stonehead ;-P
God it still makes laugh..
BLUE-
Seems like your running on adrenalin at the moment. That would make you feel quite jittery. How much sugar are you eating and for how long?
I didn't find the video funny, I found it horrifying. These people REALLY BELIEVE this shit, and are leading already ill people to do something incredibly dangerous and stupid. It makes me really angry.
I don't think I eat that much sugar and I'm bad at guessing calories.
I eat some fruit and sweets a day but I drink allmost only water and tea. Maybe 400kcal of fresh fruit (mostly berries and cherries from the garden) and 300 kcal more from stuff like honey/fruit jam, cookies, juice etc.
Oh and I dont feel jittery. It makes me feel tired in my body and mind like my body is working really hard. think thats why sugar helps, because its easy energy.
Ela-
I don't know if "admire" is the right word, but he clearly knows a lot that I do not. I don't feel comfortable with that. In the words of Johnny 5, "more input!"
Jared-
Trudeau was an early inspiration for me too. He is pretty douchey, but I gotta give thanks. He seems like a chronic yo-yo dieter that endorses whatever the most recent thing that helped him lose weight was. Or maybe he's naturally skinny and just overfeeds, takes a picture, and then magically loses weight in "x" diet for endorsement purposes. Maybe I should try that, getting fat every year, losing it, taking before and after pics, and peddling the magic diet secret du jour :)
Forgot to answer "for how long"
fruit consumption went down a with my little but other sugar stuff went up with my change 2 months ago.
I guess that on average I allways have eaten sugar in similar amounts.
Sorry for making 3 posts that could have been one haha
Sheila-
I had to settle the score somehow. Still pissed about the 25 minutes of my life I lost watching that video. It disgusted me, but I couldn't turn away. I love how he opens up saying that he lost 20 pounds in 2 weeks. Awesome dude. Wonder if he knows that the maximum rate of fat loss if you eat no food at all is 5 pounds per week?
Blue-
Any time you have an overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system you will feel that way. That's what it sounds like to me. It is a generalized stress response.
For me personally, the ratio of carbohydrate to protein determines how active my sympathetic nervous system is almost 100%. The more meat and less carbohydrate I eat, the more jittery, anxious, irritable, etc. that I get.
I think this problem will be easily solved by substituting orange and/or grape juice for your water and tea. You can dilute it with water too if you find it is not hydrating enough. Drink it in between meals.
Going too many hours without any food can also trigger this effect, so you may find just eating more frequently can clear this up.
Jessica-
I mean for the really really obese who are really endangering their health with the excess weight – which doesn't happen until you get really, really heavy. Like a BMI over 40. And that too, is something to try when other options have been exhausted. It is a last resort.
Blue,
You have always felt tired? Sounds like mild hypothyroidism. I'm sure you'll improve with more calories.
Our old chiropractor recommended this diet to my wife. It's the reason why she's our "old" chiropractor. We quit going.
Thanks for the replies.
Will try to up the carbs and lower the protein even more. I feel like eating sweet stuff and no meat anyway.
Don't think I need more calories though. I got a big appetite and don't limit my calories.
Ah damnit, again forgot to answer a question hahaha.
@RC: Started getting less energy around 19yo and when I was 20 I got serious issues and was in bed over 12hrs a day. Hemocromatosis was found and I was treated for it. After my iron levels were normal I felt better but not good. Continued eating healthier and slowly started feeling better and better. Thats where I am now, I can finally be active for a whole day and do with a normal amount of sleep.
I've also participated in this diet scam. Yes, I did lose weight, and almost immediately during the post Hcg diet, began to gain the weight back. I felt terrible, couldn't sleep, and depressed. I think my hormones were a mess. Two years later, I'm back to a higher weight and hormonally feel excellent.
I'm eating Matt's style, whole foods and to appetite. BUT, not losing a pound. When will my body decide to let this excess fat go??
Blue,
Good to know! I was assuming you had very long term fatigue and thought hypothyroid.
Anonymous – How many rounds did you do? When did you begin to regain – on phase 4? How much weight were you trying to lose? What way did you eat post HCG?
Thanks!
This is a Public Service Announcement:
I shall be off on a short jaunt to the Great White North hosers. Ya, you are jealous eh?
I will NOT be getting any urine injections nor will I be restricting what I stuff down my pie hole.
I will miss you all. Back to Harass next Friday.
KISSES from Granny
deb
Lynn:
One round was enough! Trying to lose 30 pounds or so. Post diet was similar to South Beach 1000-1200 calories.
Low calorie dieting is not the solution, it is the problem.
Now in metabolic recovery, trying to heal my body so it will burn the fuel.
Thanks Matt for your advice and perspective.
Hi Lynn, I would suggest reading Pounds and Inches by Dr. Simeons, just look it up on line. The diet has to be done exactly according to his program. The 3 week stabilization is not low calorie, in fact, many people start to gain if they don't eat enough. I think many clinics just kind of do it how they want to do it.
Plus, like I said, even if I lose and keep the weight off and then start to regain…what's the difference than how my life already is?
Like Matt said, I think it should only be used as a last resort and this is my last resort. As healthy as I may be just letting myself be 250+ pounds, I just can't enjoy myself how I want and live life the way I want.
@Blue –
I totally understand what you're dealing with. I am also dealing with an elevated resting heart rate. I feel lucky to keep it in the 80's – 90's. It's often in the 100+ range. I've also been thinking protein consumption has an adverse effect. Last night I had a big bowl of white rice with a little butter and a little bit of cheese for protein. I don't normally have large amounts of protein, but more than a slice or two of cheese. I managed to get my heart rate back into the 80's after walking my dog. Lately, I've been having a hard time with my heart rate staying in the 100+ range at night. I've been upping my OJ, but maybe not enough. Of course, I've started having more acne breakouts also. Darned if it isn't one thing or another.
MATT-
Ha ha, I know! I couldn't believe I stayed through the whole 25 min video! it's like when you watch horror movies, you wanner turn your head away but you can't!
Omg the interviewer is the dumbest/funniest, or how ever you wanner put it -he keeps going on about the 20 pound loss in 2 weeks and how he is obviously going to loose 10 more next week, like it's just simple math!
Oh, oh.. And the best one; A cup of coffee is a great breakfast! And he is a doctor?! Oh my!
-and thank you for taking the words out of my mouth and not letting me say anything smart, regarding Blue.
I will get you back Mr. Stone, you just wait! *throwing my fist in the air*
Sheila,
Why have you still not answered my comment on your blog?
ROSENFELTC-
What? What comment?? I'll be right at it!!
Blue,
I've had that when I trashed my thyroid and adrenals. When I was in grad school, working full-time, with a pregnant wife, trying to do a high volume weight training routine, doing intermittent fasting, and regularly sleeping less than an hour a night, it took it's toll. I had that feeling that something bad was about to happen all the time, nervousness, trouble staying awake a whole day, usually falling asleep in the later afternoon, etc. After graduating, getting more sleep, and supplementing with Brewer's Yeast, adrenal and thyroid supp's from Standard Process I'm mostly better now (I'd say I'm at 90% right now). I know you said that you were a guy, but I have been told by several ladies that Brewer's Yeast gave them yeast infections, so ladies should use it with caution.
Who is Challen? Are we supposed to recognize his name? I've never heard of him. I read a book by Jack Challem. Is that the guy?
THE REAL WILL-
Thanks for the "yeast in the beast" warning! I am taking Brewer's Yeast and I am a women, last time I checked (Matt shut up). Tastes like shit but it works wonders for the pooper -if you catch my drift!
Eh, what do I look out for?
ROSENFELTC-
You got mail!
I'm going to plagiarize the experts on this one! :-)
From webmd.com…
"What are the symptoms?
A yeast infection causes itching or soreness in the vagina and sometimes causes pain or burning when you urinate or have sex. Some women also have a thick, clumpy, white discharge that has no odor and looks a little like cottage cheese.
These symptoms are more likely to occur during the week before your menstrual period."
Hope you don't get it, LOL!
HCG is a legitimate medication, and it does have a BIG effect on hormone production. This is certain.
It is used frequently by bodybuilders to restart the HPTA so that they can start producing endogenous hormones and get their testicle functioning again. Some men even use it instead of testosterone injections for low testosterone treatment. It is also used for fertility purposes in men and women.
THese are the typical and proper medical uses of HCG. I don't think it is good to use as a diet.
THE REAL WILL-
OMG Will, That was brutal! So graphic! I will let you know if I suddenly see half a bowl of rice pudding in my undies! -insert disturbed looking smiley-
You studying on Challen? Now that should be interesting. :P
Are you talking about Challen W. Waychoff II, the Traditional Naturopathic Doctor?
Matt,
Have you actually read Dr. Simeons himself? I think you will find this fascinating, and more than just something to scoff at (I'm only partly through it myself):
http://www.hcgdietdirect.com/dr_atw_simeons_pounds_inches_protocol.html
Yes,I scoffed until I read his book too.
There does seem to be something to this diet. Matt, maybe you could request to speak to Coleen Coble, who has been maintaining her HCG diet weight loss for years and runs a thriving HCG website: http://www.colleencoble.com/
What's interesting to me is his idea of the different types of fat stores, and that in obesity extra fat is "locked away" and inaccessible to normal dieting, which is why normal dieting doesn't work to reverse obesity.
Also, he suggests that in obesity too large a percentage of your overall fat is locked away which means there is little "normal reserves" to tap into for energy. This means you are in starvation mode long before you get to the point of accessing the "locked" stores while dieting, and so your body rebounds and regains.
HCG is supposed to set your body up to preferentially access those locked stores, which it does in pregnancy to ensure adequate nutrition to the fetus even if the mother is underfed. This can allow a non-pregnant person who is dosed with HCG while restricting calories to lose the stored fat without starvation setting in, and thus normalize their fat distribution…
OK that was a long explanation of my current understanding of Simeons's ideas and a long way of saying his theory of obesity and why dieting doesn't work is an interesting one that I think Matt would appreciate!
Gazelle-
That effect was basically exactly what Evans and Strang was able to induce with their precise dietary formula of 1 gram of protein per kg of ideal body weight, .6 grams of carbohdyrate for each gram of protein, and a minimal amount of fat. The body did burn its fat and not its muscle. People could access it just fine and they kept track of exactly how many grams of fat, protein, and carbohdyrate the subjects were oxidizing.
Cusick tried this as an experiment and he can attest to those results as well.
AS –
Yes. I won't be writing anything about him until I've had the chance to spend some time with him.
JT-
Thanks for that tidbit. I did not know that about HCG.
Sheila-
I tried to leave this comment on your blog. Have trouble leaving comments on Blogger sites other than my own – go figure…
Didn't even realize lil' Sheila was a blogging machine!
I think eating for warm hands and feet is probably a great guideline for how to compose the diet. That and a feeling of relaxation, general warmth, etc.
Each individual will probably differ in what gives them the warmest feet and hands. The hardest thing to determine will be how much of it is related to individual things (like sugar) and how much is attributable to overall calories.
For example, hands and feet are warmer when I eat ice cream and pie all day than when I eat whole fruit and starches. After all, a pint of ice cream and 9 bananas have about the same number of calories – and bananas are about the most calorie-dense of all fruits and vegetables.
People naturally eat more on a high-fat diet, but they also typically gain more fat on a high-fat diet.
We shall see.
Matt,
Interesting. Looking forward to your thoughts/writings on it. I know of Challen and his work, but haven't studied with him. Although, I have researched the work of Dr. Reams, whom Challen studied under, and who's work Challen's own work and "Health Theory" is based on.
Will be interesting to hear your take on it.
Second that, Matt. What caught my attention is Reams' background as an agronomist. As a wannabe hippie permaculture food grower, the importance of soil and minerals in health makes sense to me. Will certainly keep an eye out for report back in the months to come.
Oh, and they seem anti-pork. Damn. One more in the no-swine camp.
@Rob A
What caught my attention is Reams' background as an agronomist. As a wannabe hippie permaculture food grower, the importance of soil and minerals in health makes sense to me. Will certainly keep an eye out for report back in the months to come.
Yes, what Reams did was take the principles he had discovered regarding agriculture and apply them to human health, since it was rare to find agriculture that met his standards. However he did believe that with the proper food his principles regarding human health were not necessary.
And therein lies the rub. With very few exceptions (including Challen), almost all the current practitioners of his human health principles are completely ignorant (or nearly so) of the foundation of his work in agriculture. And vice versa. It is a shame really, but that is the reality.
I wrote a post long ago that basically said that if his agricultural principles were adhered to, 99% of all the debate we have about how to eat would go away. Need to drag that out and post it on my blog.
Oh, and they seem anti-pork. Damn. One more in the no-swine camp.
Yes and no. The story goes that Reams tried for 7 years to make pork and other "ritually" unclean foods work according to the numbers, and they never did. But he also said some folks were exceptions to the rule. That is why in all things RBTI it is best to not get into arguments about why something should be a particular way. That is very much a dead end street. Trust me. Better just to pay attention to your own numbers. Or as Dr. Reams was fond of saying, "why guess when you can know?"
`
What kinda stood out to me was the "in God we trust" flavor of it all (you know I had to use "flavor" right?) — that aspect of it turned me off a little. Challen is especially of this mindset. The mentality is: Follow the "rules" and God will do the rest, and whatever a person's outcome — good or bad — it is God's will. ME: So don't go blamin' the messenger when it doesn't work for ya! :-)
An interesting tidbit about swine: Yes, according to Reams/Challen, from the OT in the Bible, hogs are considered one of the "unclean" meats, along with other "scavengers" like shellfish, catfish, muskrats, etc. HOWEVER, an interesting point made by Reams in an interview of him in 1976, that Matt may find interesting, is the way hogs are now raised on "grain" (gasp!), making them "vegetarian" (gasp!) as Reams states. And then Reams goes on to say that he *tried* to reason that they should therefore be acceptable. Unfortunately, the "numbers" told him otherwise.
Although, like Michael pointed out, Reams did go on to say that there are "exceptions" for some people. So, Rob, you just might be an exception to that particular "rule" of the "no-no foods!" :-)
Anyway, here is the short excerpt from that interview with Reams where he talks about hogs…
Salem Kirban Interviews Carey Reams in 1976:
Kirban: I know in the Bible, the Old Testament, there are some rules about not eating pork. Did that have any bearing on your RBTI rules as far as diet?
Reams: Yes, it did ? a tremendous bearing, because I read in the Bible where it said that man should not eat pork in the eleventh chapter of Leviticus . It was called unclean, as well as many other meats named there.
Well I reasoned in this manner. When Leviticus was written, a hog was a scavenger, he was around leprosy colonies, and one thing or another, and was very unclean. But today, we feed the hog all grains; he is a vegetarian. We keep him up on the floor in hog parlors, and by our rules he should be acceptable. But God's rules still said he was unclean.
I did seven years of research before I found the answer. And none of my research had anything to do with actually finding the answer. Absolutely none!
— END EXCERPT —
If you want to know how he found the answer here is the link to the rest of that portion of the interview:
http://www.rbti.info/faq/24-about-rbti/173-what-are-no-no-foods
But… the short answer is that Reams' RBTI treatment is all highly individualized and it's all in the numbers of your saliva and urine test results. Then you follow your rules according to your individual numbers for a while, re-test, then tweak and re-test, until your numbers are perfect.
Maybe when Matt completes his studies with Challen, he can read our "numbers" for us? :-)
I do have a great deal of respect for Reams and appreciation for his work and certainly don't dismiss it entirely. For example, Reams said, "Only the body can heal itself. Medications and supplementations may help, but will not heal by themselves." I do believe that and in his "energy" theories. And Challen says about his health theory, "…the ?Health Theory? which is nothing more than if you have a healthy body, disease is not able to exist." I cannot argue with that. Challen says, "This Health system is a result of eating a healthy diet as well as having a healthy lifestyle. With the RBTI, one is able to see the energy loss, correct the problem, and then the client will start to gain energy. As a person gains energy, the health issues that are present will go away."
But, like I've said before, no one person has all of the answers. And like Matt has pointed out — and I cannot agree more — no one is all right or all wrong. But I do think Reams' work is an important piece of the puzzle.
Anyway, can't wait to hear what you think of it all, Matt.
`
Michael,
Please do dig out that old post of yours. Would love to hear your thoughts on it as well.
Reams was also fond of saying…
"I do not necessarily think that eating the unclean meats will keep you out of heaven for violating Biblical laws, but they'll probably get you where you're going a lot faster and they'll make your journey much more unpleasant and expensive."
:-)
Matt so you're saying the magic of the HCG Diet (losing on a VLCD without hunger) is not in the hormone itself but in the precise macro-nutrient combo? Eeeeeenteresting.
I know Cusick experimented with Evans and Strang but my recollection is that it didn't result in miraculous results.
Hey Michael,
Thanks for the response. That's all interesting. Are you saying Challen too is unfamiliar with the agriculture component of Reams work? Who is familiar with it, as far as you know? Aside from you, perhaps? :-)
And fair enough about ritually unclean meat- chances are I'm not one of the few who thrive on it, but as you said, why guess when you can know. Perhaps some of these tests might be in order one of these days.
AS,
Thanks for the interview link- great to read. It's curious to me that many small-scale food production systems use many of these unclean animals- catfish, shellfish, guinea pigs ('cavies' ), rabbits, pigs. Makes me think about Antonio's comment in an earlier post about Marvin Harris, and the ways that subsistence patterns determine food taboos. Reams and Challen are all about the Old Testament, it seems, and their preferred foods would fit with the sort of subsistence pattern that OT folks would have engaged in. Things like micro-livestock and aquatic cultivation might fit more with a horticultural/permacultural pattern. Very most interesting. I wonder whether adaptation to these sorts of foods is something that happens, and if so, how long does it take, and does it transmit across generations?
Yeah y'all
@AS said…
`
Michael,
Please do dig out that old post of yours. Would love to hear your thoughts on it as well.
Will do. I have tons of stuff that I wrote that predate and presage so much of the stuff that is now appearing on various blogs. Might have to pull a lot of it out. :-)
Reams was also fond of saying…
"I do not necessarily think that eating the unclean meats will keep you out of heaven for violating Biblical laws, but they'll probably get you where you're going a lot faster and they'll make your journey much more unpleasant and expensive."
Yeah and I always found the attitude expressed in that comment a little triumphalistic for my taste. After all its not like we have longevity records for RBTI folks, or even much anecdotal evidence.
And Dr. Price did find healthy groups eating the "unclean" foods. :P
@RobA
Thanks for the response. That's all interesting. Are you saying Challen too is unfamiliar with the agriculture component of Reams work?
Well obviously he is aware of it, but yes I put Challen in the "unfamiliar" category.
Who is familiar with it, as far as you know? Aside from you, perhaps? :-)
Well the preeminent guy that understands and promotes both the human and agricultural side of RBTI is Rex Harril. Here are some posts from my blog prominently featuring him.
The Revolution In Nutrition: How To Identify Good Food
Determining Food Quality ? See With The Eyes Of An Insect
Holy Organic Versus Good Nutrition
Rex runs a yahoo group dedicated to RBTI agriculture and also one dedicated to RBTI healing (where a few practitioners are members). He also has his own blog where he infrequently posts.
And fair enough about ritually unclean meat- chances are I'm not one of the few who thrive on it, but as you said, why guess when you can know. Perhaps some of these tests might be in order one of these days.
Actually, unless you are an Orthodox Jew, there are no ritually unclean meats today. That is why I had the word in quote marks in my previous post.
When Reams and RBTI practitioners speak of unclean meats they are referring to a concept that does not exist in Christianity, and referring to foods that were declared ritually unclean before there were any Old Testament laws forbidding their consumption.
Which raises the question, how are they related to health? The answer from Christianity has been unanimously that whatever the relationship, they have no ritual bearing today.
So yes, if you go this route, follow the numbers, not a pre-ordained conclusion. :P
…it seems, and their preferred foods would fit with the sort of subsistence pattern that OT folks would have engaged in
Difficult to say, since OT folks were scattered all across the known world.
But nearly all those foods are potentially more problematic on a more immediate basis, though as I noted earlier that is not necessarily the case on a long term basis.
Hi…Your post really got me thinking man….. an intelligent piece ,I must say.
It's amazing how people lack the information about the HCG diet. In men, HCG is almost like LH hormone. LH hormone is the hormone that makes the testes create testosterone. When you fast or diet, body would normally kick into the starvation mode. But when you inject HCG, your testes keep making testosterone, which helps you be energetic and saves muscles = fatloss. Without HCG you would go into starvation and Testosterone would plummet. Simple as that. I have not tried the diet, but I've been using HCG for fertility purposes, so I know what it does, I have the labs to back it up. It is not the miracle of diets, but probably helps. But when talking about hormones, doctors & laymans get into a denial mode, where nothing exogenous hormone related can be good. Or something you inject.
Dr. Poppy here: Well Matt have to disagree with you on this one…I went from being an hCG skeptic/hater to being totally sold on it. Having used it personally and with patients for almost a year, I feel I have enough awesome results to be a true believer. As a hormone specialist, I understand that the overall downfall of low body temps, suboptimal thyroid function, insulin resistance and sex hormone dysfunction all point back to the hypothalamic dysfunction, i.e. inability to counter-regulate to maintain normal weight, body temps, etc. However, it is so critical to address the dietary component first (getting rid of seed oils, sugar, processed food)…this prepares the body to be able to rapidly and safely shed abnormal fat deposition with hCG. I think injections are a huge issue which is why I use drops or sublingual tablets. I have had none of the side effects that you mentioned and others have reported with injections. If a person is not losing or maintaining the weight lost, it is either because they did not maintain a whole foods diet upon completion (critical), or they have some other unaddressed hormone imbalance like thyroid, adrenal or sex hormones. It's my belief that the majority of "hCG practitioners" don't have a clue about the hormonal axis, don't monitor properly, and are in it to make money.
i did the hcg injections without the diet, it made me horny as hell, “needing” to ejaculate 1-2x day mandatory, but it didnt seem to increase other benefits of free testosterone like mood, etc. the extra horniness wasn’t pleasant though.
I have a HUGE problem with subcutaneous anything. Blood is sacred and when the skin is violated and things introduced directly into the blood, you get an entirely different, inflammatory immune system response. It doesn’t surprise me that people have reported side effects and cancers. Also, synthetic sublingual, while not introduced into the blood, is also just as damaging because HCG was meant to be produced within.
Excellent post, Matt! I have known 3 people who have done HCG with injections and 3 people who have done the homeopathic version. The injection follks all loved it and said it changed their lives, re-setting their hypothalamus gland. Funny that only one of them was overweight, and only by about 15 pounds at that. Also of interest is that the overweight person said time and again that the injections became addictive-like. She couldn’t wait to get home to give herself a shot. It made her feel euphoric and blissful. She has, to date, kept the weight off but is afraid to ever try it again, should she regain the weight, simply out of fear of addiction. All three who went the homeopathic route simply starved themselves while taking drops under their tongues. Eventually, they all gave up; they couldn’t hold out. I don’t quite understand what is really going on with it all, but my inner self tells me to beware of this.
I have been on hcg injections for 27 days, no prob. Lost 24#s so far.
I purchased my own hcg (ovidac) online & inject myself daily all on the recommendation of my endocrinologist! Yes, a lot of plastic surgeons, nutritionists & other “doctors” are charging disgusting prices for doing a round, but I spent $150 for my 40 day protocol. Not bad for a scam!
Also, during all 8 of my pregnancies (only 2 live births), I lost 30-50#s in the first trimester & was never hungry. That was always how I knew I was pregnant, I just started dropping the weight.
I feel awful the doc you worked for scammed people, but it does work & I tried everything to lose: nutritionist to rework diet, 4 yrs at the gym with a personal trainer, diet pills, app suppressants, ritalin, atkins, south beach, 6 wk body…..almost gave up to do the bariatric surgery & then my endocrinologist gave me hope!!
I thought I had a slow metabolism for a 42yr old, but had it checked on 3/9/13 & it’s 1649kcal, the doctor said that was awesome….and I was on day 25 of hcg!!
I am very happy with my hcg, the results, the price & my hunger level (which is non exsistent, but I have to keep reminding myself, I gotta get the 500 cal in & I do) & my general health (arthritis is going away, as well as all of the immense pain in my rt shoulder, have not been able to relieve pain with narcotics or anti-inflam or even cortisone shots! But now Im pain free in shoulder & have full range of motion!!) Chronic pain sufferer for 24 yrs, btw.
I will keep doing the hcg to lose the 80#s I gained from steroids (asthma)!
In conclusion, people just need to do ALOT more research than just one dr or one site, I did 3 yrs of research!!
Help!! I have just come off the HCG diet. I lost 30 lbs in 2 months and…like so many, felt great. Unfortunately, my husband didn’t find you until I was almost done with my second month. Now, my metabolism is shot and any bit of carbs I take in causes weight gain. I still have about 20-30 more pounds to loose and don’t want to think of gaining what I have already lost and going back to my fat clothes. Is there a way to slowly increase my metabolism by adding the carbs/starches strategically or do I need to go all in with RRARF???
I would really increase your intake of lean carbs right now, transitioning to a primarily whole foods diet built around fruits, roots, beans, greens, and grains – with only minimal added fat to start. That will allow you to benefit from the carbs but do so without rapidly gaining weight and freaking yourself out.
I tried hcg a few years ago. That is why my metabolism is wrecked now. I lost 56 pounds but was not able to keep them off. Before I found this site my hormones were messed up, I was very cold all the time to the point where my fingers and toes would go knumb and turn pale. My hair was falling out and my nails cracking. I don’t believe it changes you weight set point. My health has turned around since I have been eating for heat. I don’t think it was worth it, my health is more important. Best of luckntomthose that are giving it a try.
Wow, can’t believe I missed the point when I commented here in 2011.
If anyone claims they have lost weight and “felt no hunger” using the homeopathic or sublingual drops, then surely it’s the diet and not the hormone; as the hormone, like insulin, cannot pass the mucosa membrane (or skin) and must be injected.
Also, my parents did the hCG diet (with Garret Smith, though he was advocating the 500 calorie diet back then). They lost about 15 pounds each, despite religiously following the diet, and eventually gained it back. My dad, as usual whenever he tries to diet, got gout in the third week, and had to stop dieting.
Fortunately ol’ Garrett is the type of guy who will revise his beliefs about things when new and superior information comes his way. I’m co-authoring a book with him right now actually.
My friend did this diet just last month. She had to stop because she felt like she was having a heart attack. And to be completely honest, her husband made her quit because she thought it was just a side effect that would go away. Thank goodness I’m not that crazy anymore, and I hope to heaven I never will be again!
This is all so fascinating. I’m 35, and I’ve been overweight/obese my entire postpubescent life.
It was so exciting when I got pregnant at age 25 and started losing weight, even though I was eating ice cream every day. With each of my kids, I left the hospital at or below my prepregnant weight. Unfortunately, even though breastfeeding supporters ardently claim that nursing “sucks the weight right off of you”, I consistently gained 30 pounds within a few months postpartum, while nursing full-time. I’ve always loved being pregnant and felt like my metabolism finally worked properly during that time, but could never figure out what it was that made me gain it back so rapidly postpartum.
After the birth of my last child, I even asked my OB/GYN, “Isn’t there something you could give me to trick my body into thinking it was pregnant, so I could keep losing weight?” Her response was, “Do you have a double jogger stroller?” NOT what I was looking for!
So when I heard about the HCG protocol, first from a friend that was doing the shots, and then on Dr. Oz and elsewhere, I was intrigued. When another friend said she was doing the drops, and started giving me her old clothes, I decided I needed to go for it. I lost 17 pounds in 2 weeks. Then I cheated a wee bit in the 3rd week and pretty much stopped losing. I got Netflix at the same time and was devouring food documentaries as well as experimenting with my new Vita-mix. For a couple of months I basically drank a quart of green smoothies per day (I hated vegetables prior to this), and had a small portion of whatever I made my family for dinner, but avoided grains and any white carbs, except when I would make homemade fermented bread. I managed to keep most of the weight off with that routine (not what the protocol says to do, but still pretty “healthy”, or at least I thought so at the time). Then, my Dad got unexpectedly ill and died within a couple of weeks, and all of my old emotional eating patterns came rushing back. Milkshakes, French fries, and mochas as well as whatever else I felt like eating quickly returned to the scene, and I gained 30 pounds within a couple of months. I went back to the HCG drops and also started doing cardio about 45 minutes a day (prior to this I hadn’t exercised in years) and I lost maybe 12 pounds, but once again I don’t think I finished even 21 days, and definitely didn’t do the maintenance at all, and gained all that back and then some.
I really do think there is something to the hormone itself, although I have not tried the formula from the 1930s that Matt discussed. I was shocked that I wasn’t physically hungry (emotional hunger never completely left, but seeing the scale drop quickly was motivating.
I don’t know if it really is better to lose weight for a little while and feel good about myself just for that time. I spent money on clothes that I can’t fit at all now, and they taunt me in my closet while I don’t want to buy new fat clothes, but my old standbys are awfully ratty.
Incidentally, my other friends who did the HCG have also gained all of their weight back and then some. And for me personally, my weight used to be fairly evenly proportioned; I was curvy and that suited me, and my waist was flat until I had kids, and then a little flabby but not bad. Since gaining the weight back last year, it all went right to my belly. I feel much more self-conscious than ever before, and it feels like my “failure” is all the more blatant to others.
I’m not sure what my usual body temperature was before, but I had noticed many times in the past few years that it was often in the high 97s. Last year for some reason I started taking my temp more, and noticed it rarely went above 97. In fact, when I got very sick with pneumonia last year, and my temp was 103, I questioned if that was really like 105 for “normal” people. A low-grade “fever” for me is a normal body temp at the doctor’s office, and I haven’t known what to do with that. I just thought there was a range, with 98.6 being the average.
Sorry to ramble a bit. I just heard Matt on the health summit a couple of weeks ago for the first time, and this is all really new to me. I appreciate this article and am enjoying exploring what to a nearly lifelong dieter seems like radical information. :)
PS: craziebtch666 – I have also had several losses; 4 live births and 8 babies in Heaven. Just thought it was interesting that I could relate to what you said about weight loss in pregnancy and that we had that in common.
In 2007 I found Kevin Trudeau’s book and embarked on the HCG diet, I completed his Phase 1 “cleansing”, did two full 40-day injection rounds and dropped from 180# to 126#, I then decided to try a short 23-day round to see if I could get back to my pre-pregnancy high school weight, I was successful and and settled at 116# in February of 2008. I meticulously followed the Phase 2 protocol along with the 21 day Phase 3 protocol after each round of injections. I maintained the weight loss pretty effortlessly following a gluten (my dad is a celiac which is why I avoid gluten) and refined sugar-free diet…Until 2010 (still at 118#) when I came across Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint where I cut out grains, legumes and most dairy…at the same time uping my protein and fat intake. This worked for my body for about 3 months when at this point I started gaining…despite a “perfect” paleo diet and pretty steady exercise routine. So, I continued to try to work the paleo style diet by cutting out more carbs (or safe starches!), upping fat, cutting out “natural” sweeteners, bananas…You name it, I tried it. Whole 30, 21-Day Sugar Detox, Primal, Paleo…then for some reason still convinced that a “low-carb” diet was the only way to get the weight back off (WTF?) I moved to Atkins, lowering the carbs again but adding dairy. I’m completely in adrenal fatigue, (oh, did I mention I threw a ton of Intermittent Fasting in there too!), my body temp is between 96-97 daily, my RT3 is elevated…and I can’t budge one pound.
I’m so totally tired of trying to get it all back together that I decided to do the HCG again but as I’ve started the injections this time, I’m hungry all the time, craving sugar, carbs and fat. And the weight loss is so slow, if really any.
I’m at a complete loss…I really feel like the last couple of years of Fail-eo have completely f’d up my body and have pushed me back into an eating disorder. BUT, I have to get this weight off and get back to a normal life!
HELP.
Sounds like you need to get some weight on and get back to a normal life, not off.
Women on the other hand copied styles dictated by Hollywood divas as Elizabeth Taylor and even the young Queen Elizabeth II. But a wavy hair type is not perfect for applying curly haircut. The Sims 3 hair colors available are: Blond, Auburn, Chestnut, Brown, Red, Black, and Grey.