The hCG Diet Consultation

Now that I’ve decided to embark on this hCG weight loss journey, my first decision was whether to take hCG by injection or to take it sublingually?  The original protocol is based on injection, but after reading much research, I’ve decided to try the sublingual method. The only research paper I found was completed by the Oral hCG Research Center: “Oral hCG (human Choriogonadotropin) for obesity treatment: a Double-Blind study: Recent findings on hCG oral preparation and photographic results.”  However, when taking it sublingually, you need to take the hCG in higher amounts twice a day to compensate for the lack of absorption. One item to note is when taking hCG sublingually, it must be kept refrigerated to maintain its potency.  I will say, it is probably easier to take hCG via injection, since its easier and faster (you don’t need to keep it under your tongue for 10 minutes twice a day).

As I mentioned in my last blog posting, it’s critical you have medical supervision while following the hCG diet protocols (or any weight loss program). Prior to prescribing hCG, your physician will do a complete medical history and order some lab tests and an EKG.  As with any weight loss program, there are potential health risks involved, and the reason you are loosing weight should be for the health benefits (not risks). As well, some of the original protocols should not be followed without the advice of your physician, for example Dr. Simeons says “no medicines….may be used without special permission.”  This advice should not be followed unless instructed by your physician.

When choosing a physician to supervise your hCG weight loss plan, choose one who specializes in hCG. They will be experienced in the most common health concerns, know the current best practices for administration of the hormone, understand details of the diet, and know the answers to common questions (i.e. taking hCG during menstruation, dealing with plateaus, what is allowed and not allowed to be eaten, etc..)

Your initial consultation also includes taking initial measurements, weight and setting your weight loss goals.  I think the goals are very important, since the amount of weight you need to lose will determine the number of rounds needed. The protocol states that minimum program length is 26 days (with 23 injections). The maximum time on the injection phase is determined by: 1) taking no more than 40 injections, or 2) when the patient loses 34lbs.  As soon as one of those points occurs, the patient must stop the program. If they have more weight to lose, they can do more rounds, but they must wait the prescribed number of weeks between rounds.

At the initial consultation, my key body measurements are taken (i.e. waist, chest, thighs, arms, etc..), as well as my starting weight. To give you a bit of perspective, my height is 5’11” at 204lbs. My BMI is 28.4, so I am considered overweight.  Since one of the claims of following the complete hCG protocol is that it resets your metabolism, I also went to a sports lab that works with Olympic athletes to have my RMR (resting metabolic rate) measured. My starting RMR is 1831. They also tested the efficiency in which I burn fat (73%) and carbs (28%).

I try and keep the program in prospective, I’m going for a 29lb weight loss, and it should take almost a full round (40 injections), but in the big picture, this is really a very small part of my life.

In addition to getting the measurements, blood work and EKG done; the physician also prepares you for the 4 different stages of the program:

1)    Start the injections and gorge yourself for two days (yes, you actually have to eat as much fat as possible within 2 days)
2)    On day 3, you start the 500 cal/day diet, so you get the details of what you can eat.
3)    After the injections, you can eat anything you want (except for starch & fat) for 3 weeks
4)    For the next 3 weeks, you slowly add in starch and fats.

You’re done!

In my next blog entry I’ll give you details of the “gorge!”

You can read more details about our hCG weight loss research on the IAPAM’s website, as well, physicians wanting to learn details of the how to incorporate hCG into their practice can also attend one of the IAPAM’s Medical Weight Management training programs.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading about my experience with the Simeons’ hCG weight loss protocol! And please feel free to leave a comment or question.

Cheers,  Jeff Russell

Read the previous article “Follow Jeff’s hCG Weight Loss Journey”