My HCG Journey (up to day 12)

 The first two days of taking the drops are loading or gorging days and it is required to eat as much high fat food as possible. Simeons’ manuscript states: “One cannot keep a patient comfortably on 500 calories unless his normal fat reserves are reasonably well stocked. It is for this reason that every case…must eat to capacity of the most fattening food they can get down until they have had their third injection.” You’d think I would have loved this part…..at first it was fun, but the fun didn’t last!

I decided on Sunday July 11^th to begin the next day, went shopping and read labels for the highest fat food I could find. It was a new kind of adventure -- reading labels and discarding those foods that didn’t qualify as high fat. Can you imagine, Oreos didn’t have enough fat for me to consider purchasing them!

My complete food/weight log is posted separately, in case you want to see it. Basically, for two days I ate and I ate ....

a pint of ice cream, éclair, French fries, eggs cooked in gobs of butter with high fat cheese, cheesecake, Pringles, chocolate truffles, another pint of ice cream, high fat sandwiches, chocolate milk shake, McD’s quarter pounder with cheese (I am not a McD’s fan and, after this experience, I can’t imagine ever going back there!),

I felt so sick and had trouble sleeping each night. My stomach ached, I couldn’t get comfortable, and I felt awful. After the first day I was up five pounds! Maybe some of it was water retention because of the McDonald’s sandwich and fries. But the second day I had gained another two pounds, so I was now seven pounds higher than when I started. YOW. I sure hoped this protocol would work for me.

            Day One on the very low calorie food plan (no more than 500 calories) was easy. I woke up still feeling quite sick from all the food I had consumed and was glad I could skip breakfast (which is part of the protocol). During the day I took the HCG three times as directed. Because I still felt so bloated, I made myself a cup of Smooth Move tea (a laxative) to clear out all that stuff that felt stuck in my gut. By lunchtime I was ready to eat a small meal and made myself a salad with chicken breast and an apple. I was SO GLAD I didn’t have to eat any more. I drank lots of water (with lemon) throughout the day and then had fish, celery and grapefruit for dinner. I was still feeling stuffed from the previous two days of gorging.

            The second day I awoke and jumped on the scale (after using the bathroom, of course) and I had lost half of my new weight gain (3 ½ pounds). Whew…it was a start. Again, I took the HCG as directed—three times a day.  No breakfast (well, I have green tea), lunch was crab, cucumber, and strawberries. Not hungry but at 6 I decided to make dinner. First I mixed a teaspoonful of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water and chugged it down (it is supposed to help with weight loss). Then I prepared my tiny little bison burger with raw spinach and grapefruit. I still felt bloated so chose to have another cup of Smooth Move tea….and this time it worked (actually, it woke me up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom).

            For the first few days I noticed my energy level was lower than usual. I was glad that I didn’t have anything strenuous planned. It felt like following the protocol was all that I could concentrate on. Within a few days, however, my energy was back to normal and I could follow my usual routine.

          The third day I was back to my starting weight, thank goodness. Again, though not hungry throughout the day, I ate my lunch (chicken, raw red cabbage, small apple) and my dinner (langostinos, lettuce, strawberries). Now that my bloat was gone, I started looking forward to preparing my mini meals. I was feeling pretty good, but a little dizzy at times. This is not that unusual for me (fairly low blood pressure); if I stand up too quickly and am dizzy, I bend forward slightly and put my hands on my thighs. This helps to ground me and decreases the dizziness.

            On the seventh day I chose to skip lunch because I just wasn’t hungry. On this protocol it is quite okay to decrease the food or skip a meal. By late afternoon, however, I was really dizzy so I knew I had to eat dinner. I took Vitamin D, B12, and C, had dinner (crab, cuke, and strawberries), and felt fine.

            Today is my 12^th day and I am feeling great. My energy is high, my hunger is low. I have dropped almost nine pounds (16 pounds lighter than the day after the gorge days!), and I am so grateful!