So it has been awhile since I have tried to jot some thoughts down. I'll admit, a little lazy, changed up work schedule, catching up on movies. Hey, I'm a guy, lots of excuses and rationalizing. But I thought it was time to catch up again, and wouldn't you know know it, the FDA comes out today and says that the HCG diet is bad and sends out warning letters to producers. From today's article,
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission issued seven warning letters on Tuesday to companies that sell the over-the-counter products, noting they have not been approved by the FDA for weight loss.
The FDA and FTC said the products, taken as oral drops, pellets or sprays, instruct buyers to use them in conjunction with a very low-calorie diet that the agencies consider potentially dangerous.
"Consumers on a very low calorie diet are at increased risk for side effects including gallstone formation, electrolyte imbalance and heart arrhythmias," a type of dangerous irregular heartbeat, the agencies said in a press release."
Well shoot, that doesn't sound too good now, does it? The article goes on to say that the Hormone has not been proven to aid in weight loss and since it is being sold as a weight loss drug, it is illegal. There are a lot of articles out on it, so there is plenty of info for you if you want. But what do I want to say? I'm sorry, I believe it does work and am a living testimonial of it, so I am going to tell a little about it.
So what is HCG? From the ever knowledgeable Wikipidia, which pretty much describes it how I have seen it on various sites, Human chorionic gonadotropin or human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) is a glycoprotein hormone produced during pregnancy that is made by the developing embryo after conception and later by the syncytiotrophoblast (part of the placenta).
So yeah, basically it is a hormone prevalent in a pregnant female. Unfortunately, I failed to take a pregnancy test to see if I would be positive, and I asked a couple of buddies who were doing it if they would, but we never got around to the experiment. But it would be intriguing to see what the results would be! How would that Facebook post look, "Scott Reed updated his status to expecting!" Boy the conversations around the watercooler tomorrow!
A brief understanding of the HCG diet. Take the supplement, take in a 500 calorie diet, and hold on for the ride of your life. There are various ways to take HCG. I took the shots. Every morning I would wake up, pull a syringe out of the fridge, and inject my leg with the supplement. My friends and family took the drops. You take 10-20 drops about 30 minutes before eating. We saw equal results. I liked the shots mainly because I only had to worry about it once a day, it was portioned out ahead of time, and fairly easy. No carrying it along with me. Those I have talked to who took the drops said the portions didn't last or it was a pain to take the drops with them. The secret lies in that as you limit you intake, instead of storing it as fat like your body normally would, the hormone communicates to your body that you are not starving, so it opens your existing fat cells and your body survives on the stored fat cells.
So how do you survive on a 500 calorie day, or what does that look like? Well, it could be a cheeseburger, but that would be it. There are restrictions to the diet, rules that lead to success. To see this success, you have to really be committed and willing to follow it 100%. Basically you were allotted two pieces of select fruit (apple, orange, and strawberries.) You could also have two 5ounce portion of protein (lean beef, chicken, eggs) and two portions of fresh or cooked vegetables. Four big things were to be followed. NO SUGAR! NO DAIRY (well, I think a teaspoon a day) and NO STARCHES! NO BREAD! Well, I thought the sugar was going to be the hardest for me. Soda is again my nemesis, but that wasn't my craving. Oddly enough, the only thing I really craved was cream cheese! I wanted blocks of it. We had a volunteer day at work and they brought bagels from Panera, and I whimpered through my apple lusting for a bagel with cream cheese!
Sound tough doesn't it? it seemed tough at times, but once you got into a routine, and had a good support group (Jodie tried to eat healthier and the maintenance guys kept the Sunday morning donuts away from me!) I discovered a make shift taco salad with a sugar free salsa to be a favorite. Also green bean chili became a family favorite (green bean because chili/kidney beans are great sources of starch and were on the prohibited list.) Also Weber makes a great garlic and herb seasoning for grilling chicken. So I would wake up to an apple, have a piece of chicken or some 93% lean hamburger or a petite sirloin steak with some beans or lettuce, a couple of fat free saltines for a snack, the same portioning as lunch of protein and vegetables for dinner, then a piece of fruit for dessert. 8 cups of water a day too. Amazingly enough, some days I wouldn't even eat that much because there wasn't a desire to eat.
Now there are side effects out there and you would want to look into those for yourself. A lot are rumored, but I am not sure of all of them. I did not grow man boobs. That was one that was thrown around a lot. Scott, you're going to grow boobs because you are taking a feminine hormone. Well, needless to say, that didn't happen. I think the misconception there is that when large guys do lose the weight, the burnt fat isn't equally removed so it gives the appearance of it. But by toning and exercise, that will work out. You won't have any energy. Well, I had more energy that I had before and I didn't have a lot of hunger. A sore back, well, I think I felt a little of this, but that could have been from the more time on my feet because of the increased energy. I think the biggest side effect is my wife couldn't (can't) keep her hands off me and all her friends say I am hot!! Ok, maybe not but sounds good!
But clearly HCG isn't a life style. As I went through the cycle, I tried to learn about eating better. I started researching different diets to adapt to continue the momentum. I was told the South Beach or Weight Watchers would be great, and I eventually chose weight watchers. I will talk more about in the future.
Well, that's a lot of info to download. Maybe with today's warnings, maybe a visit to get this from you doctor would be best. There are quire a few online sources to buy HCG. The HCG diet website gives you support and a cook book with recipes. But to have success, you need to be committed. You have to follow the rules. and like I said in previous posts, you need to have a plan for afterwards, or you are going to put the weight right back on of you don't change your habits. I loved it. It changed, no revolutionized my life. The best part was as people noticed, it kept me motivated. The hardest part was when it was all said and done, the mechanics still won't share the donuts because they don't want to hurt my diet. Dang it, I quit dieting in March, give me my chocolate donut!
As always, let me know if there is more from me you would like to know. I wish I would have kept a journal during my time on the diet. If you do it, write down what is going on so you can share it with others! But I will try to remember things to share. Happy Holidays to all, and enjoy them. What ever you do, do NOT start dieting now, you will regret it. Set a goal for the first of the year, and make it happen Until next time, Suck it UP! The Bobblehead
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