Low Carb on hCG

[LaneyE]

Hi - I was wondering if anyone was doing low carb on hCG. I've lost 40 lbs on hCG since December (yay!) but had to move into a low carb diet in order to be able to keep up the loss and avoid boredom. I stuck with Simeon's protocol religiously for over a month and was losing well, but for month 2 my weight loss eventually slowed. Constipation was a major issue also. I wasn't happy and toward the end I cut the fruits and breadsticks and added CCO and a bit more protein, as well as flax and bran. I also added minute quantities of curries, sauces (like sechuan and pad thai) and coconut milk, thinned with water and konjac flour) as marinades and sauces. I felt much happier and feet my weight loss picked up.

I use Atkin's induction as a model and have been sticking with that for the most part, having veggies as my limited carbs. I even had a day last week where I totally lost it and grabbed a chunk off a Toblerone and still lost for the day (.8) and got right back on track. I just make sure I stay under 500 calories for each day. I also have decided to take short breaks and do shorter three week rounds (to tackle the last 30 lbs in manageable chunks) with low-carb but higher calorie breaks in-between. I love low-carb but I had problems losing with Atkins alone. This has been working so well that I was wondering if anyone else had tried it or similar low-carb approaches while on hCG.

Btw, I love this forum; I've been reading for a long time

[javadandy]

I am in the same boat as you LaneyE. I lost 35lbs on sublingual hcg from October to December. Only gained 5lbs back on the holidays. I went back on hcg last month and have lost back to my end weight +2 so far, so 7lbs in the last month. A bit slow, but I am bored. I believe that as long as I eliminate as much sugar as possible, I will lose, but it may be a bit slower. I am also doing weight training, which is not part of hcg, but I want to minimize any muscle loss, no matter what the plans say. So I am slowly coming along.

I think we are onto something, but I am not sure how to quantify or describe it. I am still pondering the no-fat approach of hcg to the higher fat approach of atkins. Perhaps someone else has been down our path and can point us in the direction of maximum results.

Good luck and hope we keep moving along!

Marian

[Rubyred025]

I feel really green can someone tell me what HCG is...i'm so stuck and need something to get my weightloss going.

[debkeversole]

the reason you don't consume fat WHILE DOSING is the hcg works by releasing your fat and the more you consume the less you are going to release you can even wind up gaining if you consume fat while dosin

phase 3 is basically induction monitoring all starches and sugars though(some lunch meats i have not thought twice about on induction have starch and i was surprised and some pre made mixes so i make my own all the time now) my DS14 is doing LC and he is in R2P4 and doing well when we add more carbs is where he gets into trouble so do the dosing as close to written as possible and P3 and P4 low car all ya want
read pound and inches several times!! read all the past threads here and google your questions until they are answered i have seen this work for so many who follow protocol and not work for the ones who keep tweaking their way

HTH

[debkeversole]

Originally Posted by Rubyred025

I feel really green can someone tell me what HCG is...i'm so stuck and need something to get my weightloss going.

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/ot...ipes-only.html

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/ot...ch-2010-a.html

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/ot...-hcg-diet.html

Human chorionic gonadotropin, commonly known as hCG, is a hormone found in women's blood and urine throughout pregnancy.

in non pregnant people it triggers the release of 1500-200 calories of fat a day

[LaneyE]

Well, I did a very short second round and have stopped now for my b'day (tomorrow) and hubby's at the end of the month (13 lb. loss in the 3 1/2 weeks, mostly in the first 3). I find Atkins much easier to follow and will continue on that for the next two weeks so I can at least enjoy our b'days - found a great recipe for a low carb flourless chocolate cake!!! So far down 42 so I am thrilled ... not complaining.

Am mulling over what I will continue on (my goal is 125-135ish - I am at 158). May try to continue on with Atkin's, although I have had a problem with that before (lose well for a couple of weeks, then fizzle). The answer for me may be to save Atkin's for the hCG breaks. I do try to keep the hCG low-fat but have so much trouble choking down all the fruits and veggies...definitely will not go past the 3 weeks on hCG because it seems that my body adjusts. The Atkin's breaks do jump start so maybe I've found a rhythm!

[LaneyE]

Originally Posted by debkeversole

the reason you don't consume fat WHILE DOSING is the hcg works by releasing your fat and the more you consume the less you are going to release you can even wind up gaining if you consume fat while dosin
HTH

Thanks for your thoughtful reply and info. I do try to keep low-fat when I am on the hCG, but for some reason the CCO seems to help so I haven't been too strict with it. I don't use it every day and I seem to do a little better on the scale when I do.

I am currently reading an interesting book called "Eat Fat Lose Fat" (my kind of book, lol). It extols the benefits of CCO. I think I'll take the opportunity during this break (for me, Atkin's is a real break!) to up the CCO to the recommended (for my weight) 4 T per day and see if I can sustain losing with Atkins. If that works I will continue on with Atkin's, though I want to take the last 10-15 lbs off with hCG because I really appreciate the body sculpting

[LaneyE]

Originally Posted by javadandy

I am in the same boat as you LaneyE. I lost 35lbs on sublingual hcg from October to December. Only gained 5lbs back on the holidays. I went back on hcg last month and have lost back to my end weight +2 so far, so 7lbs in the last month. A bit slow, but I am bored. I believe that as long as I eliminate as much sugar as possible, I will lose, but it may be a bit slower. I am also doing weight training, which is not part of hcg, but I want to minimize any muscle loss, no matter what the plans say. So I am slowly coming along.

I think we are onto something, but I am not sure how to quantify or describe it. I am still pondering the no-fat approach of hcg to the higher fat approach of atkins. Perhaps someone else has been down our path and can point us in the direction of maximum results.

Good luck and hope we keep moving along!

Marian

Good luck to you, too, Marian! Some people are metabolically resistant and that may be us. My body seems to want to hang tough at whatever weight it's at and I'm hoping that will be a benefit in the long run to maintain, although I am struggling now. My body also responds very well to exercise and diet, but rapidly adjusts. I have to constantly switch it up on both fronts!

I didn't have a lot of luck combining exercise and hCG and found that I was actually gaining if I exercised too much so had to keep under 20 minutes at a clip. Will be happy to get a couple of weeks of solid exercising in during my break

I mentioned a book in my post to deb that you may be interested in. It came today so I haven't read it all yet, but what I read is very intriguing. I am certainly happier on a higher fat/protein diet. Must have been a big cat in my last life

[shebasmudder]

What is CCO ?

What part of the HCG protocol did you exercise on ? Dr. Simeons states not to exercise for the most part.

I get bored with the HCG diet but there are plenty of recipes to change things up. Deb posted the recipe link.

I'm not an expert but maybe your metabolic resistance is you hitting a setpoint ? It is so important to follow the protocol exactly and keep drinking your water.

[GeneaX1]

Actually no. The no exercise thing is a myth. You aren't supposed to do strenuous exercise if you've been inactive prior to that, but if you are active and regularly exercise, you are supposed to keep doing that as your energy levels dictate. People who visited his clinic would walk around site seeing etc and that wasn't a problem. Do you remember vacations spent site seeing, walking around? That's a lot of exercise right there.

It sounds like LaneyE was just at the natural end of a round. She was talking about month 2 on the hcg. You can't stay on the stuff forever. You're not supposed to be on for more than about 45 days. (I'd have to reread the protocol to remember exactly how many days...)

[shebasmudder]

You're right, Genea ! here is what he says exactly:

We encourage swimming and sun bathing during treatment, but it should be remembered that a severe sunburn always produces a temporary rise in weight, evidently due to water retention. The same may be seen when a patient gets a common cold during treatment. Finally, the weight can temporarily increase - paradoxical though this may sound - after an exceptional physical exertion of long duration leading to a feeling of exhaustion. A game of tennis, a vigorous swim, a run, a ride on horseback or a round of golf do not have this effect; but a long trek, a day of skiing, rowing or cycling or dancing into the small hours usually result in a gain of weight on the following day, unless the patient is in perfect training.