need advice about switching from Atkins to HCG

[rice paddie]

I've been doing Atkins since last June and have lost 50lbs but despite the fact that I have been eating on plan and not sneaking any carbs I've hit a stall. I've been bouncing around the same weight for the past 2 months but can't seem to get the scale to any virgin weight loss territory. Apparently my body has decided that losing 50lbs is all it's willing to do. I'm still quite a bit away from my goal weight so I am not happy about the stall. I've been at induction level carbs and short of giving up the few veggies I do eat I don't know what else I could be doing to get the scale moving again.

I had looked into hcg in the past but decided that I was happy with the pace I was losing at on Atkins so I just stuck with it and decided to keep the hcg option in my back pocket as a back-up if necessary. Perhaps it's time for me to switch over to hcg. I'm not sure....the hcg thing seems like it requires a lot of will power and discipline. I mean I'm not sure that I can consistently restrict myself to 500 calories a day for an extended period.

I guess I'm at a loss as to how to proceed. Do I just sit tight and hope that my body gets past this stall or should I give the hcg thing a go? Any advice that you all would be willing to give me would be greatly appreciated.

[shirleychef]

If you have not had the opportunity I would recommend that you find a reliable copy of the Pounds & Inches Manuscript and read it. It will help you to understand how and why the hcg protocol works. Your mind will be put at ease about the 500 calorie diet because you will learn how the hcg mobilizes abnormal fat for use. AND the cool thing about it is that if you did just a short round: 2 days loading with hcg, 21 days low cal diet with hcg, 2 days no hcg continuing VLCD... you'd lose well then be able to continue with your Atkins lifestyle. You'd push WAY below your current plateau and be able to go right back to the way you've been eating..... and maybe even add in a greater variety of foods.

[circusgirl]

I felt like you. I was LC for over a decade when I found HCG. I had done Atkins in the 90's then moved in the SCD, GAPS and settled on Paleo/Primal. My body just didn't want to budge and when I heard about HCG I totally thought it was the biggest scam ever.

And because I am kind of a headstrong idiot I told people that all they were doing was basically a form of VLC, LC IFing. That's why they were losing. So I set out to prove it. Long story short I was in misery, didn't lose well and was starving.

Next step was to regain my composure and try it the "right" way, with-wait for it-hcg.

Anyway, I lost 23 pounds in 23 days. I had no hunger aside from days 2-4 on the VLCD which was more about yeast die off than anything (complete with rash, TYVM.) I was astonished and felt incredible. Honestly? I wouldn't have believed if had I not done it.

I agree that reading Pounds and Inches is the way to start. I have found it to be an incredibly healing protocol. For me, it's not just about weight loss. It really did change how my body was functioning.

Good luck, and if you decide to jump in I think you're going to love it!

p.s. there's a thread about fat fasting to break stalls that I just stumbled on to here, full of great info and specifically written by Atkins to help people break stalls. That might be another avenue to consider? It's called "the fat fasters thread" or something like that.

[rice paddie]

Originally Posted by shirleychef

If you have not had the opportunity I would recommend that you find a reliable copy of the Pounds & Inches Manuscript and read it. It will help you to understand how and why the hcg protocol works. Your mind will be put at ease about the 500 calorie diet because you will learn how the hcg mobilizes abnormal fat for use. AND the cool thing about it is that if you did just a short round: 2 days loading with hcg, 21 days low cal diet with hcg, 2 days no hcg continuing VLCD... you'd lose well then be able to continue with your Atkins lifestyle. You'd push WAY below your current plateau and be able to go right back to the way you've been eating..... and maybe even add in a greater variety of foods.

Thanks for responding.....I was starting to wonder if I shouldn't try posting my question in a different thread.

I've been doing research on this for a while and have read the P&I manuscript. My main concern is that after 10 months of eating low carb/higher fat foods on Atkins until I'm satiated that I'm not going to have the self-discipline to eat so little every day on the hcg. It's not that I gorged myself on Atkins, it was just that the food that I ate was very filling and I never felt hungry.

My other concern is about my thyroid issue. I had cancer of the thyroid and had my thyroid removed about 20 years ago. I've been on thyroid medication ever since. I've seen other posts on here from people who are hypothyroid who've had success with the hcg so I'm hoping that it won't be an issue for me either.

I'm definitely leaning towards giving this a try but I guess I was looking for advice from other people who've switched from Atkins to hcg to see what their experience was like. I'd be especially curious to see if those people left out the carby grissini/melba toast and fruit and substituted those with additional allowable vegetables instead.

Again, thanks for taking the time to respond.....I appreciate it!

[circusgirl]

I don't do grains at all on HCG. I have celiac disease and couldn't do the grissini/melba toast if I wanted to. I have left out fruit on many rounds as well, and just increased protein instead. Totally doable!

[rice paddie]

Originally Posted by circusgirl

I felt like you. I was LC for over a decade when I found HCG. I had done Atkins in the 90's then moved in the SCD, GAPS and settled on Paleo/Primal. My body just didn't want to budge and when I heard about HCG I totally thought it was the biggest scam ever.

And because I am kind of a headstrong idiot I told people that all they were doing was basically a form of VLC, LC IFing. That's why they were losing. So I set out to prove it. Long story short I was in misery, didn't lose well and was starving.

Next step was to regain my composure and try it the "right" way, with-wait for it-hcg.

Anyway, I lost 23 pounds in 23 days. I had no hunger aside from days 2-4 on the VLCD which was more about yeast die off than anything (complete with rash, TYVM.) I was astonished and felt incredible. Honestly? I wouldn't have believed if had I not done it.

I agree that reading Pounds and Inches is the way to start. I have found it to be an incredibly healing protocol. For me, it's not just about weight loss. It really did change how my body was functioning.

Good luck, and if you decide to jump in I think you're going to love it!

p.s. there's a thread about fat fasting to break stalls that I just stumbled on to here, full of great info and specifically written by Atkins to help people break stalls. That might be another avenue to consider? It's called "the fat fasters thread" or something like that.

Woo hoo - I'm up to 2 responses!....as I mentioned in my post to shirleychef I was starting to think no one was going to respond. I have tried the fat fast as well as the egg fast to try and break this stall. It's been a frustrating 2 months of trying this and that and tweaking my eating plan with no results so I definitely think that hcg might be the way to go.

[rice paddie]

Were you both very strict with the protocol?....including the lotions and toothpaste and hair products?

[circusgirl]

yes for the first several. No for the last couple. Didn't make a difference in my experience.

[Lildrew]

Rice Paddie!!!

I went from Atkins to hHCG last year in June and have LOVED it. It has worked very well for me!! I intend to live a LC life because of my views on processed foods, etc. and hHCG has fit very well into that.

I am on my fourth round. My first round was an extended one and I did awesome!!! I did not give up lotion, etc., but other than that was very strict on protocol. My feeling is that it's best to start out strict protocol. While it can be hard to be disciplined, it helps that you are not hungry while on hHCG. When I was "hungry" for things off protocol, I was able to see more clearly that I was more emotionally hungry and deal with it in better ways.

If you decided to do it, we are all here for you!! This forum is a great resource for encouragement and information, but nothing beats reading and sticking to Pounds and Inches.

[rice paddie]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement, ladies! I'm wondering if any of you have known people in your lives or on this forum that were not successful with hcg? I see so many success stories but have yet to come across any posts from people that followed the protocol but either were unsuccessful with their weight loss or were able to lose weight but were not able to stabilize.

[circusgirl]

I have not come across anyone who did p2 properly and wasn't successful. I've seen plenty that have hard a hard time stabilizing though. Generally not in p3, though there are those that do have a hard time there. It's usually more p4 that ends up being an issue.

I have a clinic and have been offering hcg for over 2 years now. I've not worked with anyone who wasn't successful. But they contact me the minute something goes awry so we can fix it.

[Cruzcrzy]

Imho, if you make a LIFESTYLE CHANGE, you will have no problem keeping the weight off.

ETA: btw, I am hypothyroid and on Armour

[rice paddie]

Originally Posted by Cruzcrzy

Imho, if you make a LIFESTYLE CHANGE, you will have no problem keeping the weight off.

ETA: btw, I am hypothyroid and on Armour

Doing Atkins for the last 10 months has made me realize that I will never be able to go back to my previous way of eating and hope to keep the weight off so I'm totally committed to low carbing for the rest of my life. I'm hoping that my experience with the lc woe will help me make a smooth transition into stabilizing my weight once I get to my goal weight. I'm going to try at least one round of hcg and see what happens. If I can get past this plateau and resume losing weight on Atkins then that's what I'll do. If I lose weight on the hcg and switch back to Atkins and stall again then I may just have to do several rounds of hcg to get to my goal weight. Either way, I know that I'll always have to follow a low carb woe going forward to maintain my weight loss. Hopefully P4 will help me phase in a few more good carbs so that I won't have to eat at induction levels my whole life.

What about supplements? I currently take a multi-vitamin, potassium and magnesium supplements. Did you all continue with any supplements that you were previously taking or did you cut those out as well?

[Cruzcrzy]

Continue with the supplements you listed. You may want to add a B vitamin. Also, I would like to mention that many people who have stalled on LC have been very successful with JUDDD for continued weight loss. There is a forum here, and it is calorie cycling. I did that for awhile also after hhcg. I did two rounds of hhcg. My LDW was 151. I have gone on to lose additional weight using JUDDD, and also straight calorie counting(stats to the left).

[circusgirl]

Originally Posted by Cruzcrzy

Continue with the supplements you listed. You may want to add a B vitamin. Also, I would like to mention that many people who have stalled on LC have been very successful with JUDDD for continued weight loss. There is a forum here, and it is calorie cycling. I did that for awhile also after hhcg. I did two rounds of hhcg. My LDW was 151. I have gone on to lose additional weight using JUDDD, and also straight calorie counting(stats to the left).

I'm excited about this and plan to jump to JUDDD myself after this round!

[shirleychef]

I have thyroid issues. I was actually on T3 when I started my journey and after 80 pounds loss... I'm off my T3 because my thyroid has rebalanced!! WAHOO!! We are re-testing in 3 months just to make sure it stays good. It would be really wise for you to continue any prescription medications unless you are following the protocol through a clinic where a Doctor has told you to discontinue your med's.

As for supplements, continue with anything you are taking as long as there is no oil, sugar, or starch in them. I take magnesium, calcium, potassium, and a multi while on protocol.

You will have optimum success if you are strict. BUT you may leave out the starch... many folks with wheat sensitivity chose to leave it out. You will be able to just fill in your 500 calories with larger portions of the 2 veggies you choose for the day.

I actually had not done Atkins right before starting hcg, but I had been LC/high fat for almost 2 months and had lost 12 pounds within the first 2 weeks then had stalled up until I started hcg.

[Crazy PreK Teacher]

Originally Posted by rice paddie

I've been doing Atkins since last June and have lost 50lbs but despite the fact that I have been eating on plan and not sneaking any carbs I've hit a stall. I've been bouncing around the same weight for the past 2 months but can't seem to get the scale to any virgin weight loss territory. Apparently my body has decided that losing 50lbs is all it's willing to do. I'm still quite a bit away from my goal weight so I am not happy about the stall. I've been at induction level carbs and short of giving up the few veggies I do eat I don't know what else I could be doing to get the scale moving again.

I had looked into hcg in the past but decided that I was happy with the pace I was losing at on Atkins so I just stuck with it and decided to keep the hcg option in my back pocket as a back-up if necessary. Perhaps it's time for me to switch over to hcg. I'm not sure....the hcg thing seems like it requires a lot of will power and discipline. I mean I'm not sure that I can consistently restrict myself to 500 calories a day for an extended period.


I guess I'm at a loss as to how to proceed. Do I just sit tight and hope that my body gets past this stall or should I give the hcg thing a go? Any advice that you all would be willing to give me would be greatly appreciated.

Rice Paddie

I have been on low carb for 9-10 years. I have lost numerous times, fell off the wagon numerous times, etc. I have the same issues...LC works for a while, but then my body shuts down. I found HHCG through a friend who had lost 60 lbs., and I agreed skeptically to listen to her...well, I was sold. I am on R1P2D41, and have lost 26 lbs...that is more than I have ever lost in such a short time. I plan on doing several more rounds. I was going to stop tomorrow at 42 days(6 weeks), but I decided this morning to stay on 1 more week...lol. I had a loss of -1.6 this morning so I am still losing well, so why stop? AND...believe it or not...I have gotten soooooo used to eating the 500 calories and specific menu, that I don't want to leave it and have to "focus" on P3. At first, I thought there would be no way I could function on 500 calories, but now I'm SCARED to go off...go figure! My advice...give it the 21 days, and see how you feel...if you miss the yummy LC food, then return to it. I miss it too...but not bad enough to leave yet. After this round, I am going to go JUDDD...I just worry that I will not be able to eat enough on the "Up days". I know my hubby will be glad when I am off HHCG for the 3 weeks...I am his eating buddy...lol. Our family went to IHOP for brunch this morning...they all had HUGE plates of yummy food...I had a garden salad w/ my "brought from home" dressing...and you know what...I did NOT feel deprived...I know that I will have it soon.

HTH~Angela in TX

[Arctic_Mama]

Originally Posted by circusgirl

I have not come across anyone who did p2 properly and wasn't successful. I've seen plenty that have hard a hard time stabilizing though. Generally not in p3, though there are those that do have a hard time there. It's usually more p4 that ends up being an issue.

I have a clinic and have been offering hcg for over 2 years now. I've not worked with anyone who wasn't successful. But they contact me the minute something goes awry so we can fix it.

Very much this! I have yet to see a failure on P2 from someone doing strict protocol, especially those who do correction days immediately upon gains in maintenance and stick to the P3 rules as religiously as the P2 rules. It is very healing to your metabolism, but can be rough on adrenals, so following the breaks in P4 for the duration is a must (in my opinion).

I have been losing weight for several years and hCG has been a blessing. I could lose weight the way I did before, with calorie counting, but this is more satiating, more stable (with the creation of new set points), and I can eat satisfying calorie amounts of a great variety of foods when I am maintaining, without gaining. Absolutely excellent.

[rice paddie]

Good morning, ladies!

Originally Posted by Cruzcrzy

Continue with the supplements you listed. You may want to add a B vitamin.

What kind of B vitamin do you all recommend and what is the benefit derived from taking it?

Thanks and have a great day everyone!

[circusgirl]

I do a broad spectrum B. B vitamins are essential for a multitude of things and they are depleted in times of stress. Plus you won't be getting enough on this diet (one would argue that many don't get enough on a grain free diet period.) They can help with energy, mood, hair, nails etc.

[rice paddie]

Thanks for all of your advice ladies! I'm starting my first load day today. I'm committed to a 40 day round to see what happens. I'll be posting in the weekly p2 thread as well as my weight loss journal to try and stay focused and on track. Here's to hoping that I can obtain the same results as the rest of you......

Thanks again for all of the advice and support!

[shirleychef]

YEAH! Have a great round!