What I've learned on HCG and Questions to Ponder
 

I've done 3 rounds of HCG. I'm 5'4" and almost 43 by the way. I work from home so am sitting a lot in front of the computer and likely do not get enough excersise, although I do try and walk a 2-3 times a week. I started out at 206lbs, after a long round and a short round I got down to 149lbs. I stayed stable for 8 months before doing a 3rd short round. That round I got really close to my goal of 135lb but ended at 137lbs and stabilized at 143lbs. Over the last 7 months or so my weight started creeping up again and I maxed out at 147lbs ): I'm not sure why as I stabilized really well after my second round and I only had to do 2 correction days. I would eat low carb and basically stayed away from starches and sugar.

Anyway, I'm puzzled by the stabilizing issue. It's almost like my body wants to be in the 140's and it's driving me nuts!

Before this last round I tried doing Atkins induction to see if I could get the weight off that way without having to do another round. The results were that the weight didn't budge. Nada, zip weight loss. It's almost like I can't lose weight anymore unless I'm doing hCG. This bothers me because I worry that what if I messed something up in my system and it's just not going to let any weight go unless I do HCG. Has anyone else experienced this where you can't lose on other plans and only HCG?

Also how many rounds of HCG do you think is safe? I mean in reality I know the science behind HCG, but during some of the rounds I did feel a bit weak so I know that is a sign that my body is saying we need more food! Is it healthy to keep doing this over and over?

Lastly, I'm curious how many rounds you all have done and have you kept the weight off long term? Like over a year or two? I still have a lot of faith in HCG as I'm so much healthier now than I was at 206lbs and my labs show that but I what I don't want to do is rely on HCG as a "FIX" to get extra weight off every time it creeps up. Is there anything that you all have done to trigger weightloss after doing rounds of HCG that have worked for you?

Kelle, did you do RX or homeopathic? I can't answer your questions, as I've just finished my first round... but I'm sure others will chime in.

I did RX injections.

Kelle, I have done 7 rounds. I lost almost all the weight in the first 5 rounds. I did rx injection under the supervision of my naturopathic doc (ND). We need longer and longer time between rounds for them to stay effective, imho. Maybe hhcg'rs do, too - I dunno. The body will do what it can do with what you give it.

Maintaining is an art that is completely separate from losing. Learning how to eat and regulate with what your own body needs takes time. Sometimes I don't listen to my body very well. Sometimes stress, hormones, change of life, lack of sleep, change in thyroid/adrenals due to one of the above messes with what you were doing previously that worked just fine, and you have to find the new normal for yourself. So far, I have kept off 100 pounds (or close to that) for 2 years now. I had one miserably failed round (went up immediately after getting off P2 and couldn't get it back down, menohell), and one that I repeated. I am doing JUDDD now to maintain and finding that a bit easier because it naturally fits with the ebb and flow of eating. I may or may not do another round, I'm not sure how I'm even going to decide that. I just know I have to keep this weight off.

First - congrats on losing what you have! That is really fantastic! :up: Now comes the hard work... :laugh:

Second - Stabilizing...I think a lot of times our bodies really really like a weight that is a bit higher than we would want it to be. A number of factors are involved but I can tell you that for ME, my body loves the 150's and would happily go back there (and has!). It's going to take diligent effort and an eagle eye for me to stay in the 140's where I am most comfortable. I am hopeful that I can do it.

Third - I think that many many people stop losing with low carb (Atkins, South Beach, or others). I just think that low carb becomes less effective after a certain period of time as our bodies change and become more ketoadapted. I, for one, did ALL kinds of extreme low carb before finally turning to hCG as a last resort. I was zero carb for a very long time and my body got so adjusted to having no carbs that I was gaining if I ate broccoli. And definitely not losing at all. I mean for months at a time. I think that for many people, low carb at some point just stops working--it's not necessarily related to hCG.

Fourth - Everything I've read about hCG indicates that if it's working the way it's supposed to, you can do as many rounds as you need as long as you are taking the appropriate breaks so your body does not become adapted to the hormone. I also don't think hCG "messes you up" any more than extreme low calorie or extreme low carb does. In fact, if the body is releasing stored body fat and actually "living on" those calories, it is probably healthier than many other diets because you are not really changing the amount of calories available for your body's use as opposed to getting your body adapted to 1200 calories or so on low-cal.

Fifth - I've done 5 rounds with the majority of my weight coming off after the first two. I went from 210 to 152 from January 2011 to April 2011. Since then I have been at a low of 137 and a high of 159 (after loading) and am targeting a weight of about 145. I am 5'9" tall and 45 years old. I have basically kept off all of the weight that I lost in the first two rounds, so essentially I've kept the weight off for about 15 months now. I have been fiddling around with the 140-155 pounds really more out of vanity than anything else because I like how I look and how my clothes fit at the lower end. I blame not keeping the weight off from rounds 3 and 4 on poor P3 choices and plans and basically returning to habits best not mentioned! :doh: Round 5 seems to be sticking a bit better and I am happy where I landed and how I transitioned.

Finally, I have to say that hCG has completely changed my life and, I believe, my metabolism. Before hCG and after about 7 years of strict and often extreme low-carb that left me fatter that I had ever been, I would not hesitate to do a short round again if I gain weight, both because it is fast and effective and because I truly believe that it resets the way your body processes food and helps create the right mindset and habits to maintain in the long term. It's just up to us to perpetuate that mindset and those new habits through the challenges that inevitably arise in life. I can now not only eat veggies but fruits and limited starches which after not eating any of those things literally for years is a true blessing. I also truly believe that it is a healthier way to lose the weight--it's a short term restriction, it promotes lean muscle mass retention, it gets you eating really clean foods and helps you identify those that cause problems, all kinds of reasons. So, no, I wouldn't even try to lose a significant amount of weight any other way because I feel it is the BEST way to lose weight, not just the fastest.

Hope some of that is helpful! :)

Wow, thank you all for sharing. You gave me some very good insights. That is interesting about resistance to low carb. That makes sense that our bodies would get used to that and then the minute we pop stuff higher in carbs, we see our weight go up.

With that in mind, it makes me wonder if I should change the way I eat on P3/P4? Of course still staying away from sugar and starch during P3. But maybe in P4 I should try and add back some good carbs more. Before during my rounds I pretty much ate P3 all the time once I was done with HCG. Maybe what was happening is by doing the low carb for so long my body wanted to hoard any extra carbs it got. Hmm, not really sure how to remedy this going forward to prevent myself from gaining after HCG. I'll have to give this some more thought.

Hi Kelle!

First, I agree w. the others. You've done a great job!!

To answer your question: Your struggle to maintain your LDW sounds familiar! I've been at this a while. I lost well w. Atkins (272 down to 175) and was able to maintain it pretty easily. I was unable to lose further, despite heroic measures! Only hcg was able to break that 175 mark.

hHcg has allowed me to get to the lowest weight ever, as an adult. I've fluctuated because of lack of diligence on my part. I've had failed rounds, great rounds, and rogue rounds. This past round I was able to reach 143.2 as my LDW (I'm 5'6", 43y.o., hypothyr hormonal mess). This is a good weight/size to be. My body? It would rather be up in the low 150's. I'm trying to convince it that the low 140's are nice. :D

If you wait the appropriate amount of time between rounds, you should do fine with another one.

The thing I've learned, am learning, is what Shelby stressed. Really staying vigilant, weighing daily (or as close to that as possible) and correcting that gain as soon as you can. We can't ignore it and hope for the best. Dealing w. that first few lbs keeps it from becoming 10! :stars:

Good luck to you!! I'm not as concerned that hcg is the ONLY way I can lose weight, I'm just thankful that I CAN lose weight on it! :up: