Archive for February, 2010

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HCG Weight Loss Diets and How They Work

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

HCG weight loss diets are about two things: high metabolism and effective use of existing fat stores.

Fat is Not The Enemy!

Most people are surprised to learn that a certain amount of fat in the diet is necessary in order to maintain good health. This is true regardless of whether or not you are on the HCG diet. The only difference is that while you would normally get your fat from food sources (ideally from healthy sources such as wild cold water fish and olive oil), while taking HCG your body is drawing this fat from your own cells, where excess supplies has been stored.

This is why you must avoid ingesting fat while on HCG. Your body needs fat in order to function, but you don’t want to give your system any choice as to where that fat comes from.

What Is Adipose?

“Adipose” is a word that refers to those fat reserves that wind up being stored around the waist, abdomen, hips and thighs. This is a form of fat that is high in nutrient and energy content, but is normally not available to the body that is, until all other sources have been used up. This, according to Dr. Simeons, is why most attempts at weight loss fail. By the time lean muscle reserves and structural fat has been consumed (which is what normally happens), the subject is so weak and discouraged that s/he abandons the attempt.

To use a metaphor, adipose is rather like gasoline that has been left in storage too long. Still volatile and full of energy, gasoline that has turned into a gel is completely useless as motor fuel.

HCG is a hormone that actually unlocks adipose stored in cells, breaking it down, releasing it and making it available to run your body’s metabolic processes. This is why people are normally not hungry or feeling deprived while following Dr. Simeons’ 500-calorie diet. Although you may only be ingesting 500 calories, your body is still burning between 1,000 and 2,000 extra calories a day from those adipose reserves.

How Does This Happen?

Part of the story is that part of your brain known as the hypothalamus. This almond-sized gland in the brain is like a combination fuel switch and thermostat. It determines what fuel is burned and at what rate. The problem with most diets is how the hypothalamus responds. Typically, it will slow down the metabolic rate to a crawl, and then start feeding on the most readily sources of nutrition: lean muscle tissue and structural fat that protects the internal organs.

HCG causes a literal “reprogramming” to take place; once the adipose reserves have been unlocked, the hormone directs the hypothalamus to extract nutrients from these. Because this is such a rich source of energy, it keeps the metabolism running at a high rate.

This is why people who follow HCG weight loss diets are able to lose up to two pounds a day safely with no ill effects. It is important however to follow the entire program closely in order to achieve the optimal results.

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Who Needs HCG Weight Loss Clinics?

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

When Dr. Simeons first came up with the HCG diet 50 years ago, it was only available in fancy HCG weight loss clinics.   Sure, who wouldn’t like the luxury of an exclusive weight loss clinic?  But let’s be honest:  how many of us can afford the money or the time for that?  So, it’s good news that it’s now possible to purchase HCG online and you don’t even need a prescription.

Drawbacks of a Clinic
Weight loss clinics are not the best way of effecting a real and true lifestyle change anyway. Truth be told, a lifestyle change is really what the HCG diet is all about.  Weight loss clinics take you out of your life, out of your usual environment.  If you’re trying to make new habits that you can incorporate into your life, you need to be in your life to figure out what’s going to work and what’s not.

A weight loss clinic may be all well and good if you’re a movie star.  They’re usually the ones who can afford them. This may be stereotyping a little here, but they don’t seem as tied to structures and schedules as the rest of us are.

Real Life Breaks In
Maybe that’s because money and fame come with a certain degree of power. Power to have a little more say in how your days are spent.  Most of the rest of us are more subject to our employers, our kids’ schedules, our communities in general.  We have to report to work at a certain time, eat lunch at a certain time, and pick the kids up from school or daycare or soccer practice at a certain time, and so on and so on.

Incorporating healthy habits can still be done, but it requires some degree of planning ahead.  The best way of figuring out what you can reasonably work into your day is trial and error, I think.  The HCG diet provides guidelines to help you, and it’s open-ended enough to fit into any schedule if it’s something you truly want to do.

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HCG Weight Loss Clinics

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

It is possible to undertake the HCG program on your own, and many people do. However, others feel more comfortable going through one of the several licensed HCG Weight Loss Clinics around the country. While this can be more expensive than doing it on your own, it offers the advantage of medical supervision and ready consultation with a qualified physician if necessary.

Convenient Locations

There are approximately 44 HCG clinics located around the United States, primarily in major cities. Most people residing in the Southeast or western states are within a three-hour drive of these clinics.

Who Can Attend a Clinic

Virtually anyone who is in reasonably good health but needing to drop weight is a good candidate for an HCG. When you check into such a clinic, the physician will most likely want to run a full physical exam, including blood tests. Once the patient has a clean bill of health, there is little preparation involved and HCG injections can start right away.

It is important to understand that pregnant and nursing women are not suitable candidates for the HCG diet and will not be allowed to start until the child has been weaned. HCG is also not recommended for children, as use of the hormone may trigger premature puberty.

What To Expect

Those who go through the program on their own at home generally use HCG drops rather than injections. Legal possession of needle syringes by an individual requires a physician’s prescription. At clinics, HCG injections are standard. It is likely that your physician will send a kit home with you and have you administer your own injections, much like insulin-dependent diabetics.

Administering injections to one’s self is not difficult, although there is a certain amount of discomfort involved. There is however a number of things you can do to minimize the discomfort:

  • pinching the injection site
  • numb the injection site with ice
  • bring HCG that has been refrigerated up to room temperature prior to injection
  • apply isopropyl alcohol to the site before injecting then allow to dry

You may experience minor bleeding after an injection. There is no cause for alarm. This is normal for many individuals. Simply apply pressure until the bleeding has stopped as you would any other cut or scratch.

Please note that the foregoing instructions are of a general nature. Every individual is different, so it is important to follow all instructions provided by your physician. There are additional steps when it comes to mixing HCG (if it is not provided to you in a pre-mixed form) as well as loading your syringe with the correct amount. Again, your doctor will demonstrate these techniques and assist you in learning how to do it correctly and safely.

If There Are Side Effects

A very small percentage of those who use HCG injections may experience side effects. Usually, these are minor and may include:

  • mood changes
  • headache
  • diarrhea or constipation
  • pain or itching at the injection site

If these symptoms become serious, discontinue the HCG program immediately and contact the HCG weight loss clinic.

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The HCG Obesity Cure

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Maybe you would say that you don’t want to hear about the HCG obesity cure.  You’re tired of all of these so-called miracles and cures, because none of them have helped you.  This is just how you are, and you’d appreciate it if everyone would accept that and leave you alone.  You’ve accepted it; you’re fine.  Other people can talk about the HCG diet until they’re blue in the face, but you’re not listening.

Cure for Weight Loss Related Diseases
You’ll keep taking your diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure medicines.  These, as far as you can tell, are irreversible conditions.  You don’t care that people with stable cases of diabetes who’ve gone on the HCG diet have been able to eventually stop taking their medication, because the HCG made their blood sugar levels steadily go down.  There’s no cure for diabetes. You’re not buying it.

It doesn’t matter to you that the HCG drops will help to prevent the usual low-calorie side effects like dizziness, headaches, irritability, and weakness, that they help to provide energy and focus.

Cure for Sedentary Lifestyle
You’re perfectly fine with your sedentary lifestyle. The fact that trying to do anything at all, sometimes even just going down the hall to the restroom, requires so much energy and exertion that you sometimes think you’ll collapse.  You break a sweat just making a sandwich and can hardly breathe, if you try to take a shower.

It’s getting harder and harder for you to leave the house. You’re losing the few friends you had left.  But whatever. That doesn’t matter, because obviously they weren’t true friends anyway. All they ever did was try to change you, when you’re happy how you are.  You’re happy, does everyone understand?  You don’t want to climb mountains or even walk around the block, okay?  You don’t care that your life will be shortened by your refusal to suffer through yet another attempt at change.

It doesn’t matter that…26 pounds in 26 days?  You can do 40 days at a time?  You can buy it online, you said?  Okay, okay, fine.  You’ll try it.


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“Cheap HCG” Can Be Expensive

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

There is a certain amount of truth to the old saw, “You get what you pay for.” There are a lot of websites out there that are offering “cheap HCG,” but a little detective work will often reveal that such HCG diet kits are no bargain. They may even be hazardous to your health.

Where Those HCG Kits Come From

It is no secret that the wholesale export of American industry has resulted in a flood of cheap consumer goods. It is becoming all too apparent that 99% of these products are shoddy and of low quality, unlikely to last more than a year or two. This is unlike the way things were prior to the 1980s, when “Made in the USA” was a label not only of pride, but of quality. Such products were built to last.

Those days are gone and unlikely to return. The same could be said about HCG; those cut-rate “kits” that you find for sale online are made in Mexico, China or Indonesia, where there are few regulations and even fewer quality controls when it comes to homeopathic remedies.

The HCG made in these countries is likely to be expired by the time you receive it (assuming you receive it at all). Even worse, it could be tainted and actually harmful. Unfortunately, you would have little recourse in such cases.

The other issue to keep in mind is that it is illegal in the U.S. for an individual to have needle syringes in their possession without a valid doctor’s prescription. Anyway, do you really want to go to the time and trouble of mixing your own HCG solution and sticking yourself with a needle every day?

How much is your time and comfort worth?

The Oral Drops Alternative

While they may represent a more expensive product, oral HCG drops made in U.S. laboratories are a much better alternative. (There are also HCG injections made in the U.S., but these are only available by prescription through a certified weight loss or fertility clinic.)

Individuals can order HCG drops freely from many reliable sources. However, even in this case, some due diligence is called for; no matter how nice the website looks, you should definitely investigate the company thoroughly before ordering.

What To Look For

The first thing to check is whether or not the company has a physical address (a brick and mortar location, not simply a P.O. Box) and a telephone number. In addition, the e-mail contact information should be consistent with the business’ Internet domain. Avoid any HCG dealer with a “hotmail” or similar address.  This usually means there is something to hide.

You should also be able to find consumer feedback and testimonials about the company online. This brings us to one of the best ways to find a reliable source for quality HCG: online forums. Many others have discovered the power of HCG; you owe it to yourself to network with these people and take advantage of the experience they have to share.

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The HCG Alternative to High Rates of Obesity

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

One of the most alarming things I’ve heard recently is a report of recent stats on obesity in the United States.   However, there are words of comfort to help assuage this alarm:  tales of the HCG alternative to these high rates of obesity, what some even call a cure to obesity in the form of the HCG diet.

32 of these 50 United States, as of 2008, had more than 25% of their citizens designated as obese.  In six of these 32, it was over 30%.  Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia had the highest percentages.

Help is Online
But help is here.  Whether you live in California or West Virginia, if you suffer from obesity and want to change your life, all you really need to get started is Internet access.  If you don’t have it at your house, chances are the local public library has it.  Since you’re reading this, you must have found the Internet somewhere.  This means that you can order HCG online.

HCG is a hormone that occurs naturally in the human body, and it actually works with the hypothalamus gland to control your eating and drinking urges.  It also spurs the burning of excess fat, which in obese people the body typically won’t do on its own hence the obesity.  Because of this combination, even though you’re only eating 500 calories a day, you shouldn’t feel unusually hungry.  That’s one of the keys to the diet’s success.

The other key is that this lack of unbearable hunger isn’t a trick. Your body really isn’t as hungry as it ought to be when only receiving 500 calories a day, because it’s using all of that stored-up fat for its energy.  With other diets that demand limited calorie intake, the body goes into starvation mode, which means that instead of burning fat, it’s storing it even more and burning muscle instead.

So if you’d rather not be a statistic, whether you live in Oklahoma, Florida, or Pennsylvania, get online and order HCG.  Cure your obesity, and change your life.

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The HCG Diet Direct – a Better Idea

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

When it comes to the HCG, you basically have two options.  You can get it from your family doctor by prescription, which is very expensive (and difficult to do outside of exclusive and pricey weigh loss clinics). The other way is to order the HCG diet direct from an Internet supplier. Which is much less expensive.

However, it pays to be cautious when ordering HCG online. There is no shortage of scams out there, and too many people have learned the hard way that not all sources of HCG are to be trusted.

Complete HCG Kits – Including Syringes

For several reasons, we do not recommend HCG injections.  Not the least because in the U.S., it is illegal to possess needle syringes without a doctor’s prescription demonstrating a genuine medical need.

Besides that, the quality of the product included in such “kits” is generally suspect.

Most of the HCG injections that you can buy online are manufactured in foreign countries such as Mexico and China where safety and product quality regulation is minimal, and almost anyone can open an HCG operation in their back rooms. You may get HCG that is past its expiration date, a tainted product, or nothing at all.

Assuming you are able to get one of these kits, you should know that the product is not ready to use. There will be a vial of dried, powdered HCG and a small bottle of what is hopefully sterilized water that has been treated with a bacteriostatic agent. Every day, it will be necessary for you to:

A.    mix these two elements in precise amounts in a sterile container
B.    measure the exact amount into your syringe
C.    stick a cold needle into your arm or leg, making sure you avoid the vein

There is a much better and more convenient way.

HCG Drops – Cheaper, Better Quality and Ready To Use

It is a fairly easy matter to obtain high quality HCG drops from a well-regulated, licensed U.S laboratory. These labs operate under the supervision of the Food and Drug Administration. Only people who have some training and credentials in pharmaceutical science are allowed to work at these labs. In addition, their product is subject to HPUS standards (Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States).

Checking Your Source

Anyone with whom you do business online should have a physical, brick-and-mortar address as well as a telephone number in addition to an e-mail address. If not, that is a sign that they may be hiding something.

In addition, their e-mail address should match up with the business TLD (top level domain). Therefore, if you are considering XYZ-HCG Diets, Inc., the e-mail contact should be something line customerservice@xyz-hcgdiets.com. If it is a Hotmail or Gmail account, it’s a good bet that it is some fly-by-night operation being run out of someone’s garage.

Finally, you should look for both the BBBOnline (Better Business Bureau) and the TrustE seals on the website, and follow these links to make sure they are legitimate when you order the HCG diet direct.

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Have Fun with Your HCG Treatment!

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

One thing we want to encourage almost more than anything else is to have fun with your HCG treatment!  If you’re on the HCG diet, it’s because you’re ready to change your life.  Don’t let the diet be a drag for you. Start incorporating positive changes right away!

End Boredom with Creative Recipes
One way to do this is to get creative with recipes.  At HCG Diet Direct, we, along with some of our former and current clients, have compiled some recipes to get you started and help you along. However, we definitely encourage experimentation.

Especially if cooking is a passion of yours, you should take this opportunity to shine!  Don’t think that being healthy means limitations in the kitchen.  Think of it as the exploration of a whole new territory!

Turkey and Tomato Soup
One of our favorite recipes is turkey and tomato soup.  It’s easy to prepare and tastes great!  You’ll need 100 grams of cooked ground turkey, two cans of stewed or crushed organic tomatoes, three cloves of crushed garlic, two teaspoons of red wine vinegar, and a pinch each of parsley, cumin, basil, rosemary, and red pepper flakes.

All real whole foods and seasonings that you can find at the neighborhood grocery store. No fancy frozen prepackaged expensive meals here.

You’ll simply put the garlic and tomatoes in a pot, and add your seasonings, then let it cook for five minutes.  Add the turkey, and let it come to a boil. Then cook for five or ten minutes more, and serve it while it’s warm.  It’s that easy.  For days when you would normally grab Mickey D’s or pizza on the way home from work, short and sweet recipes like this can be lifesavers.

For days when you want something a little more involved, well, the sky’s the limit.  Especially if you’re an ace in the kitchen, I think you’ll find great pleasure in combining foods and seasonings in new ways, maybe modifying old favorite recipes to adhere to the criteria of your new lifestyle.  Think of it as a time of learning, creating, and growing!

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What’s Wrong With HCG Injections?

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Strictly speaking, there is nothing wrong with HCG injections, provided they are prescribed and administered by a certified health care professional.  However, the only legal way to get these legally in the U.S. is through a licensed, professional weight loss clinic.

Unfortunately, such clinics are few and far between, not to mention extremely expensive.
Even assuming you can obtain it on your own, doing any injections three or four times a day is a great deal of bother, not to mention painful (just ask anyone suffering from Type-I diabetes).

Anyway, why go that route if you don’t have to?

One Medication, Multiple Uses

HCG is normally used by fertility clinics. It has been proven to stimulate the production of eggs in women as well as increase testosterone levels in men, leading to an increased sperm count. This is the primary use for HCG by the medical profession.

Weight loss is considered “off label” use of HCG. “Off label” is nothing bad, nor even unusual. It is simply a term used in the medical profession to describe the use of a particular medication for the treatment of a condition other than that for which it was developed.

There are many common examples of “off label” usage of medications. One of the most well known cases is simple aspirin. This is derived from willow bark, which Native American peoples have long used as a pain reliever. However, aspirin also has blood-thinning properties that make it valuable in the treatment of certain heart conditions as well.

Another example of off-label use is when the antibiotic tetracycline is prescribed for acne and other skin conditions. The point is that just because a medication is intended for one condition doesn’t mean it isn’t suitable for others.

What HCG Does

Not only does HCG stimulate the reproductive systems in both men and women, it has properties that actually break down the molecules in excess fat deposits around the hips and abdomen, which are called adipose. Adipose is a form of fat that is normally difficult for the body to utilize.  Although it is rich in nutrients and calories, it is virtually “locked up” in a form that is not accessible under normal circumstances.

When calories are reduced to a bare minimum, the body’s metabolism usually slows down in an attempt to conserve energy resources. This process is governed by a small gland in the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus gland is responsible for how available energy resources are utilized and consumed.

In addition to breaking down adipose, HCG also has a regulating effect on the hypothalamus. If you can imagine the hypothalamus gland as the body’s fuel switch and accelerator, HCG is like the driver who keeps the “pedal to the metal” while controlling the fuel switch, making sure that energy is obtain from the correct fuel tank. In this case, the excess fat that you are trying to rid yourself of.

HCG Drops Are Better

Avoid HCG injections. These are more trouble than they are worth. Get HCG drops from a certified U.S. lab, and you’ll be on your way to a thinner, healthier you!

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The HCG Weight Loss Plan Should Embrace Life

Friday, February 26th, 2010

A major concern of any diet, the HCG diet included, is that by dieting, you’ll miss out on all the fun. If you’re always trying to be healthy, you’ll be excluded from all the little joys and pleasures of life.  A goal of the HCG weight loss plan is to show how this perception just isn’t true.

Sure, the HCG diet plan is about having a healthier lifestyle, but there’s no reason at all that a healthy lifestyle should mean no fun!  In fact, it should mean more fun, because you’ll have the energy to participate in things that just would have been too daunting before.

Healthier Life = More Energy for Fun
Living a healthier life doesn’t mean giving up entirely all of the little things that you loved before. It just means learning new ways to enjoy them.  Often, I think that you’ll find that the new ways actually give you more pleasure, because the pleasure is less fleeting. The joy is deeper and more profound, because you are feeding both body and spirit.

Indulge the Apple Pie Craving
Here’s an example:  say you adore apple pie.  It’s one of your favorite things in the world.  Honestly, one reason you’ve avoided diets is because you just can’t bear being told that you’ll have to relinquish your apple pie and maybe forever, if you want to stay thin!  How can it be worth it?

While you’re on the diet, if you get an unbearable craving for apple pie, try this:  cut up a fresh apple, sprinkle it with cinnamon, and warm it up a little in the microwave or the oven.  You’ll be amazed at how much it tastes like apple pie.  You’ll also be amazed at how you have a burst of true, pure energy from that apple, very different from the heaviness you probably experienced when the apple pie settled itself down to stew in your stomach.

You may scoff, but once you’ve experienced the invigorating power of health, I don’t think you’ll want to go back.  I think you’ll find that a whole new world of joys and pleasures has opened up for you.

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