While the HCG weight loss cure can produce some dramatic results, it is important to understand that it is not simply a “magic bullet.” In fact, HCG drops are only part of an overall weight loss program that requires all components to be in place and all instructions to be followed to the letter in order for it to work.

Step One: Preparation

It may seem counter-intuitive, but the first course of action called for by Dr. Simeons’ protocols is to stuff yourself with as much rich, fatty foods as you can get down during your initial two days of taking HCG. The reason is that fat being a rich energy source will rev up the metabolism, giving it the momentum it needs to keep going during what is to follow.

Step Two: Cutting Back

It is pretty well known that a 500-calorie-a-day diet is close to starvation levels. This sounds scary to most people, and so it should. You do not want to undertake this lightly. Nonetheless, it is necessary, and make no mistake: you are likely to feel some real hunger and deprivation for about two days.

Fortunately, this will pass. What happens is that the HCG unlocks the fat deposits in your cells, making them readily available as an alternative source of energy. At the same time, the hormone overrides the programming of the hypothalamus gland, which would normally attempt to slow down your metabolism and start feeding on lean tissues before burning this excess fat.

Since you are ingesting a mere weight losss, your body requires between 1,500 and 2,weight losss to maintain itself, the deficit has to be made up somewhere. Suddenly, the fat that you have been carrying around on your hips or belly will start to melt away as it flows into your bloodstream, providing energy for your metabolic processes. This is why people on the HCG diet feel little or no hunger, and the tiny portions permitted under Dr. Simeon’s protocols are more than satisfying while on the program.

Step Three: Adjust Your Activity

Here is another paradox: vigorous exercise and the HCG diet simply don’t go together.

The reason is that you are already burning calories at such a prodigious rate that any extra effort may indeed push you “over the edge” and result in some problems. This is not to say that you shouldn’t exercise altogether.  A little walking every day in order to clear the mind and to elevate the heart rate slightly is a good thing and it will keep you in a more positive mood. However, strenuous exercise such as high-impact aerobics and weight lifting should definitely be avoided.

Step Four: Finishing Up

It is important that you do not take HCG for more than forty days at a time. The reason is that your body will ultimately build up a tolerance for it and it will lose its effectiveness. If you need to lose more weight than you can in one forty-day session, it does not hurt at all to take a three to four week break from the HCG program.