The beginning of my experience with HCG Protocol
So I found out about this diet from youtube for the most part and then started doing my own research about the diet. For those of you who don’t know what hcg is or how it works as a cure for obesity, here’s a quick rundown:
HCG Program Overview
(This information is not my own. It has been compiled from many sources including, but not limited to; Dr. Simeon’s manuscript, Pounds and Inches, Kevin Trudeau’s book, The Weight Loss Cure, Happily Thinner After forum and Biz’s brilliant mind. See resources above for more information.)
In the 1950’s a British doctor, Dr. A.T.W. Simeons, discovered that the hypothalamus is the major cause of obesity. The hypothalamus controls the storage of fat in the body.
The first type of fat in our bodies is structural fat, the fat that cushions our organs and insides. The second type of fat is normal fat, the padding on our hands and feet, etc. The third type of fat is abnormal fat, our love handles, bellies, back fat, spare tires, saddle bags, etc.
When the hypothalamus is working properly, it stores the excess fuel we eat as structural or normal fat it can access at a later time for energy and nutrients. Dr. Simeons discovered that because of genetics, eating refined foods/sugar, hydrogenated oils, etc. the hypothalamus gets overloaded with more excess fuel than it can handle. Because the structural and normal fat reserves are at their maximum already this excess fuel that the hypothalamus cannot handle gets stored as abnormal fat - fat that cannot be easily accessed or used.
Today we know that the hypothalamus does much more than store fat in the body.
The Health Maintenance Organization of the Body
The hypothalamus is called the brain of the brain. It appears that almost everything the hypothalamus does is related in some way to the management of brain and body connection, linking the psyche (mind) to the body, weight management and controlled weight loss.
The hypothalamus is located immediately below the thalamus at the center of the brain, and controls many automatic functions of the body. This means it has the power to govern the autonomic (automatic or subconscious) nervous system. The hypothalamus also controls pituitary output by secreting specific chemicals to the pituitary’s front lobe.
Very simply, the Hypothalamus organizes and controls many complex emotions, feelings and moods, as well as all motivational states including hunger, appetite and food intake, and everything to do with the concept of pleasure including satisfaction, comfort and creative activities. The neurons in the Hypothalamus produce neurotransmitters which relay information and instruction to all parts of the brain and body, directly influencing the pituitary gland, where growth hormone, thyroid hormone releasing factor and other neuropeptides.
Ultimately the hypothalamus can control every endocrine gland in the body. It controls the function of the pituitary and thyroid glands.
When the hypothalamus doesn’t work properly
When the Hypothalamus is not working correctly we are lead to faulty perceptions which are very subtle but nonetheless powerful, making us feel empty, deprived and emotionally “unsatisfied.” Dysfunction of the hypothalamus often leads to depression, hyperactivity, abnormal responses to stress, or disturbances in brain and limbic functioning.
Some of the physical aspects of Hypothalamic dysfunction are: disordered sleep, multiple hormonal dysfunctions, immune dysfunction, autonomic dysfunction, and altered body temperatures.
What causes dysfunction in the hypothalamus?
The function of these vital systems can be altered by various causes ranging from food mishandling, dependency & substance withdrawal, stress or psychological responses to simple functional deficits, hyperactivity, hypoactivity or learning disabilities. Unfortunately, Hypothalamic function becomes impaired with age, so as we grow older the Hypothalamus needs support to maintain optimum performance.
The Missing Piece
HCG is found in trace amounts in men and women alike. A pregnant woman produces mass amounts of HCG. Dr. Simeons discovered that HCG allows the hypothalamus to function at a higher capacity thus allowing the fetus to have the nutrients and energy it needs to grow.
The premise behind the HCG protocol is that by taking HCG and doing a very low calorie diet, your hypothalamus is able to function at a higher capacity and access that abnormal fat it usually can’t access. You eat 500 calories and take the HCG. 500 calories doesn’t sound like much, but because your body is using the abnormal fat as its energy and nutrition you are actually metabolizing between 2500 and 4000 calories.
When people usually go on diets or exercise to lose weight, they are losing their normal fat or structural fat first because it is nearly impossible for the body to access that abnormal fat. The beauty of the HCG diet is that you burn the abnormal fat and you literally re-sculpt your body. Your skin doesn’t get flabby; it actually tightens. Looking at before and after pictures you would think that someone had liposuction or plastic surgery.
Life after the HCG Protocol
The HCG Protocol is learning a whole new lifestyle, a new approach to the way you will eat for the rest of your life. You will have a new relationship with food and have new habits that will assist you in making the right food choices.
After successfully completing a round of HCG protocol you have reset your hypothalamus, increased your metabolism, and have a new weight set-point for your body to maintain.
If you go back to eating fast food, restaurant food and foods containing trans-fats, high fructose corn syrup, highly refined foods, artificial sweeteners, etc., etc., etc., you may in fact regain the weight. If you make healthy food choices you will maintain the weight you lost during the protocol and even continue to lose with careful observation.
Dr. Simeons did not specify phases, but generally people reference four different phase identified by Kevin Trudeau in his book The Weight Loss Cure.
Phase 1 – Cleansing and Preparation (optional)
Phase 2 – HCG and VLCD (very low calorie diet)
Phase 3 – Maintenance
Phase 4 – Transition and Lifetime Maintenance
