The HCG Diet is a protocol created by Dr. A.T.W. Simeons, M.D. in 1971. His manuscript is titled, ” Pounds and Inches: A New Approach to Obesity “. You can download a copy of it here . The HCG Diet has once again been made popular by Kevin Trudeau’s book, The Weight Loss Cure. I have not yet read his book, but the original “Pounds and Inches” is the diet that he talks about. However, I have heard that Kevin Trudeau adds detox phases and other things that the original protocol did not do. For now, I will stick with the original diet because I have read a lot of testimonies, and I am convinced that this is the way to go. This diet, in combination with HCG, is supposed to help reset the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus links the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. It is responsible for certain metabolic processes.
For easy reference, probably due to Kevin’s Trudeau’s book, a number of people have divided up Dr. Simeon’s protocol into phases of this diet. Here is how it works:
Rounds: Each round is made up of phases.
Phase 1: In Kevin Trudeau’s book, this refers to the detox phase. We will be skipping this one.
Phase 2: This is the weight loss phase of the diet. It consists of 2-3 loading days, referred to as LD1,LD2, and LD3. The loading days are the days in which you have officially started on your HCG, whether it be injections, sublingual, or homeopathic hcg. You will load up on fatty foods to fill up your fat reserves. A few people have lost weight during this time, but don’t necessarily plan on it. A 4-8 pound weight gain is quite normal. Dr. Simeon’s talks about the loads in his manuscript. It is important that you read the manuscript for yourself. I have read it several times, and each time I read it, something else pops out at me.
VLCD : After you have completed your loading days, you will now move on to the weight loss part of the diet. You are still considered to be in Phase 2, but now you are on your Very Low Calorie Days (500 calorie diet), referred to as VLCD. You can find the VLCD here, or read Dr. Simeon’s manuscript. You will continue phase 2 for a minimum of 23 days (loading days count). In Dr. Simeon’s book, he stopped people at 40 days because he was worried about a loss of immunity with the injections. If you go to the HCG DIET or HCG DIETER’s Yahoo Groups, you will find many people who have past 40 days worth of HCG. Again, I am doing the Homeopathic HCG, so I’m not worried about immunity. We’ll talk more about homeopathic HCG a little later.
LIW or LDW: Once you have completed at least 23 days and are ready to start the maintanence phase, you will need to take an important step to end the HCG and move on to phase 3. On the last day that you take your HCG, weigh yourself. This weight will be your LIW or LDW. For those of you taking injections, LIW refers to “last injection weight”. For anyone else taking sublingual or homeopathic drops, LDW refers to “last dosage weight”. This is the weight that you will be maintaining until you start another round (if you have more weight to lose). For 3 days after you have quit taking the HCG, you will need to continue with the VLCD (very low calorie day). This is required until the HCG is completely out of your system. Once you have eaten your 3 VLCD without the HCG, then you can move on to Phase 3.
Phase 3: Once you have completed at least 23 days on phase 2, you can move on to phase 3, which is the phase in which you are maintaining your weight. All foods allowed except starch or sugar, being careful of certain fruits. You should continue eating this way for 3 weeks. After 3 weeks, you can very gradually add starch in small quantities, always staying in control by weighing yourself each morning. In Dr. Simeon’s book, he recommends that you stay in this phase for a minimum of 6 weeks before starting a 2nd round of weight loss.
“When a third, fourth, or even fifth course is necessary, the interval between courses should be made progressively longer.” For example, you will need to wait 6 weeks between round 1 and 2, 8 weeks between round 2 and 3, 12 weeks between round 3 and 4, and 20 weeks between round 4th and 5th rounds. And lastly, you will need to wait 6 months between rounds 5 and 6. Of course, all of this depends on how much weight you need to lose. I believe this is important to helping you maintain a healthy weight for the rest of your life. This diet is all about resetting the hypothalamus and regulating your body weight.
Phase 4: The Maintenance Phase. You will only be doing this phase of the diet when you have reached your goal weight. Otherwise, you will continue with phase 3 and start a new round with phase 2 again.
Apple Days (Phase 2): If you have been stuck in a plateau for 4-5 days, you can choose to do an apple day. However, Dr. Simeon’s has explained that this is purely for psychological reasons. During an apple day, no other foods or drinks are allowed except for 6 large apples. An apple day begins at lunch and ends just before lunch the next day. You are to eat an apple whenever you feel hungry. You should only drink water when you are feeling thirsty.
Steak Days (Phase 3 and beyond): As long as you are maintaining your weight within 2 pounds of your LIW or LDW, you should not worry about the scale. However, when you have gone beyond a 2 pound weight gain, even if it’s only by a few ounces, then you should do a steak day. On the SAME DAY that you are up in weight over 2 pounds, you will need to skip breakfast and lunch, but continue to drink plenty of fluids. For dinner, you can eat a HUGE steak with either one apple or a raw tomato.
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