General HCG Diet Questions

You should discuss all medication questions with your doctor. Let them know of your intentions to complete the HCG protocol and ask them if it is necessary or safe to come off your prescription medications. Dr. Simeons recommends in Pounds and Inches that patients be free of any and all prescription medications, but you need to discuss this with your doctor.

Dr. Simeons is clear in Pounds and Inches that medication may interfere with the HCG protocol, possibly resulting in slower losses. When considering the HCG protocol, you should discuss your particular prescription medication with your doctor to determine if the HCG protocol is right for you. If your doctor agrees, then coming off your prescription medications while on the HCG protocol will yield the best results.

The HCG hormone causes your hypothalamus to mobilize the fat out of your fat storage locations so that it’s available for use.  You are still burning the 3000 calories that most people use during the course of a day BUT only 500 calories are coming from food.  That means 2500 calories are coming from your stored fat, which is how you are losing about a pound a day and doing it in a healthy way! 

It is best to begin the HCG Protocol when you are able to commit to doing it properly. Women should begin after their menstrual cycle or, a minimum of 10 days prior to its onset. The bottom line is that the Protocol is easiest to stick to when there aren't any major events (like birthdays, holidays, weddings, etc.) or travel. This is because it is necessary to eat foods that need to be prepared at home, at least most of the time. Cooking takes time but allows you to better enjoy the flavors of the foods.

The maximum amount of time one can be on the HCG diet using the HCG drops is 60 days plus maintenance.  (When using injections, the maximum is 40 injections.) Those 60 days break down as follows: 2 days of fat loading, 55 days of VLCD, 3 days of transitional VLCD. The maintenance phase is 6 weeks long and is broken into two stages (M1 & M2), each lasting 21 days. The minimum is 21 days of VLCD and you can stop anytime up to 55 days on VLCD.

The minimum amount of time one can be on the HCG diet is 26 days, plus maintenance. Those 26 days break down as follows: 2 days of fat loading, 21 days of VLCD, 3 days of transitional VLCD. The maintenance phase is 6 weeks long and is broken into two stages (M1 & M2), each lasting 21 days. You can stop anytime up to the maximum of 55 days on VLCD.

There isn’t a diet out there where you are able to eat whatever you want to excess and expect to never gain weight. However, when following our lifestyle recommendations after the protocol, and by using the tool of a Steak Day, you should be able to eat a normal diet and expect your weight losses to be permanent.

Your body will have a higher metabolism, which means incoming fuel is burned rather than stored as abnormal fat. So long as you don’t overwhelm your metabolism by prolonged over-eating, which would cause you to store rather than burn, your state of “obesity” (as defined by Dr. Simeons) will be considered cured.

As long as Maintenance 1 is followed precisely AND necessary lifestyle changes are made, you may expect to maintain your new body with little effort, while still enjoying your favorite foods.  (Don’t be surprised when you find that old favorites aren’t nearly as attractive or tasty as they once were – that happens ALL the time!)  It is important to check your weight frequently and use the Steak Day tool on any day you reach a gain of more than two pounds over LDW (Last Drops Weight – the weight you were on your last morning of HCG drops).

Read Dr. Simeons Protocol manuscript titled Pounds and Inches: A New Approach to Obesity located here: http://www.ThinNow.com/P&I.pdf. Take notes, write down questions and contact us for a better understanding. The only 'dumb' question is the one that's never asked. In addition, when you place your order you’ll get a confirmation email with instructions on “How to Prepare for the HCG Protocol.” If you don’t receive your order confirmation email, log into your PCA (Private Client Area) and you will find a link for “How To Prepare…” on the home page.

Make sure you join our support forum at http://www.ThinNow.com/forum and check out our Facebook support page at http://www.facebook.com/myhcgplus. You will be surprised at how helpful this is.

Yes! The HCG protocol is very precise and the guidelines must be followed exactly or one cannot expect results. It is the combination of the HCG drops and the HCG diet guidelines that produces results – simply taking HCG drops alone is not effective for weight loss.  

Think of the protocol as a treatment or a prescription, not as a diet. On regular diets, you can cheat without making much of a difference. On the HCG protocol, cheating even once means you have stopped the treatment and you run the very real risk of stalling for several days or gaining. You can recover from that, but you lose more ground than you would on a diet.