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Today was Day 1 of the hCG diet. My friend Vi showed us how to draw an injection and then there we were with our needles. Walt was braver than I was, and went first which gave me the courage to inject myself for the first time. I felt a little queasy, but I was able to do it. I did an intramuscular injection in my quadriceps, and honestly it did not hurt a bit. The needles we got are so fine and sharp it really was easy once I got over the whole idea of it. Today was also a loading day - which means a 3500 calorie day. So far I've managed to get in an everything bagel with cream cheese, a couple of cups of coffee liberally laced with half-and-half, a generous serving of egg, spinach, sausage and cheese casserole, some gratuitous strawberries, grapes and half a banana, an angus steakburger (on the way home from Michigan), and an open faced peanut butter and cheese sandwich with a side of salt & pepper potato chips. On to the New Year's buffet! I can do this! (at least I can do this part of it!) Happy New Year!

Miracle Noodles

We've decided to postpone the diet by one day and start the "loading" process on Friday, which will also be our first injection day. We'll be in Michigan with some seasoned hCG dieters, and after the over-the-phone mixing debacle, I think I'll feel more confident if Vi shows us how to prepare our first dosages, although I am determined not to be a chicken and shoot myself up. We'll be able to enjoy all of the food at the New Year's Eve party we're planning to attend (with our church community group - pass the sparkly grape juice, please), and have the big juicy steaks that Walt has selected as the last loading blast on New Year's Day. Our first VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) day will be Sunday. Which will be interesting, since we're invited to a (surprise - hope you're not reading this, because you'll know who you are) birthday party that day and won't be partaking in the food.
Meantime, check out these Miracle Noodles - a staple of the hCG diet. No calorie, gluten free noodles, - can they be any good?  Right now there's a huge bag of them in my fridge, because they come packaged in liquid, a noodle first for me. I haven't tried them yet, but I will let you know what I think. Our friend Karl says that combined with a can of organic stewed tomatoes, they are guilt-free noodle heaven.

Santa Brought Presents

Santa came on Christmas eve - with a delivery to the post office, our box of hCG. It was a little bit exciting, wondering if our box would clear customs in time (if at all) for us to start our program on the 30th like we had planned. I had a short-term freak out when I saw that the hCG was in liquid form, as everything I had read up till now, including all of the mixing instructions, spoke of a powdered form. After I stressed about it for a while I visited one of several on-line forums devoted to this diet, and discovered that it does indeed come in a liquid, a newer formulation. Today I was able to get hold of Vi, who gave me mixing instructions - well, actually she tried to walk me through the mixing process over the phone. It's actually easy once you know what you are doing, but I had a very steep learning curve which included a puncture wound from a large bore needle, some cursing, and a bottle of mixed solution that looks like champagne, it has so many bubbles in it. Air embolism, anyone? I think it's going to be OK, but if I have to I will toss this bottle and get another mixing kit before we run out of supplies. We are one day away from our proposed start on Thursday, and I have been loading up on things like hormone free chicken breasts, stevia, and Tom's of Maine toothpaste. I also bought some goodies for the first two days of the diet - which are "loading" days, in which you must consume a minimum of 3500 calories per day. I bought braunschweiger, swiss cheese, provolone, olive oil mayonnaise, and all natural crunchy peanut butter. Oh, heavenly high-fat joy! I can't even remember when I last ate those things - and all in the same day no less. Maybe when we were on the Atkins diet? I lost six pounds the first month and then never an ounce after that - but interestingly, didn't gain either despite eating lots of meat, eggs, cheese, cream and coconut oil. Well, I digress, but I am so looking forward to two days of unbridled feasting before the diet proper begins.

More on Na-PCA

Back to Na-PCA - just found this on Amazon. This is a terrific price. I've continued to use this stuff and it continues to amaze me. We had a heat wave today - I think we got up to 28 degrees (F), but the past few days we've had temperatures in the single digits. Normally this would mean it's time to really slather on the goo in order to keep my skin from getting flaky - but I've just been spraying this stuff on my face, and adding a little eye cream around my eyes and I have been good to go.
How can something so light keep my skin so soft and supple? Amazon also has this in the non- aloe formula and in multi-packs for even bigger savings.
 Now if I can just get used to the idea of those needles...

Needles and Syringes and Swabs, Oh My!

There's a lot of prepping for this hCG diet. I've bought grissini (Italian breadsticks - all I can figure is that the doctor who created this diet was located in Rome) and liquid stevia to sweeten the tea and black coffee that I'll be having instead of breakfast. Today I received all of the stuff to manage the injections - a scary box full of needles and bottles, syringes and alcohol swabs. The needles are 2 1/2 inches long. At the moment I just can't see myself having the courage to puncture myself with one of those things. Having doubts and second thoughts. Yet ...I've seen the results, and they are really impressive. The hCG hasn't arrived yet, and I have no plans to start until just before the new year so I guess I can put off thinking about those needles a little while longer.

Na-PCA

I'm starting to collect the stuff I'm going to need on the hCG diet. One of the really interesting things is that in addition to eating (and not eating) very specific foods, it seems to matter quite a bit what you put on your skin. Anything with oil (fat) in it interferes with the loss of body fat. My friend and business mentor Vi recommended something called Na-PCA, which is made by Twinlab. Vi likes it so much, she has continued to use it even though she no longer needs to restrict her skin care products. I found a bottle in the health food store, and have been using it for a few days. I'm sold - this stuff is really wonderful. Here's what Twinlab has to say about their product:

Twinlab Na-PCA Description

non-oily

The Natural Moisturizing Factor In Human Skin Twinlab Na-PCA is a Ph-balanced, concentrated solution of the sodium salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, the natural moisturizing factor found in human skin. Na-PCA is synthesized from glutamic acid, a nonessential amino acid. The skin contains natural moisturizers, the most important being Na-PCA.

Old skin contains only about half the amount of Na-PCA as that found in young skin. The ability of skin to hold moisture is directly related to its Na-PCA content. It is water, and not oil, that keeps skin soft and supple. Na-PCA pulls water out of the air, moisturizing the skin, improving its appearance, and giving it a moist and youthful glow. This is not a cosmetic cover up; it is a physiological correction of an age-related deficiency state.

Ingredients: Purified water, Na-PCA (the sodium salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid), eucalyptus, ethanol, monolaurin (the principal antimicrobial factor in mother's milk).

Twinlab Na-PCA Directions 

After bath or shower, spray Na-PCA liberally on the hands and apply to the face and other skin areas. Na-PCA may also be used to condition dry or damaged hair. To condition hair...wet hair before using. Apply Na-PCA and leave on hair for 5 minutes. Then rinse.

Disclaimer

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

I haven't tried it on my hair yet, but my skin seems to love it. It doesn't feel like I have anything on my skin at all, but my skin isn't dry - it just feels ...healthy. I have really sensitive skin, so getting something that doesn't irritate it or cause me to break out is challenging. I bought the version with Aloe Vera in it because that's all they had at the store. Since then I've found a plain version (and the Aloe one too) at about half the price I paid, on-line at Vitacost. There are a number of on-line stores that carry it as well. Finding this stuff is an added bonus for me - and I haven't even started the diet yet.

The New Year's Diet Adventure

I've been studying the hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) diet. When I first heard about this diet, it sounded insane to me. Like so many other things in life, I formed an opinion about it without doing any research, based on very limited knowledge. I mean seriously, a 500 calorie a day diet based on shooting yourself up with a pregnancy hormone? Sounds crazy doesn't it? I saw friend after friend lose an amazing amount of weight, while reporting that they felt great, and weren't hungry despite the tiny caloric intake. They looked good too, none of that haggard, saggy look that dieters sometimes get. It seemed too good to be true, and so I watched, thinking that they would quickly regain the weight they had lost. They didn't. It still wasn't enough to get me to open my mind. Yes they had lost weight, and they looked and felt good, but I just couldn't believe that something that sounded on the surface, so odd, could be GOOD for you. Then my friend Jenn, who has been a competitive bodybuilder and has more than a rudimentary understanding of health and fitness did it. Now honestly, I didn't think she could look any better than she already did, but... you guessed it, she lost those few naggy little pounds she could never seem to take off before. That started to make me think, but only a little, if I'm being honest. It wasn't until Lynn, who is a wellness professional, and one of the smartest and best educated people I know when it comes to nutrition, did the diet and lost seven inches around her middle-aged waist that I had enough belief to do my own research.
I thought this was a new diet, but it's been around since the fifties. The creator of the diet was a British physician, A.T.W. Simeons, who treated countless thousands of (mostly wealthy) fat folks in his clinic in the Salvator Mundi International Hospital in Rome using this method. He wrote a book, "Pounds and Inches", which explains the rationale behind the diet, as well as how to administer the diet itself.
It's fascinating reading - at least it was for me - and makes an amazing amount of sense. Rather than try to explain it here, I'll just point you in the direction of the original manuscript and the very bright Dr. Simeons. Bottom line - obesity is a symptom, and this diet is purported to be the cure. My anecdotal evidence says there is some truth here - I've seen over a dozen friends attempt this diet over the past year with stunning results. They range in age from early twenties to mid-fifties, and include men and women, PX90 freaks and couch potatoes.

Photo by James Farmer

As is true with anything that is not a part of "conventional wisdom" and many things that are, there is a lot of controversy, opinion, and misinformation all over the internet regarding the diet. My belief is that if you want unconventional results, you have to do unconventional things, in the realm of health or anywhere else in life.
So I'm going to try it, and I'll be blogging about how it's working, how I feel and anything else that seems relevant. The planned start date is January 1st, enough time to run through a 23 day cycle (the minimum time to change your biochemistry according to Dr. Simeons) before our TEAM Major Convention at the end of January.  It's a rigorous protocol that requires very specific foods. along with a daily dose of hCG. I think I've got about 25-30 lbs to lose, although the diet is self-limiting; that is, you lose till you don't have anymore extra fat to lose and then you don't. If it works the way it's supposed to I should be able to get it all off within two 23 day regemines. More to come soon on the hGC adventure.