hCG Weight Loss Program – Days 17-20 Medications and Plateaus
If I where only doing a 23 day round, this would be it! But I knew I was going to be doing more because I want to lose 29 lbs. Similarly to last week, this week was very bumpy, and to throw a wrench into my diet plan, I needed to go on antibiotics! As indicated in the original manuscript, you should not be on medications. However, the fact is that could be very dangerous to your health, and I would never listen to Dr. Simeons advice in this circumstance. I think you should never discontinue a medication unless your physician says it’s safe to do so. Why no medications? Well, as I’ve found out, most contain cornstarch, and many have sugar or another sweetener. Cornstarch is just that, starch, and strictly forbidden on the program. What will happen if you eat cornstarch on the 500 calorie a day phase? I’ll tell you, you’ll plateau and even gain weight! I thought this would be a good time to discuss plateaus and how you can beat them.
First, let’s get my weight loss numbers out of the way:
Day 17 – down 0.4 lbs (hmmm, I’m starting to get concerned right about now)
Day 18 – down 0.8 lbs (still concerned, first day I start taking the antibiotics)
Day 19 – down 1.0 lbs
Day 20 – UP 0.4 lbs (very concerned, and doing a lot of research on plateaus)
Over all my total weight loss from the beginning was 16.4lbs (starting weight 204, weight on day 20 is 187.6), giving me an average weight loss of 0.82 lbs/day. The fact is most people on the program will encounter plateaus, where they may be losing regularly, then not lose anything for a day or two (or even gain). A plateau lasts 4-6 days and frequently occurs during the second half of a full course, particularly in patients that have been doing well and whose overall average of nearly a pound per effective injection has been maintained. Those who are losing more than the average all have a plateau sooner or later. A plateau always corrects, itself, but many patients who have become accustomed to a regular daily loss get unnecessarily worried. Always give it a couple of days before getting alarmed, sometimes your body will hold onto extra water for a day or two.
If it persists for more than a couple of days, you should:
• Check your food journal very carefully! Did you have a spice that was not allowed? Was your portion size right? Did you drink enough water? Did you have a different protein for lunch and dinner?
• Review your cosmetics, do there meet the strict requirements? Did you accidently use a moisturizer?
• How many times did you have red meat?
• Did you mix vegetables?
• Did you eat out? Many restaurant foods contain high amounts of sodium, and you may be holding extra water?
• Menstruation cycle? (consult your doctor)
• Did you have any chewing gum, mints, vitamins, supplements, throat lozenges?
• Are you near the end of the round? It is normal for weight loss to plateau at this point.
If you have experienced a plateau (no weigh loss for 4-6 days) and you’ve ensured that you are following the entire protocol, you may do what Dr. Simeons calls an “Apple Day.”
An apple-day begins at lunch and continues until just before lunch of the following day. You can eat six large apples whenever you feel the hungry. During an apple-day no other food or liquids except plain water are allowed and of water they may only drink just enough to quench an uncomfortable thirst if eating an apple still leaves them thirsty. The apple-day will produce a gratifying loss of weight on the following day, chiefly due to the elimination of water.
As part of my strategy to combat the new cornstarch that is entering my body, I carefully look at my diet and eliminate anything that is not clearly on the original approved list. This includes Apple Cider Vinegar, and I decide to give red meat a rest. I also replace my 2 apples I have for snack with an oranges and strawberries (both much lower calories than apples). I also decide to add a 20 minute walk to my daily activities (which have been up until now, nothing!). The next few days will hopefully produce some weight loss. If not, it’s an apple day for me! Has anyone done an apple day? Did you lose 2lbs? We’re you hungry at all?
In my next entry, I’ll give you my latest numbers and some hCG diet tips.
You can read more details about our hCG weight loss research on the IAPAM’s website, as well, physicians wanting to learn details of the how to incorporate hCG into their practice can also attend one of the IAPAM’s Medical Weight Management training programs. Please also Fan our hCG for Weight Loss Facebook Page!
I hope you’ll enjoy reading about my experience with the IAPAM hCG weight loss Protocol! And please feel free to leave a comment or question.
Cheers, Jeff Russell
Read the Previous Post: hCG Weight Loss Program – Days 11-16 and Weight Loss Expectations
Jeff,
I am down 19 lbs through 19 days, I had a quick start but hit a plateau and had to have an apple day last weekend and lost 2.5 lbs but I was never so glad to see lunchtime after only apples for 24 hours. I like apples but not six in 24 hours, the last one was hard to choke down.
I am pleased with my results so far. It is not a tough diet to follow and I am so shocked that I have only been hungry where my stomach was rumbling one evening on my way home from work. I did get a B12 shot last week from my physician which is part of his protocol as well as the daily vitamins that he furnishes.
My first round I hit a 7 day plateau but decided to ride it out instead of doing an apple day, since the apple day is supposed just for a psychologic bump. The plateaus are supposed to correct themselves. Interestingly, as Simeon described in the protocol, that plateau was at a weight that I had maintained for several years.
The last round I did an apple day to see what it was all about. I was not hungry at all but I did find that I felt dehydrated. I also had a headache by early evening and that continued the next morning until I was able to eat protocol food again.
I only lost 0.8# after the apple day but at least I lost. Again, my results on average seem to be less than many so the 0.8# loss was more than my daily average per round of 0.5#
Jeff – It’s been fun and helpful to follow along with you. You’re about 5 days ahead of me so your blog has been a preview for me. I’m at 15 days today and down 18 lbs. Down a total of 27 since the start of the year. I started at 255 as a holiday high (yikes!) and want to get down to 205 or so, and then do the rest with continued good eating and exercise. My ultimate goal is 185.
Here at day 15 I think I’m starting to see some shallowing of the aggressive loss.
Week 1 – Avg 1.8 lbs/day
Week 2 – Avg 1.2 lbs/day
And in the last 4 days I’m more like 1 to 0.6 lbs/day. There are 2 things that may be causing this shallowing:
– I travel for work a lot and while I’ve been very good, I may have gotten some unintended oils from a restaurant with my grilled chicken breast and dry salad (despite my no oils request).
– I also ate more than 100 grams of chicken 2 days in a row
– And I ate chicken for 3 meals in a row (best option available)
– I got a new scale 5 days ago that is laser accurate so I may just be getting a more crisp picture
– Bowl movements have slowed so I may be retaining more there
– I’m not exercising as much as I should — need to do that
At any rate, the trend is still overall down and I’m thrilled with the results. I’ve backed into an old wardrobe and can’t wear some of my “fat pants” anymore. More to go. I was doing the 23 day (didn’t think I could handle the 40 day) but now I’ve extended to 40 so I’m skipping one day of HCG per week. Today is the first day of that.
Congrats to you and everyone working hard at this regiment. I’ve been really happy with it.
Great comments Tommy, Stacy & Dave. I recently read that if men are fatigued they should eat more protein, not sure if there is any truth to that? I also found that changing up the fruits is necessary, so I try and rotate daily between apples, oranges, strawberries, and a half grapefruit (for 2 weeks I was only eating apples and oranges).
Hi Jeff,
Yeah … apple days do work. I’ve done it twice and I guess I’ve had six apples during the period for lunch to lunch the next day. I have took any water or anything else. Just the apples. I’ve been able to loose 2 pounds completely … each time.
I think I am doing well on HCG, from 160 to 148.5 after 17 days, and this does not even include the 3.5 lbs I gained during the loading phase. However, I am really worried because I have an event in a few days at a resort which includes a five course gourmet meal. I had forgotten the event when I started HCG, and let’s face it, I will cheat. How can I compensate?
The original protocol by Dr. Simeons says in reference to amphetamines that “The only time we find them useful is when a patient is, for impelling and unforeseen reasons, obliged to forego the injections for three to four days and yet wishes to continue the diet so that he need not interrupt the course.”
When should I start or stop taking them? What should I expect?