It’s been almost a year since I shared my HCG Diet experience. My journey began on June 12, 2015. If this is your first time here, please take a moment to read HCG Diet Part 1.

Again, I am not a doctor and in no way recommending you try this extreme weight loss plan. I am simply sharing my HCG Diet review. If you are considering HCG, please talk to your regular physician and seek referrals from qualified medical resources. 

My goal was simple  – to lose at least 10 – 15 pounds post baby weight. I purchased from IVMe Chicago which sells high quality bio compound HCG Diet for $600. This included the needles, alcohol wipes and weekly in office B12 shots. It’s extremely important to purchase from a reputable source so PLEASE do your research.

Ideally if you can obtain a referral even better.  The Raby Institute where I am being treated also offers the HCG Diet, however it is $1,000. This includes much more involvement from the doctors, which I later learned can be key to your weight loss success.

What I’m sure you are dying to know – did I lose weight? The answer is yes but not as much as I’d anticipated.

One of the reasons I’m sharing my HCG experience is because I learned a lot in terms of clean eating and how to make the HCG diet really work. I truly believe if I had the information learned prior to starting, my weight loss would have been higher.

But I’m starving on the HCG Diet!!

The biggest issue with the HCG Diet is the 500 calorie diet and what foods are acceptable. It’s pretty depressing and takes awhile to get used to. We’re talking celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and LOTS of water {i.e.: 1/2 you body weight in ounces}.

HCG is supposed to trick your body to thinking it has the nutrients it needs, burn stored fat without burning muscle and curb your appetite. That unfortunately was not the case for me.

Yes I was starving!! Starving to the point where I could have eaten my arm if it was eatable at times. During the day I was fine but just before dinner I thought I would lose my mind. I cheated ALOT.

Cheating on the HCG means you will NOT lose weight and can actually gain because your body is confused. It can’t burn the fat you have stored because you are ingesting too many calories.

If this is happening to you – stop right now and go read this post on – HCG Diet Dosage: Troubleshooting Hunger on the hCG Diet – from the HCG Chica. Her website changed everything for me.

Unfortunately I did not find HCG Chica until day 18. That was when I began testing the dosage to see how I felt.

• Day 18 – 125 units – wasn’t as hungry but still had cravings
• Day 19 – 150 units – wasn’t starving but weak – I had a 1/4 of a doughnut!!
• Day 20 – 145 units – much better, didn’t wake up hungry and didn’t cheat
• Day 21 – Skipped a day from HCG – wasn’t hungry and stuck to the diet
• Day 22 – 130 units wasn’t hungry stuck to the diet all day and didn’t really think about food that much.

Bingo!! 130 units is where I needed to be. The sad part is the diet was only 23 days. After speaking to my doctor at IV Me Chicago and explaining what I had discovered, he suggested extending the diet for another 5 days. That just happened to be leading up to traveling to Florida for a few weeks.

Does the HCG Diet Work?

While my goal was to lose 20 pounds, I only lost 7 pounds. It was a small push in the right direction but would this be temporary or last long term.

Fast forward to almost a year later and I’ve gained back the 7 pounds thanks to a few days of indulging over Christmas and recently spring break.

If you want my honest opinion, I think the HCG diet works temporarily for people who have a small amount of weight to lose (under 20 pounds). Every person I know personally who has completed the HCG Diet with the similar pounds to lose has gained it back.

It’s just not realistic to think this type of calorie restriction can provide long term results.

However I do think it could work much better for someone who has much more weight to lose especially someone close to 100 pounds. For candidates like me who are already eating a very clean diet and exercise regularly – it goes beyond just having a wacky metabolism. It is most likely hormone imbalance.

Side Effects of the HCG Diet

The biggest side effect that I noticed other than not meeting my weight loss goal is it caused havoc on my hair. My hair got even thinner and weaker once the injections stopped, which is similar to what happens after pregnancy. This is the main reason why I would not do try the HCG Diet again.

In conclusion if you are looking for a quick fix and really think the HCG Diet could work you, please consult a physician and check out the HCG Chica before getting started.

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