HCG Controversy: 500 vs 800?

To recap what is going on for those that are new to reading this, this is from my introductory post: “About 2 months ago, I had the great fortune of meeting Sonia E Russell through Facebook (there’s a whole story to this that I will have to tell another day). She is an LPN out of Florida that has worked in a clinical weight loss setting for over 3 years.  She, herself did the 500 calorie protocol with great results, but knew there was something amiss. She and her team of doctors went to work to improve and maximize Dr. Simeon’s Original Protocol for safer and healthier results. In their work, they developed “The Best Diet You Have Never Heard Of.”  This is the 800 calorie medical version that is now being implemented in more and more clinical settings by doctors. All of her work had been based around the Rx hCG injections, but she was getting more and more inquiries about Homeopathic HCG (HHCG). She was also seeing the same results with HHCG dieters as she was her Rx hCG patients. It was this that caught her eye, and lead her to write her own version of “The Best Diet You Have Never Heard Of” called, “HCG Diet 800 Calorie Protocol,” geared towards HHCGers. She realized that many HHCGers had no medical supervision and wanted to reach out to them to provide as much help in a safe and effective way.

Everyone knows that the biggest scrutiny with the Dr. Simeon’s original, is the 500 calories.  Anyone can lose weight eating just 500 calories, right? There is so much more to it than just that, but I won’t get into this controversy, because I have already written extensively on my site, but you are welcome to read my archives. The HCG diet has been very controversial over the last 50+ years, yet it keeps coming back, and it keeps providing results when done correctly.  This is something that can’t be ignored, yet the medical community will not consider a 500 calorie diet, but 800 calories… this is where the controversy within controversy comes in.

A lot of HCGers have the mentality, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,”  but what if something isn’t broken, but there is a way to make it better? Times have changed! Look at all of our advancements with technology… what version is the iphone up to now? The ipad? Look at how much our research abilities have changed. It is changing exponentially….”

This is WHY I had to try the 800 calorie protocol for myself and write about my experience to share with you.  I had to find out for myself and show everyone else out there that this WORKS, delivering the same level of success!

Well my friends, OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW!!! After 23 days of the 800 calorie protocol, I am SOLD!  I located my book of measurements from my last round in January (I wanted to wait until the end to look, so I had no pressure or influence from my last round) and started comparing them side by side. I have to admit I was a little nervous that it wouldn’t work, but my jaw kept dropping as I found my measurements blew my old measurements out of the water! Keep in mind, I really didn’t have a lot to lose and intentionally increased my weight to match the start of my last round so I could compare my results pound for pound, inch for inch, and fat% to fat%.  The numbers do not lie, and I have charted them all for you to see for yourselves.

Before and after results of Sonia E Russell LPN 800 Calorie in July 2011:

*Before Load/After Load

I am a number nerd and have kept all of my data from all of my rounds. Here is everything just from my January 500 VLCD round and July 800 VLCD round. You can even go back through my archives and find where I wrote about and posted my previous rounds

Before and after Dr. Simeon’s 500 calorie in January 2011

*Before Load/After Load *Waist, Hip, Ab, Thigh

Side by Side comparison of my results with Sonia E Russell’s 800 Calorie Protocol VS. Dr. Simeon’s 500 Calorie Protocol

In conclusion, by eating 800 calories instead of 500,  including breakfast(I used Shakeology), triple the protein, an extra fruit, and supplementing, I was able to lose 5.75″ more inches, and 2.6 more pounds (pre-load), 1.6 more than after loading. But what is more important than the scale its self is the QUALITY of those pounds. I was able to lose 2.1% MORE BODY FAT than I did with the 500. That in it’s self is HUGE! The best part about this all… I felt great! Like I mentioned before, there was really only one day that I felt hungry – day 4 – and that was to be expected. My very first round, I remember starving for almost 2 weeks, and would just sit and stare at the clock, willing it to go faster! Other than the one day, no problems!  No headaches at all this time either!!! And guess who came and visited me with in the first 3 days… TOM (aka-menstrual cycle or Time Of Month)! Just like all of my previous rounds.  For those that haven’t read about my past experiences, I have an IUD and don’t have a period. The only time I EVER have a period is within the first 3-4 days of starting on HHCG. I have even attempted a round without HCG and nothing happened.

Some other observations that I have made in myself that are different than with the 500.My skin and hair have been fabulous! All of my previous rounds, my hands and knuckles would get soooo dry due to not being able to use lotion. I would also get ashy on my legs. I’ve gone through a whole bottle of Aveeno lotion in a round before. This round, the only time I put it on was after I showered or washed my hands. Even my heels are great! They have always been prone to cracking and peeling during the summer when I wear sandals all the time.  My hair normally grows super slow and I can go 6-8 weeks without a cut or color, but I already have bad root growth after 5 weeks… this is actually kind of a pain!  I attribute these differences to supplements.  Energy wise, I feel great! I was even able to workout at a light to moderate rate.  If you want to see a more consistent loss on the scale, don’t lift heavy. Muscle tissues damage will cause you to swell/retain fluids.  Weights are perfect for once you are finished.  Light to moderate cardio is a go, just don’t go crazy, and listen to your body. If you are stalling, hungry, tired, or weak, cut back.  My biggest down fall is sleep. I stay up late answering emails and writing while my kids are asleep, but then I have to turn around and get up early for training clients. Even with my lack of sleep, I have managed very well compared to past rounds. I really lagged on the 500, and would have days where I didn’t want to do anything but sit… not this time. 

From here on out, I will still support and help people with the original 500 protocol, but will be HIGHLY recommending Sonia E Russell’s 800 Calorie Protocol. For those that still aren’t open to the 800, I ask one thing – start including breakfast. As I mentioned early, since the 1950′s, studies have proven how important breakfast is.  To clarify, as a personal trainer, I will always promote a healthy diet and exercise before turning to HCG.  It’s just nice to know that people now have a healthier option than 500 calories if something were to prevent them from working out, or they just won’t.  I’d rather have someone lose the weight through HCG then doing nothing at all and sit as a ticking time bomb, waiting for their hearts to explode due to obesity related diseases! As I have stated all along, HCG is not for everyone, and you need to do your research and talk to your doctor before starting.  Again, I feel 100% better about having a safer, healthier protocol.

(The lightest I EVER remember weighing was 170, when I was 13!)

As for myself… I am still on HCG and as of this morning (7/21/2011 – day 26), I weighed in at 148.7!  Broke the 150 mark! 151.5 was the lowest I have ever been before(in March, before Rachael Ray). My last question behind this experiment was to find if it is possible to get those “last 5-10lbs” off.  That is where I am at.  Since I am still losing, and not having issues with hunger, I am going to take this day by day and see how low I can go.  As soon as I start getting hungry or stop losing, I will stop. Either way, I don’t plan on going more than a week longer.  I’m too excited to move into phase 3, because that is where even bigger things are now happening… speaking of, this finally leads me up to my BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

Meet Monica Adams:

Monica Adams has been a certified personal fitness trainer for over 14 years. She is the FOX 2 Fitness Expert and TV morning traffic reporter at FOX 2 KTVI in St. Louis, MO. She also hosts the Health and Fitness Radio Show on KMOX AM Radio/CBS Radio. Monica was named #2 as St Louis’ Top 3 Fitness Trainers and was featured in St. Louis Magazine in the spring of 2010 as the one trainer to trust for information on fitness, exercise and overall wellness. Monica started round 1 in Feb 2011 and lost 14 pounds in 17 days (after she hit her goal weight, she increased her calories until the 23 day mark). She used doctor prescribed RX hCG injections following the 800 calorie protocol. She was surprised to have gone from a size 6, which she has been pretty much all of her life, to a size 3/4.

Many of her clients, co-workers, viewers and people she teaches in her fitness classes have asked which is better; prescription Rx hCG injections or homeopathic hHCG drops. Monica could not realistically answer that question without experiencing it firsthand. She has started round 2 with the hhCG drops following the 800 calorie protocol. To date she has lost 11 pounds in 13 days and will be able to answer that question more accurately within the next month or so.

Now that both Monica and I have experienced both ends of the spectrum; From Rx injections to Homeopathic HCG, and 500 calories to 800 calories, we have the education, experience, and backgrounds to help teach people to take the right approach into the HCG+Diet, and to change their lifestyles and habits to keep the weight off for good. We have teamed up and are in the process of writing a book to give to you the necessary tools so you will maintain your hard earned weight loss results. We will arm you with the knowledge on how to take control of your own personal health and wellness. You will learn about our personal journeys and many others dieters that have utilized our concepts and shared their life changing experiences. Our key concepts emphasize a realistic approach to exercise, portion control and maintaining healthy eating habits. You will learn how to identify foods with ingredients that are unhealthy, tap into the emotional aspects of weight loss and identify the triggers that can cause destructive behavior leading to weight gain.

Click book cover to purchase 800 protocol

Happy Losing!

Candice Ekberg

NSCA-CPT, EMT-I

B. S. Exercise and Sport Science

Beachbodycandice@hotmail.com

***On a side note, HCG can be a dirty word in the health/fitness industry. If you are at all a fitness trainer/health professional and have people wanting to do the HCG diet, asses their needs and see if there are other venues they can do first, but don’t shun them or look past it. Be open minded to it. Ultimately it is still their choice, and if they choose to do it, learn with them and help them through it. So many people have secret profiles, hidden pictures, or don’t tell anyone because they don’t want to face the criticism.  It is theses people that are on their own that end up suffering the most. They are lacking the help and support that is necessary for this diet.  That is why I have done everything I have.  As long as HCG is out there, people are going to do it.  This is why I wanted to understand it as much as possible, and help people do it right before and after, so that they can transition their lifestyles into a healthier one. Obesity is killing us, and this can be another option to put a stop to it. This 800 calorie protocol is much safer and healthier than the original 500, so please at least have your client consider this method. Thank you!

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