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Welcome! There are women losing weight on the hCG diet protocol literally every single day and I keep running into lots of these amazing ladies who are reaching their goals. The special stuff we got goin’ on in Leann’s before and after hCG story today is a P2 chili recipe – because everyone NEEDS chili in their life, and her story of losing 130 lbs so far with the protocol using hCG injections (my current online recommendations for this if you are going that route are here).

Leeann’s Basic Stats:

Height: 5’6”
Age: 49 years young
Starting size is 26/28
Current size is 16/18
She has been overweight since she was 9 years old.

Phase 2 Recipes from Leeann

P2 Chili
3.5 oz. lean ground beef
1 cup canned fire roasted tomatoes (not original protocol but never an issue for me)
2 T onion
2 cloves minced garlic
pinch of each of the following: garlic powder, onion powder and oregano
1/4 teaspoon of chili powder
dash of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
shake in some crushed red pepper 🙂
brown ground beef, add onions and garlic, stir in tomatoes, add spices and simmer.

Chocolate Delight
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup each carob powder & cocoa powder
i squeeze in some chocolate flavored stevia (or peppermint or English toffee, etc)
pour into container and freeze

Leeann’s hCG Injection Weight Loss Story in Her Words:

Basics:  (age, height, menopause? any medical details you feel are important- ie thyroid etc).

49 years young! 5’6″.  According to recent blood work, I am in perimenopause stage…so pretty darn close 🙂

How much weight you’ve lost with hCG/starting weight/ending weight/ clothing size change.  How many rounds did you do, how long was each round? stuff like that.

Officially, 130 lbs.  Unofficially, I’ve lost as much as 150lbs.  I have been bouncing around these 20 lbs for a couple months now.  I was wearing size 26/28 clothes (the biggest my usual store would carry).  I am now able to wear size L shirts off the “regular” rack and my pants are a size 16/18. I have done 6 rounds – 5 long and 1 short.

How long have you currently been maintaining (or where are you currently at in your hCG journey)?  

My last two rounds were the most difficult – wasn’t really into it mentally.  Have been doing hcg consistently since May 2015.  I don’t want to keep using hcg and have mediocre rounds.  As of right now, I plan on taking a break and trying to maintain my 130 lbs lost until end of December.  I will be incorporating walking and small daily challenges like push ups and planks.  I’d like to do another round at end of December.  If I can maintain and have a successful round, I should hit my goal. 🙂

Tell us how you came to be overweight and your struggles with that?  

I’m a child of divorce / alcoholism / dysfunction ….all that stuff.  Food was my comfort and still is.   As an adult, I still have emotions of guilt and anger so those childhood emotions carried over into adulthood. (Remind me to tell you about a moment I totally forgot about as a 9 year old that I remembered just last year – a eye opening memory!)  I have been overweight ever since the weight started coming on at 9 years old.  I’ve lost 50 and 80 lbs in the past but it all came back plus more.

What type of hCG did you use? If injections or prescription drops, what dose worked best for you?

Injections prescribed by doctor.  150-175 iu

What would you say your experience was the first week on phase 2? Easy or hard? explain. Could also discuss how you loaded if you like. What parts of the protocol were easier for you and which parts were more challenging? How did you handle the challenging aspects?  

I remember laying on the couch the first day….felt really really tired…other than that, I had no major issues.  I was excited.  I felt I had been “loading” for months prior to starting so I don’t recall loading any particular way.  Since that first round, though, I’ve learned to load differently.  Now I will make sure to eat things I normally don’t get like ice cream and we always do a Chinese buffet on a loading day.  I like the strictness of phase 2.  Some people get bored but I do well without having to make too many decisions.  The challenging parts were probably not being able to be as social as usual.  No drinking / eating what I wanted.  I am pretty stubborn so if we did have somewhere to go, I would eat ahead of time or bring something with me and I would just politely decline the rest.  I have also adjusted rounds to accommodate an event (wedding or vacation).

What did you find yourself liking to eat during Phase 2/vlcd – how would you prepare your meals?  

To this day, I LOVE p2 chili.  I make a pot EVERY weekend and divide it up into 5 portions.  I have an easy lunch to grab on my way out the door because I’ve planned ahead.  I would grill / bake chicken breasts for the week, too.  I’d have raw veggies cut up to add to it.  In the winter, I’d make soups and freeze.  Makes it so much easier to stay POP.

What tricks do you have up your sleeve to stay sane while on Phase 2?  

Drink flavored water and teas (esp in the winter time).  Detox baths (again, esp in the winter).  I try to focus on the end result – feeling good /healthier, etc.  Lots of positive affirmations 🙂

What Lessons have you learned during Phase 3 – give us the good and the bad! What types of things did you discover when it came to maintenance that did and didn’t work  

Add food sloooowly and one new food at a time.  It definitely works.  Ezekiel bread is a life-saver! Their tortillas make great pizza crust, too.   Nuts are addictive and have gotten me in trouble more than once.  I cannot just eat 10 almonds….it’s impossible!  Planning is still important in this phase.

In Phase 4: Can you tell us what types of foods you eat now in every day life? And how is this different from what you used to eat on a normal basis?  

I haven’t done p4 yet.

What have been your tools for maintaining your weight loss?  

Weighing daily keeps me accountable….even if I’m “bad” and expect a gain, I need to own up to it and correct it.  I am not comfortable in maintaining yet….still have a ways to go but I definitely notice if I’m struggling, I am able to recover quicker (i.e. I may have a non pop food or even a non pop day…in the old days, I’d throw in the towel and gain everything back…now, I can regroup and get back on track.  That’s HUGE!)

Do you have any memories of your life/body pre hCG that are totally different for you now?  

Just recently, I flew on a plane….It had been over 10 years since I’ve flown and back then I remember being stuffed in the seat and needed a seat belt extender.  This time, I had room and didn’t need the extender.  I worried about it up until I actually sat on the plane.  Even though I’ve lost over 100 lbs., the mind still sees me at my old weight.  That will take time.  I still wonder how the heck I functioned with all that extra weight because according to the charts, I am still in the obese category.

When you want a treat now, give us a couple examples of what you might eat? Also, are you ever able to indulge in a regular treat, like cake at a party, and still maintain?  

I still enjoy chocolate delight and have perfected it 🙂  Frozen fruit smoothie is always good.  I have indulged in cake and ice cream (small amounts!) and have been able to recover very quickly.

What factors have you noticed to play a role in people NOT succeeding on hCG?

Eating non-protocol foods or having one cheat meal a week…it just doesn’t work.  Also, not doing p3 correctly can bring the weight on very fast and then they do round after round losing the same weight over and over.

What do you feel are the most important keys to success on the hcg protocol? If someone said they want to have the same results you have, what would you tell them?    

Planning meals is KEY!!!  Life happens and there are distractions…if the food is there and ready, there are no excuses to grab an unhealthy meal.  I tell them it’s strict but it works.  The hardest part for me is it’s such a mental game.  The first four rounds for me were perfect (I can say that with 100% honesty) – my mind was in the right place.  Since then, I have struggled but I know hcg has been a life saver for me 🙂

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