Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

 
See all the hCG interview episodes
These are in-depth conversations one-on-one with hCG ladies where you get to hear their whole weight loss story and the tips that helped them succeed.
 
Read short written hCG testimonials
These are short testimonials of ladies who’ve written in their hCG diet results to me for quick motivation.

Amy’s Basic Stats:

• Height: 5’8″
• Age: 33
• Starting Weight: 306 lbs
• Ending Weight : 202 lbs
• Total Weight Loss with hCG: 104 lbs!
• Inch Loss: 88.75 inches (Including over a FOOT from both her hips and her waist each).
• No medical issues

Amy’s hCG Weight Loss Story in Her Words:

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

I am 33 years old and 5’8”.
No medical issues to my knowledge.

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.

I started round 1 on January 2^nd, 2016 at 306.  I finished round three August 17^th, 2016 at 202.  I fluctuate between 198 and 206 at this point.  My rounds were all about 8 weeks long.

I lost a total of 89.75 inches overall.

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

I ended my last round August 17^th.

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

I have been overweight as long as I can remember.  It was something my whole family struggled with.  I can remember as early as junior high doing diets with my family. We did the cabbage soup diet, Atkins, Slim Fast and so many more.  I would see losses for the first week or so and then it would completely stop and I would go right back up.  We were all definitely in the yo-yo pattern.  By the time high school hit, I was already over 200 pounds and in a 16 pants and XL shirt.  Add pregnancies into that mix as an adult.  I would lose weight in the beginning of a pregnancy and then be back to where I started by delivery.  Then within a few weeks of having the baby I would be even higher.

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?

The first week is always a mix for me.  The protocol is easy and it feels good to know exactly what I can and can’t eat.  That structure feels great.  However, I always have detox headaches for about the first week.  The first round I loaded dirty.  Second and third, I loaded mostly clean with a few special treats in there.

Protocol itself is easy for me.  (Though I have some rouge foods that I include.)  The hard part is dealing with the emotional eating, especially when my husband left for deployment in my second round.  I wanted to drown myself in food. P3 is always a rocky phase as well as I figure out when my body is ready for certain things.

Finding other things to focus on is key to dealing with emotional eating.  Something to keep your hands and mind busy.

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

I included some rogue foods that made my life so much easier.  I spent the time testing how my body responded to them and don’t recommend them for everyone.  My go to meals were ground turkey meat loaf with a veggie, ham (low fat from Costco is the only one I will use) with a low cal laughing cow cheese spread on it and a pickle all rolled up with some tomatoes, and deviled eggs or “pancakes” made of egg and psyllium husks.

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

K.I.S.S. – Keep it simple silly!  I didn’t do big elaborate meals.  I had meat and veggie.  That’s it.  I would portion out my proteins and freeze them in single servings.  There was always one of each protein in the fridge thawed so no matter what I wanted, it was ready.  I also spent my first weekend making my own sauces for the round like marinara, mustard sauce, things like that so they were ready for me.

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?

Take it slow!  I found for me, my body doesn’t respond well to rice, potatoes, or wheat.  So even now, I try to keep those to a minimum.  Adding things back too fast can get confusing trying to figure out what caused a gain and can also trigger over eating because you’re so excited to try new things.

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

My diet now is mostly LCHF.  Lots of veggies, some low glycemic index fruits, and protein.  I do splurge and eat some “normal” foods and usually follow those days with very strict eating if I see a gain.

What have been your tools for maintaining your weight loss?

LCHF (Low-Carb, High-Fat – likely similar to Ketogenic diet), and intermittent fasting.  I would love to say exercise, but I tore my MCL during my last round and am still in a full leg brace.

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

Before, playing with my kids or even going up the stairs more than once would get me out of breath.  Now even with my physical restriction from my knee, I can keep up with them.  I also was afraid to try on clothes.  I hated having to buy new things.  I’ve actually enjoyed shopping and being able to buy something off the rack and know it will fit.

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 make smoothies from cottage cheese and fruit sweetened with stevia.  I also love dark chocolate covered cashews.  I have had cake and other things and been able to maintain.  I keep it to a small piece, drink lots of water, and enjoy it.  My life now is about balance.

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

Not being prepared to deal with the emotional issues.  Not following the protocol/too many “cheat days”.  Cheat days lead to frustration and quitting.  It is so hard mentally to come back from that and then the cycle repeats until you give up.

Related posts: