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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.

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She was heavy her entire life, even as a child, but today Carma has been maintaining an eighty pound weight loss with the hCG diet.  Her highest weight was 247 lbs.  She stared her journey at just over 50 years of age at 235 lbs in a tight size 18/20.  She’s 5’7.  She’s now a very comfortable size 12 and says she can even occasionally wear a size 10 in certain brands.

To check out other episodes see the hCG Diet Reviews here on the blog.

I’m going to give you my take away from our interview.

Carma is a real, flesh and blood woman dealing with the realities of menopause and she is managing to find ways to correct and maintain the majority of her total 90 lbs of weight loss with hCG.  She experienced setbacks like many of us- a failed round, tragic things happening in life that would affect any one of us in the same way, awkward situations where she had no control over the food she was served, and yet in the end, she has risen above it and is actually LIVING this healthier way of eating that will allow her to keep things in check for the long haul.

Challenges to Maintaining Weight Loss:

• Life (ain’t that the truth!)
• Convenience – it tends to be easier to continue making and eating the foods that were you’re previous staples.

True Quotes!

I love what Carma said early in our interview:

At the end of the day, it has to taste good.

In keeping with that, she has gone to great lengths to discover the best recipes, the best resources, the best tools to prepare food in a newer healthier way that doesn’t feel like a down-grade to the taste buds.  And thankfully she’s been willing to share those resources with us today! (check those out farther below)

Another keeper she mentioned was:

You can lose the body, but there’s still a lot of head issues to deal with.

Which is where the book Weight Loss Apocalypse comes in which really helps you get into the WHY’s of what led to an unhealthy relationship with food.

Speaking of the awesome Spiralizer for making veggie noodles:

Sometimes your brain needs to see that “that is a noodle”

Stuff we talk about in our interview:

• What can happen when you’re in a tight spot
• How addictive sugar is
• How she views the scale
• Filling cravings in a healthier way but still FILLING them
• How weight loss on different rounds varies
• How foods affect our hormones
• Food intolerances – how they affect weight
• Post-hCG lab work
• Tools and methods she uses to make food yummy
• How this is a protocol, not a diet
• What’s simple in your 30’s is not so simple in your 50’s and beyond
• Dandelion tea for water retention

Links Referenced:

5 Ways to Lose Weight Without hCG

Resources Carma Uses for Great Tasting P3 Style Food

Tools she uses (from carma herself):

The internet for recipes and the latest info. I stay informed as I love to learn and try new recipes. I do learn from many different sites. There are SO MANY excellent sites now. I always read the reviews of the recipe for any suggested tweaks as the ingredients are costly and I only want to try things have been made not comments “that it looks good”.

A FAV cookbook:

• Against All Grain: Delectable Paleo Recipes to Eat Well & Feel Great

Sites with Great Recipes

• SlimPalate.com, especially the lemon chia muffins andbanana bread
• Lowcarbdiets.about.com– yummy recipes too many to mention. just lots of great low carb recipes, info and learning
• FastPaleo.com– Primal Pizza– omgosh the best pizza crust just delicious- I made Ranch Bacon like Papa Murphy’s Delish! Baked my crust then I topped with Ranch dressing for the sauce, cooked chopped chicken breast, green onion, Romano Pecorino from Costco and some mozzarella cheese, chopped tomatoes. Baked again for 10 minutes in a hot oven.
• TheHealthFoodie.com’s delicious BBQ sauce recipe
• PurelyPrimal.com– Chicken Fried Steak– excellent
• MariaMindBodyHealth.com– i love her cookbooks and have purchased her book and cookbook

I go to cooking classes at my local Natural Grocers to learn how to better prepare the foods I eat or learn about cooking new things. I’ve learned that many vegetables are delicious roasted. ie: brussel sprouts, cauliflower, radishes (my alternative to potatoes) broccoli. 1-2# uniformly cut veg of choice placed in a bag with 4-5 TB olive oil or coconut oil, squish around to coat. Please on large cookie sheet but don’t crowd. Bake at 425* for about 25 minutes but watch at about 20 minutes. Oh so delicious.

Tools for Cooking Healthy With

• Paderno “pasta” maker-to use as an alternative for pasta. Use with zuchinni, carrots, makes “noodles”, slices thinly for chips (using radishes) just try any “firm” veg. Great when making a lot of it.
• Another quick “noodle” maker is the GEFU Spirelli Spiral Slicer. Good for single servings
• VitaMix is great for “grating”/shredding carrots, zucchini, making flax meal/flour (healthiest and most economical way). It makes excellent blended creamed soups, its great for “grating” hard cheeses and softer cheeses if very firm. A great tool for the kitchen. Of course, smoothies, sorbets. I am still trying to get that perfect ice cream. Have not perfected that yet.
• Cuisinart Grill/Griddle Combo– grilling veg ie: asparagus (also delicious to precook before making soup), pre baking bacon strips,

Carma’s hCG Journey Timeframe

• Round 1: April 2010
• Started at 235lbs 40 days on vlcd
• Lost 28lbs
• 3 week break on P3

• Round 2: June 2010
• Started at: 207lbs
• Lost 20lbs

• Attempted to start Round 3: October 2010
• Mom died of pancreatic cancer. Just couldn’t do it.

• Round 4: January 2011
• Started at: 190lbs – did 40 days vlcd
• Gained 4lbs loading
• Lost loading weight by day 4.
• Lost 14lbs total.

• Round 5: August 2011
• Started at: 180lbs, did 21 days vlcd
• Gained 2lbs loading
• Lost 3.5lbs by day 4
• Total 12.5lbs lost.
• Reached original weight loss goal! 175lbs

Then I thought can I really lose more? and be in “normal” weight range for 5’7?

• Round 6: June 2012
• Started at: 174.5l bs, did 21 vlcd days
• Gained 3.5 lbs loading.
• Lost 4lbs by day 4
• Total lost: 15 lbs

• Round 7: April 2013
• Started at: 174.5 again, 21 vlcd days
• Gained: 5 loading
• Lost: 8lbs by day 5
• Total lost: 19.5 lbs
• Reached lowest weight: 155 lbs!

I finished a round in June and left on a Missions trip in July for 2 weeks. I had no control over food choices or cooking only how much I ate and if I chose to eat it. Needless to say the food was delicious comfort foods for hard working men! I gained 10 pounds. I got home and did immediately did a protein correction day as well as ate clean for a week. I lost five pounds during that week but stayed at the

• Round 8: October 2013
• Starting weight: 171 lbs, did 21 vlcd days
• Total loss: 16 lbs

Currently I am settling in the 163-166 with occasional spikes which I then increase my water, dandelion tea, lemon water that day and eat clean and it drops back in to that lower 160’s range. Had a time the end of January that I dropped to 160.2 not sure of the exact reason but boy was I excited it lasted three days– but for the month of Feb remained between to 163 and 165. I’ve kept track of my weight almost daily- as a tool for information, I journal pretty regularly of how foods seem to affect me. I know some things cause a gain like a lot of almond flour desserts. Not so much coconut flour though.

Eating clean for me really means cutting out any dairy, cheeses, no desserts, increasing vegies and proteins as well as liquids. I try to cut down on coffee during that time too. I try to not eat past 7-7:30 at night. Occasionally even fasting dinner. Almost always will be down the next morning.

I’ve not implemented much exercise- walking but not structured. Excited for Spring to get out and garden as well as play with my 2.5 y/o granddaughter.

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