HCG Diet with VelaShape Body Sculpting Included
What is HCG?
HCG is Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, a natural hormone that is produced by pregnant women. One of the primary functions of HCG is to release stored fat in the early stages of pregnancy to provide the fetus with the calories it needs to grow. However, once fat calories are mobilized by HCG, they can be burned by the person producing or taking the HCG. The HCG hormone is a prescription medication regulated by the FDA.
How does HCG promote weight loss?
Under normal circumstances, your body does everything possible to consume, store, and retain fat to guard against food becoming scarce in the future. If your body detects a prolonged lack of calories, it enters a starvation mode in which your metabolism slows down and your body cannibalizes muscle tissue to avoid giving up stored fat. That is why unaided low calorie and starvation diets always fail.
HCG causes your hypothalamus to release stored fat, which makes thousands of calories per day available for your own metabolism. This prevents your body from entering starvation mode and keeps your metabolism and energy at their normal levels. However, HCG by itself will not cause you to lose weight because your body continues to store excess calories as fat. If you don't burn the fat calories released by HCG, your body will tuck them away again. There are only two ways to burn those fat calories... increased exercise or decreased calorie intake from foods. Muscles must go through some extra steps to burn fat instead of sugar and exercise tends to stimulate hunger so the HCG Diet relies on reduced calorie intake instead of strenuous exercise. However, moderate regular exercise is encouraged and activities that build muscle tissue will accelerate your weight loss (muscle tissue burns calories 24 hours per day, not just when you exercise).
For the original reseach on HCG, see Dr. Simeons Manuscript.
How is HCG administered?
HCG can be taken by injection or sublingually (held under the tongue for three to five minutes). We provide sublingual HCG because the effects are virtually identical to injections for most people and daily office visits or home injection instructions are not required.
What is the HCG Diet?
The HCG Diet consists of 500 calories/day taken from a list of approved foods (see the HCG Diet Plan page for details). These foods avoid starches, fats, sugars, and alcohol to maximize your use of the fat calories released by the HCG.
How much weight can be lost?
Daily weight loss ranges from ½ to 2 pounds per day. Men tend to lose more weight than women initially because they have a higher muscle mass to consume the released fat calories. Failure to conform to the 500 calorie/day diet reduces the rate of weight loss and even small binges can set the diet back for 3 - 7 days. Plateaus may occur, particularly after six weeks on the diet. These plateaus can be overcome and it is possible to take short breaks from the diet.
Will I be hungry or lack energy on the HCG Diet?
It is common to experience mild hunger during the first few days but that should disappear in less than a week. Your body quickly adjusts to smaller servings and finds them completely satisfying. The large amount of fat calories circulating in your system make your body feel like you have just eaten a very rich, high calorie meal. Since all the calories you need are still available to you, your energy level should actually increase as you shed the pounds.
Hunger and energy levels vary between individuals and we can help you if problems arise in these areas. We offer phentermine lollipops to suppress hunger pangs and B12 (Lipo-B) injections for energy.
How is the HCG Diet supervised?
Before starting the HCG Diet, you must provide us with a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) from your physician (a Basic Metabolic Panel is not sufficient). If you or your physician already have a CMP that is less than four months old, you do not need a new CMP unless our Medical Director finds an anomaly. The CMP tells us if your body has any chemical imbalances that are contraindicated for the HCG Diet.
When you are approved for the HCG Diet, starting weight and measurements are taken and goals are established. You are provided with the diet requirements, a diet log to record your daily calorie consumption, and a list of suggested recipes. We provide you with sublingual HCG obtained from a compounding pharmacy to ensure consistent efficacy (HCG ordered from internet sources can be counterfeit, homeopathic, or vary in age and strength). We recommend that you come into our office once each week to consult with your Registered Nurse and to record weight and measurements (our scale is calibrated to tenths of a pound and ensures that all weight records are consistent). Any issues or concerns can be addressed during your weekly visit or you can call us at any time with questions or problems.
After you reach your goal, you will discontinue taking HCG and enter the maintenance phase of the diet. You begin incorporating additional foods into your diet and increase your calorie intake to find the limits that are unique for your body. We will provide you with lists of foods to favor and avoid and procedures to follow if you start to gain weight. As with any successful diet, you must change and monitor your eating habits to avoid regaining the weight you just lost.
What is the difference between HCG and homeopathic HCG?
Homeopathic HCG contains no actual hormone and comes in a diluted form with a description of 6X, 12X, 30X, or 60X. The 6X dilution is equivalent to one drop of real HCG in a gallon of water. A 60X dilution would be one drop in a 60 gallon water tank. If you perform a home-pregnancy test by putting homeopathic HCG directly on the pregnancy test strip, it will not test positive because it contains no actual HCG (home-pregnancy tests work by detecting HCG in the urine).
When you follow a 500 calorie/day diet, you will lose weight (even without HCG) but, like all starvation diets, it is destined to fail. People using homeopathic HCG may lose weight but the loss will include muscle tissue and water, with much less fat loss. Even with the placebo effect, homeopathic HCG is likely to result in more hunger and less energy. We do not use or recommend homeopathic HCG at Skin Care By Design. If you see advertisements for inexpensive HCG that does not require a prescription, it is homeopathic HCG.
Will losing a lot of weight cause loose skin folds or stretch marks?
This depends on how much fat volume you lose, your age, the amount of elastin in your skin, your normal exercise routine, and a number of other factors. When we are young, our skin is elastic enough to recover from a great deal of volume loss (think about pregnancy at 22 versus 35 years of age). As we age, the elastin levels in our skin decrease and our bodies may experience higher fat volume for many years. This can make it more difficult to regain firm, tight skin.
That's why Skin Care By Design includes a free VelaShape Body Sculpting treatment (normally $250) for every 25 pounds you lose from your starting weight during the HCG Diet. The VelaShape treatment will contour and shape the treatment area, firm and tighten the skin, and reduce cellulite. See the treatment details on our VelaShape Body Sculpting page. If the weight loss reveals stretch marks, we can help you there too. Although it is not included in the HCG Diet, we offer fractional skin resurfacing with the Pixel or eMatrix that will reduce or eliminate stretch marks. See the treatment details on our Pixel and eMatrix pages.
Things you should know.
HCG for weight loss is an off-label use of the prescription hormone. Since 1975, the FDA has required all marketing and advertising of HCG to state the following: "HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of obesity. There is no substantial evidence that it increases weight loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction, that it causes a more attractive or 'normal' distribution of fat, or that it decreases the hunger and discomfort associated with calorie-restricted diets." ...That being said, a number of medical authorities have since supported the theories behind the HCG Diet and our own experience confirms the effectiveness of this diet.
Metabolizing fat (ketosis) produces chemicals called ketones that are eliminated in the urine. Ketosis should not be confused with ketoacidosis, which is severe ketosis causing the pH of the blood to drop below 7.2. Diabetics who use ketone detection strips to verify that their diabetes is under control should be aware that the HCG Diet will cause ketone levels in the urine to increase.
Although the level of HCG on this diet is far below the level experienced during pregnancy, it is theoretically possible for HCG to produce a false positive result on a home-pregnancy test. These tests work by detecting HCG in the urine. If necessary, you can discontinue taking HCG for three days to allow your body to clear the hormone introduced by the diet before taking a home-pregnancy test.
HCG is an ingredient in several FDA approved fertility drugs. HCG mimics the luteinizing hormone and is given to women to induce ovulation or given to men to promote testosterone production. For dieting, a very low calorie diet in conjunction with HCG is used to trigger the hypothalamus to release stored fat. The dosage of HCG in this diet is very small compared to the dosage in fertility drugs and will not interfere with any form of birth control. However, some women on the HCG diet have developed ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS), especially during the first round of treatment. While OHSS is rare, it can be dangerous, so call your healthcare provider right away if you experience any of the following symptoms: severe pelvic pain, swelling of the hands or legs, stomach pain and swelling, shortness of breath, weight gain, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, or urinating less than normal.
Other side effects of HCG can include, but are not limited to headache, feeling restless or irritable, mild swelling or water weight gain, depression, breast tenderness and swelling.
How much does it cost?
| Service or Product | Price |
|---|---|
| Sublingual HCG, 10,000 IU (30 day supply) | 300 |
| 1cc B12 (Lipo-B) Injection | 15 |
| 2cc B12 (Lipo-B) Injection | 25 |
| Appetite Suppressant Lollipops (37.5mg Phentermine each) | (package of 7) 28 |
| Pixel Spot Treatment for Stretch Marks | 50 |
| VelaShape Body Sculpting | Free every 25 pounds, $250 normally |
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