Weight loss has always been a major concern for me as I remembered a time when I was more than overweight. The best weight I was ever in my life was when I was 18, at the weight of 52, I was as lean as ever. But looking back, at that time my assets were not fully blown and perhaps the best I could be now is perhaps 62 kilos. (I did this once last year and everyone was worried and thought I was sick because I looked too skinny, thank you for your concern, I was just experimenting on best weight).
If I told people that I was a heavy 89 kilos, most of them would react by saying when? But yes, this was a reality to me in the years 2006 after the delivery of Bella to around circa 2009. I was struggling with weight loss. Until I stumbled across the hcg diet which was introduced to me by one of my sifus. I believed him because the first time I met him he was twice my size (and I was fat then) and now he is smaller than me. I owe a lot of my knowledge to his mentoring. He could explain to me things that other doctors would not even bother to understand. And I needed to know, not just because I am curious, evidence-based and critical, but also for my patients. The worst thing to be as a doctor is ignorant to all the effects and complications of the treatment that you warrant to your patient.
Well, back to HCG. In the past, we use to just explain the role of the HCG hormone that acts like a catabolic hormone in the absence of insulin. What it means is that, when there is no insulin spike in the body, the HCG at 125-250mg level acts on the fat cells facilitating transport and metabolising fats into energy. This is why it is strictly prohibited to take any form of sugar or carbohydrate during the diet phase 2 and 3a as it would cause the opposite effect. Many can argue that if they go on 500 calories of protein and fibre they definitely will lose weight but how do you explain the fat percentage loss? Starvation leads to protein breakdown and usually the fats are the last ones to go. (We've measured our patient using a complete body scan and in 1 week, she lost 3kg of fat, her protein mass remained the same).
It sounds simple, but I believe that as patients you require guidance especially in the first attempt and going through maintenance. There is a lot of explaining to do that some clinics do not bother doing, hence you will get a more yo-yo effect on weight loss which in the long run is not good for you as it can cause more harm to your metabolism. We are playing with hormones people.... Make sure your doctor knows what they are doing. It is not a quick weight loss program.
Along the line, we've learnt a few things. We can use HCG to increase testosterone levels in men who are young and suffers from hypogonadism. It is safer than giving testosterone directly since once you introduce external testosterone, the natural factories will decide to stop production (like 91% based on latest studies done in China). It helps reverse the conversion of testosterone into oestrogen by the aromatase enzyme. The easiest clinical signs are the formation of man boobs and the pot belly hard tummy. So if you are a guy below 60, who is overweight and have gynaecomastia and an increasing pot belly, most likely you have reduced levels of testosterone. Some guys will say, so what? But in the long run it will effect your daily performance (not to mention the performance in bed). I envy my male patients on HCG, as they seem to loose weight faster than us ladies. They kill two birds with 1 stone, lose fat and increase testosterone levels.
I've also realised after being on the program for a few years, the best is to slowly drop your weight, year by year, and then it would last longer. So usually after new year I would be on the program again, just to lose a few more kilos and maintain it. Since last year, I've succeeded in keeping my weight less than 70kg, and my silhouette has maintained. I've also discovered that muscle building during the second phase of maintenance helps to improve body tone and sustain weight loss results. I took a new liking to pilates, and I find that despite being off for awhile my weight easily jumps back to what it is usually.
Other things we've discovered also is that the protein intake is super important. If you are a strict vegetarian, forget it. The most you are able to lose is 4kg in 23 days. Some vegans who wanted to try, had to be on egg whites daily that it caused them to be bored. Without the protein, the weight loss was reduced.
Other benefits of the HCG diet as observed is a better glycemic control for diabetics, reduced cravings for sugar and junk food in most people, sustained silhouette despite some weight gain, and change of dietary habits. But the set back is the strict regime during the diet and the maintenance phase. So at the end of the day, it is all about will power and determination. Like I always tell my patients, the diet is a detox sacrifice for 3 months. If you do it well, it may be the first and the last time you ever have to do it. It is a personal choice. If you are willing to commit and want to change, we will be here to help guide you throughout the process.
For more information or to book appointments do contact us at drmmclinic@gmail.com or send a message to +60129660852.
