Wyndie's Report

Today was Wyndie's final day on the 26-day version of the hCG diet.  Tomorrow she gets to return to regular food (lucky lady!), albeit without starches or sugars for her first 3 weeks of maintenance.  Remember that for the next 6 weeks she's supposed to neither gain nor lose more than 2 lbs while her hypothalamus resets itself to her new weight.

Wyndie has kindly written up her experience to share with those who would like another perspective on the results of this diet, especially those who, like her, have little weight to lose and are considering the shorter 23-day hCG cycle.  To see her story in her own words, read on...

My hCG Experience – Part One

       ...by Wyndie

Many people wondered why I chose to go on the hCG diet. After all, I certainly didn’t have a great deal of weight to lose, just the typical five pounds we all seem to battle. After watching Mary go through her first cycle and reading more about the diet, my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to try it for the following reasons:

 

 My endocrine system: Recently, I had begun to experience more and more symptoms of the thyroid problems that run in my family. Some afternoons, I would be unable to get off the couch because I was too exhausted to function, and these afternoons had become more frequent in the last year. In addition, type II diabetes is very prevalent in my family’s medical history. Both of these disorders have to do with the endocrine system being out of whack. I was also very interested in the concept of “resetting” my metabolism. I know some of the diets I’ve done over the years have been unhealthy, and I figured it couldn’t hurt to try this diet and see if it helped balance my system.

 My food issues: I have become a rather compulsive eater. I just like to put things in my mouth, chew them up, and swallow them, especially if they are loaded with the sugars and fats that are so bad for me. For some reason, I rarely feel full, and if I do, the feeling is short-lived. I do try to eat a healthy diet, but my efforts are often undermined by attacks of the munchies. Since the hCG diet purports to redefine your relationship with food, it was my hope that I would see a decrease in my appetite and cravings as well as come to understand why I eat so much, so often.

 My body proportions: While I am not overweight, I have never been overly fond of my hips. I have a weird “square” shape on the bottom because my hips immediately broaden out at the top. This has always caused me grief when it comes to getting pants to fit me. They usually ride up to fit the wider part on top of my hips, cutting me through the crotch. I am a regular exerciser, but no other diet or exercise regimen (and I’ve done a few!) has ever taken care of this particular problem. Other areas where I tend to hold fat are my upper arms and the lower part of my back. I wanted to see if the hCG diet would succeed in reducing these areas specifically and reshaping my figure.

I had some big concerns about this diet as well. I certainly didn’t want to lose too much weight; I feared that I’d end up looking older if I did, especially if I lost a lot in my face. I also didn’t know if it would really be possible for me to subsist on a mere 500 calories a day. Would I have enough energy to get through the day? Would I have low blood sugar issues? Would I lose muscle tone? Would I regain any weight I lost once my calorie intake increased? Upon completing the first 26-day phase of the diet today, I have a few preliminary findings to report, though some questions and concerns remain.

When I began the hCG diet, my starting weight was 131.4 lbs. I’m 5’4”, so this is considered a reasonable weight for my height and frame. I did the “gorge” days as instructed, gaining 3.6 lbs. and bringing my weight up to 135.0 lbs. I really enjoyed eating whatever I wanted, I must say!

When I started eating the 500 calories a day, I did experience some hunger the first day, but nothing I couldn’t handle. After that, my hunger pangs were few and far between. I felt “off” for about the first three days, a little tired and foggy. I’ve experienced this on the first days of some other diets, so I was expecting it. However, I had no noticeable drops in blood sugar or any drastic reactions. I had caffeine-free herbal tea and one fruit for breakfast each day, and then spread the rest of the allowed menu over the day, relying on my stomach to tell me when to eat. I did occasionally put a finger full of something off limits in my mouth, but overall, I did well sticking to the diet. I still craved chocolate, cheese, eggs, and milk and am looking forward to having them back in my diet tomorrow. I did have one really off day about a week and a half before the end of the cycle. I ate three store-bought sugar cookies that day! I don’t even really like them, but I was just starving. I still have not figured out what that day was all about, but it did set me back in my weight loss by about 1.6 lbs.

During this first phase of the diet, I lost a total of 10.2 lbs. from my gorge weight, or 6.6 lbs. from my starting weight, finishing at 124.8 lbs. It was just the perfect amount of weight to lose, as far as I was concerned. I am very pleased with this aspect of the diet.

As for my “extra-cushy” spots, I have to say I am certainly impressed by the results. The puffy patches at the top of my hips are gone and so are the flabby folds on my back. My upper arms are not as proportional as I’d like, but there was definite improvement there as well. I wish I had thought to measure these areas specifically before beginning, but I didn’t. I know on average, I lost about an inch everywhere, but I suspect these spots lost more. The diet really delivered on that promise! As for looking older, I didn’t notice any real difference in my face, though when I asked her, Mary said my cheekbones are a little more prominent. Ü

At the present time, I have no way to tell whether or not my endocrine system is functioning more efficiently. I plan to go see my physician for a regular check up, and I will have more information after that. I can report that I was not tired or run-down while taking the hCG drops and eating 500 calories a day. In fact, though I had planned not to exercise during the first phase, I did do some exercising for the last two and a half weeks of the diet with no ill effects. My muscle tone and endurance seem to be unaffected as well.

Additionally, I’m not sure yet about my cravings and appetite. I do experience feelings of fullness now that I didn’t have before. However, I still crave certain foods, and I’m nervous about my appetite soaring once I begin the next phase of the diet. I don’t think I will have too much of a problem avoiding sugars and starches for the next three weeks, since what I mostly crave are fatty items. But I am very concerned about piling weight back on after being so restricted the last few weeks. I’ll keep you posted. Ü ~ Wyndie