HCG "causing" Cancer

I just did a bit of research on HCG causing cancer for a friend on Facebook.  I wanted to be sure to share it here, as well, since it seems to be a BIG controversy.  HCG, in general, is controversial just for the bit that it's not "FDA Approved for Weight Reduction."  That being said, here's what I found...

Question:

I didn't want to post this on the feed...don't want to put it out there. I have heard there is a connection with the hCG injections causing cancer cells to multiply quickly. According to this Dr. cancer cells exist in some people's bodies and our immune system will naturally attack them, but when hCG is introduced our immune system will not attack because it is designed to not attack the baby (the foreign matter). I was hoping you had some info. to counter this claim. The reports I have found say homeopathic hCG is very safe and was wondering if you had any information to confirm that. Thank you, Becky

Findings:

• Homeopathics are very safe, yes. The key to why they're so safe is also the biggest thing that doctors who don't understand them say they don't work. There is such a tiny amount (or none) of the original substance that it's like taking water. There's speculation that homeopathics work on the same quantum physics principles as nanotechnology, but it's still speculation.
•  HCG is *always* in our systems, both men and women. It's hard for me to accept the statement, logically, that HCG (Rx or Homeopathic) is going to increase cancer cells like this. However! I will look into it and get more information about it, then get back to you.
• http://ehealthforum.com/health/cancer-e285.html  Of note in this article: "What causes cancer? Doctors still don't understand this disease and are doing their best to uncover causes..."
• General symptom of cancer: weight gain or loss with no known reason Many doctors don't consider HCG to work (especially since a majority of them side with the FDA instead of their eyes) - for them, an HCG diet would be "no known reason."
• Among the "cures" for cancer, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biological therapy, support group, and surgery, is also hormone therapy.
  
  Here's what ehealthforum says about that:
  
  "Hormone therapy
  Because some types of cancer require certain hormones in order to grow, the reduction of these hormones is considered effective treatment. Medication may be given to suppress the body's hormones, or hormone-producing organs may be removed (e.g. the testicles or ovaries). Both men and women can experience side effects of this treatment as hormones are removed from the body. Women may experience hot flashes, for example. And, men may experience breast tenderness and growth."
• "Risk for ovarian cancer in women that use this drug for weight loss is far less present than in women who used this drug as a fertility treatment."
• "It is believed that HCG has protective effect for breast cancer."
• "This substance [HCG] is produced and secreted by certain types of cancer, that is why its measurement in blood is a marker for cancer presence (HCG is a tumor marker)."
• This doctor is showing that HCG may be the key to ending breast cancer: http://labs.fccc.edu/bcrl/biographies/irma-Russo.html
• ‎"As published (56-64), a cancer of any primary, when advanced, can produce hCG-like material. This is most commonly the free ß-subunit of hCG, as detected in serum samples, and its degradation product, ß-core fragment as detected in urine samples (56-64). Research now shows that advanced cancers not only produce free ß-subunit, but use the free ß-subunit to promote cancer cell growth and metastases. New vaccines are undoing clinical trial throughout the world. These generate an antibody to the free ß-subunit which removes free ß-subunit and stops it from promoting cancer growth. Hopefully these vaccines will be available by prescription in the near future. Cancer is a simple explanation for a positive hCG or pregnancy test, with no obvious pregnancy. The USA hCG Reference Service identifies cancer cases by the finding that >60% of the total hCG reactivity in serum is free ß-subunit, and by the supportive finding that >60% of the total hCG in urine is free ß-subunit or hCG ß-core fragment. If cancer is found a full malignancy work up, MRI of the head and pelvis and CT scan of the chest, and cancer blood work (blood cell checked for lymphoma and leukemia) is strongly indicated to find the cancer primary (can be anywhere in body)." From http://hcglab.com/

Mainewellness.com released a pdf statement saying:

"Does HCG cause cancer?
Individuals (including health professionals) who don’t understand the Dr. Simeons HCG
protocol or who are biased against the use of HCG for weight reduction may say a variety
of things with the purpose of discouraging people from using HCG for weight reduction.
One of the things that they may say is that HCG causes cancer.
Here are the facts about the relationship between HCG and cancer:

• HCG does not cause cancer or stimulate growth of tumors. 
• There are some tumors that produce HCG (but HCG did not cause these tumors). 

They include choriocarcinomas, germ cell tumors, teratomas, and islet cell
tumors.
It appears that some individuals have a double standard with regard to the medical use
of HCG:

• Mainstream medicine has approved and accepted the use of HCG for use in fertility treatments. The dosages used for fertility treatments are significantly higher compared to those used for weight reduction. 
• Mainstream medicine has approved the use of HCG for boys who are sexually underdeveloped. 

Pregnant women make the equivalent of millions of units of HCG. Pregnant women do
not have an increased risk of cancer during or following pregnancy. If HCG causes cancer, why aren’t we advising expectant mothers of this danger? BECAUSE HCG DOES
NOT CAUSE CANCER!
From this website: http://drbloem.com/treatment-options/dr-simeons-hcg-diet/hcg-dietfaqs/"

 And, that same site is publishing some of the findings on HCG helping to get rid of cancer.

*********

Summary/MY Opinion:

I suppose, in my head, this small bit of research clears up the concept of HCG causing cancer.  I especially like the statement, "If HCG causes cancer, why aren’t we advising expectant mothers of this danger? BECAUSE HCG DOES NOT CAUSE CANCER!"

It *does,* however, look like if you have particular types of cancer that *already* emit HCG, it's best to discuss the HCG protocol with your cancer doctor in those cases (lymphoma and leukemia) before running with it.

Model A or Taurus? Which would you choose TODAY?

To begin with, I knew absolutely nothing of HCG except that it promised to reset the "fat meter," as I called it, in your brain and make your body think it's a skinny body. :) I didn't look into the foods allowed or any of that stuff, as I have a nutritionalist that I've worked with for years and have a strong trust with. She got the drops for me, as well as gave me a list of "approved" foods. I don't know who approved them. From the get go on the HCG diet, these were the foods I was allowed. http://lessofmehcg.blogspot.com/2009/08/overview-of-what-we-get-to-eat.html

It was only then that I got involved with forums and boards. It took me almost a full month to come to the realization that of everyone losing weight adding HCG to their diets, we were categorized into three groups:

1. Dr. Simeon Protocol
2. Kevin Trudeau Protocol
3. A local "clinic" protocol

Where food choices were concerned, I fell into category three. I strongly referenced category one and added the vitamins from category two.

I figure that our food system has changed dramatically from the one that Dr. Simeon knew. His protocol is still valid, of course, I would never dispute that! But if we equate the three groups to cars, we'd have:

1. Ford Model A
2. 1957 Ford Wagon
3. 1980 Ford Taurus

If you were allowed only one vehicle to drive - TODAY - which would you choose? There's no disputing that Ford and his original ideas were brilliant. There's no disputing that there's much of the concepts of the first car in the second. Nor is there any disputing that there's concepts of the first and second cars in the third car. I think that there's much room still for improvement and, perhaps, some day, a fourth "car" will be released. However, there will still be those people who will continue to state that the original car is the best and they've chosen to stay with it - and they'll call the people who are using the newer cars fools or tell them it'll never work for them. There will always be people like that, regardless of how sad it is.

From day one, I was "driving" the third car. It's the latest and greatest and all the "car salesmen" want you in that one. There's something to be said for the Ford Model A - concepts, lines, ideas... But, compared to the Taurus, little to be said for the Model A's bumpy ride, lack of air conditioning & wind shield wipers. Likewise, there's something to be said for Dr. Simeon's original injection concept and food list. But, compared to homeopathics and more food choices, it's really in the same boat as the Model A is in compared to the Taurus.

Over all, I'm very pleased with the results I've had while in group three. There are people, following either group one or two, who tell me that I'll not succeed and that I've not succeeded until I've kept it off for at least a year. They can't spoil the results that I've already had, though, and the fact that I'm stable in my new weight. It does fluctuate up or down inside that two pounds and, if I push too much (like a meal at Skippers!), I do gain more than those two pounds and "have" to eat a great big steak the following day.

The point is, regardless of which group you've chosen, the remaining two groups have just as much success. It's just a matter of how strict you wish to be with yourself. For me, who has at least two more rounds planned, I know that I'd never be able to succeed at staying with it with just the foods on the more strict diets. I need flavor and variety. Not only did the foods on the list I got from my nutritionalist give me that, but I got through the process still feeling like I could do that another two times. Or even three times!

HCG, the original protocol, worked like a charm. However, Dr. Simeon stated that you had to stop losing if you hit a 34# loss. He never stated why; that was just his rule. I lost 47# my first round. There are people who are doing a continuous round - HCG VLCD until they lose the full amount they set out to lose! And I say congratulations to them all! But it isn't the original protocol. It's not the Model A.

I guess, what I'm trying to say is that there is no one way to get to the finish line. We aren't all the same. We don't all have to follow exactly what the others do. We just need to make it work in our own lives and get healthy.

Response from Help site (ALREADY!)

In my last post, I said I sent an email to http://www.pounds-and-inches.com/ about my 2.2# loss during the first four days of Phase 3... Here's my email:

Hi,

Is it ok to keep losing weight in Phase 3? I'm on day 4 of Phase 3, eating 2000-2500 calories per day, and exercising 90 minutes twice a week. I'm down 2.2#. I know that if you gain more than 2#, you do a steak day. But what about if you lose more than 2#?

Thanks so much!

~Jay
http://lessofmehcg.blogspot.com/
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled." ~ Plutarch

Here's their response (which took a whole 15 minutes, btw!):

Jay:

Congrats!!! It’s a bonus! J Enjoy the extra weightloss…and this is exactly what you should see…b/c you are eating right, exercising…this is exactly how you’ll never gain the weight back again!!

Congrats again on your success!!

Keep up the great work!

Sincerely,

Jason Hill

Acme Marketing Group LLC

801.589.7749 cell

www.pounds-and-inches.com – The HCG Diet

Need advice during your diet?

I found a great site, offering free help... They say:

"We are the only website giving away FREE HCG Diet Info and offering FREE Consultations!"

I just fired off my question about losing weight in Phase 3 to them. I'll post their answer when I get it. In the mean time, you can head out to their site at http://www.pounds-and-inches.com/ or out to their blog at http://thehcgdiet.blogspot.com/

Habits

We just hooked our satellite TV back up after it was off for the whole summer. With the TV came some of the old habits that I developed when it was on last autumn/winter/spring. That includes the urge to munch while it's on. Luckily for me, I was *aware* of it when it happened and checked with my body to see if I was actually hungry or if this was just something that was externally triggered.

It was external. :) And I knew it. That's MOST of the battle, right?

So, I decided to go ahead and search for some articles about breaking bad habits... Here's what I found - I hope it helps us all!:

"Good habits are hard to develop but easy to live with" and "Bad habits are easy to develop but hard to live with", according to Brian Tracey, a well-known motivational teacher. You may recognize that to successfully manage habit changes, breaking bad habits may be required in order to develop new ones.

Breaking bad habits takes at least 21 days. Of course, in difficult cases, it can take as long as a year. Here’s an example of the process of how to change an unhealthy habit to a healthy habit. Suppose you’ve decided that coffee is not good for you and right now, you drink coffee with sugar daily. The new habit you would like to institute is to drink herbal tea without sugar.

At first, it may be challenging to break the bad habit of drinking coffee. You will have to use self-discipline for the first few weeks but gradually it will get easier. Once you are able to change the old habit to a new healthier one, it will serve you very well. Habits are remarkable because they don’t require thinking. You just “do it” for years until you find yourself changing the habit again.

Here are 5 easy steps for changing habits:

1. Awareness: You must become aware of your habits. What is this habit exactly? How is this bad habit or group of bad habits affecting you? How is this habit affecting others? For example, smoking often has negative effects on others as well as on you.

2. Wanting to Change: As someone with a health problem, you must decide that breaking bad habits through a conscious effort is a worthy goal. You must convince yourself that the change in the habit is worth the effort involved.

3. Commitment: You must be determined to do whatever it takes for breaking bad habits so that you can better control your life. You make a decision that “no matter what” you will change the habit. You do the work required to stop. Here are some examples of habits you might want to change: Smoking, eating too much, eating processed foods, not exercising, drinking coffee or other beverages with caffeine in them, eating too much sugar or fat, drinking alcohol, procrastinating, etc.

4. Consistent Action: It is important to focus on changing just one habit at a time. Then, take consistent daily actions for breaking the bad habit that has been causing problems and take the actions to develop a new one. We suggest doing this process one step at a time rather than trying to do it all at once. Sometimes changing a habit can be done “cold turkey” like smoking and sometimes it works better to make a gradual change.

Be sure to give yourself positive rewards often for taking small actions toward changing a bad habit. Continual day-by-day actions are what are critical. This is NOT about an occasional action or step. It is about being consistent every day.

5. Perseverance: There will be times when you question whether it is all worth it. You’ll say to yourself that breaking these bad habits is too difficult; that you are too “weak” to change. Your old self, often so comfortable living with the bad habits, is trying to hold on. Breaking your old patterns may require meditation and prayer.

Visualize regularly the rewards for following through and the costs of not following through on breaking the bad habits and especially the value to your future of building new better habits.

Get support from others, especially other people who want to make changes in their lives and read about people who have been successful in breaking bad habits. Affirm that, no matter what, you will not backslide into your old bad habit patterns.

Now, you are armed with a 5-step process for breaking any bad habit or other condition that requires changing. If you have an addiction to something such as alcohol, these steps alone may not be enough. You may require additional professional help or a support group, but for most cases this 5-step process will do the trick!

T. McDonald is a lifelong student of inner growth and a writer. She edits Diabetes Guide where you will find information on the glycemic index diet, weight loss, diets, managing diabetes, alternative sweeteners, breast cancer bracelets, how to prevent breast cancer and much more. Copyright 2005 T. McDonald You have permission to reprint this article as long as all links are hyperlinked and the resource box and copyright are retained intact

Something to research and ponder

I've been thinking about moving on to phase three. In that, the rules are no sugars, no starches. Do you think that includes the bread stick I've been eating on the VLCD, too?

Questions from a fellow hCGer (and my answers)

Sherry wrote this morning:

Thanks for all your input on your blog. I'm new to all of this and I just went last week to a doctor who for 330$ gave me the hcg and program. I don't understand everything yet. How far are you? What does round 1,2,3,4 stand for? My list of things I can eat are different than yours, but I understand I think that if you stay under the 500 cal that you should lose.

I noticed that you have used chicken bouillon cubes in recipes?? I just bought a jar of reduced salt bouillon cubes to drink in hot water for 10 cal per cube. I don't like that much water and tea and I can drink a two or three cups of water with one cube with no problem. It satifies and I like it! Do you think this will hurt the diet?? I don't add alot of salt to my other foods and use sea salt when I do.

I started the diet last Friday and ate all I could eat for two days and still lost 3 pounds. On Monday I lost 1 lb and this morning another 1 lb. So, thats five pounds in 4 days??

How do the Braggs amino acids help you in this diet? I see that you cook with them but I know they must have another purpose!!! I do take t3 and t4 as the doctor told me to keep taking them--so I probably don't need the iodine drops as well.

I have a 40 day supply of hcg and will want to order on line next time to save money. Who do you order from? I do use a small needle of 25 (something) right now every morning. The bottle says 10,000 on it. Do you use the shot? I don't understand all the different choices.

I'm afraid I may have blown it last hour when I drank the chicken bouillon for my breakfast.

Also, I have a dinner to go to tomorrow night. The food is unlimited! And drinks, of course. Do you think I could save my meat for that meal and do 200 grams at the evening meal?

Thank you so much for your help.

And here's my response:

Wow Sherry! Thank you for writing in! It sounds like you were sort of given the basics and then left to your own devices to figure everything out from there... :( I'm sorry to read that, but it seems to happen quite a bit where hCG is concerned.

First, have you read Pounds and Inches by Dr. Simeon? If not, I've attached it and I'm sure you'll find it very useful.

Next, I've discovered that there's lots of different lists of what you can eat. I got my list from my nutritionalist, Tami from Daniel's Health Store. She's very knowledgeable about hCG and I trust her implicitly.

I chose to do the homeopathic drops for several reasons. 1) I really don't like needles. 2) They're lots less expensive. 3) That's what Tami sells. 4) They're way more portable than the injection style. 5) I didn't want my niece and nephew to think that the only way to release the weight I've got is by sticking a needle into my body. (I was concerned that they might develop the idea that needles were ok or something for when they're older, which could lead to drugs... I'm probably being just plain old paranoid there, but it is one of the reasons I chose the drops.) 6) I have the option to do 28, 40, or 60 day rounds that isn't available when doing the injections because your body develops immunity earlier with the injections. I got the initial program plus all the support I could need and the vitamins I need to take for $175. Additional vitamin/drops combination is $117. I did have to increase my drops to almost double, so the extra bottle of hCG was $24.95.

I've lost 32# so far on my journey to releasing 150#. So, I'm about 20% there! I started the end of August and this is my first round. A "round" is just how many times you go through the phases. So round 1, you'd go through the loading days, then the very low calorie diet (VLCD), then the maintenance. At that point, you could start round 2, where you'd do it all again.

You definitely need to stay right at the 500 calorie mark with your food. Too much causes no loss or a gain but too little causes your body to go into starvation mode which is REALLY not a loss. :) My list is here: http://lessofmehcg.blogspot.com/2009/08/overview-of-what-we-get-to-eat.html There's lots of people who have a much more strict list of foods, which come directly out of the Pounds & Inches book attached, but there seems to be just as many who have even more foods than I do. I figure I'm right in the middle and can be more strict should the weight loss stop. :)

If you don't like water or tea, I think your bullion cube is a clever idea! There's no restrictions on salt intake on the Protocol, but if your body isn't used to that much salt, it may try to retain water for a while and cause slow loss. If you find that your losses are slowing down to .4 and .5 pounds per day, look to your bullion cube as the first place to cut. I recall a time that I didn't much care for water, either, but the more I drink it, the more I like it *and* it has the added benefit of helping my body feel good, too.

LUCKY you to have lost on the loading days! And it sounds like you're doing wonderfully with your 5# loss in 4 days!! I gained 6# during the loading days... Every body is different, though, so you've just got to remember that your body is the guru here.

As far as Bragg's Amino Acids go, I think they're the best ones to tell you what benefits you get from using their product. You can read that here: http://bragg.com/products/laFAQ.html. You can also get a free sample here: http://bragg.com/samples/samples_24.php.

I muscle tested for the iodine drops. And not all iodine is created equal by any stretch of the imagination! If you do choose to do iodine drops, make certain they're IOSOL iodine drops. Regular iodine isn't compatible with the body and is, basically, poison. Iosol is compatible with the body and is used by it just like it would use kelp. If you want to read up on it, just go here: http://www.wellnessresources.com/products/iosol_iodine.php

Unfortuantely, there's no saving food from lunch to consume at dinner. You eat just 100g of meat at each meal. Dr. Simeon explains why in the Pounds and Inches book, as well as several other things. I highly recommend that you read up on that and try to follow it as closely as possible!

I'm planning to put this conversation on my blog, just so you know, but I promise not to use your last name. It'll just be that Sherry emailed with questions sort of thing. I think that a lot of people are in the same boat as you are - they get from their physician just "here's the basics and now hit the road" -or they go online and buy and don't even have the basics- and are FULL of these types of questions. Tami was invaluable to me for those things and I felt/feel fully supported. If you feel like you'd like to go with the drops and Tami next time around, here's her contact info:

Daniel's Health Store

daniels at gorge dot net

541.386.7328

Here's to less of us!

Hopefully, that will help some one else, too!

Questions from a fellow hCGer (and my answers)

Pamela M. wrote in to ask some questions:

Hi how are u? I have a few questions hope u can clarify....How long do I stay on the diet is it 23 days (round 1)? also is it best to take the drops as soon as I get up, or after I eat? after the 23 days it says to go off the drops for 48-72 hrs,..is it 48 or is it 72hrs with no drops? phase 3 is slowly adding fats & more calories how long is that? then it says phase 4 what is that? 21 days?? sorry for all the ques but Im so confused thx

My answer:

Hi Pamela!

I'm doing very well, thank you for asking! Other than being confused, how are you doing? Let's see if I can clerify for you...

I'm staying on the protocol for 40 days. But I've also heard that you can do a 28 day and a 60 day - your choice.

I take 10 drops as soon as I get up, then 10 more just before lunch, followed by 10 more just before dinner. It's best, if you're taking the homeopathic drops to wait at least 10-30 minutes before eating.

After the time you're on protocol (phase 2), you stop the drops but stay on the 500 calories for the next 72 hours. So, do drops the last day, last dinner, then count 72 hours before you go back up to the 1500-2000 calories per day.

Phase 3, you get to add back in the oils and fats and increase your caloric intake to between 1500 and 2000 per day. Don't go under the 1500, though, or you risk your body going into starvation mode. Phase 4 is when you start adding back the starches and sugars. I'm told that you should add those back in carefully or you'll make your stomach upset after having been denied those things for so long. :)

Hope that helps out!

~Jay

Pamela wrote back to get a little bit more clear picture:

You are so nice for helping me......On phase 3 how long is that part of the diet for? i also read to keep track of the pounds during this phase..not to gain or loose more than 2 & if u do go immediately on a steak day...is that right?

And my response:

Yes, Phase 3 is for 21 days. And you're right on target about +/-2# and go immediately to a steak day. Absolutely. "Phase 4" isn't really a phase at all, but rather allowing yourself to eat "normally."

Questions from a fellow hCGer (and my answers)

NOTE: I researched Walden Farms products and found some disturbing things about Splenda, which is in the Walden Farms products. See the research here:http://lessofmehcg.blogspot.com/2009/10/walden-farms-quick-study.html

Jan F wrote and asked:

Jayme, I noticed u use WaldenFarm dressing and you suggest baking in alum foil packets... No extra fat from baking in those packets? I mean from the meat?? Also where do I get these dressings? Girl you have great food ideas and I'm lookin for flavor so I don't get bored and cheat this time around... Also that jello looks so amazing... I'm making it for tomorrow.. I'm working on an east Indian dish... I'll let you know how it turns out... Also thanks for the info on mensing... That will really help my friends out!!! You rock!!!

My reply was a little long winded, but I think it'll be beneficial for everyone reading my blog, as it's got some great places to find some of the products I use:

Hi Jan,

I got the dressings and ketchup from Rosauers - it's a store in Hood River, OR. I checked with our local Safeway store, too, but they report they don't carry it. You can get it from http://waldenfarms.com, though! Their website, of course, has lots of things that you might drool over, but make sure that it's no calories, no fat, and no sugar of any kind before you buy... I suppose you could buy it and just use it for phase 3 or later. :)

If you're looking for flavor, my site is the place, for sure. That's the way to stay on any kind of diet. Flavor.

That jello was amazing, but it was soooo filling, too! I only ate half the portion I was allowed - so my portion was 8x5 And I ate 4x5. Hahahaha! I only got 21 calories out of it. ::grins:: The worst part of that was that I ate light the whole day so I could have the whole portion. I came in at only 438 calories that day. Oops. Heh heh heh.

As far as the foil goes, I don't get any extra fat from cooking in them - but it does seal the meat and spices in so it's tender when it's done and flavorful all the way through.

And you know what? You have GOT to get some of the dark chocolate stevia. I got mine at vitacost for $8+change a bottle here: http://www.vitacost.com/Wisdom-Natural-SweetLeaf-Liquid-Stevia-Chocolate When on menses, I CRAVE chocolate. This time, Tami, my nutritionalist at Daniel's Health Store said that if I took a magnesium pill, the craving would go away. That sort of worked. What really worked was taking the magnesium pill with the White Dark Cocoa I made up with that stevia. It answered the craving perfectly. The other trick I found, all on my own about 12 years ago, is for cramps. I get them to a dibilitating point and couldn't stand to take aspirin for it, so I started experimenting. It turns out that cranberry powder pills will get rid of cramps, generally inside of 20 minutes, and it helps with the bloating, too! As soon as I feel cramps coming on, I take 2 cranberry pills. If it's not completely gone in 20 minutes, I take 2 more. Once or twice, I've had to wait another 20 minutes and take 2 more cranberry - but that was when I didn't take them right away after getting the sensation that I was cramping. I tell all the women I can, because they don't need to take drugs - just cranberry.

I can't wait to try out your East Indian dish - I love spicy food. In fact, I just bought about 12 jalapaneos!

Then I started doing some more research and found something new, so had to reply again!

I also just discovered (thank you products.google.com!) that AllStarHealth.com has Walden Farms products at about a dollar cheaper per product than Walden's website does... http://www.allstarhealth.com/li_b/WALDEN_FARMS.htm

Questions from a fellow hCGer (and my answers)

Debbie wrote to me this morning. Here's a copy of her email (posted ONLY with her permission):

I was wondering if you are following Dr Simeone as some of those vegs are not on my approved list (broccoli, caul..etc). I see so many variations and I am a bit confused, I did not go thru a dr, just ordered my drops off line. I did 1 round of 15 days and now I am on my dround of 15 days. I have more weight to lose than 20 lbs but I was a bit nervous to do it 45 days as I was afraid I would cheat...first round I lost 20 lbs. In maint I messed up and drank alcohol too soon and ate many things that I thought were OK (I was on vaca)..so I gained 6 back. I started last week and the six are now off and I am really hoping to be in the 170's tomm..I am stuck at 180...I don't count calories but I do measure my protein...and I usually only eat 1 fruit and breadstick..thanks for your help...I love you website, the roast is in the toaster oven now....I added radishes to the roast (mock potatoes I hope).

Here's my answer:

Hi Debbie,

Thanks for writing! It's encouraging to know that I get to help myself and those who read my blog. :)

I'm planning to go through the online drops next time around (Januaryish), so I can go 7 weeks and be *at* my target weight. I started at 332 and, as of this morning, am at 310 - just 8 days in! 22 pounds in a week is enough to convince me that what I'm doing is on the right track. There were two days that I didn't lose a thing, though. I'm not sure why, but I added some Iosol Iodine (http://lessofmehcg.blogspot.com/search/label/Iodine <-- includes the source and how I use it, too) to my diet and the weight is dropping off wonderfully again. Iodine supports your thyroid, which in turn supports your hypothalamus. :) For this first time around, I've allowed myself a nutritionalist's' care and guidance. I wanted to get to know the ropes before I took off on my own. Here's what she outlined for us: http://lessofmehcg.blogspot.com/2009/08/overview-of-what-we-get-to-eat.html. I've seen several places that offer recipes different from what I'm allowed and was initially confused as well. I asked Tami, my nutritionalist, who told me that she's following Dr. Simeon's diet to the letter, with the addition of the supplements I'm taking. She said that others following it have had remarkable results, as Dr. Simeon reports. I trust Tami completely, so I follow her advice and work within these very strict guidelines.

Just so you know, my Mom's been stuck at her current weight (I can't tell what that is, though - she doesn't want anyone to know) for the last four days. However, we measured her yesterday and discovered that she'd lost 8 inches! So, don't fret. You just have to be patient with yourself and your body. It'll work for you. :)

Hopefully, the old rule that when one person asks, lots of other people are thinking the same thing stands and this helps you, too!