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I have had so many people reach out asking about my HCG injections journey that I wanted to create a blog post on what the process was like, what I ate, the injection process and so much more.
As most of you know I have been struggling with weight loss for some time now. I have been going to Virtue of Health to get my health back in check and have had great results. My hormone and vitamin levels are finally normal. Now that they are Dr. Jaqlyn recommended I do a round of HCG injections. Alot of people that do HCG injections accompany the injections with a 500 calorie a day diet. With my health issues I was told to eat normal but stay under 1,400 calories. I was not allowed to have dairy or gluten. I also was not allowed to have any high fats. All of my carbs came from veggies, fruit and brown rice.
My injections were for 20 days with the diet and after the 20 days I could slowly start adding good fats back into my diet (ex: avocado, nuts).
HCG Hormone vs The HCG Diet (credit: Virtue of Health website)
HCG is a hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin. It is naturally secreted in high amounts during pregnancy. In fact the amounts that pregnant women are subjected to is much higher than any dose that most people use for weight loss (including in the HCG diet). HCG the hormone itself has some special properties (which we will discus below) that make it a valuable tool when and if you are trying to lose weight.
The problem that HCG gets a bad name because the name itself is often associated with the HCG diet. Which is why we need to spend some time to separate these two ideas. The HCG diet is a combination of a sustained very low calorie diet which is coupled with HCG injections (or drops) throughout the weight loss phase. The problem with the HCG diet is the duration of the calorie restriction, NOT the HCG hormone itself.
The prolonged calorie restriction in the HCG diet often causes metabolic damage and thyroid changes which almost always result in regaining any weight that was lost during the diet.
Despite this known side effect many people still decide to use the HCG diet, presumably for the temporary weight loss that results.
At Virtue of Health they have created their own weight loss protocol that does not have you restricted to 500 calories a day, but on a diet that is specifically customized to your body type, weight, height, gender, age, BMR and BMI. This diet is also customized to your diet preferences whether you’re vegan, dairy free etc, we’ll make it work for YOU. To set-up a patient consultation with Dr. Jaqlyn click HERE.
The first question I get asked so much is are the injections painful? Honestly before I did my first injection in-front of Dr. Jaqlyn I was super nervous. I have never injected myself before just my dogs when they were sick. It ended up being so easy and no pain at all. You just pinch the fat on your belly and inject into the fat. My injections I would have to do once a morning and I was on the dosage of 15 ml. You have to make sure to switch the spot on where you inject every time because you will get scar tissue in the area and that will make it tougher for you to inject in the same area. After the first few days it became second nature to me and was part of my every day routine.
As for the diet the only hard part for me was honestly the no cheese and avocado. I did not realize how much I ate both of these every week! It was a mind over matter for me to get used to it but once I did I was fine. Thankfully I do love veggies and beans so that is what I ate alot of.
When I wasn't cooking for myself for dinner I always ate my ReBuilt Meals. I have posted about ReBuilt Meals in the past but before this diet I was on the performance meal plan. The best part was they were so accommodating with my diet. I was able to pick items from keto, vegan, performance or traditional if it fit better for my diet. I was not eating red meat so I had to make sure to only be eating lean protein like chicken and turkey.
I was so happy to have Rebuilt Meals as my go-to during the 20 days. The meals have so much flavor and honestly all I ever added to my meals is garlic salt and maybe some sriracha (cause your girl loves some hot sauce). Quick, Healthy & Tasty!
Also ReBuilt Meals has meal plans as low as $49.75 a week plus you get 25% off with my code (laurielivinlife) on top of that! A week of meals under $40! Super affordable which makes eating healthy alot more enjoyable. The meals take one minute to heat up. Vegan & Keto options available!
Rebuilt Meals has a ton of options & meals change every week. Fresh meals delivered every Monday & Thursday to your door. So much easier than going to the grocery store right now. Also you can even track your meals in "my fitness pal" ...just scan the barcode! Click HERE to check out their meal options and don't forget to use my code: laurielivinlife for 25% off all of your meals!
In addition to my diet I added Goli Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies. If you struggle taking a shot of apple cider vinegar this is the way to do it. The gummies are so delicious! They helped me so much with cravings and bloating. Goli also helped aid in my weightloss goals.
BENEFITS:
Healthy Digestion
Supports healthy weight management
Helps Reduce Appetite
Support a healthy immune system
Healthy for your Heart
Supports Gut Health
You can use my code: "laurielivinlife" for a discount at checkout. Shop them HERE.
Final verdict of my HCG injections and customized diet? I lost 12 pounds in 20 days! In the past with diet and exercise alone I have not been able to lose weight and if I did it would be a few pounds over a month or more.
I am cycling off HCG injections for the month of July but restarting again in August to try and reach my goal weight. Overall my blood pressure is better, my joints feel better and I am starting to feel myself again.
I highly recommend reaching out to Virtue of Health if you are having similar issues like me. They have been such a great resource for information and I have finally gotten answers in every area of my health that I haven't been able to before.
Any questions on HCG or any of my health journey? Feel free to shoot me an email!
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