Give your system a boost for the New Year!
Many people go into the New Year a few pounds heavier after the holiday season, but with new resolve to improve their health, balance their weight, and shed those extra pounds that were there before the holidays ever began.
There are several options for addressing this. One option, and certainly a sensible one, is to increase exercise, cut back on the alcohol, reduce carbohydrate intake and focus on lean proteins and vegetables. Over time, that should certainly facilitate weight loss and set up good habits.
The HCG Boost
Another option for those who desire a “quick start”, is the HCG diet. The HCG diet has been around since the 60’s, and is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. In my experience, it is a good starting point for long-term healthy nutrition as it allows for lean proteins, veggies and fruits (no dairy, no gluten, no sugar), and it helps us to see that our current portion sizes are way out of control.
Another thing I like about the HCG diet is that it gets people away from sugars (and after a few weeks without sugar, it will lose its appeal and be easy to resist from that point forward), dairy and gluten. For this reason alone many people feel highly energized throughout the program – many way better than they did before they started.
The diet involves a daily dose of HCG (a hormone that women produce in pregnancy which, amongst other things, helps to mobilize fat stores to ensure sufficient energy for mom and baby), and a low-calorie diet. It lasts from twenty-three days to forty days, depending on desired weight loss. I have done the HCG diet and happily lost 17 pounds in 23 days, without feeling hungry or deprived at all. I walked daily and did light pilates, but did not maintain my usual running schedule during that time.
Will The Weight Stay Off?
Most people’s biggest concern is whether the weight will stay off. Most of us have done many crazy crash diets in the past, with no long-term benefit. HCG sets you up to maintain your weight loss with a three-week stabilization period of eating high calories and low carbs. That teaches your body to burn fat readily. After that, so long as reasonably healthy patterns are maintained, there is no rapid rebound weight gain. I would never support a crash diet, which only serves to slow the metabolism and promote rebound gain. Of course, if the long-term diet involves junk food, too much processed food, sugars, etc – then weight gain will inevitably occur. The HCG isn’t a magic cure … it’s a kick-start to long-term healthy nutrition and weight management.
Consider the HCG diet if you have 15lbs or more to lose, are committed to following a fairly strict protocol for 23 days, and are willing to maintain a healthy, whole-food diet over the long term.
Call us to schedule your appointment today – if you start before January 31st we will throw in a weekly B12 shot to further boost your energy and weight loss.