HCG DIET TROUBLESHOOTING
The use of HCG during dieting has been a subject of controversy and confusion. Many people do not
know what course of action to take when they perceive challenges on their diet plan. In addition,
Simeons’ Protocol adds to this confusion with the concept of weighing oneself and expecting to see a
loss of weight on the scale daily. When the scale is not cooperating, the patient assumes they are
doing something wrong and wants to take action.
Dr. Emma’s HCG Program is so unique, in that it doesn’t even encourage weighing one self. A scale is
simply weighing a combination of all bodily components including fat, muscle, bone, organs, water,
food, etc. In addition, the most common reason for the scale to stall during weight loss has to do with
water retention. During rapid weight loss, the body often loses its ability to perfectly balance water in
and out, and therefore will go through periods of retaining water, sometimes for days. Water is very
heavy. Imagine getting on the scale and then someone hands you a jug of water to hold in your hands.
You wouldn’t like the outcome on the scale, but it would have nothing to do with how much fat makes
up your specific body composition. In fact, fat doesn’t weigh that much compared to all the other
components. The best way to track progress (if you don’t have a high-tech body composition scale), is
to measure the waist once a week, and watch the fit of your clothing. Please remember, if you are
eating under 1000 calories, there is NO WAY you are not burning fat every single day!
Also, with HCG, fat is lost almost completely by itself. In other words, usual diets will result in a loss
of fat and muscle together, which causes the scale to drop a certain impressive number of pounds for
every size of clothing you drop. With HCG, however, this doesn’t happen. If you are dosed correctly
on HCG, you SHOULD NOT LOSE MUSCLE. Therefore, the scale SHOULD NOT DROP AS MUCH! But
your clothing size will drop FASTER because of the pure fat loss. Fat doesn’t weigh that much but it
takes up a lot of space. It’s no surprise that you may drop a clothing size before you’ve even lost 10
pounds. Each pound of fat holds 3500 calories. An average person, with the exception of a marathon
runner, would not be able to burn 3500 calories in a day. If you are losing a pound a day after your
first week on a diet, you are losing muscle too. (You lose more in the first week because when you are
not eating clean, your body is retaining water from inflammatory foods. You cleanse yourself of these
foods and excess water in the first week).
To help when you feel stuck, here is a troubleshooting algorithm:
STEP 1: DETERMINE IF A PERSON IS COMPLIANT ON THE DIET. There are two types of noncompliance. Intentional and unintentional. Someone may be aware that they have not been compliant
with the diet. They may also think they are compliant if they are “eating all the right foods”. However,
if they aren’t MEASURING AND WEIGHING, and recording everything to total their intake, they are
likely exceeding their dietary requirements for calories. The unintentional noncompliance is if
someone has misunderstood a portion of the diet plan, or has mistakenly been adding something that
they did not realize has markedly thrown off their calorie intake (such as a quarter of avocado for
250 calories).
Ask the patient to walk you through their day from wake up to bed, and ask them to either show you
their food log, or explain step by step what a typical day of consumption looks like. If it seems as though
they are following the diet largely as intended, then they are probably compliant. In addition, when
someone has cheated on the plan, keep it in perspective. A slice of pizza once in a 2 week period will not
prevent weight loss. However, a slice of pizza the day before a weigh in will likely have the patient
heavier due to water retention from sodium and flour.
RESULT: Noncompliance: recounsel on diet plan; Compliance: Go on to Step 2.
STEP 2: Assume the patient is retaining water since they are compliant on the diet. Ask a series of
questions to try to elicit the cause of water retention.
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(Menstruating females): Are you due for your menstrual cycle? (Even if the patient has an IUD
or an ablation, hormonal cycling still occurs and they can usually tell you if this was the
approximate time they would be menstruating. This can be responsible for up to 5 pounds of
water retention in extreme cases)
Are you constipated? This will cause increased weight from the matter in the intestines but also
from increasing quantities of water being drawn into the intestinal tract to facilitate a BM.
Are you ill? Patients who are ill, fighting infection, on antibiotics, or dealing with an injury are
often dealing with some bodily inflammation and water retention.
Did you exercise? Intense exercise will contribute to muscle inflammation and hence water
retention.
In times of extreme heat, with excess sweating, people will retain water reflexively.
Did you have alcohol? If yes, encourage copious amounts of water to flush the system and
alleviate water retention.
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Are you drinking too much? If patients overconsume water (which can be dangerous in
exorbitant amounts) their kidneys may not be able to filter rapidly enough and they will then
have a net gain of up to several pounds of water. The best way to elicit this is by asking if
they are constantly urinating (every 30 minutes or so). In this case, I have them cut back to 64
ounces (typical 8 glasses) per day for a day or so until they begin to urinate normally.
Are you drinking too little? Like a camel, humans will retain water reflexively if not
consuming enough water to hydrate and flush byproducts. Encourage at least 80-100
ounces, or half the patient’s weight in pounds, in ounces of water.
No known reason. Sometimes you may not be able to find a reason why the patient is
retaining water. Patients will also often ask if they should take a diuretic. I always say no. If a
person has normal functioning kidneys, they will correct their water balance all on their
own.
This is the time period I often refer to as “the staircase”. Usually beginning around week 3, a patient
won’t lose for a couple of days, and then the scale will drop. Then they don’t lose for a couple of days,
and then the scale will drop. It is of no consequence, and if you can properly reassure your patient
during this process that it is simply a water balance issue, and has nothing to do with the body fat,
they will continue on their journey without frustration. Continue to measure weekly to show the fat
loss. Of course, a scale with body fat percentage is of added value.
Lastly, don’t forget, that patients that are exercising will be building muscle more easily on the
hormone, and of course muscle weighs more than fat, so if they are building muscle during the diet
while losing fat, the scale may not move at all. I had a patient once that was the same weight for 2
weeks but dropped 3 pant sizes during that time. He was using the elliptical intensely 5 days per
week, and he was thrilled with his new chiseled physique. So of course, exercise is ok. It’s the scale
that is not ok because it discourages many for no logical reason. It’s not about “weight” loss, but
rather it’s about “fat” loss. Only HCG will produce a situation this unique.