HCG AND THE "SARASOTA DIET" Day 18, So Are You Overweight Because You're Not Sleeping Enough? ROBERT G CARLSON, MD,FACS

Day 18: 216.4

Got up early this morning and ran 5 miles. Had my coffee before I left, but waited to get home before I drank my chocolate whey milkshake. I am experiencing no significant sweet craving and feel confident I can complete this 28 day cycle, and you should feel like you can as well. Over the course of the day I ate a bag of almonds and focused on drinking at least 100 ounces of water today. For lunch had a ceasar salad with chicken in it. A big salad and without the croutons there was only about 4 grams of carbohydrates. I had some more bay scallops and a mixture of Romano and Parmesan cheese melted over it. After reading this segment though i think I will try to go to sleep a little earlier and take my progesterone ( will talk about this later in another blog).

So Are You Overweight Because You're Not Sleeping Enough?

I wanted to review different reasons why we may not lose the anticipated weight we want to lose. It may not be our fault. And, reasons once identified, may catapult you into successful weight loss, not only achieving your goals but maintaining the weight loss you have achieved . Everyone knows the importance of exercise and how it helps us with weight loss, but on some days don't you just wish you could have stayed in bed sleeping and lose weight at the same time?

Well, maybe you can. Because sleep is actually a critical part of your weight loss program!

This is a little-known fact, but did you know that sleep can affect your weight? Rather, it's the lack of sleep that can make you put on unnecessary weight. One may actually lose more weight if only they were to sleep more every day. Rather intriguing thought, but the facts are in and sleep is critical to weight loss....

Unfortunately this sleep deprivation had a greater impact on obese individuals and older adults. Research has also shown that sleep restriction might have worse effects in women than in men as well. So individuals that may be more severely affected by sleep deprivation are: (1) obese individuals, (2) older adults, and (3) women. More to follow.......

HCG AND THE "SARASOTA DIET" DAY 7. WHAT IS KETOSIS ? ROBERT G CARLSON, MD,FACS

HCG AND THE "SARASOTA DIET" DAY 7. WHAT IS KETOSIS ? ROBERT G CARLSON, MD,FACS

HCG AND THE "SARASOTA DIET" DAY 7. WHAT IS KETOSIS? ROBERT G CARLSON, MD,FACS

DAY 7: 219.

My weight loss, although steady, has been a bit slower than I anticipated. I wanted to confirm I wasn't getting any extra sugar from other sources, like maybe a dressing on the Cobb salad I enjoyed. Checking for ketosis, means using a urine dip stick to measure how much ketones are in your urine. The more ketones, the more fat you are burning. If you were to cheat and consume more than the 20 grams carbohydrate, your body would move out of the fat burning mode for a day or so and consume those sugars you had eaten. That will slow the weight loss process down.
Fortunately I remain in moderate ketosis, so keep on with the low carb veggies and meats.

I wanted to recount a story about a group of four men who were all at least 50-100 lbs overweight. Eating 500 calories with the standard HCG was NOT an option. So I told them for breakfast eat eggs and bacon, and for lunch, and for dinner to go to a place like Sonny's real pit BBQ. Only eat the meat, no fries, cole slaw, or BBQ sauce. And they have all different types of meat to choose from. After doing this for a month, 3 of the four guys lost over 20 pounds in the month, and they felt great. The fourth actually gained 5 pounds. After "grilling" him on his menu selection at the BBQ pit, we uncovered that he had been drinking three or four ice teas with each meal....sweet tea! So you have to be careful when you go out. Best bet is to drink a whole bunch of water, although I don't think one beer a night ( low carb) would significantly slow the process of weight loss.

WHY DO I CHECK FOR KETONES IN MY URINE AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN? In the absence of adequate available stores of carbohydrates, our body turns to fat for its primary energy source. And that’s good! The reason this occurs is because our body will release insulin when we eat carbohydrates. Insulin is the primary mechanism by which fat is escorted into the cells, and it is virtually impossible for your body to use fat as fuel in the presence of insulin. In fact in the face of excessive stress, our elevated insulin levels will convert excess sugar in our blood stream into fat, which is then forced inside your belly as visceral fat (that’s the bad stuff that causes heart disease and diabetes). Low carbohydrate diets carefully control insulin by limiting its release. Since your body almost always turns to carbohydrates as its primary source of energy, in their absence your body will instead turn to fat as fuel, and the small amount of the insulin present allows your body to burn stored fat as fuel. This is known as being in ketosis, a term which your body is now burning fat, not carbohydrates for fuel. Now that’s really good for fat loss. So it is the presence of ketosis and lowered insulin levels which are some of the reasons the low carbohydrate diet really works.

HCG AND THE "SARASOTA DIET" DAY 5. ROBERT G CARLSON, MD,FACS

HCG AND THE "SARASOTA DIET" DAY 5

weight 220.6

I continued to feel good and today I went for a five mile run. Previously running over 30 marathons. I know what "hitting the wall" was like. On previous attempts at the Atkins diet, I recall experiencing the feeling of "hitting the wall" when i ran more than 5 miles. Exercise is critical to achieving your weight loss goals, and when you restrict your carbohydrate intake, and exercise, your body is forced to burn fat for its energy source. That's really good for losing weight, but also for losing that persistent belly fat. I found that using the HCG, and eating less than 20 grams of carbohydrates, I didn't experience the fatigue when running 6 miles. So time to increase my mileage and enjoy a nice long run.
Today for breakfast I drank 12 ounces of chocolate flavored whey milk shake and for a midday snack repeated that with a large portion of whip cream...no carbs. For lunch. I had three of the roll-ups with turkey and Gouda cheese. For dinner I had my favorite salad with Romaine lettuce, green olives, cheddar cheese and a few slices of cucumber, cover with blue cheese dressing.

OBESITY

In the first two hours after a meal, blood glucose and insulin levels rise higher after a high glycemic load meal than they do after a low-glycemic load meal containing equal calories. However, in response to the excess insulin secretion, blood glucose levels drop lower over the next few hours after a high-glycemic load meal than they do after a low-glycemic load meal. This may explain why 15 out of 16 published studies found that the consumption of low glycemic index foods delayed the return of hunger, decreased subsequent food intake, and increased satiety (feeling full) when compared to high-glycemic index foods. Although long-term randomized controlled trials of low-glycemic load diets in the treatment of obesity are lacking, the results of short-term studies on appetite regulation and weight-loss suggest that low glycemic-load diets may be useful in promoting long-term weight-loss and decreasing the prevalence of obesity.

LOW GLYCEMIC

INDEX FOODS:

Less Than 20

Broccoli 15

Celery 15

Cucumber 15

Green beans 15

Lettuce, all varieties 15

Spinach 15

Tomatoes 15

HCG AND THE "SARASOTA DIET" Questions and Answers ROBERT G CARLSON, MD,FACS

HCG Q & A:

What is HCG?

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) hormone is a substance that occurs naturally in pregnant women. The HCG has the effect of releasing abnormal stored fat primarily from the abdomen, buttocks, and thighs, while preserving structural fat as in the face and skin.

Can it be harmful?

No. During pregnancy it is produced daily in a quantity hundreds of thousands of times the amount used for the treatment of obesity, yet it harms neither the mother, nor the child.

How does HCG work?

When Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) is used alone, injections of the HCG are provided seven days a week in combination with low carbohydrate or low calorie diet. Recently there is a Oral disintegrating HCG preparation that may provide an option for those not wanting to do injections. However I feel the injection approach achieves far superior results.

Can both men and women take HCG?

Yes. It has been used with equally good results in both.

How does the HCG diet work?

During pregnancy, Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) is believed to help insure that the fetus will have access to its mother’s stored fat supply, regardless of the amount of food she ingests. After birth, the HCG ensures the newborn will receive nutrition for the first 72 hours if not getting proper nutrition. In overweight people, HCG seems to work by the same method - namely making available permanently stored supplies of fat, as well as making it possible to adhere to the low calorie diet.

Will it affect my appearance?

Because Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) does protect the structural fat, wrinkles, if any, will be dramatically reduced. The treatment does not deplete the subcutaneous or other essential fat; therefore the face retains its freshness and natural appearance. Double chins, protruding stomachs and fat around the thighs should be the first to go. Stretching of the skin generally causes stretch marks. This can occur with weight gain, not weight loss.

Has this method been used before?

Yes. When first reported in the Medical Journal Lancet in November of 1954, it had been used in thousands of cases. Since then it has been used in many more.

What will I feel after the injections?

Usually a loss of appetite occurs and patients notice that the severe compulsive hunger disappears completely.

How long can I take the HCG?

Approaches involve programs going from 21 days to 42 days but after 40 injections, the effectiveness diminishes due to the body's ability to develop temporary immunity to the HCG. However, if necessary, subsequent courses of injections can be resumed after a Metabolic Recovery (Phase II). In some instances, 4 or more courses have been given with continued effectiveness if the Metabolic Recovery (Phase II) interval has been allowed between them.

Will I gain back the weight when I stop the HCG?

Some degree of moderation in eating will be necessary because of the tendency to gain weight after ANY type of weight loss program. However, a stabilizing program that includes counseling on lifestyle should be a part of any Weight Loss program. Stability of the normal weight is relatively easy because the weight loss has been from storage fat and not from structural fat.

What happens if an injection is missed?

This merely delays the total effectiveness of the program.

Besides fat loss, are there any other actions or side effects?

Yes, there seems to be some stimulation to the generative system. Premenstrual difficulties may be relieved. Abnormal loss of head hair in obese individuals may cease. Brittle fingernails may become normal and professional singers may note an improvement in their voices. Blood pressure tends to normalize, cholesterol readings become normal, and arthritis symptoms are lessened. No adverse reactions to the injections have been experienced.

Is HCG approved by the FDA?

HCG is approved by the FDA for various medical conditions. However, it has not been specifically determined by the FDA to be effective for weight loss. That being said, several studies have been done with conclusions of its positive effects for weight loss. One study in 1954 that was published in The Lancet, was done by world renowned A. T. W. Simeons, M.D. This data is part of the basis of the Advanced HCG Weight Loss program. Another study presented by Dr. Daniel Belluscio, also concluded HCG was effective for weight loss under specific conditions.

*The Food and Drug Administration Has Labeled HCG as Not Being Effective in the Treatment of Obesity.