next step... what hCG to purchase???

Now that I have given you ample time to hopefully have read the manuscript by Dr. Simeons (http://www.diyhcg.com/media/Dr-Simeons-Manuscript.pdf)... what is the next step?

The next step is to buy whatever form of hCG you will be taking.  There are so many different varieties out there.  I have had friends who did the hCG powder, the injections with a physician, the hCG homeopathic spray, and I have done the hCG drops.  I have a feeling there are probably other ways that they make the hCG formula as well, but these are all of the ones I have heard of. 

Now, you may be thinking what is the best one, and honestly there are so many out there now, it is hard to know which one is the best one.  If you have done the diet, feel free to write in your comments about which types of hCG you have taken and how they worked for you.  The first round we did starting on Super Bowl Sunday in January of 2010 we started with the 2 oz homeopathic drops made by diyhcg.com hcg-diet-drops... however, both my husband, Jared, and I ran out of drops by about day 34, so we didn't get the final few days of drops and potential weight loss we were hoping for, though I lost 27 pounds that round and my husband lost 50 pounds.  The second round that we did started on May 1, 2010 and we decided to try the 1 oz bottles of Mediral brand homeopathic drops (we bought 3 bottles each for a full round, which allowed for the full 40 days and room for error in counting the drops under the tongue) mediral-hcg-diet-drops.  We were able to get the 1 oz Mediral hCG detox drops at that time on e-bay, but e-bay has since banned selling hCG on their website.  Jared only ended up doing a half round in May of 2010 as that was all the weight he needed to lose (he lost that last 15 pounds fairly quickly), and I lost another 27 pounds.  At the end of that round, I didn't have a whole lot of weight left to lose, but I wanted to see how far down my body would let me go (the one thing about this diet is that it will not let you get too skinny, models have tried but this diet won't allow you to go down too far), so I started another round in September of 2010.  By the end of that round, I had gotten down to my very lowest weight and had lost an additional 16 pounds. 

After the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday, we had both gained a little weight back, so we did one more half round with the 1 oz Mediral hCG detox drops as well (2 bottles each to allow room for error, but most of the second bottle remained).  When telling others about the diet later in the spring, we then found out that Mediral had stopped making the drops altogether, so that particular brand of hCG has become much more difficult to find.  The potency of these drops is 6x, 12x, 30x, 60x, which is how many times the formula has been diluted.  There are several other brands out there that use this potency and several that use different potencies and sound like they will have great results without spending too much per bottle.  The following are just a few I found in a quick "Google" search...

directsupercenter.com has Natural Health Labs Homeopathic hCG 2 fl oz for $19.95 + shipping. 

http://www.ecrater.com/p/11218892/hcg-pharmaceutical-grade-weight-loss $15.98 for hCG Pharmaceutical Grade Weight Loss Drops 2 oz SEALED! FREE SHIPPING!

http://www.alternativehealthcompany.com/hcgfahcgdr6x.html 2 Oz Bottle of HCG Factory HCG Drops 6X,12X,30X,60X SINGLE REMEDY WEIGHT LOSS PLUS FREE GOURMET COOKBOOK & MORE for $38.95 plus shipping!

Whichever drops or hCG formula you choose to use, hopefully you find one that works perfectly for you.  If you have one that doesn't seem to be working, try a different one.  There is no way to be certain that it is the hCG formula either, as the way you eat is key to this diet, as well as NO or minimal exercise for the drops portion of the diet (either the first 21 days in a half round or the first 40 days in a full round).  Once you have purchased your drops, powder, or spray, you will want to purchase two very important books that will help you through the diet as well as maintain the weight after you have finished each round; 101 Worry-Free HCG Diet Recipes Book (Mennemeier & Prinster) hcg-weight-loss-cure-guide - this will help make the diet less bland and provide a grocery list so you will be prepared for the foods you are about to eat for the next couple of months; and Pocket Guide to the HCG Protocol (Prinster) pocket-guide-to-the-hcg-protocol - this will help in guiding you through the stages to come back off of the diet in knowing what foods to eat, when you can start eating them and how much is a recommended serving. 

As you will have found in Dr. Simeons manuscript, he has taken this to a pretty exact science on what foods are best to eat and best to avoid and what amounts of days to do the diet (21 or 40) and wean back off of the diet (3 weeks gradually adding back everything but starches and sugars and 3 weeks gradually adding back starches and sugars). 

Note:  If you are following the hCG diet with a physician, there will be different things to eat with each time you weigh as the physician will possibly change the diet weekly to meet the most potential weight loss for your body. 

The one website that I have found very helpful for this whole diet and a lot of questions that people ask me is www.diyhcg.com, but search out the web for other potential sources of hCG drops, powders, or sprays to your liking.  I know there are other hCG products out there that work too, so don't be afraid to give some other products a try.  I do know, however, that the drops offered by diyhcg.com really work to help lose the weight quickly and keep it off, but are more pricey than other places too... which is why I had gone to e-bay to buy my drops.  For those that have done this diet too, add a note to let anyone else reading this blog know what other products and companies are working and not working for you, that way we hear all sides... and can learn from others stories too!

Happy Hunting!

-Melinda