Black Weight Loss Success

The Official Blog of the Black Women Losing Weight Community. Tips, articles and weight loss resources for African American Women.

Join Our Email List:
We respect your email privacy
You are here: Home / Archives for injections

injections

Update: Kristin lost 112 pounds

by Leave a Comment

Update: Kristin lost 112 pounds.  We featured her success story back in Nov 2014 at 93 pounds gone.  Now she’s lost an additional 19 pounds and wrote in to share more information about her journey.

kristin before and after

 

I’ve lost 112 pounds altogether. I’ve been going to the gym 6 days a week.  My workouts consist of exercising on the elliptical cross trainer, doing 12o squats and also leg press. I believe that the gym is a must for overall health. I still take B12 and B6 injections. I can see major changes in my body and I feel amazing. I’m adding more exercise to my lifestyle and logging my calories with My Fitness Pal. Good luck to all on the weight loss journey I’ve gone from 278 pounds to 166 pounds.

Read more about Kristin’s weight loss journey in the first post we did about her…

Robin lost 43 pounds

by 3 Comments

Let’s show some love to Robin.  She lost 50 pounds with HCG injections from her doctor and a very low calorie diet.  Since then she gained a few pounds back and is learning to change her lifestyle for long term results. I think her story shows that short term diets can work, but in the long term you have to learn how to eat right and exercise to have lasting lifestyle change.  I thank Robin for sharing her story and being so open and honest.  I think that her story will truly help someone.  Read her story below:

Robin before and after

Note: I know that some people have problems with these plans, let me just say that up front.  However, for many people who are under the supervision of a doctor they can be a viable alternative to things like weight loss surgery and it can be an option for those suffering from serious health issues with medical supervision.

“In 2011, I went to the doctor because I was feeling just sick. Having had high blood pressure for many years, I just assumed that my pressure (as we say) was high. I had been hospitalized at least three times previously due to my hypertension. Of course, I have heard the stories and advice, like you need to eat less salty foods and exercise more. I usually would eat fast food everyday because I am not a cooker. I was drinking alcohol, not exercising and eating late at night. I always had an excuse not to go workout or do the right thing. I even hated walking to my mailbox. I am a natural people watcher. I look at a person’s style, fashion, and the way they move in their clothes. All the while I’m thinking, I wish I could look like that or feel as confident as they looked. The feeling of dread increased because I was turning the big 4-0 the next year. I was going to be 40 and fat. I weighed in at 226 lbs and was wearing 18-20 size clothes. I was also having problems sleeping, getting tired quickly,and just was not feeling as youthful as I wanted to feel. In my mind, I did not feel like I was 40. My body was telling me I was 40+.

After a lot of encouragement and trips to the doctor, I decided enough was enough. I was introduced to homeopathic doctor by my co-worker.  They have a masters degree in public health, is a holistic nutritionist and a health coach. The doctor suggested the HCG diet for me. At first, I was really skeptically, she promised if I worked hard on the program I would see the results. I promised I would give it my best. The program required me to give myself a shot of the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) manufactured drug every day and eat no more the 500 calories a day. I thought to myself, nope I am not going to make it. To make a long story short, I lost a total of 14lbs in the first week. At the end of the 6-week program I had lost a total of 50lbs. I went from a size 18/20 to a 10/12. I was so happy but I didn’t realize how the weight lost would affect me. The good part was my confidence in wearing the clothes I so desired to look great in went up, I was less tired, less stressed, and was think about food in a healthier way. The bad part was without support, I was unsure if I was going to be able to maintain it.

Today, I weight 183 pounds. No, it is not where I want to be. My goal is 165 pounds. However, I run 3 miles every day. I fight daily to make sure that I am doing the right thing. We all slip up on occasions. The HCG diet plan is not an excuse that I can use every time that I feel I need to loss fast weight. I have learned that it is up to me. I am still in a size 10 but believe me I battle with unhealthy habits. I am and will always remain a die heart FOODIE. I am now, however, watching what I put in my mouth and how much of it. I am an advocate for the HCG diet, for those like me who suffer from hypertension, borderline diabetic, and other health issues. I no longer need to take three blood pressure pills.  With the plan’s help, I avoided going on medicine for diabetes and I love to provide help to others. HCG helped but it is up to me to keep being the soldier to maintain my SEXY.”

The HCG Diet: What Is It and How Does It Work?

by Leave a Comment

HCG diet planHave you ever heard of HCG or the HCG diet?  It’s been one of the top diet crazes around in the last few years and some people swear by it.  Others think it could cause health issues or that it’s just a fad.  I thought that I’d give you some background info so that you can make your own choice.

What is HCG?  HCG, the abbreviation for human chorionic gonadotropin, is actually found in a woman’s urine during pregnancy. When this was discovered in 1927, it started the journey to the first modern pregnancy tests. To this day, pregnancy tests still use HCG as a determining factor for pregnancy.

But there was something else really interesting about HCG that was discovered as well. Apparently, the substance makes sure that developing fetuses get exactly what they need to grow, no matter what mom has been eating or how much mom eats. The HCG is produced early in the cycle. The fact that women gain weight in areas like the thighs, buttocks, and stomach is impacted by HCG. Once pregnant, these fatty areas make HCG and get it to the baby; that way, if a woman doesn’t get the food she needs during pregnancy, the fat in her body makes sure that the baby is fed properly. HCG levels peak at 14 weeks of pregnancy. It also helps with genital development within the womb as well.

So how in the world does this even relate to a diet and losing weight? About a decade later, a doctor was doing research on the use of HCG in boys who were having issues with hormone imbalance in adolescence. This doctor, A.T.W Simeons, noticed that these boys were losing weight by eating much less and without struggling with hunger. This made him have an interest in using HCG as a diet aid, and in the 1950’s he published a paper talking about its uses; he even developed a regimen to use alongside HCG injections.

Here’s what a typical 26 day cycle of the HCG diet looks like.

  • 23 of the days require daily HCG doses, either with drops or injections.
  • Calories are reduced to 500 calories per day after the third day of HCG doses.
  • Your diet needs to be high in protein, low in starches, carbohydrates, and high fat foods.
  • Diary, sugar, and alcohol are not permitted while on the HCG diet; if you “cheat” on the diet, you need to fast for 24 hours by drinking water and eating six apples, nothing more.

Sometimes, the HCG diet lasts up to 43 days (with 40 daily injections or drop doses), but the treatment will cease after a patient has lost 40 pounds before the agreed on time has passed. The last three days of the cycle are without injections so that the HCG is totally extracted from the body before a normal diet is started again. The diet can last no longer than 40 days, because there seems to be some sort of immunity to the drug that develops after that period of time.  So, basically, your body is able to deal with the super low calories because of the affects of the HCG.  Super low calories for 30-40 days…you lose weight (That’s in most cases.  Not a given or fact because each person is unique).

As you could imagine, there are a number of people who are opposed to the HCG diet for a number of different reasons. First off, the hormone can cause a number of different issues, including headaches, blood clots, constipation, depression, and breast enlargement. Women on the HCG diet have complained about feeling like they are pregnant (which seems like an obvious side effect, since it only occurs naturally during pregnancy). There are a number of issues that can come from that as well.

Another, obviously, dangerous part of the HCG diet is that ridiculously low calorie intake. 500 calories does almost nothing for your body. Even if you are trying to lose weight, it is recommended that you eat somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 calories a day minimum and 1,500 to 1800 minimum if your are exercising. 500 calories doesn’t even touch that. So obviously, you really don’t have the ability to do anything strenuous in terms of working out because you’ll have no energy to do it with. Another issue is that, after restricting your calories that much, you’re likely to gain weight back more quickly when you resume normal eating. Recently, I’ve seen more Homeopathic HCG plans with 1000 calories as the suggested calories per day, which is much better but still very low if you are exercising.

Ultimately, you have to weigh the pros and cons and make your own decision.

Note: The FDA has banned over the counter Real HCG products marketed as weight loss aids and they are illegal.  You shouldn’t be able to find much on the market with real HCG in it right now, therefore the herbs, ingredients, etc in these products varies.  You have to be very careful because you could be allergic to the ingredients or they could be harmful to you. The bottom-line is that the “HCG” drops or shots could be harmless for you but harmful for someone else and vice versa…like any diet pill or aid.  BE CAREFUL! If you decide to try a plan like this, talk with your doctor first.

Dr. Oz Show – Weight-Loss Controversy: HCG Diet, Pt 1.

Does the HCG diet work — and is it safe?

 

Sholonda has lost 47 pounds!

by 8 Comments

Much love to Sholonda who has gone from a size 28/30 to 21/20 since Aug! Like many of us, she has tried a number of different things including weight loss surgery and B-12 injections to lose weight and now she’s found a regime that works for her.

Sholonda weight loss

She says,
Hello Everyone,  My name is Sholonda P. and I am 39 years old and I live in Chicago, IL. I was recommended by a friend to come to this page and tell my story. I have always been heavy since a child. I have been up and down on yo-yo diets all the time as well as even going as far as getting a lap band and then having it removed. Just recently I had made up my mind that I wanted to lose weight and do it the right way, naturally. On July 26, 2012 I started my new goal of losing weight and as of today I have lost a total of 47lbs. I started drinking more water than I usually did. I started getting B-12 injections weekly or bi-weekly to help with my energy and boost my metabolism and help break down the fat cells. Even if I don’t get the injections I buy the B-12 pills at the store. I also do water aerobics 4-5 times a week. Because the water aerobics work all parts of your body and muscles that you have not used in a longtime and makes you feel good also, especially if you are not a person that likes to walk or exercise, the water aerobics really work. I just really made a decision to change so I changed my diet, I stopped eating bread, potatoes & junk food, pop, fried foods and some beef meat and no pork. I now eat baked foods without the skin. It was hard at first, but I am doing it and everyday it gets a little easier, as long as you have determination and want to do it. I eat what I want, but I have cut my portions down and eat more salads and fruits. I also watch my calorie intake. It is true you should eat breakfast because it helps you out a lot and helps you to not over eat later, so if I don’t cook breakfast I will drink a protein drink and eat some fruit and that holds you over until lunch. I really like eating salads with a grilled chicken breast and the fat free dressing, so far this is what I have been doing. Just take your time and DON’T GET FRUSTRATED & DON’T GIVE UP, if you mess up one day, just go back after it until you get it right. Make it one of your short term goals and give it a certain time when you want to complete it by and that works too. I have went from a 28-30 to a 21-22 and I feel great and most importantly, I LOVE ME, NO MATTER HOW I AM. I still have some ways to go to where i want to be by June 2013 for my 10th year Renewing of my Wedding Vows.