Hormone Controlled Grodski (HCG) Diet & Weight Loss Program

Hormone Controlled Grodski (HCG) Diet & Weight Loss Program

The first thing you may wonder about is what’s so special about this diet?

Actually there are four very special qualities:

1. This program is 100% medically supervised;
2. This program is based on the most recent advances in evidence based bariatric medical research (the branch of medicine that studies the causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity), as described in Dr. James Fung’s Obesity Code: namely, that obesity is caused by a body set weight that is too high because of a hormonal imbalance of the two hormones which cause weight gain: insulin & cortisol.
3. The program provides a balance between rapid weight loss, with practical longer term successful maintenance, through the principle of alternating days of intermittent fasting, and makes the introduction of Dr. Fung’s low carb dietary approach and intermittent fasting, easy and more successful to adapt to, through the use of individualized hormonal support for appetite, hunger, cravings and fat metabolism; and lastly,
   
4.  The program has been running the longest of any similar program in BC.

Since we began offering the weight loss program in 2009, we have gained an invaluable amount of experience over the years with the thousands of patients who have been through our clinic.

And in doing so, we feel that we’ve improved upon the central benefits of the hCG Diet, namely addressing leptin resistance and metabolic dysregulation, appetite regulation and muscle mass preservation, all while losing weight seamlessly, efficiently and consistently.

While we began with Dr. Simeon’s Pounds and Inches 500 calorie hormone controlled diet program initially, over the years we have explored and tried all of its more modern variations, which have taken some of the advances in nutritional science since the 1954 publication into consideration. Needless to say, we’ve learned a lot regarding carbohydrates, proteins, good fats and bad fats, not to mention metabolism and weight loss, since Dr. Simeon came up with his recommended diet plan in 1954.

As such, our program adopted many of the principles shared by the following programs: the Atkins diet, Bernstein’s Diabetes diet, the Fat Resistance diet, Paleo diet, Ketogenic diet, Neanderthin, Fat Flush plan, Protein Power diet, Dr. Rosedale’s diet, the Schwarzbein diet, Dr. Mark Hyman’s UltraMetabolism diet, and Dr. Natasha Turner’s Hormone Diet.

See Dr. Oz’s recent show on Simeon’s Diet in which he lent his support and expressed his excitement about this novel approach to weight loss:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/weight-loss-controversy-hcg-diet-pt-5

Yet we still found that while many lost weight quickly and effectively, others struggled, or found that their weight loss slowed over time, or that they found themselves struggling afterwards to keep it off. Basically, following a consistent low calorie, low carb diet did not work for everyone, as the body adapted metabolically to burn fewer calories the longer the individual was on the reduced calorie diet. Sound familiar?

As a result, we have since implemented an alternating day diet plan that cycles between a more moderate calorie, low carb day and an intermittent fasting day of 1-2 small meals. This approach, encourages not only the efficiency of a low carb dietary approach even further, by deepening nutritional ketosis through intermittent fasting, but ALSO prevents the eventual metabolic adaptation to a consistent low calorie diet that affects most dieters at some point in their weight loss journey. And all this while being supported individually to minimize the obstacles of hunger, cravings, insulin insensitivity, high stress, and slow metabolisms.

The Hormone Controlled Grodski (HCG) Weight Loss Program combines a low carb / ketogenic diet, with intermittent fasting, and the benefits of hormonal control on appetite and fat metabolism. We have had thousands of patients come through our clinic from the Lower Mainland, including: White Rock, Surrey, Langley, Delta, Vancouver, Abbotsford, Aldergrove, Chilliwack, Blaine, and Bellingham, for the opportunity to pursue a medically supervised weight loss program.

The Program includes:

• Weight Loss!
• Motivation, Support, & Guidance
• Experience! We’ve provided the program since 2009; the longest running of any weight loss clinic in BC

• Initial 1 hr Intake, medical history review & functional medicine workup
• Comprehensive Medical Supervision, and Naturopathic Dietary Counseling
• A 6 week weight loss program
• Weekly Follow-up Visits
• Body Composition Assessment (Weekly) to ensure proper hydration, muscle mass preservation, and adequate fat % loss
• Individualized hormonal therapy to support appetite suppression, weight loss, fat metabolism, energy and muscle mass (Injections included)
• Individualized oral supplementation ($80 value) to support progress and ensure safe and comfortable weight loss (including oral vitamins, minerals and herbs for encouraging fat and blood sugar metabolis)
• Weekly B vitamin and Slim Shot injections for supporting fat metabolism and minimizing insulin insensitivity
• Diet Manual outlining the principles and key points of the most successful diets available
• Diet Cookbook & Recipes
• Maintenance Mealplan that is individualized according to the ratio of macros (carbs/protein/fat) that are optimal for an individual’s goals & metabolism

A hormone controlled approach to weight loss means that one’s metabolism is re-set in one’s favor; insulin & cortisol are both reduced, allowing for weight loss to occur. Instead of holding you back, your metabolism is instead re-balanced and regulated, improving energy and muscle tone, eliminating food cravings and emotional eating patterns.

While results can vary based on individual’s program compliance, patients routinely comment about how good they feel, how excited they are to be losing weight, and how loose their clothing is fitting.

In combining the holistic approach of naturopathic medicine with the advances of weight loss medicine, the program begins with an individualized approach to overall hormonal and digestive health. There is a focus on establishing healthy habits, both in terms of sleep, exercise, and managing the effect of stress and inflammation on one’s health and metabolism. This is a unique individualized approach to weight loss based on functional medicine. Insulin and leptin resistance are taken into consideration, along with inflammation, detoxification, hormones and overall metabolic health; all the aspects that have defined individual diets are conveniently combined in one program, with a focus on supporting a healthy metabolism life long.

Your initial visit involves a complete naturopathic intake, including weigh in, measuring body dimensions and reviewing baseline lab tests, both to address any health concerns, and to ensure a healthy experience of the program.

In the initial intake, our focus is on assessing your overall health – hormones (thyroid, adrenal, sex hormones), mood and brain function (neurotransmitters), as well as digestion, sleep, stress management, and what your diet and health has been like up until now. We will go over your diet and assess what factors may have contributed to your current state of health and weight, with the goal of educating you to have the skills necessary to take charge and control of your health!

Supplements, herbs or medications may be recommended as necessary in order to support, detoxify, and restore functional metabolic health, digestion, sleep, stress management, and overall well-being. Exercise routines may also be discussed as needed.

Hormone Controlled Grodski (HCG) Diet

Our program is based on a low carb / ketogenic diet combining alternating days of moderate caloric intake, with intermittent fasting days (comprised of 1-2 small meals). The intermittent fasting days effectively drop one’s insulin levels allowing for rapid and efficient weight loss, while the moderate calorie low carb days keep one’s basal metabolic rate (BMR) running at maximum capacity encouraging ultimately faster weight loss, and more successful weight loss maintenance and the body’s adaptation to a new weight set-point, that will be much easier to maintain than would be possible otherwise. This dietary approach is the most advanced approach ever developed according to bariatric medical research – as described in Dr. Jason Fung’s book Obesity Code.

The adoption of a low carb diet however proves to be challenging for most people due to the effect of current epidemic levels of stress and poor blood sugar control on our health, which both lead to food cravings, rampant hunger and poor blood sugar control (low blood sugar or hypoglycemia) for most individuals who attempt a low carb diet on their own. Not to mention the hurdle of years of being over-weight, which further lessens our insulin sensitivity. Previous low calorie diet attempts have likely further hampered one’s metabolism. As a result, while well designed, Dr. Fung’s dietary approach can prove challenging for most individuals attempting on their own without professional supervision or support for hunger, cravings, a slow metabolism, and insulin insensitivity. Our program makes use of individualized hormonal therapy to minimize hunger, support energy, protect muscle mass, and encourage weight loss via accessing fat stores and enhancing fat metabolism.

Our standard program runs 6 weeks long to start; shorter programs are available on request. Additional weight loss treatments and approaches common to other weight loss regimen’s are used in a supportive manner during this phase as well; including, vitamin and amino acid injections, IV therapies, mesotherapy, botanicals, chinese medicine, etc.

The individualized hormonal therapy directs the body to use its own fat stores as a source of calories via the hypothalamus. As a result, one’s hormonal metabolic programming is reset enabling you to burn fat. A key discovery was made in 1994 regarding the hormone leptin and its ability to burn fat. A clinical study published in the Journal Of Endocrinology (Aug 2007), found that the therapy “significantly stimulates the secretion of the pro-adipogenic factor, leptin, from human adipose tissue.” As leptin and insulin are at the core of how humans store and burn fat, the therapy is able to directly target fat burning.