Overview- It needs to be understood that this is a very alternative treatment for obtaining weight loss. Although it has been used for decades by an elite few for decades it is not accepted by the FDA. I feel that the potential benefits of this treatment are great for some people including myself- see pictures above and I am still working on it for more. There is an inherent risk in treatments that are not proven to the FDA’s satisfaction that anyone who wishes to do this program must be willing to accept .

Here is what it is about. We have superficial fat and visceral fat. Visceral fat is the stuff in the middle that doesn’t want to go away and produces hormones which is mostly responsible for the high cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. If you think of it like bank accounts superficial fat is like a checking account, you can deposit and withdraw and its used every day,,, visceral fat is like a CD which takes a big chunk of your paycheck each day and you cannot withdraw from it , it just grows bigger,, plus it puts out hormones as it is designed for famine,, so it puts out hormones that make you respond to your senses for food (smell of food, seeing it on commercials or in front of you) and drives you to “devour the wildebeast”,,, slows up your metabolic rate so you can store more visceral fat for the famine. One point in our lifecycle that changes, which is in pregnancy. Dr Simeons , an endocrinologist in Italy around 40 yrs or so ago came up with if we inject HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadatropin- which is a pregnancy hormone we use to identify if people are pregnant but does not interfere with Estrogen, Progesterone, or Testosterone) into people (men or women) along with a VERY,VERY specific and restrictive diet that on average people will lose approximately 1 lb a day of mostly visceral fat. If you were to do this without the hcg you would of course lose weight, but you would lose water, then muscle, then superficial fat, then weeks later visceral fat and when you were done you would have a disproportionate amount of visceral fat and it would kick in to what its designed to do. Which is why we see so many people lose good weight then gain on more pretty quickly. If you eat a reasonable diet afterward you should be able to keep it off.

There is some reading that I require to be entered into the program. You must read from Dr. Simeons manuscript the original protocol, it will include the theory about it as well as his experience with potential risks and his experiences with it. You can find it at http://www.hcgdietinfo.com/Dr-ATW-Simeons-Pounds-and-Inches.htm.

There are other readings which I would recommend – “The Weight Loss Cure They Don’t Want you to Know About” by Kevin Trudeau- which I had bought from Borders. Another is my journal on my personal experience with it for the first two rounds, which if you have not received it yet from me, email me for the most current since I update it as I go through the program.

The program involves shots of HCG that you will give yourself in the muscle in the thigh daily from at least 3wks to 45 days or possibly beyond (per the protocol from Dr Simeon he would go to just day 40 , but others have gone to day 45, and yet others that are using fresh solution each 1 to 2 wks are finding it doesn’t plateau) . It involves a very strict diet which deviation from it even if it seems logical may deter from the results you are expecting. Average weight loss is 1 lb per day and most effective for men or postmenopausal women. Please look at the above references for more information. I have started doing it with fresh solution each wk that we prefill the syringes with the premise that it wont plateau as easily and you can continue until you get to your goal or until its plateauing.

Cost- The cost as follows- Using this new way that we are doing it will cost $100 a wk. If you wish to do it the way we used to do it- for the first 23 days (which minimal length is 23 days) is $400. For the second half of the first round (if necessary)- day 23 to 40 or 45 is another $400. If you need to go subsequent rounds it will be the same price. The price includes the vials of HCG, syringes, body fat analysis at the beginning, around day 21 and end of the program(if over 23 days) and an evaluation by Dr. Schindler. If you are doing the weekly plan it would include the body fat analysis each time you pick up solution. You will want to bring with you a small cooler each time for the solution to keep cool while you transport it.

All patients are required prior to initiating the program to have had a complete physical exam within 6mo of the program, if you have not we can schedule one with Dr. Schindler and will be charged in the usual manner.

If people wish to have hypnosis to augment the program or the maintenance of the program it will be offered at half the usual cost- $60 for the first visit and $30 for the second ( as opposed to $120 and $60 respectively).

Being this is an alternative treatment it is not a covered benefit on insurance and will not be billed through insurances. It must be paid prior to receiving the hcg vials or syringes.

Dr. Schindler’s office Protocol- The first visit will be reviewing the physical exam or performing the physical exam and explaining the protocol for those who qualify for it. We will get the initial weight on our scale and a body fat analysis. We will review goals and obstacles. This will be scheduled for an hour if a physical exam needs to be performed or 30 min if not. It will be expected that the required reading will have been done before that visit. You will be shown how to do the injections. You should make sure you have a good scale at home, I bought one of the weight watcher scales at Bed Bath and Beyond that also did the fat analysis as well, I understand it is available at Costco as well. You will need to sign a consent form being that there may be some unknown risks for this procedure.

You should weigh and record it each morning , first thing after you use the bathroom when you wake up. If you have Microsoft Excel I can make you a spreadsheet you can track it on and you can email me it each day. I require an email each day while on the protocol of how you are doing with this- including your honest diet, any exercise which its recommended at least walking 30-60min a day, and your weights. Here is an example of how I would like the format to be on the email to make it easier for me to help you.

Example:

“Day 3 hcg

Diet- 3.5 oz flounder, 1cup spinach, 1 apple for breakfast, 3.5 oz chicken , 1 cup green beans, half a grapefruit for dinner

Exercise – 30 min treadmill

Wt- looking good !

day#hcg	Date	Wt	Body Fat	%Body fat	%water	Bone D	wt loss	wt loss/D
1	10/15/2008	198.4					0	0
2	10/16/2008	196.9					1.5	-1.5
3	10/17/2008	194.3					4.1	-2.6

Take care,

David”

Where the table is copied and pasted into the email from the cells up to that date on the spreadsheet I give you. You can download the excel template here - hcg wt template

You will be giving yourself 20 Units of HCG injected into the thigh muscle each morning.

If you are using the old way, once you have initially added the 10cc of sterile water to it to make the solution it must remain in the refrigerator at all times, out for less than a few minutes to draw it up and then return immediately into the refrigerator. Failure to do this may make it less effective. When you draw it out, you will take the syringes provided, use rubbing alcohol swabs (which you can purchase at any drug store) wipe the top of the bottle, then insert the needle into the middle of the rubber on top of the vial. Then withdraw 20 units (usually I withdraw more then push the excess air and solution back into the bottle). Some people will inject 20 units of air in the vial first, it may be a misguided belief but I think sometimes its better not to do this so the solution has less air to interact with. Then return the vial to the refrigerator, use the rubbing alcohol to wipe off a small spot on the thigh in the front and about the middle (never on the inside thigh near the groin), pull back a tiny bit on the plunger to make sure you are not in a blood vessel, then inject the solution into your thigh. Count to 10 then withdraw the needle and apply cotton to it with a little pressure so it will not bleed. Then dispose of the needle properly (recap very carefully and put in a jar or can or in a sharps container).

Day 1 and 2- you will give yourself your injection as stated above. Then for your diet for the first two days only you need to gorge yourself with good healthy (preferably organic) food until full. It is very important that you do this even though it sounds counter productive. It helps set your body for the rest of the program. You will find you actually will not be gaining a lot of weight during those two days. You need to avoid sugars and alcohols but otherwise eat a lot of healthy food. Drink lots of water.

The rest of the days that you give your injections and the following 3 days after the injections you must eat the strict diet below.

The protocol diet I have been using is twice a day - 3.5 oz of lean meats ( skinless chicken breast, lean beef such as sirloin, buffalo, veal, fresh caught wild white fish such as halibut, Chilean sea bass, sole, flounder, cod, tilapia, shellfish), 1 cup of veggies- (spinach, asparagus, green beans, cabbage, cucumbers, red radishes, onions, chard, celery, tomatoes, lettuce, or fennel) and then 1 fruit (apple, grapefruit, strawberries). Keep in mind the above is twice a day or a total of 7 oz of lean meats, 2 cups vegetables and 2 fruits total in the day. You can use seasoning but avoid oils, butters, dressings. I have been using all organic or free range /wild caught products to cut down on chemicals. It is best to grill, steam or eat raw. If you need to stir fry use the least amount of olive oil- like preferably just the spray and very lightly. You can change around the timing of when you eat , however you need to eat exactly that amount each day- not more and not less. Be careful when substituting. I cannot stress this enough. I thought I could tweak it and change things but the difference between an apple and a pear is the difference between losing for me 2 or 3 lbs in a day vs not losing any. It is well worth it to be very, very disciplined during this phase. It must also be continued for 3 days after you are done with your injections.

Here is a resource for recipes on the diet- although I would probably keep the melba toasts ones down to a minimum. He added it in his original protocol for those who absolutely needed crunch. http://www.hcgrecipes.com/HCG-ebook-preview.pdf

Another resource is that Shelly has prepared meals from the above recipe book for those people who do not have the time and would prefer to pay someone for that service. You can reach her at shelly.gibbish@yahoo.com

If you read Trudeau’s book you will see many other recommendations- like not using a microwave, supplements, etc. I am open to that but will not require it. I believe in general the least amount of foreign chemicals we put in our body is better, however in some time crunches I did microwave my meals.

Water is very important as well. You should drink half a gallon to a gallon of water a day,,,, preferably filtered or spring water without the chemicals.

No creams, lotions, or moisturizers or anything else should be put on your skin. Very little organic moisturizer may be applied only as a spot treatment for severely dry facial skin or hands. Mineral powder makeup may be used. Eyeliner, mascara and lipstick are acceptable.

Try to exercise each day, does not need to be intense but should at least walk for 30-60 min or equivalent.

Discontinue any oil based supplements like vit e, fish oil, or flax seed oil. Otherwise can continue supplements and should continue medications as prescribed unless you discuss it with me. We will discuss that at the beginning of the program for you and some who have things like diabetes you will need to monitor it more. I was getting a few Meyers cocktails while on the program which I felt help and continued my vit C. Please feel free to discuss that with me. I will provide Meyers cocktails during the program for $25 instead of $55.

For those who are women having their periods still it is cautioned that your results may not be as good as mens . Start the injection within a week of the last day of your menstrual period. If you get your period during the injections phase you must stop the injections during your period . By continuing the injection it can cause more serious bleeding. You can resume the injections one you notice only a small amount of spotting. You should continue your diet during your period even though you are not taking the injections. You must also use other forms of contraception such as condoms plus spermicidal jelly or foam.

Once you are finished with the protocol you should probably eat healthy food but not on a very restricted calorie diet any longer as that would be counterproductive. You should still avoid sugars, very fatty meats, or heavy starches. Basically eat a healthy diet.