Hey everyone, I'm new here.

I was diagnosed with chronic hypothyroidism about 5 years ago and weight has been a massive struggle with me most of my life. I workout like crazy and I know that underneath this fat is some killer muscles and a fit body. After doctors and endocrinologists, I went for another option at an internal doctor. He discovered that I had really bad adrenal fatigue. So many things made sense after that. I switched my thyroid meds to a natural hormone and added in adrenal herbal treatment. But he sent me home with this packet to read - Pounds & Inches by Dr. Simeon. He said after I read it and I'm interested, he'll send me to a clinic to get daily injections for 30 or 40 days. I have about 35-40lbs I've been struggling to loose.

Most of the booklet was confusing. A lot of medical jargon and whatnot. But I did get the basics understood. I was mostly unsure of what on earth this would cost me, how I can get through a 500 calorie diet, would there be loose skin issues and would the weight come back on after the treatment is over. I thought I would try my new medications for a month and see how it goes. It's a month later of following my docs diet plan, continuing my workouts and new meds. I've only lost 3 pounds. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to get a loss. I haven't lost weight in years. But 3 pounds still isn't enough results I want to see for someone brutally working out 7 days a week. I'm frustrated and have picked up the booklet again. Now I'm considering it. I've gone through worse diets, so maybe 500 calories a day for 40 days isn't so bad. I have the motivation and dedication.

I've seen through this forum that many people do their own injections. My doctor didn't say anything about that. He just said that I go to the clinic everyday. I'm squeamish when it comes to shots, so I can't imagine giving myself a shot. That kind of freaks me out. But now I'm worried this must be expensive! I'm definitely not living the life of luxury, by any means. I haven't decided on doing it yet, but I'm contemplating. I'm going to call the doc on Monday to see what's the next step and finding out the cost of it.

Is there anyone on Simeons' plan that has hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue? Did it effect you or your medications any? Since it's a rapid weight loss, did you have loose skin problems? Once you finished the plan, did you find your weight stayed off?

Thanks!

Hi Sharper, A lot of people who have weight problems are suffering from variations of a metabolic disorder where all the various involved glands are not cooperating correctly. Sometimes it evolves into a thyroid problems, with others it may manifest as diabetes, or metabolic syndrome x. That actually is a lot of what this diet is designed to fix. Simeons found that he could kick the metabolism over into behaving more normally using the HCG and this protocol.

I myself have been suffering increasingly from sugar control problems as I've gotten older. (This was no surprise to me as my mom, grandmother, and one sister all have adult onset diabetes.) Like you, I've done the gym, working out vigorously, cutting out sodas, and other garbage from my diet and just never lost weight past a certain point. (That point for me was 212 pounds.) I had all the signs of future obesity as a kid that Simeons talks about, like the chubby tendencies and the striations on the skin where I was putting on abnormal fat. As an adult this turned into extreme constant fatigue, inability to think clearly, problems sleeping, swelling feet, numbness and tingling in my feet and fingers, hot and cold flashes, migraines, constant sinus issues, decaying eyesight, constant upset stomach among other things. I was very sick.

I've been being treated by an alternative practitioner for quite a while, and he helped me quite a bit with my issues so I wasn't quite so sick, but many of my symptoms were always lurking nearby, never quite improving permanently. But with this diet, all of my symptoms have improved markedly. My feet no longer burn, and tingle and I can stand up for long periods. I sleep all through the night without issue. My body temperature doesn't swing madly from too hot to too cold. I no longer feel tired. Etc Etc. You are very likely to find that this protocol does something similar for you too, because it does a heck of a job of fixing the metabolic problems. I highly encourage you to give it a shot. You have no idea how much more you may get out of it beyond weight loss.

Welcome, sharper :) While I don't have any advice to give regarding adrenal fatigue or hypothyroidism, I would suggest going to the top of the page and do a search for Newcomer Information. It's a series of threads that will answer most of you general questions about the program. You'll see that people can do injections or sublingual drops. If you are concerned about cost know that a lot of people here do this themselves. The series of threads breaks the program down to where it's easy to understand and follow. Take some time to read these threads and I think it'll absolutely help you make a more informed decision. Or at least give you enough info to lob some smart questions at your doctor ::grin::

As for loose skin, I'm almost at the end of my first round of 40 days and I can't say I have any. I've lost 20 pounds so far and I'm less jiggly and more, um, compact (it's the only word I can think of) than I have ever been on any other diet I've done. Loose skin also has a lot to do with genetics and age, but I've heard lots of people say their skin eases back better on this than on other weight loss programs. I had that question too :) As for the 500 calories, it's not bad AT ALL. As long as your dose is correct, you shouldn't feel hungry at all. On the contrary, I have a lot of days where I feel like I can't possibly eat any more food and feel overly full.

Good luck with your decision. There's a lot of great information on this board. I hope you find what is best for you.

Welcome Sharper. I'm also new to the forum and new to this diet. That IS a good question for the veterans on this forum and especially your doctor. If he's recommend the diet I bet you will be OK.

I can tell you this diet is AWESOME. In my first week I have adequate energy and am never very hungry. I'm certainly less hungry than with other diets I've tried. I have had some dizzyness, but not enough to slow me down. Guys are supposed to lose faster than women and my losses have been excellent. I started on Monday and gained a total of 5.3 pounds during the two "LOADING" days. Since Wednesday, when the loading stopped, I've lost 9.1 pounds. That's everything I ate during those first two days and an extra 3.8 pounds of pure fat. You should be warned that the diet is very strict. The slightest deviation will slow or stop your losses, but with your workout discipline I bet you are determined enough to stick with the program.

Most people here appear to do injections. My doctor tested the sub-lingual drops, a nasal spray and a trans-dermal cream. He found the cream to be most functional. That is what I'm using. My cost was expensive (over $800), but it included a blood workup, mini-physical and weekly appointments to track my progress and receive advice from my doctor.

Good luck. I hope this information is helpful.

Oh and you really aren't hungry. The diet is EASY. it's the easiest thing I've ever done. You know it's a set time. the food is boring but so what?? It works!
Colleen