I'm on a Journey...

...a weight-loss journey. After my knee surgery last July, I wasn't able to continue my walking regimen for more months than anticipated. And in the family I come from, if you don't exercise you gain weight. So I found myself this spring with 15 extra pounds and a body mass index (BMI) of 25.5, just over the top end of "normal", which is 25. Not the end of the world, but certainly not where I wanted to be.

Fortunately a recent change of supplementation has my knee in much better shape. So I'm starting to walk again - a great blessing during this unexpectedly long sunny patch we've had this spring. That's enough to keep my weight stable, but what about those extra 15 pounds?

My naturopathic physician, Dr. Bob, recently lost 40 pounds within a relatively short time on an HCG-based diet/detox program. HCG is short for human chorionic gonadotrophin, a human hormone. If you research weight loss with HCG on the internet, you'll find lots of talk of HCG injections. I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to endure injections or play with the balance of my hormonal system for the sake of weight loss. Dr. Bob, however, achieved his detox and weight loss using a homeopathic version of HCG, and the results were equal to the injection version of the program.

I use homeopathic remedies in practice daily, and know that they are quite safe to use in the hands of a trained practitioner. There are plenty of people who can't wrap their mind around how homeopathy works, and the truth is we don't know why it works, just that - per several centuries of documented case evidence - it does. This is a topic for another day, but bottom line is that a homeopathic preparation, even of a hormone, won't potentially upset the balance of the hormonal system as injection of hormone would; it will only further balance it.

So I began the homeopathic version of this plan last Friday afternoon. The fun thing about this program is that before starting the managed part of the diet, you get to eat extra fat and carbs for a couple of days. So I satisfied my urge for ice cream, almond Amazake and a few other things that are otherwise very rare treats for me before settling down into the regimen. Even with those couple of days of yummy treats, I've now lost five pounds in six days - here's the best part - without feeling hungry. So far so good!

If I'm as successful as Dr. Bob, I'll be offering this program to you. I'll keep you posted.