What brought me here to hCG....

I wanted to take some time and give a background of me and my weight so anyone reading this will have a better idea of where I am and where I started.

I have always struggled with weight, or at least the perception of weight. As a teen, I developed quicker than anyone else so even though I wasn't really overweight, in my mind, I was.

I yo-yoed for decades! At 48, almost hitting the 200 mark on the scale, I was filled with despair and frustration. I had tried almost every diet known to mankind. I never went for the pre-packaged meal diets but the other ones, I tried.

In the 90's, I did "Quick weight loss" and did very well AND kept it off for several years. Then it crept back on without my being aware.

In the late 90's, I did the Body Ecology Diet and felt wonderful, energetic, and maintained my weight at 132.

Then my DH showed up. I quit food-combining and the weight came back slowly but surely and I hit 171. At that weight, I was diagnosed with a ovarian tumor. So I had a complete hysterectomy. The benign tumor was 9 pounds. After surgery I weighed about 165 but during recooperation, I gained back up to 171. I didn't really worry because I still had a waistline, was happy and just lived.

That was 3 years ago. I didn't go on HRT because of breast cancer in my family so my body began to store fat to produce some estrogen (this is my theory, LOL). I kept adding weight and eventually lost my waist-line. At this time, I also started sculpting polymer clay figurative art and sat on my bum... ALL THE TIME!!! So guess where the weight went? YEP, to my core and my bum!! So there went my waistline and the scales plummeted to 185.

Last year, I decided to quit smoking. I did great! I went 24 days without a cigarette until that one horrible day when I thought I could handle one.... well that's another story!!! But in those 24 days, my weight went up to 198. WOW!! Now even a size 18 was tight! What was I going to do? In my mind, I was at a weight that couldn't be conquered but I wanted to try.

I started on Atkins. Easy diet, healthy and lost about 10 pounds. Then life happened and I went off that diet too. I ended up weighing 195 after gaining the weight back. I was so disappointed that I could not follow the program:(

For months, I just went on, not worrying about my weight.... upset but not doing anything about it!!!

Then someone on a forum, mentioned this 'diet' eating only 500 calories a day and taking something. I thought, there is no way I can only eat 500 calories a day. I will starve to death and it will just continue my yoyoing in my weight. But it did peak my interest so I started my obcessing about the hCG Protocol.

I read Pounds and Inches by Dr. Simeon and watched every YouTube video out there. Then found a lady in a forum I am in who I am actually friends with.... and she is doing the protocol sucessfully. So I ordered it and am doing the protocol, also very sucessfully so far!!!

I will be following all the Phases correctly. I really feel that this is my last time to get to a weight where I comfortable. My goal is 132 but now I am wondering about 128 and have 130 as my alarm weight. When I get to my goal, I will then quit smoking again but not until I am very stable at my weight. One improvement at a time:)

So that's my story. I am grateful for the hCG forum I am involved with because they do not try to improve Simeon's studies. Dr. Simeon worked on this protocol for decades and made decisions based on study, not opinion so it is he that I will follow:)