Living Fitness

Dr. Albert T. Simeons’ hCG diet protocol, published in the widely available manuscript, Pounds and Inches, remains the definitive version of the diet pioneered by the endocrinologist in the Fifties. Many custom protocols have competed with the Dr Simeons Protocol, most notably from Dr. Daniel Belluscio and most controversially from Kevin Trudeau. Regardless of which protocol you adopt in the end, the best practice is to study the canonical version first to establish a frame of reference, then look up an hCG diet forum to compare and contrast different facts and opinions on other protocols.

Dr. Simeons’ HCG Diet Protocol

The Simeons Protocol is as simple as it is restrictive. Without hCG, the protocol would be too restrictive to be sustainable, since no more than 500 calories are being consumed on any given day. With hCG as an appetite suppressant and metabolic regulator, most dieters manage the hCG protocol without hunger.

HCG Injections

The standard protocol calls for a regimen of 125 IU daily hCG injections (pure hCG, as opposed to homeopathic hCG) over a maximum of 40 days. For those who only need to lose 15 pounds or less, a 26-day program is recommended, where the dieter receives 23 days’ worth of injections followed by three additional days on the Very Low Calorie Diet to prevent weight regain.

Prohibited Items

While excercise is allowed, massage of any kind is not. Aspirin and birth control pills are forbidden. No sugar, alcohol, oil, butter or dressing are allowed. Eggs are generally not allowed, but those who don’t eat meat may substitute eggs, eating the whites of three eggs for each whole egg eaten.

The diet prohibits the use of oil-based and cream based cosmetics, which can alter the effectiveness of the hCG hormone by entering through the skin. Traditionally, only lipstick, eyebrow pencils, and powder based makeup are allowed; but a search on “hCG makeup” will turn up many allowable products.

Daily Meals

Breakfast. Breakfast is limited to any amount of unsugared tea of coffee. These beverage may be sweetened with saccharin or Stevia—the latter being preferred, since it doesn’t affect the body’s glycemic index.

Lunch and dinner. The protocol for either meal is the same—i.e. for dinner, repeat the following instructions used for lunch. Each meal consists of four items: one lean meat, one breadstick, one type of vegetable, and one selection of allowable fruit.

• Meat and fish. 100 grams of meat or fish, weighed prior to cooking, with any visible fat stripped away. Forbidden fish are tuna, herring, eel, salmon, or any fish that’s pickled or dried
• Vegetables. Any one selection of the following: asparagus, cabbage, chard, celery, beet greens, cucumbers, green salad, onions, tomatoes, chicory, red radishes and fennel
• Breadstick. Breadsticks are sometimes called their Italian term, grissini (with grissino being the singular). A single grissino is allowed, or a slice of Melba toast as a substitute
• Fruit. Any one selection of the following: one half-grapefruit, one handful of strawberries, one orange or apple—a single apple, not two small apples

Allowed seasonings and condiments: salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, parsely, mustard powder, vinegar or marjoram. Foods may also be flavored with the juice of a single lemon per day.

Between lunch and dinner combined, no more than 200 grams of fresh meat or fish should be consumed on the hCG diet protocol, nor any type of food exceeding 500 calories on any given day.