Frequently asked questions about our custom hCG diet

Does the HCG come in oral or injectable form?

At this time, HCG is only offered in the injectable form.

What is HCG and how does it work with weight loss?

HCG is a peptide hormone that is naturally produced in large amounts by the placenta during early pregnancy.  It has many functions in utero and is used medically to treat a variety of conditions.  In the 1950’s and 1960’s, Dr. Simeons made a groundbreaking discovery with HCG and weight loss! He discovered that when patients were given the hormone HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), along with a specific low-calorie diet, the result was increased weight loss that came from fat stores and protected lean mass. In Rome, Dr. Simeons treated thousands of patients successfully with his protocol.

HCG was thought by Dr. Simeons to work on the hypothalamus of the brain where it encourages the body to release “abnormal” fat stores for fuel. In order for the hCG Diet to be effective in burning stored fat, a specific, low calorie diet must be followed.  Most of our patients experience little to no hunger on the program and lose little to no lean body mass.

Although you are eating a low calorie diet, the HCG is theorized to allow your body to burn an average of ½ to 1 lb. of fat per day … this puts an estimated 1300 – 2000 calories into your bloodstream to be used for fuel. Remember, you are also eating 500-700 calories daily of food. Therefore, you are not at a caloric deficit during this time.

What is the Natural Path HCG diet?

The Natural Path HCG diet program is based off of Dr. Simeons original protocol. However, over the past 10 years, our doctors have revolutionized the diet by integrating modern science and years of clinical experience. During the program, Rx HCG will be administered daily for a period of 23 to 42 days (depending upon the patients specific goals) while observing a specific, low calorie diet.  While on the HCG Diet, the body begins to use excess fat stores for fuel.  It is theorized that the hypothalamus gland, the “master gland” in the brain that controls appetite and fat burning is “reset” leaving you with a new metabolic set-point.

How much weight can I expect to lose on the HCG Diet program?

On average, most patients will lose ½ -1 lb. per day while on phase 2 of the HCG Diet program. In most cases, the weight stays off while healthy dietary and lifestyle habits become established through the “stabilization phase.” We are dedicated to helping our patients maintain their weight loss by guiding them every step of the way through all phases of the hCG diet program.

Does the HCG Diet have any side effects or contraindications?

In our experience, most of the HCG Diet side effects are positive … energy begins to rise, sleep gets deeper, blood pressure and blood sugar tend to normalize, cholesterol levels lower, arthritis and joint pain will often improve, skin conditions clear, mood elevates, digestive symptoms improve and the list goes on.  We also help our patients to identify certain food sensitivities which can be contributing factors to health issues and weight gain.

There are a few conditions in which we take precaution with the HCG Diet.  Patients with a history of gallstone formation may tend to form stones on the program. This is due to the low fat diet and not the Rx HCG as a substance. Gout symptoms can occur in patients who have a history of gout episodes. In patients with a history of ovarian cysts, there have been noted cases of ovarian cyst stimulation on the HCG Diet. In the past 10 years of facilitating this diet, we have seen only 5 patients deal with any of the above issues. Negative side effects on the HCG Diet are rare in our clinical experience.

Is the HCG Diet safe?

The hCG Diet has clinically proven itself to be quite safe.  Women experience extremely high levels of hCG during the early months of pregnancy and can be pregnant many times without adverse effects.  The small amount of hCG used for weight loss has little to no side effects on men or women. The low calorie diet used in conjunction with the Rx hCG has also shown to be safe in our clinical experience. We rarely have patients who deal with a strong sense of hunger on the program. We offer our patients full medical support while under our care.

Does everyone have positive results on the HCG Diet?

Most patients will reach their weight loss goals on the hCG Diet program. We spend a great deal of time educating our patients on how to keep the weight off with specific diet and lifestyle changes.  Most patients seem to have no problem losing an average of .5 to 1 lb. per day while on phase II of the hCG Diet. The amount of weight you lose really depends upon the amount of abnormal fat stores that you have to burn.

Can weight loss be maintained after the HCG Diet program is over?

The answer is YES! This is our goal for you! Through the HCG diet program at The Natural Path, we will teach you some easy, manageable diet and lifestyle changes to keep you on the path to optimal health. The “stabilization phase” or phase 3 of the HCG Diet program is of utmost importance. It is very important that this phase is followed in order to maintain the weight that is lost in phase 2 (HCG phase) of the program.

As with any weight loss program, it would not be difficult to put some pounds back on if you choose to go back to eating some variation of the standard American diet. The HCG diet protocol is not a “magic wand” that can remove fat stores forever, reset the hypothalamus or allow you to eat anything you would like.  After phase II and phase III of the HCG Diet, it is important to make manageable dietary and lifestyle changes to support your body.

With medical supervision, the hCG Diet can provide a safe, reliable means to treating obesity.  One of our favorite things about the hCG Diet protocol is that our patients lose the majority of their weight from fat stores and not lean body mass. Results are fast and long lasting if you’re willing to make simple, healthy changes to your diet and lifestyle.

Wouldn’t I lose the same amount of weight eating a very low calorie diet without hCG? Will my metabolism slow down?

If you just follow the very low calorie diet as outlined in phase II of the hCG weight loss program and do not use the Rx hCG, you will lose weight.  The problem is that you will be very hungry, tired and most importantly, you will be losing muscle from lean body mass. Without Rx hCG in combination with the hCG specific diet, you will most likely not lose any of the excess fat deposits in the problem areas.  In our clinical experience, our patients lose little to no lean body mass on our hCG Diet program and metabolism stays strong

What are the costs associated with the program?

The HCG Diet Program is a weekly based program fee which includes medical support, our evolved HCG Diet protocol, Rx HCG, body composition analysis and weekly office visits or check ins.  We also provide support to our patients as needed via email, text or phone.  On our program, you do not have to wait until our your next visit to have a question answered. We are here for you!

Initial “HCG Diet Program” office visit $295 (includes one week of rx HCG injectable form)
The initial office visit is about 1 to 1.5 hours long.  You will meet with Dr. Madda or Dr. Phillipo and they will go through a full medical history and review their modernized HCG Diet Protocol in detail.  At this visit, you will also be analyzed on our state of the art InBody, body composition scanner.  This scan will give us a detailed body composition and help us to realistically set your weight loss goals. Your body composition will be monitored at different stages throughout the program.  At the time of your initial visit, you will be given our comprehensive Natural Path HCG DIET MANUAL and HCG DIET RESULTS TRACKER which were developed by Dr. Cara Phillipo using her research  over the past decade. The HCG Diet program will be uniquely tailored to fit you, your body and your goals.

Weekly HCG Diet program fee $195
Each week that you are on the HCG Diet, you can have in person or phone follow up visit with Dr. Cara. Some patients choose to meet every other week or every 3-4 weeks due to personal choice. Dr. Cara is always available vie email to support her patients through the process in between office visits.

The number of weeks that you stay on the program depends upon how much weight you would like to lose.  Each round or cycle of the HCG Diet lasts between 23-90 days on phase 2 (HCG phase), followed by a minimum of 21 days on phase 3 or the “stabilization phase.”

“Slim Shot” Injection (optional) $40
The “slim shot” injection is a lipotropic blend that has been shown to assist in fat metabolism. It consists of a high potency B-12, a full B-complex and three amino acids — methionine, inositol and choline. The thermogenic nutrient carnitine is also added. We have seen this injection be very helpful to our patients during the HCG Diet process.

*Results are typical but not guaranteed. The FDA has not approved HCG for weight loss and states there is no substantial evidence that HCG with a low calorie diet supports better weight loss than with a low-calorie diet alone.  In our clinical experience, we see strong results using HCG along with a lower calorie diet to enhance weight loss.