and Thyroid Disorder: Only disorders of the thyroid-
Here are the Symptoms of an Underactive Thyroid Gland
•Facial expressions become dull.
•Voice is hoarse.
•Speech slow, eyelids droop and the eyes and face become puffy and swollen.
•Weight gain and constipation.
•Intolerance to cold.
•The hair becomes sparse, coarse, dry, scaly and thick.
•Many people develop Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which makes the hands tingle or hurt.
•The pulse may slow
•The palms and soles appear slightly orange
•The side part of the eyebrow hairs slowly fall out.
If you are feeling these symptoms and are thinking about losing weight on the HCG or any diet plan, you need to see your physician and check your thyroid function. This is a simple and inexpensive blood test. If you do have a low thyroid and are taking thyroid medication, DO NOT STOP YOUR MEDICATION(S) ON THE HCG DIET OR ANY OTHER DIET. HCG WILL NOT MAKE YOUR THYROID NORMAL.
Diabetes Mellitus: Diabetes and especially its treatment may be another condition that causes metabolism to slow down. It's not completely clear why diabetics have slow metabolisms, but they seem to have more trouble taking off weight than non-diabetics. This may be related to their higher blood sugar levels, which fools the body into believing there's lots of energy around, resulting in a reduction in metabolism. Adding HCG may increase your metabolism while the marked changes in the foods in the HCG plan will lower your blood sugar-- both are very positive changes.
Are Your Medications Slowing Your Metabolism?
Numerous drugs have been associated with unusual weight changes. These drugs are well known causes of weight gain and include the well known medications such as steroids, estrogens, and birth control medications and drugs for diabetes including insulin and oral anti diabetes medications. While no one knows exactly how many prescription drugs can cause weight gain, experts estimate the list includes more than 50 common medications. The medication-associated weight gain can be a few pounds -- or as much as 30 pounds over several months.
Chapter 3
How You Can Speed Up Your Metabolism
Dr. Simeons wrote his HCG protocol 55 years ago, we have learned how to help speed up metabolism by increasing the activities of daily living, doing more formal exercises and making a few simple changes in what we eat and when we eat. Adding the HCG to these changes only makes the weight loss easier and more permanent. Every time you eat you burn calories no different than when you ride a bike or climb a flight of stairs. How can eating burn calories? It takes calories to break the food down into small particles, to open up the energy inside the food and to fully digest, absorb and utilize the fuel. This process is called thermogenesis. It accounts for about 10% of your total daily metabolism.
Changing the Foods You Eat Can Speed Up Your Metabolism
Negative Calorie Foods: Can You Really Increase Your Metabolism By Eating More?
The “thermal” effects of food, i.e. that eating foods can increase calories burned, has been a popular Internet subject. Consequently there is a lot of misinformation. The theory is that you can lose weight by eating lots of these negative calorie foods and thus speed up your metabolism. Proponents claim, for example, you will burn 80 calories digesting a 25-calorie piece of broccoli, for a net loss of 55 calories. Celery is another commonly cited example of a negative calorie food because it's made mainly of water and cellulose, an indigestible vegetable fiber. Other foods sometimes labeled as negative calorie include asparagus, berries, cauliflower, grapefruit and cabbage. These very low calorie foods do require a large amount of energy to digest compared with the amount of calories they provide, however, this does not mean that it is significant enough to result in weight loss.
Here is a List of Foods, Where the Energy to Digest Them, Might Exceed the Total Calories:
•Salsa
•Hot Peppers-Cayenne peppers
•Ice Water, green tea, apple cider vinegar drinks
•Cabbage, Celery
•Brussel Sprouts
•Broccoli and Cauliflower
•Lemon or Vinegar
•Vinaigrette Dressing
•Grapefruit, Berries
•Fish
All of these can help in any weight loss plan because of the bulk they provide. But they are not a magic bullet for weight loss. Some of the speed up of metabolism seen in the HCG diet may be due to the fact that all of these foods are used in large amounts in this diet.
Increasing Your Metabolism by Adjusting The Protein, Fat and Carbs:
The concept of thermal effects of food and thermogenesis can play a large role in increasing metabolism when the emphasis is placed on making better food selections. Our chief nutrients are found in three groups: fats, proteins or carbohydrates. They are called macronutrients because they are our source of calories and energy.
Protein Three Times A Day Helps HCG to Increases Metabolism
What Are Proteins?
Protein is the principal element of our organs, muscular tissue, all our living cells, and is present in all body liquids. Proteins are amino acids stitched together in chains. Twenty amino acids are needed and must be present in sufficient quantities in order for body processes to function. Eating proteins protects people from hunger as it speeds up their metabolism.
Increasing Metabolism Means Eating More Protein.
“Nearly every recent study reveals that eating plenty of protein can increase your metabolism, causing you to burn an extra 150 to 200 calories a day”, says Jeff Hampl, Ph.D. "Protein is made up mainly of amino acids, which are harder for your body to break down [than fat and carbs], so you burn more calories getting rid of them," he explains. When you eat a 300 calorie chicken breast, it may take up to 90 calories to break it down, digest and absorb it. In reality,
