The Visuals: Before

So here's what I look like--one slightly clinical shot, the other more glamorous--how I'm used to looking!

It Ain't Over 'Til The Fat Lady Loses It All!

Hello!  My name is Helen and I am very happy to be able to
share my HCG journey with you.  A little bit
about myself to begin with.   I am an opera singer,
currently finishing a professional program at one
of the country's top conservatories.
I grew up in Vermont, and I still love to go back there for R&R.
I've lived all  over the world: Boston, New York, London,
France, and am so very lucky that what I do
allows me to travel and see new places.

WHY HCG?

Though blessed with very good health, I've been overweight
since I was about 8 or 9 years old.I've struggled all my adult
life with my weight, trying every diet out there, joining
gym after gym, buying my own exercise equipment, the works.
If I managed to lose weight, it came back on the moment I let up
my guard with what I was eating, or if I missed a workout or
two per week.  Even when I ate 'normally'and 'healthfully' I would
slowly put on weight, and it seemed that the more I exercised,
the more I gained.Something was just not right. I had hormone tests
done, all came back normal, I don't suffer from a thyroid imbalance
or PCOS or anything like that.  My cholesterol is 146!
Triglycerides well  below normal even.  On paper, I'm as healthy
as a horse, except for that one number--my weight!  The last
straw came this fall when I started a very vigorous workout
regimen and continued to gain weight. My frustration made
me determined to find a solution.

I discovered the Simeon's Protocol one day while leafing through diet books in my local Barnes and
Noble. I was actually looking for information on coconut oil when I came across Kevin Trudeau's book
"The Weight Loss Cure They Don't Want You to Know About".  At first I dismissed it, thinking, "Oh jeez,
I'm going to have to spend tons of money and find a doctor who will administer the protocol, NO WAY"
and promptly put the book back on the shelf.  I did, however, memorize the name of one of the websites
listed in the book, and did my own research at home.  When I stumbled upon the Yahoo web group I
realized that it was indeed possible to undertake the Simeon's Protocol successfully on one's own.

I started my first round of the Simeon's protocol on January 14, with a starting weight of 272.6 lbs.  By
February 24, the date of my last injection for round 1, I was down to 238.2lbs.  I feel fantastic!  I'm
currently taking a month-long break from HCG and eating an Atkins-style diet, no sugars or starches,
until I start Round 2 in early April.  My weight has evened out at 240-242lbs for now.   I am amazed at
howsimple it was to achieve such a stunning weight loss, and how quickly my cravings for bad food went
away.  The Simeons approach involves eating whole, non-processed foods (with plenty of fats!) and in
my research I have discovered just how bad most of what is put into the foods on grocery store shelves
is for us, and I have resolved to eat only whole foods for the rest of my life.  High Fructose Corn Syrup,
MSG and trans fats are very much a thing of the past for me.

The main reason I've undertaken what might seem to be an 'extreme' approach to dieting is for my
career.  The Opera business is becoming increasingly commercial, and with that, the demand for singers
who can not only sing, but who 'look' the part is unavoidable.  I want to make myself as competitive
as possible, to have what I look like live up to how fabulous I sound!  And of course, who doesn't want to
feel healthy and strong?  This is a life-changing course of treatment, the 'cure' for obesity, and I feel so
fortunate to have found it!

MY STATS

Age:   33
Height:     5'8"
Dress Size: 16/18 on top, 18/20 on bottom
Weight:   242lbs
BMI:       36.2
BUST:    49"
WAIST:  40"
HIPS:      51"

GOAL WEIGHT: 160-170, we'll see how it goes...