My Appointment Day!

AmaraMedSpa ( http://www.amaramedspa.com/ ) was a great experience. The facility is modern and beautiful and the staff is professional and pleasant. I filled out my paperwork and then they took me into a small room to watch an orientation video about the HCG protocol. They asked me whether I wanted to do the HCG injections or take it sublingually. I said "injections" and they gave me a packet of detailed information. (I'm not doing sublingual, so I can't really say anything about that). The video was "home grown" by the lead physician at Amara, but it was concise and really detailed the protocol and covered all of the questions most people would ask when considering or starting on the program. I was very impressed because I felt that they were honoring my time as well as theirs by conveying the information so clearly and efficiently.

I saw the nurse practitioner for my appointment and she went over my medical history. And then the dreaded weights & measures! Here's how it went:

Weight: 130 lbs.
Bust: 35"
Waist: 28.75"
Abdomen (read: GUT): 39"
Saddlebags: 42"
Left Thigh: 23"
Right Thigh" 23"
Left Knee: 15"
Right Knee: 15"

The truth is she only measured my bust, stomach-at-the-belly button, and hips. So, her record will look different than mine. They measure in the exact same spot on every person so that no matter who is doing your measurements they will have an accurate reading of what you gained or lost. But for me, I really want to track the areas that are important to me. For example, I really don't like my fat knees. I never had great knees but they didn't used to have those fat pockets on them. I know it sounds petty but you have to take that into consideration when you're wearing skirts or shorts! :-) So, I put those measurements in, too.

After the measurements, she got ready to give me a Vitamin B-12 shot which is part of the protocol. You get one B-12 injection per week. I have read and heard different things about why it helps the diet but I honestly don't know all the exact reasons. Some of the reasons are appetite suppressant, energy booster, helps to produce the myelin fat that surrounds nerve cells, etc. Definitely all good things...

The NP asked me if I'd ever given myself an injection. I said "no," and in my head I wondered how many people actually say yes to that question. I wouldn't think it would be very many... She said, "OK, then I'll let you give yourself the B shot so you can get used to giving yourself the injections." I really hadn't been that freaked out before by the thought of injecting myself. The injections go into the large muscle not into your veins so it's not like I could get an air bubble and kill myself or anything. But suddenly with her standing there watching me I was kind of nervous.

She showed me how to push the muscle together, hold the syring like a dart and... boom! It's in, you push the fluid through, and it's out. Honestly, I couldn't really even feel it. The needle is so tiny. Almost like a hair. You don't even feel a pinch. It's much less painful than having your blood drawn or getting an innoculation shot. In fact, since you can't really feel it, it's not even in the same ballpark.

I asked her if I would get my first HCG injection today, too. But she said that I had to start that first thing tomorrow morning. Urgh! Still no HCG. Oh well. I'm this much closer and I'm getting even more excited.

She was able to make some recommendations about other things, too. For example I wasn't sure what kind of food scale to purchase (I've never weighed my food or counted calories before) or what kind of scale I should be using to weigh myself. I don't even own a scale. She said that digital was preferable for weighing me and that a simple food scale that measures in both grams and ounces would be fine. Grams are more precise so it's important to have that option. She also recommended that I purchase a food scale that you can set at zero when it has the bowl on it so that you don't have to subtract the weight of the bowl every time you weigh something. Good advice.

Because I was headed back to California in a couple of days, they gave me a 20-day supply of HCG injection syringes and two prepared B-12's. I'll use the HCG's daily and the B-12's once a week until I return for an evaluation at the center and pick up my next set of HCG. They stressed that the HCG has to be refrigerated so instead of heading out to buy both my food and "person" scales I headed home to put everything in the fridge. I'm literally fluttering with excitement. Tomorrow is the day!!!

How do I get the HCG Diet?

OK. I've read everything I can get my hands on. I've talked to everyone I can find who knows someone who knows someone who has been on the diet. I've asked lots of questions. What went wrong? What didn't you like? Why did you choose that diet? Where do you go to get your HCG? Some people are ordering it from Canada and one woman was ordering hers from Singapore. Some people originally went to a doctor but now they do it on their own because it's cheaper. Google lists lots of sources. Some people only went to a physician. That sounds much better to me. I would be too nervous to inject myself with something I ordered off an internet site from Singapore! I have to say, though, that the woman using the products from Singapore looks fabulous and has had great success and no problems. So maybe I'm just a big baby.

There aren't many doctors or clinics in California that are offering this diet protocol. At least it's not easy to find them. However, there are tons of places in Utah that do. Why do I know this? We have a second home in Southern Utah that we use to get away from the hustle and bustle of Southern California life. So, I decided it was easier to just go there. It was a get-away, a chance to see friends & family who live there, and to start on my diet!

After researching alot of the diet centers and med-spas that were offering the HCG treatment, I really wanted to see Dr. Navar at the Best Life Health Center in St. George, Utah. He is a board certified medical doctor who specializes in bio-identical hormone replacement therapies for both men and women and also in age management therapy. He was even mentioned in Suzanne Somer's book, "Breakthrough: Eight Steps to Wellness." Funny enough, he was also the least expensive provider of the HCG protocol in the area. (If you can work directly with a physician it is usually cheaper because they aren't just trying to make money off of you like a diet center). I was excited to get my treatment there because I would also have an excellent resource to manage my hormones as I continue to age.

Sadly, I discovered that Dr. Navar had tragically passed away very suddenly a few months ago. He was a young, active father and husband in his 50's. What a shock! The clinic is still working things out during this transition and has another doctor coming in from Las Vegas a few days a week to treat existing patients as needed. But they aren't currently taking new patients. I was really bummed but I wasn't going to give up.

My second choice was Amara Med-Spa. http://www.amaramedspa.com/ They are a full service med-spa with a licensed physician directing the practice. I have to wait three days for an appointment. Urgh! I know that sounds really impatient and spoiled but by the time I was ready to make my appointment I had already been researching and weighing this option for a while. I am ready to go!!!

When I look down at my fat I am so excited to think that I may have found a real "cure" and that I may actually get my body back.