I've been on the hunt to find pictures of myself that were taken just before starting my first round of the HCG diet. Well, they don't exist! I was so desperately unhappy with myself and my appearance that I dodged cameras as if they were weapons of mass destruction! If by some chance my darling husband managed to sneak a shot, I was just as quick to delete it.

This before picture was taken a few years before I started the protocol. In the time between this picture and starting HCG, I'd gained an additional 50+ lbs. It never occurred to me to take a picture when I started my first round of HCG. Why? Well, in all honesty, I never expected it to work! I thought that I MIGHT lose a few pounds, but I fully expected to regain them as soon as I resumed normal eating.

What I EXPECTED were the same results I'd gotten with every OTHER diet I had tried. I expected yet another failure. What I GOT was a net loss of 102 pounds, which I have easily maintained since 2010! I went from a size 22 to a size 8 and have never felt better.

Today I wish that I HAD taken before pictures. Not that seeing myself that heavy is something I would enjoy, but they would be a reminder of what I have accomplished as well as a motivator for those who, like myself, doubt that this protocol is any different from all those other diets.

Trust me, the HCG protocol is nothing like any diet in the world. This one works - it works fast; it works efficiently; it works long-term. I am living proof!

Michelle Hess, Texas