Losing Pounds, Gaining Perspective: How the HCG Diet Fits Into the Bigger Picture of Your Health
- Zachary Laboube
- Sep 27
- 5 min read
When most people think of weight loss, they zoom in on the numbers on the scale—the micro. That’s exactly what the HCG 2.0 protocol is designed to do: help you shed pounds quickly, safely, and effectively. But rapid weight loss is just one piece of your health puzzle. True, lasting wellness comes from a broader, more thoughtful approach—the macro.
That’s where InsideOut Wellness and Weight Loss comes in. I founded InsideOut Wellness way back in 2010. At the time, it was a brick and mortar chiropractic and acupuncture clinic that also incorporated some ultra-contemporary aesthetic procedures like the Hydrafacial and Micro-Current Facelifts. My philosophy was that true health radiates, fundamentally, from the InsideOut.
Many of the patients I treated in those early days were coming to me for back pain, joint stiffness, or chronic inflammation. And I did everything I could—adjustments, acupuncture, electric stimulation, you name it. But the results were inconsistent at best. Not because I was a bad chiropractor, but because there was a bigger issue at play: they were carrying around anywhere from 30 to 150 extra pounds of body weight.
That weight wasn’t just sitting on their frame; it was sabotaging every effort I made. Adjustments wouldn't hold. Recovery was slow. And in the most frustrating cases, the pain would return before the patient even made it home. I started realizing that no amount of chiropractic care could overcome the strain that obesity was putting on their bodies. That was my turning point. I needed an answer—and that’s when I discovered the HCG diet.
The HCG Discovery: From Humanitarian Work to Weight Loss Innovation
The HCG protocol wasn’t invented by a diet influencer or a Silicon Valley tech bro—it was developed by Dr. A.T.W. Simeons, a British physician who spent much of his career working in third-world countries. During his humanitarian work, Dr. Simeons made a remarkable observation: malnourished women were still giving birth to full-weight, healthy babies. It didn’t make sense—until he looked deeper.
What he found was that Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG), a hormone produced during pregnancy, helped women tap into stored fat reserves—mobilizing calories not just from what they were eating, but from their fat stores, to feed their unborn child. It was a biological safety net.
Dr. Simeons turned that discovery into a formal protocol—The Pounds and Inches Away Diet—which used HCG in combination with a low-calorie, low-carb meal plan to help the body prioritize fat loss over muscle loss. It wasn’t starvation. It was a strategic recalibration of metabolism.
How HCG 2.0 Was Born from the Original 500-Calorie HCG Diet
Years later, after studying Dr. Simeons' work and testing the protocol on myself and my patients, I began to modernized his theories to match today’s nutritional science and our understanding of protein needs, basal metabolic rate (BMR), and keto-adaptation. The result was HCG 2.0—a streamlined, flexible, and highly effective version of the original diet that respects the metabolic individuality of each patient.
This wasn’t a gimmick. It was the missing piece for my patients and my practice. When they lost the weight, everything improved—pain, inflammation, blood markers, mobility, energy—and so did the results of their chiropractic treatments. That's why weight loss became the foundation of InsideOut Wellness.
Because the truth is, you can’t fully heal the body from the outside in. You have to start at the root—and for most people, that means tackling excess weight first.
"My philosophy is this, let's get the weight off of you as quickly as we can and then worry about keeping it off. Because keeping the weight off is a really good problem to have, right?"
I’ve now spent over 15 years helping people not just lose weight, but understand the why behind it and the how to sustain it. My approach isn’t about starvation or short-term fixes—it’s about educating your body and your mind so that weight loss becomes a natural, manageable part of your life. And if I can give you one more piece of micro-advice... If you can learn to fall in love with vegetables, you'll never have to count calories again. And by the way, taste is an acquired sense - you can change what you like. That's the key to truly sustainable weight loss.
Here’s how to approach HCG 2.0 while keeping the bigger picture in mind:
1. Choose the Right Product for Your Goals
Under 10 pounds: The Fast Patch is your go-to. It suppresses appetite without making you miserable, allowing for gentle, controlled weight loss.
Over 10 pounds: HCG 2.0 is your heavy lifter. Drops, tablets, or patches? All work. For first-timers, I often recommend the tablets—they’re simple, tech-savvy, and effective.
2. Understand How It Works
HCG targets stubborn fat by influencing hormones and metabolism. But supplements and products alone aren’t magic—they work best when paired with a sensible, nutrient-rich diet. Think of HCG as the engine, not the whole vehicle.
3. Support Your Body with Smart Add-Ons
Raspberry Ketones: Great during the diet; spark fat breakdown.
Garcinia Cambogia: Excellent for the maintenance phase; prevents excess carbs from turning into fat.
InsideOut Wellness Package: Phyto Plus and Collagen Plus nourish your body from the inside out, keeping you full, energized, and supporting your hair, skin, and joints.
4. Keep Your Health in Perspective
Rapid weight loss is exciting, but your health isn’t just about calories—it’s about hormones, nutrients, sleep, stress, and mindset. HCG 2.0 is a microcosm of a larger goal: sustainable, long-term wellness. Every choice you make on the diet—what you eat, how you supplement, when you rest—feeds into a bigger, lasting transformation.
5. Maintain the Gains
After the diet, the first two to three weeks are critical. Combining the Fast Patch with Garcinia Cambogia Plus can help you stabilize your new weight. Short, periodic fasting or mindful eating practices further reinforce long-term success. You'll hear me say two things over and over...
Taste is an acquired sense. You can change it up and learn to enjoy eating healthy whole foods. This is absolutely critical to sustainable weight loss.
If you can learn to fall in love with veggies (even if you have to start by melting a brick of Velveeta over them) you'll never have to count calories again.
Bottom Line
The HCG 2.0 diet is a tool, not a life sentence. By understanding the mechanics of rapid weight loss and embracing the macro philosophy of InsideOut Wellness, you can lose the weight you want and build the health you need. Remember: the scale is just a number; your body, mind, and habits are the real reflection of health radiating from the inside out.
And it might not click the first time. You still lose our 20-30 pounds in 30-40 days, but over a winter of less activity, you might gain it back. That's not called yo-yo dieting, it's called self-awareness. And it's a good thing!
To your health,
Dr. Zach
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