HCG 2.0 - The OG of Personalized Diet Plans
- Dr. Zachary Laboube
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Personalization in Health — Beyond One-Size-Fits-All
Personalized health is no longer a luxury. It’s an expectation.
From wearable trackers to AI meal plans, from microbiome testing to DNA-based diet blueprints — people are demanding more than cookie-cutter programs.
They want something tailored.
And they should.
But here’s what most people don’t realize:
HCG 2.0 was personalized long before personalization became trendy.
Why? What was it about the original HCG Diet that inspired the personalization of HCG 2.0?
The original HCG Diet, called Pounds and Inches - A New Approach to Obesity, first published in 1954, was well ahead of its time. However, our understanding of human physiology and obesity have come a long way since 1954.
The Original HCG Diet used a very specific diet plan and allowed only 500 calories per day, regardless of the size, weight, age and gender of the dieter. This is problematic. Age alone is a massive indicator of calorie and protein requirements. Size and muscle mass are also major indicators.
This is why I began using a BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) calculation to determine the calorie requirements of each of my dieters. I was doing this all the way back in 2009, four years before I published HCG 2.0 - Don't Starve, Eat Smart and Lose; A Modern Interpretation of the Traditional HCG Diet in 2013.
The results speak for themselves. My book has over 600 five-star reviews on Amazon and our private Facebook group has over 21,000 success stories.
The Rise of Personalized Nutrition
Today, personalization in health comes in several forms:
1. DNA-Based Diets
Companies analyze your genetic markers to determine:
Carb sensitivity
Fat metabolism efficiency
Caffeine tolerance
Inflammatory tendencies
These plans promise to align your diet with your genetic blueprint
Genetic-based diet plans operate on the theory that small variations in your DNA — called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) — influence how your body processes carbohydrates, fats, caffeine, sodium, and even exercise stress. For example, certain gene variants are believed to affect insulin sensitivity, fat storage patterns, appetite regulation, and how efficiently you burn calories at rest. If someone carries a variant associated with slower carbohydrate metabolism, the theory suggests they may benefit from a lower-carb approach. Others may metabolize fats more efficiently or respond better to endurance training versus strength training. The goal is to use your genetic code as a roadmap instead of guessing.
Companies like DNAfit and Nutrigenomix offer plans that analyze saliva samples and generate nutrition and fitness recommendations based on these markers. Some even combine genetic testing with lifestyle questionnaires and wearable data to refine the results. While research in nutrigenomics is still evolving — and genetics is only one piece of the weight-loss puzzle — the concept reinforces an important principle: not everyone responds to the same diet in the same way.
2. Bloodwork & Hormonal Panels
More advanced personalization involves:
Fasting insulin
Thyroid markers
Testosterone / estrogen balance
Cortisol levels
These are powerful tools — especially when metabolic dysfunction is present
Comprehensive blood work and hormonal panels can provide insight into how efficiently your metabolism is functioning beneath the surface. Markers such as fasting insulin, hemoglobin A1C, thyroid hormones (TSH, Free T3, Free T4), cortisol, testosterone, and estrogen levels help identify whether weight gain is being driven by insulin resistance, sluggish thyroid function, chronic stress, or hormonal imbalance. For example, elevated fasting insulin may indicate that the body is storing fat more readily and struggling to access it for fuel. Low thyroid output can slow metabolic rate, while chronically high cortisol may promote abdominal fat storage and muscle breakdown.
When interpreted correctly, these markers can guide nutrition decisions — such as carbohydrate restriction for insulin resistance, increased protein intake to preserve lean mass, strategic meal timing to support cortisol rhythm, or targeted supplementation when deficiencies are present. In cases of true metabolic dysfunction, blood panels can shift a plan from guesswork to precision. They don’t replace foundational principles like calorie balance and muscle preservation, but they can clarify why someone isn’t responding to a standard approach — and how to correct it intelligently.
4. Blood Type Diets
Less invasive plans suggest your blood type determines:
Ideal protein sources
Carbohydrate tolerance
Digestive efficiency
While not as scientifically robust as lab-based testing, the idea reinforces an important truth:
Different bodies respond differently
Blood type diet plans are based on the theory that your ABO blood group influences how your body digests food, manages inflammation, and stores fat. Popularized by Dr. Peter D’Adamo in the 1990s, the concept suggests that individuals with Type O may thrive on higher-protein diets, Type A may benefit from more plant-based nutrition, Type B may tolerate dairy better, and Type AB represents a hybrid of patterns. The proposed mechanism centers around lectins — proteins in food that are theorized to react differently depending on blood type, potentially affecting digestion and metabolism.
While strong clinical evidence supporting blood type–specific dieting is limited, these plans remain popular for a simple reason: they feel personalized. Instead of another generic calorie-reduction strategy, people are given an identity-based framework — “This is how YOUR body is designed to eat.” That psychological shift alone can increase adherence. When someone believes a plan is uniquely tailored to them, compliance improves. And in weight loss, compliance often matters more than the theory itself.
"HCG 2.0 didn’t jump on the personalization band wagon. It created it." ~Dr. Zach Author of HCG 2.0
The Foundational Metric Most People Overlook: BMR
Before genetic testing. Before AI. Before apps.
There was one simple, powerful truth:
Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
BMR represents:
The calories your body burns at rest
The energy required to maintain organ function
The metabolic cost of being alive
It is influenced by:
Gender
Height
Weight
Muscle mass
Age
A 6'2" athletic male and a 5'1" sedentary female do not require the same calorie intake.
Yet the original HCG diet prescribed…
The Problem with the Original HCG Diet
The original protocol required:
500 calories per day — for everyone.
Big or small
Male or female
High muscle mass or low
150 lbs or 250 lbs
That wasn’t personalized.That was universal restriction.
And while many people lost weight rapidly, the protocol ignored one of the most fundamental metabolic variables:
Energy requirement varies dramatically between individuals. This is the observation is what inspired HCG 2.0.
Why HCG 2.0 Is the Original Individualized Diet
HCG 2.0 integrates metabolic science with rapid fat loss.
Instead of forcing every body into a rigid 500-calorie box, HCG 2.0:
✔ Accounts for BMR
✔ Adjusts calories based on gender and size
✔ Emphasizes protein to protect muscle mass
✔ Controls carbohydrates strategically
✔ Allows flexibility while preserving rapid results
This is personalization at its most fundamental level. Before expensive lab panels. Before mail-in DNA kits. Just physiology.
Why Gender and Size Matter
Men typically have:
Higher lean muscle mass
Higher resting metabolic rates
Greater caloric needs
Women typically:
Experience more hormonal fluctuation
Have different fat storage patterns
Require strategic carb control
Ignoring these differences leads to:
Muscle loss
Hormonal disruption
Rebound weight gain
HCG 2.0 was built to prevent that.
Comparing HCG 2.0 to Today’s High-Tech Solutions
Modern Personalized Diet | HCG 2.0 Approach |
DNA-based carb sensitivity | Controlled carb structure for all |
Hormone testing required | Metabolic structure protects hormones |
Expensive lab panels | Simple BMR-based framework |
AI-generated plans | Physiologically grounded strategy |
Thousands per year | Accessible & structured |
Is technology helpful? Of course. But the body’s metabolism still runs on the same rules it did 100 years ago; energy balance, hormonal signaling, muscle preservation and fat mobilization.
HCG 2.0 respects those rules.
The OG of Personalized Dieting
Long before wearable trackers and biohacking influencers, HCG 2.0 asked a simple question: What does THIS body actually require?
That’s personalization - not flashy, not trendy, just intelligent.
And when you combine that metabolic intelligence with structured phases, proper maintenance, and lifestyle integration…
You don’t just lose weight...
You build awareness.
You build discipline.
You build sustainability.
Final Thought
The future of health is personalized.
But the foundation of personalization isn’t found in a lab kit.
It’s found in understanding:
Your metabolic rate
Your muscle mass
Your hormonal environment
Your psychology
HCG 2.0 didn’t jump on the personalization wave. It created it.
Comments