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A Great Falls woman is taking an alternative approach to shedding the pounds, and says the results have been dramatic.

Veronica Ronnau has lost 8% of her body weight in less than three weeks. Specifically, she said, "I have lost 27.5 pounds in 17 days."

Ronnau is taking HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone produced by women during pregnancy. She administers the hormone as a shot once every morning, but also follows a strict diet as required by the HCG protocol.

She noted, "I'm eating 500 calories a day, which is hard to do physically. I never feel hungry, but it's just psychological - that's the hardest part of this protocol...you are thinking 'how can I live on 500 calories a day'?"

Research shows the hormone helps the body lose adipose fat tissue and reduce appetite. Ronnau explained, "The hormone offsets that because it's releasing nutrients into your system so you are not starving, so you never feel hungry."

Ronnau also works out every day in conjunction with her low-calorie diet - a diet which can have damaging effects on the body, according to personal trainer Michelle Peterson.

Peterson said, "You only eat 500 calories a day, and your body needs approximately at least over 1000 - women about 1200 and men at least 1500 a day - just to run your body in general. So for it to function without any exercise...you take these calories down below that and your body thinks it's starving."

But Ronnau says she feels healthy and believes the hormone has had a positive effect on her body. She said, "I don't think this will work if you are not mentally prepared, so it's really worked for me because I was in such a great mindset to do this, and I know I can do anything for 30 days."

She will follow the protocol for one month, then go back to her normal routine.

She added, "I'm not hung up on weight - I want to feel good, my clothes to fit, so I'm happy with whatever I've lost, and my goal this year is to keep it off."

The HCG hormone can be legally purchased through a licensed physician, but Ronnau's results are not typical of all users.

Anyone who wishes to learn more about HCG weight loss - including possible risks - is urged to talk with their physician or healthcare provider.