life after HCG = weight loss disaster, help!

ChafingTheDream

QUOTE:

Did you go to a nutritionist or a dietitian? There is often a big difference between the two. Nutritionists are by and large not regulated whereas a dietitian is an expert in food and nutrition and is nationally certified via examination.

REPLY:
^^ Thank you for this! Most people do not know the difference and our profession appreciates it!

^^^Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't dieticians have to follow the government platform of a diet? The government platform diet for the average human contains way more carbs than a normal person should be intaking per day, as well as trying to make money off of selling things such as 'low-fat' that are actually horrible for our bodies. I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just curious if they are allowed to do their own research of what is healthy for each particular human being, because from my understanding that's what a nutritionist does.

rplawfice

I took HCG and also found it very hard to keep the weight off long-term. I kept it off for about 2 months, and then gradually gained it back. HCG is NOT a diet, it's a lifestyle change starter. It's a good diet to be on if you are starting a GAPS diet (not weight-loss diet, just every day diet). It's not good for long-term weight loss, especially if you do no stay hardcore throughout P2 and P3, and MOST ESPECIALLY P4. Try a low-carb diet with no wheat, no low-fats, no unsoaked grains, no gluten, no soy, no processed foods or GMOs, and little natural sugars (fruits, honey, cane sugar).

daily meal example:

breakfast: tea
snack: almonds
lunch: salad with strawberries, balsamic vineager, sesame seeds and grilled chicken or fish
snack: edemame beans
dinner: 1 egg, 4 slices of bacon, raw veggies

that's what worked for me when i lost weight the second time and it worked, only reason I gained the weight back was excessive consumption of junk food.

also remember it's 70% diet, 30% exercise. On HCG you can't workout, or your body will get used to it, and you will gain weight if you don't. Not the healthiest diet choice.

Good luck!

Oh great and I've been exercising on this hcg almost everyday...UGH! I will stop for a few days awhile weening off the P2

SarahMakePretty

HAHA I think we do all need a recovery group!! thank you all so much for the kind words of support.

I have been talking to a lot of people about my situation and am trying to come up with a solution. The problem (i have come to believe) lies in the fact that once we start restricting calories (as is the case in most any "diet"), our bodies remember the HCG 500 calorie a day, and automatically enter into starvation mode -- which prevents us from losing weight.

I am going to try to stick with the MFP plan, and even if i dont lose, i'll have an exact diary of what i've been eating and my exercise routine to take to a doctor in the event that after a month or so of this i have still not seen a change.

please feel free to add/message me if you are having a similar problem and i can let you know what i've done and what (hopefully) works for me!

I had a similar situation. Honestly, it took me a really long time to straighten back out. A long time of just eating normally and hanging out with the weight. I mean years long time. The weight is finally starting to move again. Never, ever again will I do HCG! Worst idea ever.

TigerBite

Never mind, didn't realize this thread was so old ...

AccioFitness

Agreeing with the other replies to this thread, it should definitely get a sticky so that there's easier access to these stories. OP, you've already been given any advice I could think of. I hope you are getting to a healthier place!

Now for story time with Auntie Accio!

I did a round and a half of HCG ~4 years ago. I still had a good bit of pregnancy/baby weight on me and i was too lazy to dedicate towards a lifestyle change. HCG seemed perfect, no effort required! And I droppe weight fast. I was ecstatic about losing the weight and had all this confidence...

... And then my hair started falling out. And my skin looked like crap. And my kidneys started shutting down. And I started pooing blood. And I went into a depression tailspin. And -- well, you get the idea.

I stopped the diet immediately (and my doctor ripped me a new one for being so stupid). I gained back all the weight (I had lost 25lbs) plus 10 additional pounds. It took almost a year for my kidneys to properly recover and my metabolism took a by longer. I discovered I had hypothyroidism and my previously (somewhat) autoimmune disease reared its nasty head and have me hell.

Moral of the story, kids? DON'T TAKE THIS CRAP, YOUR HEALTH IS WORTH MORE THAN THIS.

shogunning

The reason you gained the weight back is probably the reason that you were overweight to begin with which is not taking full and complete responsibility. Anyone who STICKS to the HCG diet and follows the correct post HCG weaning period to take in more calories slowly before getting back to maintenence keeps the weight off. HCG keeps your metabolism artificially high relative to the calories you are taking in, in other words, even though you are taking in 500 calories a day your metabolism isn't slowing down like it normally would based on this type of low calorie diet. This is also why you load for the first 2 or 3 days so it tricks your body into thinking you are taking in more calories and it takes about 48 hours for your metabolism to adjust and then the HCG sends a signal to your body to maintain this metabolism despite dropping to 500 calories but the KEY is you CAN NOT have anything that you aren't supposed to have because it will deactivate the effects of the HCG and then your metabolism says wait a minute, something isn't right and slows down. So if you ever eat something you aren't allowed to, you have to start all over and reload again.

shogunning

"Moral of the story, kids? DON'T TAKE THIS CRAP, YOUR HEALTH IS WORTH MORE THAN THIS"

that is because of a unique health condition you had, that really isn't a moral of a story

meribethd

I ate close to 500 calories for breakfast this morning.

HCG is dangerous. I know this thread is old, but OP, I hope you were able to receive some help and guidance.

TR0berts

The reason you gained the weight back is probably the reason that you were overweight to begin with which is not taking full and complete responsibility. Anyone who STICKS to the HCG diet and follows the correct post HCG weaning period to take in more calories slowly before getting back to maintenence keeps the weight off. HCG keeps your metabolism artificially high relative to the calories you are taking in, in other words, even though you are taking in 500 calories a day your metabolism isn't slowing down like it normally would based on this type of low calorie diet. This is also why you load for the first 2 or 3 days so it tricks your body into thinking you are taking in more calories and it takes about 48 hours for your metabolism to adjust and then the HCG sends a signal to your body to maintain this metabolism despite dropping to 500 calories but the KEY is you CAN NOT have anything that you aren't supposed to have because it will deactivate the effects of the HCG and then your metabolism says wait a minute, something isn't right and slows down. So if you ever eat something you aren't allowed to, you have to start all over and reload again.

Translation: I know nothing of adaptive thermogenesis.

Pattinan

Good to know. Short cuts can be tempting.

redheadmommy

The HCG drops/ shots of whatever can and did not destroy your metabolism. HCG hormones in fertility treatment in waaay bigger amount than the drops. HCG hormone is produced by every single women through every single pregnancy in hundreds or maybe thousands times higher level than any drop or shots you ever took.

The 500 calorie diet that recommended along the drops that what killed your metabolism

IronPlayground

The reason you gained the weight back is probably the reason that you were overweight to begin with which is not taking full and complete responsibility. Anyone who STICKS to the HCG diet and follows the correct post HCG weaning period to take in more calories slowly before getting back to maintenence keeps the weight off. HCG keeps your metabolism artificially high relative to the calories you are taking in, in other words, even though you are taking in 500 calories a day your metabolism isn't slowing down like it normally would based on this type of low calorie diet. This is also why you load for the first 2 or 3 days so it tricks your body into thinking you are taking in more calories and it takes about 48 hours for your metabolism to adjust and then the HCG sends a signal to your body to maintain this metabolism despite dropping to 500 calories but the KEY is you CAN NOT have anything that you aren't supposed to have because it will deactivate the effects of the HCG and then your metabolism says wait a minute, something isn't right and slows down. So if you ever eat something you aren't allowed to, you have to start all over and reload again.

The troll is strong with this one!

piffer28

I also did HCG in 2010. I lost 23 lbs. To be fair, I didn't gain any weight back and didn't have any side effects. I kept all the weight off until 2012 when I had another baby. Although it worked for me then, I am older now (over 30) and don't trust that it won't screw up my body so I won't do it again personally. I am now having a hell of a time taking off my baby weight even with tracking calories and T25, but I figure that it will all come off eventually.

xoAJ

I gained 60lbs after having my first baby. My weight gain was only from that. I lost 20 naturally through breastfeeding and a Paleo-ish diet. I took HCG, did the longer program, lost 26lbs and kept it off. Because my eating habits were not the reason I gained. I am now doing a second round to lose the final amount. I guess I just wanted to chime in because so many people are saying the HCG didn't work... but if you lost the weight, it did work. If you gained it back, take some responsibility. I find it hard to believe you ate well, worked out, and just gained it all back out of nowhere and then some. Did you stabilize in P3 properly? Either you have another health reason you are gaining or you didn't do something right somewhere. There's no scientific reason you would gain back from the HCG.

jenilla1

Some people's metabolisms get absolutely slaughtered by that kind of treatment, especially doing it repeatedly. Have you continued to cut calories to try to re-lose the weight since the last time?

Very low calorie diets, followed too long, can cause your metabolism to drop by so much that your "maintenance" after you stop is lower than some people's dieting goals. Look into having your BMR or RMR tested. You may need to figure out what "maintenance" is and eat close to that for awhile to convince your body you don't live in a famine zone, since doing HCG repeatedly sent it the message that you live someplace with frequent and severe famines.

Yes, if you wreck your metabolism, you can alter your maintenance level. For example, someone at "X" weight who has never done an extreme diet may have a maintenance of 1800 calories per day. Another person at the same weight may only be able to eat 1500 calories to maintain. By putting their bodies through famine conditions, extreme dieters have essentially re-programmed their metabolisms to be more efficient and require less calories to function. Not sure how you fix that. I'm sure it's not a quick fix, though. It could take years to undo the damage.

rileysowner

I even paid 60/hr to go to a nutritionist to teach me how to eat properly -- which i do! I am low carb, high protein, multiple small meals a day

any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Are you eating at a calorie deficit. Just eating healthy means nothing if you are eating more than you need in a day. The thing that is most important, more important than everything you mentioned, is eating less calories than you burn in a day. I would echo the response earlier, put your information in using a 1 pound per week goal. Than follow the guidelines of this site. Measure your food carefully weighing the solids and using measuring spoons and cups for the liquids. Then give it two to three weeks to see what happens.

Dreamingallday

HCG, the one you'd have access to, is an artifically produced hormone found in pregnant women. Oh, and some cancerous tumours...

sassiebritches

I was able to maintain and keep it off with a Low Carb type diet, just cutting out sugars, breads, pastas. Turns out I was Gluten intolerant anyway, so better for me. I did find that I could not lose any other way though. So it does change things. But despite all that I am in a round now after a 1.5 year break. I maintained for 8 months and then went into EM2WL and gained all my weight back trying to do a reset. I am planning to do HCG to goal and then eat a Low Carb diet.....well just basically eat without Gluten I hope you are able to get things moving again Goodluck

wredpanther

I will never, ever, ever do HCG. My hair is still falling out!!!

loance

I am so sick and tired of people looking for the "magic pill" for weight loss. I have tried everything under the sun
except HCG drops, and I refuse to use them. If you are going to go on a diet and only consume 500 calories a day
you do not need the drops... whether they are a placebo effect or not, that few calories is downright dangerous. I know this as
I joined a weightloss program that put me on 500 calories a day and after a month I ended up in the hospital. It all
boils down to a lifestyle change and doing it for the rest of your life. Diets fail...all of them!! No matter what you do if
you do not contnue to eat healthy and proper portions you will gain the weight back.
It has been proven that most HCG drops out there are not the real deal and the only place you can get them
is from your doctor which I am sure will kybosh that idea right quick like.
Anyways, just wanted to put my 2 cents in....

PinkyFett

Have you had your thyroid levels tested? I went through something similar only to find out I had a slightly underactive thyroid, which I was medicated for and I began to lose weight again- it wasn't rapid but within a few months and after building muscle to help my metabolism I got back to normal

Good advice.

Back when I got diagnosed with Hashimoto's, I went to the doc crying and pitching a fit demanding they find out what's wrong with me. Turns out, it's this. Also, my TSH was extremely high at the time and it was high for years prior.

Ainglis1

As with any diet, I believe there are extremes. Some of us who took HCG lost the "40 pounds in 40 days" and others might have only lost 20. I think the same is true with the side effects. Some people might not have any and then there are those of us who are still trying to recover years after we did this diet.

I wanted to lose the extra weight I had put on from a poor diet and less exercise while I was finishing my degree and working full-time. I went to a doctor to do this and had all of the medical tests and was assured that it was safe for me. I injected myself with this hormone everyday, went to the doctor weekly and followed the program exactly. I lost 30 pounds on my first session and felt fantastic. I kept it off and then went back for my second round. I lost 20 pounds and kept it off for about 90 days. I had always figured if I lost the weight I wouldn't have any problem keeping it off.

90 days after I had completed my HCG diet and the doctor said I was able to maintain with a health diet and exercise plan, I started to gain weight.

I exercised four days a week and was eating the prescribed diet. In addition to my regular exercise I was mountain biking, hiking and hiking. I even did some mountain climbing with my friends. Yet the pounds were coming on and quickly. I was tracking everything and I had weekends were I gained 10 pounds. It was impossible. I kept tracking and went to the doctor when I had gained 60 pounds in four months. I kept following doctor's advice and getting multiple tests. My doctor couldn't figure it out. Somehow I finally stabilized after gaining back the 50 pounds I'd lost plus 30 more. It didn't matter what I or my doctor did I wasn't losing weight.

All of this started 2.5 years ago and I've only lost 10 pounds off my heaviest. I am now on a mostly vegan, plant-based diet. I run 3 to 5 miles about four times a week. I also use the Total Gym everyday. Physically I have great blood work but I still carry an extra 70 pounds that I can't get rid of. I still go to my doctor, personal trainer and nutritionist every six weeks. My doctor still doesn't know why I can't lose weight.

I did HCG before the FDA banned it. I hope people will read this and see it as a cautionary tale. There is no quick fix to weight loss. For others who have had these horrible side effects, I encourage you to keep going to your doctors so that someone can figure out how to cure the damage done by HCG. I don't like being a test subject but I keep seeing specialists that my doctor recommends to hopefully discover what my blood tests don't show.

WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr

As with any diet, I believe there are extremes. Some of us who took HCG lost the "40 pounds in 40 days" and others might have only lost 20. I think the same is true with the side effects. Some people might not have any and then there are those of us who are still trying to recover years after we did this diet.

I wanted to lose the extra weight I had put on from a poor diet and less exercise while I was finishing my degree and working full-time. I went to a doctor to do this and had all of the medical tests and was assured that it was safe for me. I injected myself with this hormone everyday, went to the doctor weekly and followed the program exactly. I lost 30 pounds on my first session and felt fantastic. I kept it off and then went back for my second round. I lost 20 pounds and kept it off for about 90 days. I had always figured if I lost the weight I wouldn't have any problem keeping it off.

90 days after I had completed my HCG diet and the doctor said I was able to maintain with a health diet and exercise plan, I started to gain weight.

I exercised four days a week and was eating the prescribed diet. In addition to my regular exercise I was mountain biking, hiking and hiking. I even did some mountain climbing with my friends. Yet the pounds were coming on and quickly. I was tracking everything and I had weekends were I gained 10 pounds. It was impossible. I kept tracking and went to the doctor when I had gained 60 pounds in four months. I kept following doctor's advice and getting multiple tests. My doctor couldn't figure it out. Somehow I finally stabilized after gaining back the 50 pounds I'd lost plus 30 more. It didn't matter what I or my doctor did I wasn't losing weight.

All of this started 2.5 years ago and I've only lost 10 pounds off my heaviest. I am now on a mostly vegan, plant-based diet. I run 3 to 5 miles about four times a week. I also use the Total Gym everyday. Physically I have great blood work but I still carry an extra 70 pounds that I can't get rid of. I still go to my doctor, personal trainer and nutritionist every six weeks. My doctor still doesn't know why I can't lose weight.

I did HCG before the FDA banned it. I hope people will read this and see it as a cautionary tale. There is no quick fix to weight loss. For others who have had these horrible side effects, I encourage you to keep going to your doctors so that someone can figure out how to cure the damage done by HCG. I don't like being a test subject but I keep seeing specialists that my doctor recommends to hopefully discover what my blood tests don't show.

If I may suggest, go to an endocrinologist and have a full workup done by them. I ended up in the same situation, I work out 6 days a week (including working with a personal trainer), I eat right (weigh and measure everything and got a food plan from a dietician) and I gained 40 lbs in a year, the doctor's kept testing my TSH and getting normal results and couldn't figure out why I was gaining and not losing weight. Well, the endo, did a full work up and boy were we in for a surprise. My TSH was out this time (by her being able to see the two other results from a few months before, she was able to see a pattern that I would be normal then shoot out of range,) an early sign that I was becoming hypothyroid. She also discovered that to keep my blood sugar normal, I was making excessive amounts of insulin (aka Insulin Resistance), not a test on a normal panel that your regular doctor checks. She put me on meds for both, it took until this month to get me stabilized on the dosage and I've started losing (granted it is VERY slow, I've only lost 5 lbs in a month and a half, but I am losing now). It may be worth looking into, I wish I had gone to her sooner rather than go through a bunch of other doctors to get to this point. Best of luck to you that you find your answers!

edcs10

What about doing an actual purification/cleanse. Maybe your liver needs detoxing to rev up weight loss. Look into the purification protocol by Standard Process. Many chiros recommend it and it makes you love veggies again, detox safely and easily and revamps your taste buds! I donut once a year after holidays!

juliajafari

The FDA banned over the counter homeopathic HcG drops. Real, doctor prescribed HcG is not illegal.

donyellemoniquex3

What about doing an actual purification/cleanse. Maybe your liver needs detoxing to rev up weight loss. Look into the purification protocol by Standard Process. Many chiros recommend it and it makes you love veggies again, detox safely and easily and revamps your taste buds! I donut once a year after holidays!

How to detox: Poop, pee, done !

amberseitz31

I did 3 rounds of hcg and lost 60 lbs and 2 1/2 yrs and haven't gained a pound back I need to lose 15 more but I'm trying my fitness pal since I would have to do a minimum of 23 days on hcg even know i would lose all my weight in a week n and half. And I don't think I can ever eat steak or chicken again ????

amberseitz31

Also if it makes any difference mine was prescription from a doctor nit homeopathic

wahmx3

Love the reply! The ONLY way to successfully lose weight is through cutting back calories and adding some exercise of some type in there.

Hey Ladies! Probably not what ya'll want to hear, but I am currently doing HCG, and have successfully completed a 20 day round of HCG previously. I take the drops, and I go to my personal dr. and get my weight/fat %/muscle mass/ect checked and I am just fine! No issues. I did not gain the weight back from the first time I did the program either. With your final phase to HCG you should be eating the same foods you were while you were doing the 500 calorie diet, just upping the intake to about 1200 calories a day! And after about a week of that, start adding cheese, pasta, bread, and sugars back in slowly! I'm sorry to hear ya'll had such a bad experience, but it really does work! It's not a gimmick, and I am no representative for anything! I am a college girl from Texas who has had a great success along with my fiancé on losing weight with this program!

I hate to tell you this, but you aren't taking HCG. Well, unless you're buying it illegally online, since the FDA banned it. Otherwise, whatever you're taking *is* just a gimmick and you've been duped into eating a dangerously low calorie diet. Womp womp.

tamralynn

HCG is not approved for weight-loss purposes at all, whether in injections, shots, or any other way.

This is because every medical study that's been done on HCG showed that people who took the shots (yes, the studies were also done on shots) showed no weight-loss difference between people who took HCG while eating at a certain caloric level and people who ate at the SAME level without HCG. If you have read otherwise, you have been lied to.

Do you know where I can find copies of these studies? Who conducted the studies? How many of them were conducted? Using just the drops or the whole protocol that Dr. Simeons used? I deal with facts and I'd love to read through those.