life after HCG = weight loss disaster, help!

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  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
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    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
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
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    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
    piffer28 Posts: 7 Member
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    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
    xoAJ Posts: 1
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    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
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    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
    rileysowner Posts: 8,207 Member
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    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
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    HCG, the one you'd have access to, is an artifically produced hormone found in pregnant women. Oh, and some cancerous tumours...
  • sassiebritches
    sassiebritches Posts: 1,861 Member
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    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
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    I will never, ever, ever do HCG. My hair is still falling out!!!
  • loance
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    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
    PinkyFett Posts: 842 Member
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    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
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    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
    WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr Posts: 2,150 Member
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    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
    edcs10 Posts: 1
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    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
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    The FDA banned over the counter homeopathic HcG drops. Real, doctor prescribed HcG is not illegal.
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
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    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
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    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
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    Also if it makes any difference mine was prescription from a doctor nit homeopathic
  • wahmx3
    wahmx3 Posts: 646 Member
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    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
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    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.
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