If You Are Considering HCG...

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  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    hCG diets first became popular in the 1970s but there were a goodly number of documented cases of people dying and there is no research showing that hCG enables weight loss.

    The basic diet is to inject, drink, or rub on human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone produced in the placenta of pregnant women, and extreme calorie reduction, originally 500 calories per day, more recently 800 calories per day. Deaths occur most often from cardiac arrhymias caused by the extreme calorie retriction.

    hCG supplements are illegal in the US but hCG remains available as a drug used in treatments for infertility. Some unscrupulous doctors are known to prescribe it for off license use in weight loss there is no scientific evidence that hCG works better than placebo nor have the side effects or drug interactions been studied for this use.

    A very dangerous, bad idea.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    hCG diets first became popular in the 1970s but there were a goodly number of documented cases of people dying and there is no research showing that hCG enables weight loss.

    The basic diet is to inject, drink, or rub on human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone produced in the placenta of pregnant women, and extreme calorie reduction, originally 500 calories per day, more recently 800 calories per day. Deaths occur most often from cardiac arrhymias caused by the extreme calorie retriction.

    hCG supplements are illegal in the US but hCG remains available as a drug used in treatments for infertility. Some unscrupulous doctors are known to prescribe it for off license use in weight loss there is no scientific evidence that hCG works better than placebo nor have the side effects or drug interactions been studied for this use.

    A very dangerous, bad idea.

    Hence the posting of the article ;) I am in no way supporting this diet.
  • brookecoston
    brookecoston Posts: 1
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    I am currently in my last week of phase 1 and haven't lost any weight on the HCG diet. Now I have to say that I never did stick to the crazy 500 calorie intake. I kept my calories at a healthy 1,000 - 1,200 a day. I did drink my daily vodka and sprite zero at night (but kept it within my calories as mentioned). I was told by family members that had sucess with it that they ate around 900 calories and did not drink, and they both lost 20+lbs. I however did not see any difference. Except the ocassional brusies on my stomach from the injections. I guess the only way you are going to be sucessful on it is if you actually starve yourself. I just don't see any sense in that. I believe in a portion controlled, moderation lifestyle. So I am on to my next fad......
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
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    My friend did those shots and she sent me a picture of herself after and she looked so sickly! I couldn't say a word...I was in shock. I would NEVER do that.
  • delaniecastillo
    delaniecastillo Posts: 284
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    I am currently in my last week of phase 1 and haven't lost any weight on the HCG diet. Now I have to say that I never did stick to the crazy 500 calorie intake. I kept my calories at a healthy 1,000 - 1,200 a day. I did drink my daily vodka and sprite zero at night (but kept it within my calories as mentioned). I was told by family members that had sucess with it that they ate around 900 calories and did not drink, and they both lost 20+lbs. I however did not see any difference. Except the ocassional brusies on my stomach from the injections. I guess the only way you are going to be sucessful on it is if you actually starve yourself. I just don't see any sense in that. I believe in a portion controlled, moderation lifestyle. So I am on to my next fad......

    Why are you onto your next fad? You said you believe in portion control and moderate lifestyle so you know what works. Don't chase the snake oil. I wish I would have learn that and saved my pocketbook a lot of pain!
  • adioschubs
    adioschubs Posts: 384 Member
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    Very sad story :(
  • laele75
    laele75 Posts: 283 Member
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    HCG is BAD. The Mayo Clinic write up says not only is it dangerous, it's illegal without a prescription. Any doctor who prescribe such a dangerous drug as anything but a last resort should have their license pulled. This story only backs up their data. That poor woman and her family. Losing weight to be healthier is good, doing it in a dangerous way is bad.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    My mom has yo-yo'd with HCG and is getting ready to start her 5th cycle. She has always looked like a young, attractive mom, often being confused with being my sister and since starting HCG two years ago, has probably aged 10 years. She's been hospitalized, lost her vision and vertigo for 24 hours and nothing I do can get through to her.

    Short of protesting outside the office of the quack who keeps prescribing this to her, I can do nothing. I am sure it will eventually kill her, I have no doubt HCG users have an eating disorder.
  • Flora_k
    Flora_k Posts: 72 Member
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    I have been sharing that story too. People need to know this.

    I've shared my story on this diet:

    http://www.squidoo.com/unsafe_hcg_diet

    It's bad news. Because of my page and posts, women have been emailing me with their own hCG horror stories. I am a firm believer now that this diet is potentially very dangerous as I found out firsthand and it makes you fatter in the long run. It made me fatter and I've talked to so many women that I no longer believe you can go off this diet and stay thin without spending a lifetime killing yourself doing the diet over and over or training for a half marathon. I was interested in either of these option.

    The hCG diet is bad news. It cost me so much in the way of health, weight and money. Not worth it.

    FBMandy and anybody else who has had a bad experience or a loved one with a bad experience, would you share your story on that page? I'm trying to collect stories so they are in one place. After my heart was affected, I found a lot of stories online but I had to dig. I want to make sure everybody understands the risks before doing this diet. Thanks!
  • JerZRob
    JerZRob Posts: 68
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    Very sad story. Kids growing up without a mom because of some crazy azz diet.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    FBMandy and anybody else who has had a bad experience or a loved one with a bad experience, would you share your story on that page? I'm trying to collect stories so they are in one place. After my heart was affected, I found a lot of stories online but I had to dig. I want to make sure everybody understands the risks before doing this diet. Thanks!

    I sure will. The worst part of my story is my cousin/life long best friend works at the chain clinic where my mom gets them. They also advertise "Raspberry keytones as seen on Dr OZ!". Arguing with the two of them over this has absolutely ruined my relationship with my best friend. We have hardly spoken in the last few years because she is so brainwashed by her employer. If she essentially wasn't supporting my mom's decision to killing herself slowly, we could agree to disagree but she is delusional.
  • emmalousmom1
    emmalousmom1 Posts: 121 Member
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    My mom has yo-yo'd with HCG and is getting ready to start her 5th cycle. She has always looked like a young, attractive mom, often being confused with being my sister and since starting HCG two years ago, has probably aged 10 years. She's been hospitalized, lost her vision and vertigo for 24 hours and nothing I do can get through to her.

    Short of protesting outside the office of the quack who keeps prescribing this to her, I can do nothing. I am sure it will eventually kill her, I have no doubt HCG users have an eating disorder.
    [/quote
    why don't your report the doctor to the college of physicians?
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    My mom has yo-yo'd with HCG and is getting ready to start her 5th cycle. She has always looked like a young, attractive mom, often being confused with being my sister and since starting HCG two years ago, has probably aged 10 years. She's been hospitalized, lost her vision and vertigo for 24 hours and nothing I do can get through to her.

    Short of protesting outside the office of the quack who keeps prescribing this to her, I can do nothing. I am sure it will eventually kill her, I have no doubt HCG users have an eating disorder.
    why don't your report the doctor to the college of physicians?

    I would like to turn them in to the licensing board but after researching the site, I don't even think they have a doctor on site. The person who owns it has no medical training, and my cousin who works there is a medical assistant.
  • Flora_k
    Flora_k Posts: 72 Member
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    FBMandy, I was conned into the Omnitrition version and they are now pushing the raspberry ketones too! I suspect places are doing this because their hCG days are numbered.

    What happened was that in 2011, the FDA went after all the over-the-counter companies. Omnitrition jumped into the hCG game around that same time and took all their sales. I had to submit a report of all my side effects and I suspect they'll do another sweep.

    The problem though with doctors is that once a drug is approved (and hCG is for fertility reasons), doctors can use it any way they like. Somebody really ought to report your mother's doctor though. He sounds highly unethical!
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    They have always done the injections, never the drops. So they do get away with it.

    I will tell you what though, my cousin has become a nut after working there. She has two small children and has a kitchen cabinet FULL of medicinal crap. The clinic finds things wrong with her all the time. Hormones, blood sugar, try this, try that... It's sick.
  • DragonSquatter
    DragonSquatter Posts: 957 Member
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    This is just sad. I still don't understand why doctors who "prescribe" this idiotic diet aren't held more accountable for the results. The FDA doesn't authorize injection of HCG as a weight loss medicine at all. Why are these doctors even allowed to do this?
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
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    Got three friends who did it. 2 of them still doing it. The one who is off lost the 30 or so they wanted, the other two...one is down 100-120lbs (80 or so to go), the other is down 50 or so (30 or so to go).
    All three seem to be healthy and happy. This might have to do with them not shopping around for the cheapest stuff they can find, and getting an actual medical quality supply from someone they knew.
    Not sure I think it is fully safe....but it seems to be working for them.
  • Flora_k
    Flora_k Posts: 72 Member
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    I noticed that the Omnitrition crowd was rather cultlike and I think that may be true for hCG users in general. There is a certain mindset (us against the world) that goes with it. You can't do this diet without people sincerely concerned about your health and safety so they are constantly steeling themselves agains that. So many people have lost friends or have difficult relationships with family members over this diet.
  • joannschwerthofer
    joannschwerthofer Posts: 1
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    Yes - I really think they are like a cult! I had one person unfriend me and I didn't even post anything on her FB page other than a comeent that I agreed with another person who felt the diet was dangerous! And my boyfriend's daughter unfriended me when I shared some information about how dangerous this diet is!

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