hCG Injections

Azdak

Just to clarify for the people who are getting all amped up over this post, I think I did state I'm asking about it for curiousity's sake in an attempt to educate myself on things. Not because this is something I'm convinced I want to do and I'm too lazy to attempt working out. I've obviously had successes from natural and healthy weight loss. It really doesn't kill you to know about different things that exist. Medical spa doctors are in fact educated doctors that handle a variety of issues as well. I'm not going to some quack doctor and saying "please make me not fat anymore." I have never heard of anyone who had these done and figured there's got to be people out there that know someone and can give a factual experience of how it went for them. Thanks for the information!

By definition (not mine, the FDA) any doctor who prescribes HCG for weight loss IS a "quack doctor". The FDA disapproved the use of HCG as a weight loss aid in 1974.

Here is the specific language from the FDA:

FDA-approved uses for prescription HCG products include female fertility and select hormonal treatment in males, and FDA has not approved prescription HCG for any other uses, including weight loss. Current scientific evidence does not support the claim that HCG is safe and effective for weight loss or for the treatment of obesity. In fact, FDA labeling for the approved HCG drug products requires the following statement about the use of HCG for weight loss:

“HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of obesity. There is no substantial evidence that it increases weight loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction, that it causes a more attractive or ‘normal’ distribution of fat, or that it decreases the hunger and discomfort associated with calorie-restricted diets.”

FDA is aware that healthcare professionals sometimes prescribe prescription injectable HCG for unapproved uses such as weight loss. FDA understands that sometimes approved products are used to treat conditions that the products were not approved for (i.e., “off-label” uses). The “off-label” use of products usually presents greater uncertainty about both the risks and benefits because less information is available on safety and effectiveness.

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/MedicationHealthFraud/ucm281834.htm

The evidence is pretty definitive, and has been for almost 40 years, that HCG is an expensive placebo.

ThickMcRunFast

i am on hcg and loving it. i am not hungry and i am not dying and fyi hcg doesnt come from a pregnant womens pee its a hormone that pregnant women store in there body so there fetus doesnt starve if they are not eating properly. I know several women and men on the hcg diet and have had great results. Dont knock something until you try it yourself. If this diet wasn't healthy doctors wouldn't prescribe it to there patients. Good luck in your life style change.

lucyford22

fyi hcg doesnt come from a pregnant womens pee its a hormone that pregnant women store in there body so there fetus doesnt starve if they are not eating properly.

no. just. no.

trogalicious

i am on hcg and loving it. i am not hungry and i am not dying and fyi hcg doesnt come from a pregnant womens pee its a hormone that pregnant women store in there body so there fetus doesnt starve if they are not eating properly. I know several women and men on the hcg diet and have had great results. Dont knock something until you try it yourself. If this diet wasn't healthy doctors wouldn't prescribe it to there patients. Good luck in your life style change.

Well, we'll see you again when it fails.

....because it will.

rduhlir

Reported

itsjustdawn

i am on hcg and loving it. i am not hungry and i am not dying and fyi hcg doesnt come from a pregnant womens pee its a hormone that pregnant women store in there body so there fetus doesnt starve if they are not eating properly. I know several women and men on the hcg diet and have had great results. Dont knock something until you try it yourself. If this diet wasn't healthy doctors wouldn't prescribe it to there patients. Good luck in your life style change.

Wow. Disillusioned much?

TheBeerRunner

i am on hcg and loving it. i am not hungry and i am not dying and fyi hcg doesnt come from a pregnant womens pee its a hormone that pregnant women store in there body so there fetus doesnt starve if they are not eating properly. I know several women and men on the hcg diet and have had great results. Dont knock something until you try it yourself. If this diet wasn't healthy doctors wouldn't prescribe it to there patients. Good luck in your life style change.

Nope. You're absolutely wrong.

CaeliGirl11

Just to clarify for the people who are getting all amped up over this post, I think I did state I'm asking about it for curiousity's sake in an attempt to educate myself on things. Not because this is something I'm convinced I want to do and I'm too lazy to attempt working out. I've obviously had successes from natural and healthy weight loss. It really doesn't kill you to know about different things that exist. Medical spa doctors are in fact educated doctors that handle a variety of issues as well. I'm not going to some quack doctor and saying "please make me not fat anymore." I have never heard of anyone who had these done and figured there's got to be people out there that know someone and can give a factual experience of how it went for them. Thanks for the information!

By definition (not mine, the FDA) any doctor who prescribes HCG for weight loss IS a "quack doctor". The FDA disapproved the use of HCG as a weight loss aid in 1974.

Here is the specific language from the FDA:

FDA-approved uses for prescription HCG products include female fertility and select hormonal treatment in males, and FDA has not approved prescription HCG for any other uses, including weight loss. Current scientific evidence does not support the claim that HCG is safe and effective for weight loss or for the treatment of obesity. In fact, FDA labeling for the approved HCG drug products requires the following statement about the use of HCG for weight loss:

“HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of obesity. There is no substantial evidence that it increases weight loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction, that it causes a more attractive or ‘normal’ distribution of fat, or that it decreases the hunger and discomfort associated with calorie-restricted diets.”

FDA is aware that healthcare professionals sometimes prescribe prescription injectable HCG for unapproved uses such as weight loss. FDA understands that sometimes approved products are used to treat conditions that the products were not approved for (i.e., “off-label” uses). The “off-label” use of products usually presents greater uncertainty about both the risks and benefits because less information is available on safety and effectiveness.

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/MedicationHealthFraud/ucm281834.htm

The evidence is pretty definitive, and has been for almost 40 years, that HCG is an expensive placebo.

^^^This^^^ I am a medical investigator for a state board and had to do an investigation into something like this. all of the above is what you need to read before embarking on something like this. The reason people lose weight on this "diet" is because it is calorie restrictive and it asks you to exercise which is what you should be doing yourself anyways. If you use MFP and log your calories and exercise as MFP suggests you will get the same results of a .5lb to a 1lb loss a week.
However, this is your choice. You said you wanted to do research...^^^ there it is:)

elyelyse

My mom did this. Yup, lost weight, because that's what happens on 500 calories a day. Then she put it back on. She KNEW it was unhealthy and did it anyway. Now she realizes it was a terrible idea.

rml_16

Save your money on the injections and just eat 500 calories a day. That's why you lose weight on that "diet."

_HeartsOnFire_

i am on hcg and loving it. i am not hungry and i am not dying and fyi hcg doesnt come from a pregnant womens pee its a hormone that pregnant women store in there body so there fetus doesnt starve if they are not eating properly. I know several women and men on the hcg diet and have had great results. Dont knock something until you try it yourself. If this diet wasn't healthy doctors wouldn't prescribe it to there patients. Good luck in your life style change.

Well, we'll see you again when it fails.

....because it will.

This...and...

Wow. Disillusioned much?

ninerbuff

I'm posting this in hopes people with factual information can enlighten me some. I currently go to a medical spa for a tattoo removal and saw they offer hCG injections, so I read about it just to see what it's all about. This is NOT the same as the stuff you buy at the pharmacy which claims to help you lose weight. This is actual injections from a doctor who also monitors your progress and bloodwork, things like that. Anyhow, I'm just curious if anyone has had/knows anyone who has experience with doing such things. I'm not looking for an easy way out when it comes to weight loss by any means, but it doesn't hurt to keep options open. Here's the info the medical spa mentions about it. Again, I'm looking more for facts from people that know about it, not just opinions of whether it's good or bad. Unless of course you know about it, then by all means chime in!

The diet plan involves induction of the hCG injections in conjunction with a 2 day gorge. The hCG injections are continued day 3 through either day 21 or 40, depending on weight loss goals. For three days after the last injection, the very low calorie diet is continued. During this period you are to refrain from all cardio exercise. From that point, maintenance begins. Maintenance is a 6 week period of 1500 calories/day and includes exercise. Weight loss with the hCG diet generally results in a daily loss of 0.5 pound/day for women and one pound/day for men. Thus, over 6 weeks, women can expect 20-30 pound weight loss and men, 30 pounds or more. The diet is designed to be a minimum of 21 days, and a maximum of 43 days of active dieting. If more weight loss is desired, another cycle can be done after this maintenance phase.

HCG is a hormone created while a woman is pregnant. Pseudoscience from HCG sites state that hunger is staved off because of it, but really how many pregnant women aren't hungry? Also, the hormone is suppose to burn fat, but leave lean muscle alone?:laugh:
Trust when I tell you I've dealt with clients who have gone to these measures before hooking up with me and many of them had disrupted metabolisms when we were trying to get them to lose correctly. Research peer reviewed clinical studies on them and you'll see that HCG had nothing to do with weight loss. It was the severe calorie restriction that did. The drawback is that no one (unless they have an eating disorder) sustains that way of eating and the impact on the body goes just beyond just losing weight.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

i am on hcg and loving it. i am not hungry and i am not dying and fyi hcg doesnt come from a pregnant womens pee its a hormone that pregnant women store in there body so there fetus doesnt starve if they are not eating properly. I know several women and men on the hcg diet and have had great results. Dont knock something until you try it yourself. If this diet wasn't healthy doctors wouldn't prescribe it to there patients. Good luck in your life style change.

This is what cocaine addicts say too.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

VeganLexi

Eat healthy, nutrient dense foods and exercise...there's no need to consume p1ss.

:noway:

RunHardBeStrong

Yes, I know 12 people who did it. All of them gained back all the weight they lost plus some, despite following the instructions to the letter. Most of them lost hair and jacked up their metabolisms. They lost a ton of muscle. It took my husband 2 years to be able to lose weight through calorie counting again.

Run, don't walk, away from this.

I have 2 friends in the same exact boat, they lost quite a bit of weight but did they appear or feel healthy, no. A year and a half later they are still struggling to lose the weight they gained back and their hair is still really thin.

cparter

Here we go again. Start the count down to lock down.

HollieDollieeeex

HollieDollieeeex

:noway: This is CRAZY.

Jesus I've done my fair share of 'FAD' diets but this is just extreme.

There is no quick fix, I was a serial dieter and would have done ANYTHING to be skinny. THAT COST ME MY GALL BLADDER.

500 calories a day, I wouldn't be able to get out of bed for that. Unless you are going to sustain the 500 calories a day for the rest of your life you will gain weight, it's not real life.

Also imagine people's mental state when they're 'skinny' on the diet, come off and put weight on, makes you miserable and develops an unhealthy relationship with food.

I used to hate people telling me they'res no quick and easy way and the truth is there isn't. Hardwork & dedication is the only thing that will lose you weight, trust me

Be patient & put in some effort and you will lose weight... The healthy way.

You only get one body, don't mess around with it.

tomomatic

There are lots of alternatives to diet and exercise. Shortcuts are too good to be true. In this case, the side effects are heart disease, renal disease, epilepsy, migraines or asthma.

If you don't believe me, then believe the medical journal published by the National Institute of Health who conducted a study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1365103/

Also, consider that using HCG for weightloss is considered on OFF-LABEL usage of a medication. You are using it in a way that has not been tested through clinical drug trials. A REAL medical doctor would lose his license if he prescribed this stuff for weight loss.

I hope you see that most of us are here to help you. Best of luck on your weight loss journey.

Olivia

Dear Posters,

Our Community Guidelines ( http://www.myfitnesspal.com/welcome/guidelines ) prohibit the creation of any forum posts, groups, or posts in groups that encourage the use of Very Low Calorie diets (including, but not limited to, VLCDs that use the HCG protocol).

MyFitnessPal has always promoted a healthy, sustainable, and gradual path to weight loss. But HCG products are typically promoted in connection with a very low calorie diet, usually one that limits calories to 500 per day. Research has demonstrated that calorie intake at these levels can lead to increased risk of gallstones, hair loss, constipation, an irregular heartbeat, and many other dangerous side-effects.

Moreover, numerous medical studies have shown that the results of HCG-use in combination with a very low calorie diet are indistinguishable from the results of the low calorie diet alone. In light of this research, the FDA has required the labeling and advertising of HCG products to state:

“HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of obesity. There is no substantial evidence that it increases weight loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction, that it causes a more attractive or “normal” distribution of fat, or that it decreases the hunger and discomfort associated with calorie-restricted diets.”

Respectfully,
Olivia
MFP Community Manager