HCG and the 500 calorie a day diet.

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1FitMomof4Girls
1FitMomof4Girls Posts: 202 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Disclaimer:

I would NEVER in a million years, EVER attempt this diet. I just heard about it last night, at church of all places.
(NOT part of the sermon) ;)
A few of the ladies are going to start this program. I asked a couple questions/ voiced a couple of concerns...

I am curious to know what everyone else thinks of this.:flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • jrueckert
    jrueckert Posts: 355 Member
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    Oh it's been the fad FOREVER now - but every single person I know who tried it is fat again. I tried it for about a week. It's just another way that people think they can lose weight fast without doing it the old fashioned (healthy) way.
  • leelee03
    leelee03 Posts: 67 Member
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    I actually have a guy friend who is beginning that program...He has a friend who is a professor that teaches nutrition who was very successful with it.
  • D1jana
    D1jana Posts: 5 Member
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    OMGoodness. That seems dangerous. It may be good and work fast in the short run. But I highly doubt that this type of weightloss will keep the weight off long term. This could be a really big shock to your system and weight will come off really fast but as soon as they start eating more then 500 calories that will come back. I would think so :)

    I can barely maintain 1200 calories a day...500? OMG!
  • goodthingslast
    goodthingslast Posts: 1
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    I did it this time last year, actually. It was a HUGE struggle for me. However, it did help me put the calorie count of things in perspective. For example a little debbie snack is about 300 calories....that was almost a full day's amount of calories!

    I thought of doing it again and then a friend of mine introduced me to Beachbody products and that's been my route since November. I still have two bottles of the HCG drops in my bathroom cupboard and will hopefully never, ever use it! I was constantly tired, hungry and cranky. I lost 21 lbs on it and gained every ounce of it back!
  • HoopFire5602
    HoopFire5602 Posts: 423 Member
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    My mother actually does this diet. She says it works for her. I think it is a starvation diet that will have dangerous consequences later on in life. But I guess it is easier for some to severly restrict their calories or not eat at all to avoid the hassle of counting. As a former anorexic/overexerciser I hate this diet and don't want people to ever suffer like I did. But at the same time people have to discover the truth for themselves, just as I did.
  • eillamarie
    eillamarie Posts: 862 Member
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    Sounds like a fad diet that is sure to trigger anorexia and quickly become one of the favorites of that community.
  • OLP76
    OLP76 Posts: 768 Member
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    If it sounds to good to be true...it probably is...:laugh:
  • nancyst
    nancyst Posts: 1
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    My sister is doing this and has lost a lot of weight. She goes to a nutritionist and doctor weekly to be checked. She has done this kind of thing in the past and put the weight right back on. Concerned that it will happen again but she has learned a lot about nutrition by going to dietician so it may work for her. I don't like the idea of using HCG and it just can't be healthy to eat just 500 calories a day...
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    Disclaimer:

    I would NEVER in a million years, EVER attempt this diet. I just heard about it last night, at church of all places.
    (NOT part of the sermon) ;)
    A few of the ladies are going to start this program. I asked a couple questions/ voiced a couple of concerns...

    I am curious to know what everyone else thinks of this.:flowerforyou:

    Read this:

    http://www.tomvenuto.com/asktom/HCG_diet_is_it_a_scam.shtml
  • kerriBB37
    kerriBB37 Posts: 967 Member
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    I don't know TOO much about it but my aunt and uncle and another aunt have tried it. At Christmas all three of them look great and the talked up the HGC product. They stated they were NOT hungry during the day either and they stuck to the 500 cals/day. I don't know. They tried to talk me into trying it but to me, good ol' diet and exercise is the best way for long term results! I haven't seen any of them since Christmas and I am really curious if they have kept it off. They had each lost anywhere from 20-30 pounds in just over a month--sounds like craziness and an unhealthy approach to me! That's just my experience with it.
  • PraiseHimAlways
    PraiseHimAlways Posts: 1
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    http://www.myfox28columbus.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wtte_vid_9530.shtml

    Here is a link from a FOX affiliate.
    You'll have to copy and paste the link to watch the clip.
    I have a friend who is doing this diet.
    I would never do this diet myself.
  • Nhunt09
    Nhunt09 Posts: 1 Member
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    Gibson76, its the funniest thing...I think all church leaders are doing it in my area. And not to mention, that I work in healthcare and there are alot of people with specialized training who should know better than to do this type of diet, but they are still doing it. It is not healthy to reduce your caloric intake to 500 calories a day! And these drops? What exactly is it? There hasn't been any formal studies showing its effectiveness, nor that they are safe. And once they return to a normal diet, they will just gain the weight back. I love seeing results, but I'm not willing to go to extremes....
  • calequestrian
    calequestrian Posts: 39 Member
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    I know a couple of people who did it, and they did indeed lose the weight, but it just seemed so drastic, and they are always sick! The other people I know that started it, did ok but were so hungry all the time and therefore did not stick to it. Personally, I am using MFP and then I am excercising. I am using My Fitness Coach from Wii and the Wii Fitness (mostly to use the BMI and goal sheet), Denise Austin DVD's and Denise Austin's Yoga and Pilates. I am not melting away, but I am losing about a half pound to a pound per week, but the clothes are fitting better. I don't really buy into get skinny quick diets, the end result is that they often gain the weight back.. But that is my opinion...
  • fotofreak01
    fotofreak01 Posts: 397 Member
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    wow! How can anyone live on 500 calories a day?? I have a hard time some days with only taking in 1200. I agree w/ most everyone else, it can't be safe or healthy.
  • rautaty
    rautaty Posts: 44 Member
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    I don't know, I don't recomend this, is it be done under medical supervision?
    I heard people lose a lot of weight, but it could be because they eat only 500 a day. Plus playing with your hormons might have nasty side-effects.
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
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    There are threads for support groups of users of the diet for more information. Most seem to have a lot of weight to lose so it's not something that I've really looked into as I'm a healthy BMI and haven't had struggles with traditional weight loss. I'm sure that one of the users of this method will have a lot more information about it than us who haven't used it and don't get past the "500 calories" part.
  • 1FitMomof4Girls
    1FitMomof4Girls Posts: 202 Member
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    Thanks folks!
    I have had great sucess with losing the "old fashioned" way and these ladies have seen me do it. They talk about my dedication all the time....
    Which is exactly why I have no idea why someone would want to do something that seems a so unhealthy and a little dangerous.
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    I am not completely familiar with the diet---but I would hope that it teaches all their individuals using it how to to eat and maintain their weight loss as you certainly cannot be on it forever.

    I, too, am on a program--that has me eating 1000 calories a day, but I am geting all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals of a 2000 calorie diet--this has been doctor recommended and has been around for 30 years and has been life changing for me. But, the program is teaching me the health habits and tools that I need for long-term success. KEY!!!
  • amyoliver85
    amyoliver85 Posts: 353 Member
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    Hi Gibson76:

    Having done the hcg diet, I can tell you that you should definitely be concerned for those ladies that are considering the diet. Having researched it plenty afterward, I can tell you that you should be doubly concerned.

    1) Extreme weight loss can cause severe problems for your gallbladder. Since I lost mine to a rupture (which can kill you, btw), I happen to know a lot about the subject. My gallbladder problems, were as confirmed by a doctor, the result of extreme weight loss--just before my incident, I was on the hcg diet. Not to mention, I gained about 18 lbs. after my gallbladder came out because while doctors say it is not necessary, it actually does affect your body composition for many reasons I won't go into here.

    2) 90% of people who go on hcg gain all of the weight back within 6 months - 1 year. Why? Because you can't maintain 500 calories per day forever. And without exercise, you will gain the weight back. So it's just wasted money.

    3) Hcg will not give your friends the body they want. They think hcg is a miracle cure but unfortunately, while hcg can drop you a pant size or two in the timeframe allotted, it won't get rid of the shape associated with what caused the weight gain in the first place.

    4) People who are NOT obese have no reason to use hcg. In the 70s, when this diet was first created it was meant only for the morbidly obese. Well unfortunately it's back on the market and back in advertising but with a caveat. The creator-doctor is not around to say, "THIS IS NOT FOR regular people who need to lose less than 100 pounds!!!" When the diet was first created, you couldn't get into this diet unless you had enormous amounts of weight to lose. Why is it different now??? I'll telly you why: advertising.

    5) Your friends are going to be missing out on some major vitamins, proteins, etc. Getting these things from pills and capsules is NOT the same as getting them from real foods. You ARE what you EAT. Ask your friends what they want to be. I for one, do not want to be a pill or capsule. I also don't want to be hcg. I would much rather be comprised of 1200-1500 calories NET per day of veggies and fruits and fibers. All natural. And all beautiful.

    6) If your friends are not 100% committed to losing the weight for life, this diet is going to backfire BIG TIME. Zero sugar, pretty much zero carbs. They can't just go on this diet and eat whatever they want. And even if they're committed to eating healthy, there are even restrictions in that arena. Like fruit...fruit is a SIMPLE SUGAR. So unless they're willing to give up pretty much all fruit, they won't be able to accomplish the diet.

    7) They have to GAIN weight to lose weight on this diet. There are 3 loading days prior to the start of the actual "dieting". And during this phase you can gain anywhere from 6-15 pounds! But if they don't do it and they don't allow themselves to gain the weight, not only will the diet not work and they will lose very little if any weight during the entire process, but they will also be incredibly ILL for the duration.

    8) Absolutely no fast food. Let them know that there's no going to Mcdonald's and just choosing healthy meals. And there's no going to a sit down restaurant either. Do they really want to stop living completely for 40 days?

    9) Absolutely no alcohol. I know you go to church so these people probably aren't consuming much if any, but that means from all sources. No sugar alcohols like xylitol and no vanilla flavoring.

    10) NO SODA! No even diet sodas are allowed because Aspartame and Splenda are not allowed.

    11) They will probably have to give up their makeup, shampoo, lotions and possibly even their deodorant. That's right. This diet is SERIOUS about making sure you are not introducing any toxins at all into your system. So they need to be prepared for that. If they're not prepared to make those changes, this diet will not produce results.

    Anywho, that's probably overkill for what you were expecting, but I can tell that you must really care about these ladies so I wanted to give you as many facts as possible to give them so they can make a truly educated decision.

    I also hope they are actually doing to a medical diet clinic and not just buying this off the net or from some ramshackle store because you NEVER get the information you need if you go anywhere but a medical clinic. I am proof positive of that.
  • ahartery9891
    ahartery9891 Posts: 139 Member
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    This is ridiculous. Has anyone seen the video??

    http://www.greenhcg.com/vlcd-diet-menu.php

    I love how she refers to 'fat bags' all over your body. Also, what's with the binge-eating before? That can't be healthy.

    Since starting here, I have put myself to a 1200 calorie diet. Even with this, I find myself going over on the daily intake of protein I am supposed to be taking. I could not imagine how difficult it would be to stick to a 500 calorie diet. People burn more calories at rest throughout the day!

    For the people who have tried this - did you have enough energy throughout your day?

    I'll stick to my own diet - portion control and not starving myself.

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