Looking for peeps who did HCG diet...with bad results
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I have not done this diet, but my best friend did & she lost A LOT of hair! I thought she looked sickly. Really wish she would have listened to me.
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you lose the hair bc ur on a low fat diet- once you go back to normal eating after ur hypothalamus is reset, the hair grows back....and while doing the protocol it is advised to take biotin daily for the hair loss..... HCG works, and it is def not the placebo effect. With out the HCG a person can not continue eating a 500 calorie a day diet. Its just impossible---There have actually been studies done on actual placebos- and the results are all the same- people are starving, not losing weight as quickly- and losing all muscle mass. Opposed to Real HCG- where u can hardly finish ur 2 tiny meals and drop NOT only POUNDS but INCHES. On top of all of this information
how could you possibly say something doesn't work, if you haven't tried it? Maybe you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and try the actual 23 day Protocol. Then come back and say the same thing.0 -
you lose the hair bc ur on a low fat diet- once you go back to normal eating after ur hypothalamus is reset, the hair grows back....and while doing the protocol it is advised to take biotin daily for the hair loss..... HCG works, and it is def not the placebo effect. With out the HCG a person can not continue eating a 500 calorie a day diet. Its just impossible---There have actually been studies done on actual placebos- and the results are all the same- people are starving, not losing weight as quickly- and losing all muscle mass. Opposed to Real HCG- where u can hardly finish ur 2 tiny meals and drop NOT only POUNDS but INCHES. On top of all of this information
how could you possibly say something doesn't work, if you haven't tried it? Maybe you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and try the actual 23 day Protocol. Then come back and say the same thing.
This is all incorrect. Please show me this research you refer to.
I also haven't ever tried meth before, but I'm pretty sure it's not good for me. Cigarettes also supposedly help supress the appetite, but I'm pretty sure that would also be a terrible weight loss plan.
Losing your hair on a weight loss plan is not HEALTHY.0 -
This is all anecdotal. How about some real clinical peer reviewed studies showing that NO MUSCLE is lost on HCG diet. There has to be some University, Independent lab or Science academy that has absolutely proven this to be true if that's what you're saying.Actually it is the HCG that does this..............and I wouldn't go to a nutritionist or a dietician that subscribed to the knowledge of conventional wisdom. I, myself, have went on after learning so much from my Naturopathic Dr who is also a nutrition expert that I have become a licensed and holistic nutrition educator.
I did the 500 calorie per day without the HCG and was losing MUSCLE mass like crazy, no energy and was compromising my immune system.
However, I experienced the exact opposite with the HCG injections. No muscle loss, lots of energy and I was losing pure fat.
MY doctor who is an M.D., Naturopathic M.D. and Nuttrition expert for Washington University in St Louis, MO put me on the HCG plan for other reasons than weight loss, but told me the weight loss would help with hormonal issues I was also having, in which it did because my pituitary and thyroid functions went back to normal and I was able to cease taking medications for this.
The weight loss was an added benefit and I don't regret doing the 2 rounds - not for one minute.
Also for those that don't know it. Male bodybuilder's (and some female bodybuilders) use HCG after they've done a cycle of steroids to "restart" their natural testosterone output. HCG in NY is a schedule III drug (like steroids are).0 -
I tried it, hated the deprivation, lost some weight, lost the diet much quicker. I just felt "angry" all the time. Besides, deep down I knew the loss wold not last! Glad to be off of it!0
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Wait, but the research you believe with no validity to back it up (other than the discoverer's which wouldn't make it peer reviewed) is true? I'm sorry, but there's a reason it's not been picked up by a Pharmaceutical company..........because it doesn't work. Don't you think that the money hungry pharmaceutical companies would take advantage of it if it did? And real HCG isn't cheap. Think about it.Of course that is what their research shows..............it is not the truth though. The research will be this way so that the pharmaceutical companies don't lose money on the millions they make off weight loss drugs that have detrimental effects on someone's health.
HCG is not harmful. it is naturally occurring in every single human being and more abundant in pregnant women of course. There is nothing that the small amount of HCG you inject could do to harm the human body.
I injected doses about 1,000 times higher when I was trying to conceive via IVF..............
And I have lost weight the "normal" and "healthy" way before and did not get off the thyroid and pituitary meds............0 -
thanks for posting your experience. this diet is dangerous and i feel it's irresponsible for those who promote it. you will get your metabolism turned around, it will just take some time. good luck with your journey and again, thanks for sharing.0
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I don't have any research...only my own personal experience. I did HCG through a nutrition center where I had a doctor monitor my progress and a nutritionist help with meal planning. I took prescribed nutritional supplements at the same time to counter the nutrients I was not getting.
PROS:
Weight loss. I lost 20 pounds in a 21 day cycle.
Healthier eating habits. True, you can say that I could have accomplished that all without HCG, but without the instant reward of weight loss I wouldn't have tried nearly so hard. Because of HCG scaring me to death with their "you can't cheat at all or you lose everything mentality" I was terrified to mess up even once. I could do it only because I knew it was only 21 days then I could adjust however I wanted. I found after the 21 days were up that I on a daily basis continued to eat a much higher volume of veggies and fruit and even protein then I ever had before. I know that is a personal mental block but nonetheless one I had.
I was 100% more aware of my body and what I was putting in it at all times because everything was so precise and methodical. That worked for me.
It was expensive enough that I still to this day (with this program as support) want to maintain the weight loss and I have since lost an additional 15 pounds. HCG is not a miracle. If you don't maintain, as with any diet, you will re-gain the weight. I didn't want to throw my money away.
CONS:
I was EXTREMELY hormonal. (It's a hormone, go figure). I was uncharacteristically snappy and grumpy a lot of the time.
The food got VERY boring. You can only mix it up so much. The list of allowed foods is extremely limited.
It was socially difficult. You don't realize how much food plays a role in our society unless you have a highly restrictive diet.
At times I had to force myself to finish because the portions were SO big. I know, you're saying how? It's only 500 calories. But there are only 6 calories in 1 ounce of spinach. Do you know how much 40 calories of spinach is??? I would go through SO much produce. It was insane. Beyond the first week I was never really ever hungry, just bored with the food.
Remembering to take the shots. Luckily I remembered.
Conclusion: Would I go back and do it all over? I think so. I didn't have any of the health problems you've described though, or the hair loss. It was the HARDEST thing I have done weight loss-wise bar none. I know it sounds like a quick fix but unless you are an extremely dedicated person I wouldn't start it because you'll just get frustrated if you cheat. I don't need it anymore now not because I don't still have weight to lose but I think I learned all I needed to learn through the process. I will lose the rest slow and steady with diet and exercise. The structure ingrained in me the habits I have today. It worked for me. Honestly if I had not done it I don't think I would have the lifestyle I have today.
I have no prejudices either way. This is just my own personal viewpoint from my own experience.0 -
Here are some peer reviewed studies showing no significant benefit in weight loss with HCG vs. placebo:
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1875285/?page=1
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/321723
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2405506
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/786001
5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/595585
6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3609673
Here is a peer reviewed study that showed a significant difference between HCG patients' and placebo patients' weight loss (this study's methods have been "severely criticized" by the scientific community):
1. http://www.ajcn.org/content/26/2/211.long
The program is expensive and a 500 cal/day diet is below the daily calorie intake considered to be anorexic. I will add that just because an MD is administering the treatment does not mean that it is good. Not all doctors are entirely ethical in their practice. I worked for a doctor whose clinic also had a diet center peddling some meal replacement and appetite suppressant program. He was all about the money and a specialist in a completely unrelated area.0 -
Bump for later reading....just because it's interesting...0
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Here are some peer reviewed studies showing no significant benefit in weight loss with HCG vs. placebo:
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1875285/?page=1
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/321723
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2405506
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/786001
5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/595585
6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3609673
Here is a peer reviewed study that showed a significant difference between HCG patients' and placebo patients' weight loss (this study's methods have been "severely criticized" by the scientific community):
1. http://www.ajcn.org/content/26/2/211.long
The program is expensive and a 500 cal/day diet is below the daily calorie intake considered to be anorexic. I will add that just because an MD is administering the treatment does not mean that it is good. Not all doctors are entirely ethical in their practice. I worked for a doctor whose clinic also had a diet center peddling some meal replacement and appetite suppressant program. He was all about the money and a specialist in a completely unrelated area.
Those websites are government owned and operated websites and I don't trust what it has to say.
I will continue to trust my Naturopathic M.D. who also does not trust these government sites.
And if you go through your regular or a naturopathic dr who will just write the script - it is not expensive at all.0 -
Wait, but the research you believe with no validity to back it up (other than the discoverer's which wouldn't make it peer reviewed) is true? I'm sorry, but there's a reason it's not been picked up by a Pharmaceutical company..........because it doesn't work. Don't you think that the money hungry pharmaceutical companies would take advantage of it if it did? And real HCG isn't cheap. Think about it.Of course that is what their research shows..............it is not the truth though. The research will be this way so that the pharmaceutical companies don't lose money on the millions they make off weight loss drugs that have detrimental effects on someone's health.
HCG is not harmful. it is naturally occurring in every single human being and more abundant in pregnant women of course. There is nothing that the small amount of HCG you inject could do to harm the human body.
I injected doses about 1,000 times higher when I was trying to conceive via IVF..............
And I have lost weight the "normal" and "healthy" way before and did not get off the thyroid and pituitary meds............
No, pharmaceutical companies ONLY pick up medications and drugs that can be PATENTED. Another reason it would never be picked up by the pharmaceutical companies is because the HCG plan has you eating basically natural, whole foods. Meat, vegetables and fruit.
If everyone that was overweight went on HCG, lost the weight and continued on with the lifestyle of eating natural whole foods it would run them out of business.................And this statement came from a friend who is a vice president of a pharmaceutical company in St Louis, MO
My doctor pulled out several scientific studies in the books in her office and showed me the REAL data. Not what the government and the pharmaceutical companies want you to see.0 -
Thanks for sharing. I finish my 21 days today! I am only doing the HCG drops that I purchased at GNC due to the fact that there is no local Dr. for me to get the injections. I could do mail order drops and not have to visit or weigh in at there office, so I chose to try the drops from GNC first for a fraction of the cost. As of today, I've lost 15 lbs. Not as much as I wanted but it is a start. I go up to the 800 calories tomorrow...and am hoping to add additional exercises to try to get some energy and more motivation. If I don't lose what I need to by Christmas, I may make the 3 hour drive to the nearest clinic for injections. I totally agree with everything you said...and am hoping to get to my goal on my own with the discipline that I have had to have on this restrictive diet.0
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Here are some peer reviewed studies showing no significant benefit in weight loss with HCG vs. placebo:
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1875285/?page=1
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/321723
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2405506
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/786001
5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/595585
6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3609673
Here is a peer reviewed study that showed a significant difference between HCG patients' and placebo patients' weight loss (this study's methods have been "severely criticized" by the scientific community):
1. http://www.ajcn.org/content/26/2/211.long
The program is expensive and a 500 cal/day diet is below the daily calorie intake considered to be anorexic. I will add that just because an MD is administering the treatment does not mean that it is good. Not all doctors are entirely ethical in their practice. I worked for a doctor whose clinic also had a diet center peddling some meal replacement and appetite suppressant program. He was all about the money and a specialist in a completely unrelated area.
Those websites are government owned and operated websites and I don't trust what it has to say.
I will continue to trust my Naturopathic M.D. who also does not trust these government sites.
And if you go through your regular or a naturopathic dr who will just write the script - it is not expensive at all.
Pubmed is a repository for pretty much all the peer-reviewed medical journals in the English language. The NIH just maintains it, not produces the data itself. The articles are produced by academics around the world. You can find the same papers by going to the individual journal websites (most of which don't have anything to do with the government). If you're going to ignore every peer-reviewed piece of medical information out there, I don't know what on Earth to say to you.0 -
Those websites are government owned and operated websites and I don't trust what it has to say.
I will continue to trust my Naturopathic M.D. who also does not trust these government sites.
And if you go through your regular or a naturopathic dr who will just write the script - it is not expensive at all.
It's a conspiracy!!!!!!
To think, all this time I figured that the advancements in athletics, dietary nutrition, sports medicine and injury rehabilitation were real and tested but little did I know it was a cover from some secret government organization to trick me into not knowing the TRUE secret to good health...............
..............hormone injections and 500 calories a day.
Now, armed with this knowledge, I can venture forth to glory and good health!!!
WHO IS WITH ME!!!!!!!0 -
i have read through the good bad and ugly on this thread, and wanted to add my 2 cents worth. First of all, if you are doing this diet without some professional guidance, that is mistake number one. Our bodies are all different, and react differently, have different nutritional needs, heck even different blood types need different foods, it all needs to be tracked by a knowledgeable person, otherwise you can be causing severe damage to your health.
Homeopathic vs real hcg ... I personally have found a big difference in effectiveness. homeopathic hcg needs to be tweaked according to how your body responds to it, if you are not using the correct homeopathic dosage for YOU, it will not work as it is supposed to ... ie, even if you lose weight, you will lose muscle not fat. without hcg, if you were able to maintain a 500 calorie a day diet, your body would burn muscle before fat, that is how our bodies starvation defense mechanisms work, without the appropriate hcg dosage (homeopathic or otherwise), you will not burn the fat instead of the muscle ...
I did my first round with homeopathic hcg, and had miserable results, switched to real hcg, and did wonders, tried one more round with homeopathic hcg, and nothing again ... i personally dont have the desire to tweak my homeopathic hcg dosage while I am eating 500 calories a day, i want to be losing while i am eating 500 calories a day, so i just do hcg injections now (you can do hcg sublingual, but I had a really hard time holding that liquid under my tongue so long)
the premise of this protocol is that by taking hcg, your body burns fat instead of muscle ... if you dont know what you are losing, invest in a cheap body composition scale, you can get them for under $50, and well worth it to see what your body is doing.
no diet has ever worked for me, being a blood type O, I generally have to get up and work out like a banchee in order to lose weight, I have several friends (30+) who have done this diet, only one was unsuccessful. Remember also that this is not a diet, it is a protocol, if you do not let your body and metabolism adjust correctly, you will regain the weight. The entire PROCESS is what is important with this diet. and phase 3 and phase 4 cannot be confined to '3 weeks', it again depends on your body, and how long it takes to stabilize. I have heard of people that have needed to take supplements in order to get their body re-stabilized.
I have friends that have lost 60-100 pounds on this diet, and kept it off for over 3 years.
also remember that if you eat more than your needed calorie intake for your weight, you will gain weight, that is plain and simple, regardless of how you lost the weight to start out with !!
but because I saw the success my friends had with this diet, I decided to give it a try .. I believe it needs to be tweaked for anyones individual needs, and if people are losing hair, or having other health concerns, they need to find out what supplements, or what they need to add to their diet (even if it causes less weight loss)
i joined a couple hcg forums out there, and a few with biochemists who did a wonderful job of explaining how things may or may not work, i have read just about everything I can get my hands on about this diet, and there will always be people saying it is a scam, but for me, personally, I have tons of proof in the people who have personally done this diet, lost ALOT of weight, and kept it off ... so much so that I avidly promote it to anyone who thinks they can handle the strict guidelines ... every one of them has been happy with the results ....0 -
and I also suffer from hypothyroidism ... and high blood pressure, which dropped significantly after this diet (even though my weight at the end of this diet was still higher than it was when I had first been medicated for my blood pressure)0
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I've never done it but a good friend did with horrible results.
She did lose all the weight she wanted to but she has pretty much cannibalized her lean muscle mass so even at goal weight she is overall very flabby and strangely lumpy. Her dream was to look good in a bikini, as it is she doesn't even want to go to the beach in a one piece. She had very thin hair to start with and lost a lot of it on hcg. It still hasn't fully come back. While she was on the diet she looked terrible. Really pale, almost greyish, her eyes were dull and the hair she had left was brittle and dry. We went to a birthday party together and all night I had people pulling me aside to ask me if she was ill and just wasn't telling anyone. Between the injections, supplements and food she spent an insane amount of money. Her immune system is trashed now and the list of foods she can no longer tolerate is too long to mention.
She used to be prone to seasonal depression, since finishing the last cycle she has been depressed pretty much the entire time. That might be a concidence but I don't think the overall shape of her body, thinning hair and the fact that she's constantly sick is helping.0 -
One more strange side effect, her hydro bills skyrocketed during that time because she had to crank her furnace up to 82. She was freezing all of the time.0
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bump0
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I've never done it but a good friend did with horrible results.
She did lose all the weight she wanted to but she has pretty much cannibalized her lean muscle mass so even at goal weight she is overall very flabby and strangely lumpy. Her dream was to look good in a bikini, as it is she doesn't even want to go to the beach in a one piece. She had very thin hair to start with and lost a lot of it on hcg. It still hasn't fully come back. While she was on the diet she looked terrible. Really pale, almost greyish, her eyes were dull and the hair she had left was brittle and dry. We went to a birthday party together and all night I had people pulling me aside to ask me if she was ill and just wasn't telling anyone. Between the injections, supplements and food she spent an insane amount of money. Her immune system is trashed now and the list of foods she can no longer tolerate is too long to mention.
She used to be prone to seasonal depression, since finishing the last cycle she has been depressed pretty much the entire time. That might be a concidence but I don't think the overall shape of her body, thinning hair and the fact that she's constantly sick is helping.
You just pretty much summed up my experience too!!! My hair is dry and stringy now...I hate it. It used to be so shiny and healthy and people always commented on it. Now it tangles easily and looks blah.
( It's been almost a year since I've been on it. Hair only grows so fast ya know. I also used to get SAD...and I noticed from June to April I had to fight hard not to sink into a major depression. I bought a blue light (Philips Blue Light/Sun therapy) to help me from sinking even worse beyond what I was dealing with. And I spent a ton of money on supplements while on the diet ($400 worth) because my practitioner told me it would prevent me from losing my hair and experiencing other bad side effects. Phhhhhhht.
Thankfully I haven't been sick since April. I hit the probiotics HARD to help replenish the good bacteria in my gut. Maybe suggest to her to get on some and to take them daily (if she is still having a hard time with her immune system). I have faith that my hair will eventually look nice again but at the rate it grows (very slowly), I imagine that will take a few years.
Did I mention that I took measurements while on HCG...and then about a couple of months ago (after I had gained most of the weight back, but began exercising and eating healthy). I was a full ten pounds HEAVIER than my lowest on HCG...and my more recent measurements (about a month ago) were smaller in nearly all areas (with exception of breasts) than while on the HCG. I don't understand how people can think that after they lose all that weight that they are going to look good. The muscle is sorely lacking and it's more of a "skinny fat" look. Not attractive.
The good news is...like I said, it's been almost a year since I was on it...but my body is starting to respond to a good, healthy diet and exercise six days a week. I'm gaining muscle, losing body fat, and am almost back down to my lowest while on HCG....THE HEALTHY (albeit, SLOW, LOL) way. I'm okay with that. I know when I eat bread (and I do, whenever I want to), I don't have to freak out and jump on the scale to see if I gained a pound back overnight! LOL
For anyone who wants to know how to get your metabolism back on track...I recommend reading Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels. She talks a lot about hormonal changes that can be affecting your metabolism and natural ways to help get them to a healthy functioning state. Eat breakfast in the morning, workout, drink lots of water, avoid foods laden with chemicals/pesticides/hormones, eat every 3-4 hours if possible, and don't give up! It's working for me...FINALLY!
For the rest of you who are still convinced your starvation diet (often administered by a medical professional) is the way to go....my apologies to you. One day you will realize the damage you are doing to your body. Just because you haven't experienced any or all of the side effects I have experienced doesn't mean you won't...eventually. Good luck to you...but stop trying to convince other desperate individuals that your extremely unhealthy diet is the way to go. It's just that..another DIEt, and if you don't change the way you eat and move your body, in time, you will gain it back...and be back on another DIEt. I, for one, am fed up with the fads and the money making schemes. And I don't mind a little bit of hard work to get the results I really want.0 -
Here are some peer reviewed studies showing no significant benefit in weight loss with HCG vs. placebo:
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1875285/?page=1
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/321723
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2405506
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/786001
5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/595585
6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3609673
Here is a peer reviewed study that showed a significant difference between HCG patients' and placebo patients' weight loss (this study's methods have been "severely criticized" by the scientific community):
1. http://www.ajcn.org/content/26/2/211.long
The program is expensive and a 500 cal/day diet is below the daily calorie intake considered to be anorexic. I will add that just because an MD is administering the treatment does not mean that it is good. Not all doctors are entirely ethical in their practice. I worked for a doctor whose clinic also had a diet center peddling some meal replacement and appetite suppressant program. He was all about the money and a specialist in a completely unrelated area.
Those websites are government owned and operated websites and I don't trust what it has to say.
I will continue to trust my Naturopathic M.D. who also does not trust these government sites.
And if you go through your regular or a naturopathic dr who will just write the script - it is not expensive at all.
The websites are government maintained databases of research from a variety of government-independent publications. It does not mean that all of the research papers on Pubmed are funded, conducted or reviewed by the government. A number of the publications are not even from the United States. You're free to do what you want with your body, but it's irresponsible to suggest to others that they deny published scientific research because it's all put out by the government (which isn't even true) and instead listen to anecdotes. If your MD believes that it is safe and effective for you, that's great. I bet I can find a number of MDs who would say the opposite.
I'm also not sure how you think the government would take interest in/benefit from providing false scientific information that may call the hcg diet into question. Why would they care? If they were truly concerned with the diet it would be FDA regulated.0 -
Here are some peer reviewed studies showing no significant benefit in weight loss with HCG vs. placebo:
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1875285/?page=1
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/321723
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2405506
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/786001
5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/595585
6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3609673
Here is a peer reviewed study that showed a significant difference between HCG patients' and placebo patients' weight loss (this study's methods have been "severely criticized" by the scientific community):
1. http://www.ajcn.org/content/26/2/211.long
The program is expensive and a 500 cal/day diet is below the daily calorie intake considered to be anorexic. I will add that just because an MD is administering the treatment does not mean that it is good. Not all doctors are entirely ethical in their practice. I worked for a doctor whose clinic also had a diet center peddling some meal replacement and appetite suppressant program. He was all about the money and a specialist in a completely unrelated area.
Those websites are government owned and operated websites and I don't trust what it has to say.
I will continue to trust my Naturopathic M.D. who also does not trust these government sites.
And if you go through your regular or a naturopathic dr who will just write the script - it is not expensive at all.
The websites are government maintained databases of research from a variety of government-independent publications. It does not mean that all of the research papers on Pubmed are funded, conducted or reviewed by the government. A number of the publications are not even from the United States. You're free to do what you want with your body, but it's irresponsible to suggest to others that they deny published scientific research because it's all put out by the government (which isn't even true) and instead listen to anecdotes. If your MD believes that it is safe and effective for you, that's great. I bet I can find a number of MDs who would say the opposite.
I'm also not sure how you think the government would take interest in/benefit from providing false scientific information that may call the hcg diet into question. Why would they care? If they were truly concerned with the diet it would be FDA regulated.0 -
Bump
I've been against HCG since the day I heard about it.0 -
Comparing meth and cigarettes to Hcg is ridiculous.
Again - all I offer is my personal experience and the personal experience of my sister.
My sis experienced some hair loss and slight constipation - she took Biotin for the hair loss and continues to take a magnesium supplement if she suffers from irregularity. She went from 200 to 132 (5' 5") and wears a 4-6. she works out regularly and watches what she eats - she is very carb-sensitive: she eats too many carbs=she gains weight. She lays off the carbs - she maintains just fine.
Me: I experienced some acne during the HCG phase and I suppose some mood swings - but attribute at least some of that to being a wife and mom of 4 girls under age 5 and trying to balance home,motherhood, wifehood and work.
$$ - i researched exhaustively before starting the diet, felt completely comfortable attempting the diet without physician involvement (I work in healthcare x 25 years and fortunately have access to more medical opinions than I can shake a stick at) and purchased homeopathic HCG online very inexpensively.
I did my hcg rounds in june and sept of 2010. I got lazy over the summer and gained some weight. I did another round 2 months ago. I take no medications, sleep great, have no digestive problems, joint problems, energy problems, no more mood problems than any other 42year old woman (I attribute that primarily to my ever strengthening faith in God), and feel great in my skin and size 8 jeans. I still have thick healthy hair but cut it short because I don't like it in the way when I am running on the treadmill or in 5k/10k races - something I would/could not do 2 years ago.
Please understand that i am NOT bragging. Just refuting the negative and giving my positive testimony about my Hcg experience.
And I am happy.
Would I do it the same way? Absolutely - with one exception . . . I'd have started years earlier.0 -
Fivefatcats ~ glad you found "success". Noticed from your profile you have been up and down quite a bit since starting it last year. Not to be snarky, but don't you think you could've done that on your own...without HCG? (Gone up and down, or better yet, maintained it more down by eating healthy and exercising?) It seems that once you "set your metabolism" that you should have been able to eat healthy and not gain so much (I mean, realistically, ten pounds is a lot to gain back if you had really adhered to the "diet" guidelines after you were done - in maintenance phase). I noticed that weight comes back AWFULLY FAST after going through the rounds...seemed to come back MUCH faster than if I had never did HCG (weight slowly crept up on me over the years...but once I was done with HCG and went into the so-called maintenance phase, any little slip up resulted in quick added poundage...not cool).
I only compare this...because now...I eat fairly healthy and I workout several days a week...and I can have a whole weekend of slip-up and not suffer any gains. Seems way more worthwhile than having to starve myself again to get the weight off. I will NEVER go back...no matter how magical it seems. Uh uh. And you are absolutely right, allowing God to fulfill my needs and work in areas in my life where I needed healing was the most important thing. I did HCG while going through an inner healing class (the Sanfords' teachings) and to be honest, I'm not sure I could have made it through that round of HCG without the principles/teachings I was learning in that class. God was doing a major work in my life at that time and I think that is the only way I managed to get through my days eating only 500 cals./ 0 -
bump for later0
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Jade -
This is the parable I use:
I imagine "healthy weight" as a harbor. I used HCG as a "tugboat" to help get my ship to harbor. But was having trouble staying in the harbor and drifted out. Once I drifted out far enough, I couldn't even see to "row" myself back to harbor - so I used hcg to get me back to the harbor. That has never been the real challenge for me. Staying in the harbor has been the challenge.
I (like so many others) didn't stick to the healthier diet. If the 'harbor " is 160lbs, I would drift 3, 5, 8 pounds up and lose my will to "row" - fight to get it back down.
This time I am being diligent about counting calories and macronutrients and as soon as I hit the 'magic number' - I do a correction day. I mean that exact same day - and it tightens the ropes to keep me in the harbor.
Yes I fluctuated. Yes 10 lbs seems like alot (although 150 wasn't a reasonable goal for me last year . . maybe in the future but not right now either). But when I had 'success' down to 150, and found myself looking at 170s and 180s again because I was depressed and went right back to food and my 'I don't care anymore' attitude, HCG helped me lose the weight. It doesn't fix the problem that made me eat but it keeps the weight from adding to the depression. Only God has helped me out of the depression and anger - he, like my husband, loves me no matter what I weigh and is teaching me to do the same.
That said . . . maybe there are other diet plans that could have done the same thing but this is the one I know. I know how to eat it, how to live it, how to respond to it. I trust it. And it works for me.0 -
great job!! you've given me the motivation to keep on. I had a friend lose 15 pounds in 3 weeks on this diet. She teaches yoga twice a week and went from 140-125...i'm down 5 since Monday and feel great so far!!0
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I am glad to see MFP members coming forward about the terrible experiences they had with the HCG starvation diet. Hopefully, others will heed your warning and avoid similar experiences. I know people that tried the HCG diet, and are now sorry they ever heard of it. They lost a bunch of weight from starving on the "recommended" 500 calories a day, but then it came right back and their metabolism was worse than ever. I also know people that felt fine on the plan, then suddenly became very ill when the malnutrition from this diet finally caught up with them.
Study after study has shown that HCG does NOTHING to help with weight loss. It does not protect muscle mass, make it save to eat only 500 calories a day, reset your metabolism, or do anything else the snake oil salesmen that sell it claim.
http://www.dietscam.org/reports/hcg.shtml
http://www.tucsonmedical.com/pages/hcg.php
http://factoidz.com/the-health-risks-of-the-hcg-diet/0
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