HCG for weight loss?

BrookelynJ

Has anyone heard of this or used it and does it work?
Thanks!

voluptas63

I recommend using the search function for this topic. There are many threads on it and not a whole lot of good things said about it.

And... IT'S PREGNANT LADY PEE. Ew.

_GlaDOS_

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/338789-looking-for-peeps-who-did-hcg-diet-with-bad-results

Also, this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MrsCon40/view/hcg-a-handy-reply-to-the-multitude-of-quick-fix-seekers-148860

dayzeerock

You should look at forum rules before posting. In the rules, it states that topics about dangerous diet fads are not allowed.

chickman07

6 members of my family have done it and it works if you do every part of it correctly. It is a crash diet however and you can't exercise while doing it. It is usually for losing lots of weight. MFP is a more gradual lifestyle changing diet.

abbie017

Anyone who eats 500 calories a day for a prolonged period of time will lose weight. It's called anorexia.

You will find this issue divides people very strongly. Please be safe in what you choose.

Thomasm198

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MrsCon40/view/hcg-a-handy-reply-to-the-multitude-of-quick-fix-seekers-148860

So, here’s the bottom line on this “hCG Diet“.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone approved by the FDA for use in pre-pubertal boys to help aid normal sexual development, and in women to treat fertility problems. hCG is produced by the placenta and is also found in pregnant women’s urine. It is not approved for weight loss and has never been proven by credible peer reviewed science to cause weight loss. So how did hCG surface as a weight loss solution?

Back in the 1930’s, a physician named A.T.W. Simeons was using hCG for the standard reproductive medical conditions for which it was approved. He observed that some of his patients dropped weight while on the hCG injections. Thinking that perhaps the hCG was the cause, he administered the injections along with a dietary plan to overweight patients and noted weight loss. Please note that subsequent researchers repeated his clinical study and were never able to replicate any association between hCG and weight loss.

Since then, most independent, peer-reviewed studies have shown no difference in weight loss between subjects on a low-calorie diet who received hCG injections and subjects who received a placebo. In 1975, the FDA noted that hCG is not a weight loss drug. In 1995, the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published a summary of research showing no hCG related weight loss association. The American Society of Bariatric Physicians does not recommend hCG for weight loss as noted in a December 2009 position paper.

Flash forward to 2007 when Kevin Trudeau published his book “The Weight Loss Cure ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About“, in which he concocted a weight loss plan which included hCG injections. Trudeau has no professional training in medicine, health or science. He is widely known as a controversial businessman who has tangled with the law regarding false health claims related to his books and products. You’d think that common sense would dictate running the other way when this guy hawks anything. But, people are desperate and when they are promised rapid weight loss and an end to their misery, they’ll often line up to sign up.

What is involved with the hCG “diet”:

1) Daily injections of hCG, with online prices ranging from $30 to more than $600 for a month’s supply. One side effect is pregnancy, as hCG increases fertility among women.

2) 500 calories per day of highly restrictive food intake, including coconut oil. One tablespoon of coconut oil contains 13.6 g total fats, 11.8 g of which are artery clogging saturated fats, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

3) A range of body “flush and detox” regimens. Here’s my quote from a prior WebMD interview about this regimen. “All the flushes and cleanses are pure nonsense, unnecessary, and there is no scientific basis for these recommendations,” says nutrition and metabolism expert Pamela Peeke, MD, chief medical correspondent for Discovery Health channel. “Your body is well equipped with organs, such as the liver and kidneys, and the immune system, to rid itself of potential toxins and do an excellent job of cleansing itself without needing flushes or cleanses.“

Here are other concerns related to this “diet”:

1) You’re starving yourself. Your brain alone requires 600 calories per day to function optimally. By consuming only 500 calories per day, of course you’ll drop weight. But at what price? You’re cannibalizing your muscle mass, reducing your metabolism and consequently the effectiveness of your calorie burning. If I had you consume only 500 calories per day and then injected you with water, should I now call this the amazing water cure for weight loss? hCG has nothing to do with your weight loss. Starvation does.

2) It’s impossible to do. So you blame yourself (and not the author) when you cannot complete his plan. This is a core element of the scam. People who are overweight already feel guilty and are often filled with shame. After having laid down a lot of cash and not being able to successfully comply for a month or more, they figure “Oh well, just another diet I’ve failed at”.

3) It is unsustainable. This regimen is almost impossible to adhere to for more than a very short period of time. There are no healthy eating or physical activity behaviors to learn. Eventually you would have to enter the real world. And then, what do you do?

4) It’s unsafe. You cannot meet your baseline survival nutritional requirements on a starvation plan. You can seriously alter your healthy intestinal bacterial flora with repeated “cleanses and detox” regimens. This can lead to altered bowel function and inability to appropriately absorb food nutrients, which can then impair immune function.

Further, many of you have a lot of weight to remove. You may also have associated medical problems, including high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and high blood sugar levels. You could also be on medications to treat these as well as mental conditions like depression and anxiety. When people buy into a diet scam like hCG, they usually don’t tell their medical team. Rapid weight loss, radically altered food consumption, cleanses and detox regimens can seriously affect your underlying mental and physical conditions and alter the clearance and blood level of medications you’re taking.

Don’t turn yourself into a science fair project. Beware of these radical scam approaches as they can deleteriously affect your health and wellbeing. In the best of all worlds, you’re working with credible health professionals to remove your excess weight.

5) You’re not breaking food addictions. The promise is that you’ll no longer be addicted to food and any abnormal eating behaviors. Credible research has clearly shown that starvation and useless injections are not the solution to food addictions. Behavioral modification, healthy eating practices and regular physical activity have clearly been shown to control food addictions.

6) You’re broke. Take a moment and add up the total costs of the books and products required. That’s why I’ve renamed this “diet” the High Cost Game scam.

Finally, there will always be an endless supply of frauds and scams created to prey on your desires to drop weight. To help guide you, here are the Food and Nutrition Science Alliances’ “Ten Red Flags of Junk Science“:

* Recommendations that promise a quick fix.
* Dire warnings of danger from a single product or regimen.
* Claims that sound too good to be true.
* Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex scientific study.
* Recommendations based on a single study.
* Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations.
* Lists of “good” and “bad” foods.
* Recommendations made to help sell a product.
* Recommendations based on studies published without peer review.
* Recommendations from studies that ignore difficulties among individuals or groups.

Always remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Anything worth doing in your life requires time and effort to achieve and succeed. Run from false promises like the hCG scam. Stick with life-giving whole foods and physical activity. Now, that’s better living through your own chemistry.

http://blogs.webmd.com/pamela-peeke-md/2010/12/diet-scam-101-the-hcg-con.html

ErrataCorrige

I have known people it has worked for in the short term, but afterwards all 6 of them gained the weight back (and more in some cases) and without execption they were all complete b*tches the entire time. (Not great in a small office, lol.)

Qarol

You should look at forum rules before posting. In the rules, it states that topics about dangerous diet fads are not allowed.

finally! a rule I can get behind!

FrenchMob

They should have a filter in the forum code that as soon as someone tries to post a topic with the HCG acronym, their account gets deleted.

dayzeerock

They should have a filter in the forum code that as soon as someone tries to post a topic with the HCG acronym, their account gets deleted.

THIS is an excellent idea!

HoopFire5602

Bad for you. Not reccomended. My mother used it and I am not kidding, she looked anorexic. Stop trying to use quick fixes. Yes it may work for a short time, but you'll be right back where you started when you quit. Change your lifestyle, not just your weight.

Murphy15

I agree with everyone about the dangers of HCG. It's just a bad choice! But I think everyone should remember that weight loss is a journey and sometimes you may start going down a bad road. If someone belittled you every time you started to go down one of those dark paths you'd probably feel pretty crappy.

dayzeerock

I agree with everyone about the dangers of HCG. It's just a bad choice! But I think everyone should remember that weight loss is a journey and sometimes you may start going down a bad road. If someone belittled you every time you started to go down one of those dark paths you'd probably feel pretty crappy.

The user asked a question-one that isn't even allowed to be discussed per forum rules. They received answers. Some of those answers probably weren't what they wanted to hear, but that's the risk you take when asking.

Murphy15

I agree with everyone about the dangers of HCG. It's just a bad choice! But I think everyone should remember that weight loss is a journey and sometimes you may start going down a bad road. If someone belittled you every time you started to go down one of those dark paths you'd probably feel pretty crappy.

The user asked a question-one that isn't even allowed to be discussed per forum rules. They received answers. Some of those answers probably weren't what they wanted to hear, but that's the risk you take when asking.

I still stand by my assertion that being downright rude is completely against the spirit of MFP. I think that negative answers are fine, but saying someone should be kicked off because they made a mistake is not cool.

ErrataCorrige

I agree with everyone about the dangers of HCG. It's just a bad choice! But I think everyone should remember that weight loss is a journey and sometimes you may start going down a bad road. If someone belittled you every time you started to go down one of those dark paths you'd probably feel pretty crappy.

The user asked a question-one that isn't even allowed to be discussed per forum rules. They received answers. Some of those answers probably weren't what they wanted to hear, but that's the risk you take when asking.

I still stand by my assertion that being downright rude is completely against the spirit of MFP. I think that negative answers are fine, but saying someone should be kicked off because they made a mistake is not cool.

I agree. If they didn't ask they wouldn't know. We are here to support and share info. I have learned alot by being on MFP and asking questions. Remember: we were all once new here!!!

robin52077

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MrsCon40/view/hcg-a-handy-reply-to-the-multitude-of-quick-fix-seekers-148860

So, here’s the bottom line on this “hCG Diet“.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone approved by the FDA for use in pre-pubertal boys to help aid normal sexual development, and in women to treat fertility problems. hCG is produced by the placenta and is also found in pregnant women’s urine. It is not approved for weight loss and has never been proven by credible peer reviewed science to cause weight loss. So how did hCG surface as a weight loss solution?

Back in the 1930’s, a physician named A.T.W. Simeons was using hCG for the standard reproductive medical conditions for which it was approved. He observed that some of his patients dropped weight while on the hCG injections. Thinking that perhaps the hCG was the cause, he administered the injections along with a dietary plan to overweight patients and noted weight loss. Please note that subsequent researchers repeated his clinical study and were never able to replicate any association between hCG and weight loss.

Since then, most independent, peer-reviewed studies have shown no difference in weight loss between subjects on a low-calorie diet who received hCG injections and subjects who received a placebo. In 1975, the FDA noted that hCG is not a weight loss drug. In 1995, the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published a summary of research showing no hCG related weight loss association. The American Society of Bariatric Physicians does not recommend hCG for weight loss as noted in a December 2009 position paper.

Flash forward to 2007 when Kevin Trudeau published his book “The Weight Loss Cure ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About“, in which he concocted a weight loss plan which included hCG injections. Trudeau has no professional training in medicine, health or science. He is widely known as a controversial businessman who has tangled with the law regarding false health claims related to his books and products. You’d think that common sense would dictate running the other way when this guy hawks anything. But, people are desperate and when they are promised rapid weight loss and an end to their misery, they’ll often line up to sign up.

What is involved with the hCG “diet”:

1) Daily injections of hCG, with online prices ranging from $30 to more than $600 for a month’s supply. One side effect is pregnancy, as hCG increases fertility among women.

2) 500 calories per day of highly restrictive food intake, including coconut oil. One tablespoon of coconut oil contains 13.6 g total fats, 11.8 g of which are artery clogging saturated fats, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

3) A range of body “flush and detox” regimens. Here’s my quote from a prior WebMD interview about this regimen. “All the flushes and cleanses are pure nonsense, unnecessary, and there is no scientific basis for these recommendations,” says nutrition and metabolism expert Pamela Peeke, MD, chief medical correspondent for Discovery Health channel. “Your body is well equipped with organs, such as the liver and kidneys, and the immune system, to rid itself of potential toxins and do an excellent job of cleansing itself without needing flushes or cleanses.“

Here are other concerns related to this “diet”:

1) You’re starving yourself. Your brain alone requires 600 calories per day to function optimally. By consuming only 500 calories per day, of course you’ll drop weight. But at what price? You’re cannibalizing your muscle mass, reducing your metabolism and consequently the effectiveness of your calorie burning. If I had you consume only 500 calories per day and then injected you with water, should I now call this the amazing water cure for weight loss? hCG has nothing to do with your weight loss. Starvation does.

2) It’s impossible to do. So you blame yourself (and not the author) when you cannot complete his plan. This is a core element of the scam. People who are overweight already feel guilty and are often filled with shame. After having laid down a lot of cash and not being able to successfully comply for a month or more, they figure “Oh well, just another diet I’ve failed at”.

3) It is unsustainable. This regimen is almost impossible to adhere to for more than a very short period of time. There are no healthy eating or physical activity behaviors to learn. Eventually you would have to enter the real world. And then, what do you do?

4) It’s unsafe. You cannot meet your baseline survival nutritional requirements on a starvation plan. You can seriously alter your healthy intestinal bacterial flora with repeated “cleanses and detox” regimens. This can lead to altered bowel function and inability to appropriately absorb food nutrients, which can then impair immune function.

Further, many of you have a lot of weight to remove. You may also have associated medical problems, including high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and high blood sugar levels. You could also be on medications to treat these as well as mental conditions like depression and anxiety. When people buy into a diet scam like hCG, they usually don’t tell their medical team. Rapid weight loss, radically altered food consumption, cleanses and detox regimens can seriously affect your underlying mental and physical conditions and alter the clearance and blood level of medications you’re taking.

Don’t turn yourself into a science fair project. Beware of these radical scam approaches as they can deleteriously affect your health and wellbeing. In the best of all worlds, you’re working with credible health professionals to remove your excess weight.

5) You’re not breaking food addictions. The promise is that you’ll no longer be addicted to food and any abnormal eating behaviors. Credible research has clearly shown that starvation and useless injections are not the solution to food addictions. Behavioral modification, healthy eating practices and regular physical activity have clearly been shown to control food addictions.

6) You’re broke. Take a moment and add up the total costs of the books and products required. That’s why I’ve renamed this “diet” the High Cost Game scam.

Finally, there will always be an endless supply of frauds and scams created to prey on your desires to drop weight. To help guide you, here are the Food and Nutrition Science Alliances’ “Ten Red Flags of Junk Science“:

* Recommendations that promise a quick fix.
* Dire warnings of danger from a single product or regimen.
* Claims that sound too good to be true.
* Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex scientific study.
* Recommendations based on a single study.
* Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations.
* Lists of “good” and “bad” foods.
* Recommendations made to help sell a product.
* Recommendations based on studies published without peer review.
* Recommendations from studies that ignore difficulties among individuals or groups.

Always remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Anything worth doing in your life requires time and effort to achieve and succeed. Run from false promises like the hCG scam. Stick with life-giving whole foods and physical activity. Now, that’s better living through your own chemistry.

http://blogs.webmd.com/pamela-peeke-md/2010/12/diet-scam-101-the-hcg-con.html

I love this answer.
I would say "bump to save to re-use later" but this thread is turning into an argument and will end up deleted soon.

ilookthetype

HCG is going to do really terrible things to your body, and very few people here are going to support it.

In the future use the search function, there are some people who have a support group on the forums...

ilookthetype

You should look at forum rules before posting. In the rules, it states that topics about dangerous diet fads are not allowed.

finally! a rule I can get behind!

Isn't it grand?

cloneme_losehalf

This almost makes me afraid to post anything anymore! I understand there are rules about not posting about certain things, but I am sure not everyone knows what are or are not fad diets or unhealthy. The three day diet is a "fad diet" but it also has been recommended by doctors before in certain situations. I feel like it is being said that if a person post something (even if doing it in an innocent/uninformed way) then wow "poof" just delete an account. Wow! I have seen much worse posted than asking an innocent question.

ladyhawk00

Dear Posters,

I wanted to offer a brief explanation for the locking of this thread.

At this time, HCG is NOT a topic that violates a forum rule and it is allowed. This is under review and HCG topics will be allowed until a decision by administrators is made.

However, regardless of your feelings about the subject, there is NO excuse for attacks, insults or derogatory comments. If you feel a post is inappropriate or violates a forum rule, the ONLY solution is to report the post and let a moderator/admin investigate.

The forum guidelines include these items:

4) Do not attack/slam/insult other users. The forums are here so that members can help support one another. Attacks or insults against each other takes away from the supportive atmosphere and will not be tolerated. You can discuss the message or topic, but not the messenger - NO EXCEPTIONS. If you are attacked by another user, and you reciprocate, YOU will also be subject to the same consequences. Defending yourself, defending a friend, etc. are NOT excuses. Violations of this rule are taken very seriously and may result in being banned without warning! If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

17) Please stay on-topic, and help us make our forums a "No Hijacking" zone. Users come to MyFitnessPal for support and encouragement. Off-topic or derogatory remarks are discouraging and disrespectful, and will be deleted. Repeated offense may result in revocation of posting privileges. Please either contribute positively to a thread, or move on without posting.


If you would like to review the forum guidelines, please visit the following link:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/14923-forum-rules-please-read-before-posting

At our discretion, this locked thread may be deleted entirely in the near future.


With respect,

Ladyhawk00
MyFitnessPal Forum Moderator