What is the HCG diet?

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Replies

  • Thomasm198
    Thomasm198 Posts: 3,189 Member
    Yeah, the number of first posts is interesting.

    Yep. Amazing how these first time posters saying how great HCG is all have "HCG" in their username.

    funny-dog-pictures-suspicious-sheltie-suspects-you.jpg
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
    Its not a belief, its a fact.
    You can get the cheep stuff that has no HGC in it, or get the good stuff that has genuine knocked up lady pee.

    You need to eat 500 calories, or or your fat cells will open up and just go crazy absorbing everything like in that movie. Akira.

    I love you.
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
    More than you wanted to know! :bigsmile:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MrsCon40/view/hcg-a-handy-reply-to-the-multitude-of-quick-fix-seekers-148860
  • bigdawg025
    bigdawg025 Posts: 774 Member
    they will LOOSE almost the identical weight.

    This already discounts this person's response...
  • coloradocuppiecake
    coloradocuppiecake Posts: 129
    Here we go again...everybody grab your popcorn!

    Sorry, I don't mean to be snarky...it's just that every time this topic comes up, it becomes a very, shall we say, HEATED discussion.

    HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin (Think I spelled that right). This is the hormone secreted by pregnant women (the same hormone detected by home pregnancy tests). The HCG diet uses synthesized HCG, administered by either drops under the tongue or injections by a doctor. The person then eats only selected foods to the tune of 500 calories a day. People who have done this swear that the HCG helps them not be hungry and have lots of energy.

    The reasons the majority of us are against this diet are:
    1. Very low calorie diets are dangerous. The body needs a minimum of 1200 calories per day (more for men) just to function.
    2. It's unsustainable. Even someone who manages to pull this off for the 3 weeks that you do it can't stay on it forever.
    3. The FDA has NOT approved this as a weight loss tool. Studies have also shown that HCG has no impact on your weight; it's the 500 calories a day that causes you to lose.
    4. Some people have had VERY bad side effects from doing it. There have been reports of people losing hair (to the point of looking like a cancer patient on chemo), messing their digestive systems, etc.
    5. There are very few reports of people who do this diet and KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF.

    I'm glad you're not considering it. If you know anyone who is, warn them. It's so much safer to do what MFP suggests and make lifestyle changes in the way you eat and get some exercise.

    Be prepared...you may get some really ugly comments...just ignore them. At least you were just asking out of curiosity, but some will just see that you asked and go on the attack!
    I have an ex friend that went on this, and she indeed lost clumps of hair. She had to give herself shots everyday and only eat a couple of food choices every day. Yes 500 calories and under. Its a stupid diet that cost her literally 2 thousand dollars
  • hikeout470
    hikeout470 Posts: 628 Member
    Yeah, the number of first posts is interesting.

    Yep. Amazing how these first time posters saying how great HCG is all have "HCG" in their username.

    funny-dog-pictures-suspicious-sheltie-suspects-you.jpg

    YUP, They appear to be trolls. Anyone who frequents this website knows we are largely an anti extreme diet community. That being said, I grabbed a new cup of coffee when I saw the title. For me these threads are like a large social experiment. Even though I probably would not choose this method for myself, if my neighbor did, I would wholly support their decision in doing so, and I would not badmouth them behind their back. Cmon peeps. Integrity is the road that will get you far.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    If your source that says it's "scientifically proven" is the literature trying to sell it: no. I have read actual studies that I searched for myself on academic databases that have found no proof that HCG suppresses appetite or prevents muscle loss. :flowerforyou:
  • bear_nakey
    bear_nakey Posts: 340 Member
    What next, eating the faeces of a sheep?

    There's a small island off the coast of Greece where they've known about this secret to health and fitness for centuries. Its clinically proven and I even saw a guy in a white lab coat who says he's a physician verify the results. The big drug companies don't want you to know and the FDA has been paid off to keep it a secret from the public. Money back guarantee! If you order now we'll DOUBLE your order! That's a $1000 value for only $19.95! If you become a distributor you can get your product free! Just sign up 10 friends..and if each of them sign up 10 friends you can become a REGIONAL distributor. We'll even give you a free sheep-dip colored car to drive around for freeeeeeee !!!!!!
    But hurry, because the world is going to end on 12/12/2012 !!!!

    its 12/21/2012. . . sheesh!!!!! :p
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
    I appreciate your candidness and identify with your concerns. I had the same concerns when I was approached about HCG as well. My biggest recommendation would be to read "Pounds and Inches" by Dr. Simeons. It has been around for 50 years and is scientifically proven (yes there are studies). It is true, if you are looking at two groups (HCG group and Placebo group) of which both are using 500 calories only, they will loose almost the identical weight. The difference is the HCG group will not feel fatigued, dizzy, tired, or hungry. They will only have lost stored fat, not muscle or structural fat. The proof is in the ability to maintain your loss in the long run, I agree! You can gain the weight back with any diet. You can eat your way out of a gastric bypass surgery too. It is about making life style changes to maintain the loss. This diet will teach you about your body and the foods that trigger weight gain or cravings. The 500 calorie diet (which I modify to include exercise) is only ONE part of this diet. It actually has phases. The most important phase is not the diet, but stabilization. There are literally thousands of people out there who are a testament to HCG....I am one of them. I have released 92 pounds and have maintained this loss since starting in February of 2010,

    What is quite interesting is if you read "Pounds and Inches" by Dr Simeons he even states that HGC does not cause weight loss. It simply releases the so called 'abnormal' fat for consumption by the body. So in fact it is the 500 cal that causes you to lose the weight not the HGC.
    Yet most people on the HGC diet seem to have either forgotten or missed that part entirely.
  • sarahp86
    sarahp86 Posts: 692 Member
    I understand that people feel strongly about this HCG diet but no one has the right to criticise or act all holier than thou. Some people have done HCG and even if it is unhealthy it works for some people. Others don't agree with weight watchers, Atkins, Dr. Dukan, slim fast etc. but people do it because they want to. If its not affecting you let them do what they want to do.

    I don't understand why some people on this site have to be so cruel to each other. This site is meant for support that we don't get in our own lives. It's hard enough as it is!
  • Beastette
    Beastette Posts: 1,497 Member
    Yeah, the number of first posts is interesting.

    Yep. Amazing how these first time posters saying how great HCG is all have "HCG" in their username.

    funny-dog-pictures-suspicious-sheltie-suspects-you.jpg

    JUST when I thought I didn't want a dog, you show me Suspicious Sheltie. That's my kinda dog.

    First, let's answer the question that hasn't been asked. What is research? If you've ever conducted research, you know that there are many factors to making it GOOD research. Control groups and double-blind studies and placebos are lovely starts. Large heterogeneous sample groups are fantastic. But the most important thing I like to know about a study is...WHO FUNDED IT? That should always be your first concern as an informed consumer of sciencification.

    People have wired shut their jaws to lose weight, and it works. People have starved themselves, vomited on purpose, and taken drugs to lose weight. People smoke to lose weight. Sometimes, people get surgery. These things work.

    Improve/reduce what you eat and increase your activity. This is the healthiest, cheapest, and doggone SEXIEST way to lose weight.

    I will not ever respond to another HCG thread again. It depresses me to see how people will capitalize on the desperation of others.
  • thor1god1of1awesome
    thor1god1of1awesome Posts: 481 Member
    I understand that people feel strongly about this HCG diet but no one has the right to criticise or act all holier than thou. Some people have done HCG and even if it is unhealthy it works for some people. Others don't agree with weight watchers, Atkins, Dr. Dukan, slim fast etc. but people do it because they want to. If its not affecting you let them do what they want to do.

    I don't understand why some people on this site have to be so cruel to each other. This site is meant for support that we don't get in our own lives. It's hard enough as it is!
    Because this site is here to promote a healthy life style and it wrong to support someone who is damaging their health
  • mirandahimmelspeck
    mirandahimmelspeck Posts: 12
    Some people seem to need the next best thing or the magic pill that is going to totally transform them. I would much rather put in the work and change my relationship with food. Surviving on 500 calories is not something that I am interested in even attempting to do - even for a short period of time. How some people think this is healthy I just can't figure out. I am sure that the HCG that people are taking is actually not pregnant woman pee and that it is a chemical replication of the hormone that our bodies produce naturally. In my opnion when it comes to stuff like this is that if you needed that much HCG in your system, your body would actually make that much HCG.
  • sarahp86
    sarahp86 Posts: 692 Member
    I understand that people feel strongly about this HCG diet but no one has the right to criticise or act all holier than thou. Some people have done HCG and even if it is unhealthy it works for some people. Others don't agree with weight watchers, Atkins, Dr. Dukan, slim fast etc. but people do it because they want to. If its not affecting you let them do what they want to do.

    I don't understand why some people on this site have to be so cruel to each other. This site is meant for support that we don't get in our own lives. It's hard enough as it is!
    Because this site is here to promote a healthy life style and it wrong to support someone who is damaging their health

    It still doesn't give people an excuse to be cruel!
  • Beastette
    Beastette Posts: 1,497 Member
    I understand that people feel strongly about this HCG diet but no one has the right to criticise or act all holier than thou. Some people have done HCG and even if it is unhealthy it works for some people. Others don't agree with weight watchers, Atkins, Dr. Dukan, slim fast etc. but people do it because they want to. If its not affecting you let them do what they want to do.

    I don't understand why some people on this site have to be so cruel to each other. This site is meant for support that we don't get in our own lives. It's hard enough as it is!
    Because this site is here to promote a healthy life style and it wrong to support someone who is damaging their health

    That is called "enabling". Not "supporting".
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    Even though I probably would not choose this method for myself, if my neighbor did, I would wholly support their decision in doing so, and I would not badmouth them behind their back. Cmon peeps. Integrity is the road that will get you far.

    Really? I wouldn't support my friends' decisions. I have two who have done it. I didn't give my opinion of it because they didn't ask, but I promise you that if they did ask, I would encourage them not to do it. Your definition of integrity and mine are two different things.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    OP...just a thought...GOOGLE IT!!!!!

    Just a thought.. it is the 30th of the month which means nothing cept MFP will load as my brother has used all the downloads and we're on dial up speed. Asking here is a lot quicker than waiting half hour for something to load.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    OP...just a thought...GOOGLE IT!!!!!

    Just a thought.. it is the 30th of the month which means nothing cept MFP will load as my brother has used all the downloads and we're on dial up speed. Asking here is a lot quicker than waiting half hour for something to load.

    Googling would not be as informative in this case, I'm afraid. It would probably just lead to sites selling it and praising it.

    I feel your pain, I grew up with dial-up too, but not many people remember living with it.
  • mrdee555
    mrdee555 Posts: 178
    I use HCG for what it was ment to be used for to stimulate testosterone production in males never heard of this diet until now sounds crazy but if it works it work:)
  • dckim
    dckim Posts: 311 Member
    I could not believe about this. Hormone from pregnant chick to lose weight? :huh: I guess it's only for women. What will they think of next? :noway:
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    I could not believe about this. Hormone from pregnant chick to lose weight? :huh: I guess it's only for women. What will they think of next? :noway:

    Like an earlier poster mentioned, it is FDA approved for hormone therapy in men, but I have heard of men using it as the diet as well.
  • stresco
    stresco Posts: 354 Member
    Holy ****! Not the HCG debate again. For the love of God, your better off using a knife to cut of a limb. At least then the results are permanent.
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