Day 1 of HCG

d2footballJRC

There are quite a few "bad results from the HCG diet" messages on this thread, for those who are interested in hearing about the possible negative outcomes of attempting that starvation eating plan

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

Just a question, do you attack the other diet with dangerous issues with the same ferocity? Like Atkins, Gastric Bypass, cleanses, and etc?

cessnaholly

bump

teagin2002

I am sorry, I don't know whey you are thinking that this thread is debating HCG. Not everyone cares about your opinions.
Please give us the same courtesy we give you in your threads and allow us to freely discus our HCG experiences.

Something to think about...

StrengthIsBeautiful

Well how was day 2?

teagin2002

Well how was day 2?

I hope today brings good for all MFP, and I wanted to say I love your handle! it is inspiring for me.

teagin2002

I would really like to be able to share my experiences without having to argue, just like everyone else.
whether it worked for anyone else is not under debate, it worked for me. Why can't you just be happy for me and wish me the best?
It doesn't matter to me if you believe it works or not, and by the way it is not a quick fix, it is very difficult to follow correctly and I don't promote it to people who have other options. As for myself at that time I could not loose weight, and couldn't stop gaining. This diet didn't just succeed in helping me loose weight, but it helped me be able to eat normally without worrying about gaining weight.

Whether you chose to do it or not, this should be a safe environment for me or anyone else to speak freely without fearing to have to argue or defend their position, and that is what I am asking for.
Please allow me a safe environment to share and to be proud of my accomplishments.

Good luck to all of you on your journey for health today, each day is a new journey and brings that brings new obstacles and will over come them all one day at a time...

tigersword

It's 100% simple. You lose weight on the HCG "diet" due to the calorie restriction. The "hormone" (which if you take any homeopathic versions, has no hormone in it, if you think it does, then you don't understand what the term homeopathic means, it's a placebo,) has been proven time and time again scientifically to have absolutely zero effect on weight loss, or muscles loss, or fat burning, or anything else the HCG peddlers claim it does.

Now, for the hard facts. YES, it's possible to lose weight and stay healthy on such a severe caloric restriction over the short term. It's dangerous, and the risk of doing damage is high, and it CAN destroy your metabolism, but it's possible to do it safely and correctly, but you need extreme doctor supervision and perfect strictness to what you eat to ensure adequate nutrition on such low levels of food.

That said, VLCD's are generally not supported on MFP, as MFP is designed around a small, safe caloric deficit, and for legal and liability purposes the site doesn't condone any other method of losing weight. This is generally why you don't see much support for this kind of diet here, because it isn't what this site is based on, or meant for. It's kind of like joining an internet forum on classical opera and complaining that they don't want to talk to you about death metal.

Also, for people who say 500 calories isn't starvation, the average anorexic eats 600-800 calories a day. The Minnesota Starvation Study consisted of 1500 calories a day. 500 calories a day is definitely considered starvation. You don't feel hungry due to hormonal imbalances, not because it's an adequate amount of food.

teagin2002

It's 100% simple. You lose weight on the HCG "diet" due to the calorie restriction. The "hormone" (which if you take any homeopathic versions, has no hormone in it, if you think it does, then you don't understand what the term homeopathic means, it's a placebo,) has been proven time and time again scientifically to have absolutely zero effect on weight loss, or muscles loss, or fat burning, or anything else the HCG peddlers claim it does.

Now, for the hard facts. YES, it's possible to lose weight and stay healthy on such a severe caloric restriction over the short term. It's dangerous, and the risk of doing damage is high, and it CAN destroy your metabolism, but it's possible to do it safely and correctly, but you need extreme doctor supervision and perfect strictness to what you eat to ensure adequate nutrition on such low levels of food.

That said, VLCD's are generally not supported on MFP, as MFP is designed around a small, safe caloric deficit, and for legal and liability purposes the site doesn't condone any other method of losing weight. This is generally why you don't see much support for this kind of diet here, because it isn't what this site is based on, or meant for. It's kind of like joining an internet forum on classical opera and complaining that they don't want to talk to you about death metal.

Also, for people who say 500 calories isn't starvation, the average anorexic eats 600-800 calories a day. The Minnesota Starvation Study consisted of 1500 calories a day. 500 calories a day is definitely considered starvation. You don't feel hungry due to hormonal imbalances, not because it's an adequate amount of food.

\

I don't understand why you think I care to know this at this point. I keep repeating myself, without being heard.

This is something I did under the supervision of my family practitioner who did not support my decision but still monitored me for my safety, and I was diligent enough to be successful and stay healthy.

These are the facts, regardless of your own personal opinions, or experiences.

silkaclark

So, are you saying that if my doctor puts me on a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) temporarily due to the fact that I have Type 2 Diabetes and he's trying to help me save my own life, that in your view I am utilizing a dangerous method not endorsed by MFP and therefore I do not deserve to use this site to help me track my calories and weight loss as a tool for improving my health?

For the most part all I have seen cited in this thread are anecdotal non-scientific opinions - RachelSNO, you really need to do some research on how to decipher a real reputable source on the internet from all of the other garbage that pops up. Factoid is not a reputable source, and neither is any of the other links you posted. However, you seem to be partial to WebMD as if it is reliable, so here is a WebMD article you can check out:

http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20110624/very-low-calorie-diet-may-reverse-diabetes

And since I know you won't take the time to read it, here is an exerpt:
"Very Low-Calorie Diet May Reverse Diabetes
Study Offers Insight Into How Weight Loss Fights Type 2 Diabetes
By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Laura J. Martin, MDJune 24, 2011 (San Diego) -- A very low-calorie diet of 600 calories a day may be able to reverse type 2 diabetes, preliminary research suggests.

Eleven people who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within the past four years slashed their calories for eight weeks, sticking to a diet of liquid diet drinks and non-starchy vegetables.

Three months after going off the diet, seven were free of diabetes.

Sound too tough to follow? Don't worry, the researchers aren't recommending the low-cal diet as a treatment for diabetes.

"We used the 600-calorie diet to test a hypothesis. What I can tell you definitively is that if people lose substantial weight by normal means, they will lose their diabetes," says study head Roy Taylor,MD, director of the Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre at Newcastle University in England.

The findings were published online by the journal Diabetologia and presented here at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association (ADA)"

If you want to convince me that HCG is a placebo, then fine, that makes no difference. But convincing me that a few weeks of VLCD will kill me is a totally other story, and for that you are wrong - completely wrong.

Also, just an FYI, pregnant women have a circulating HCG level of between 50,000 to 200,000 mIU/mL. That is hundreds of thousands of times more HCG than is given in this diet, so please stop comparing the miniscule amount of HCG consumed on this diet to a normal pregnancy. They are not even in the same ball park. However, there are some similarities, as I can attest to since having 4 children. While your body is under the influence of HCG if you vomit everything you consume your baby will still get the nutrients he/she needs because your body will release your fat storage and give it to the developing baby. Also, on the flip side of that coin, under the influence of HCG if you eat everything in sight you will gain weight at an unbelievably rapid pace and it will get socked away as storage (hence the reason I was overweight to begin with - thank you Sonic Popcorn Chicken for getting me through that horrible first trimester, but the extra 20 pounds was not worth it!).

I started using MFP when I was consuming 1600 calories and doing CrossFit. I lost 5 pounds in two months. In September and part of October I used HCG to lose 15 pounds in three weeks. I used my MFP during that time as well. Now I am maintaining at 1500-1800 calories and yoga/dance. Again, I use MFP to track my calories and exercise. Are you saying I should not be allowed to utilize this tool because I am an HCG user? I don't have the same right to an internet app? Seriously? That is really lame when you think about it. We can't be in your "club"?

teagin2002

It is very unfortunate that I have to go through this just to share my story, I am not defending the Diet, but I am defending myself.
Whether you agree or not with the diet shouldn't effect your support of me in my weight loss journey.

zumbawhit

I don't NOT support weight loss or healthy goals... nor do I deny that the diet makes you lose... but I don't understand what the hype is all about. It seems like a DUH factor to me. HELLO? Of course, you're gonna lose weight if you're eating 500 cals a day. Why waste the money?

tigersword

It's 100% simple. You lose weight on the HCG "diet" due to the calorie restriction. The "hormone" (which if you take any homeopathic versions, has no hormone in it, if you think it does, then you don't understand what the term homeopathic means, it's a placebo,) has been proven time and time again scientifically to have absolutely zero effect on weight loss, or muscles loss, or fat burning, or anything else the HCG peddlers claim it does.

Now, for the hard facts. YES, it's possible to lose weight and stay healthy on such a severe caloric restriction over the short term. It's dangerous, and the risk of doing damage is high, and it CAN destroy your metabolism, but it's possible to do it safely and correctly, but you need extreme doctor supervision and perfect strictness to what you eat to ensure adequate nutrition on such low levels of food.

That said, VLCD's are generally not supported on MFP, as MFP is designed around a small, safe caloric deficit, and for legal and liability purposes the site doesn't condone any other method of losing weight. This is generally why you don't see much support for this kind of diet here, because it isn't what this site is based on, or meant for. It's kind of like joining an internet forum on classical opera and complaining that they don't want to talk to you about death metal.

Also, for people who say 500 calories isn't starvation, the average anorexic eats 600-800 calories a day. The Minnesota Starvation Study consisted of 1500 calories a day. 500 calories a day is definitely considered starvation. You don't feel hungry due to hormonal imbalances, not because it's an adequate amount of food.

\

I don't understand why you think I care to know this at this point. I keep repeating myself, without being heard.

This is something I did under the supervision of my family practitioner who did not support my decision but still monitored me for my safety, and I was diligent enough to be successful and stay healthy.

These are the facts, regardless of your own personal opinions, or experiences.

Kind of interesting that you quote a general post on the topic and insinuate that it's directed at and attacking you. Could it be you're bringing this drama on yourself?

So, are you saying that if my doctor puts me on a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) temporarily due to the fact that I have Type 2 Diabetes and he's trying to help me save my own life, that in your view I am utilizing a dangerous method not endorsed by MFP and therefore I do not deserve to use this site to help me track my calories and weight loss as a tool for improving my health?

For the most part all I have seen cited in this thread are anecdotal non-scientific opinions - RachelSNO, you really need to do some research on how to decipher a real reputable source on the internet from all of the other garbage that pops up. Factoid is not a reputable source, and neither is any of the other links you posted. However, you seem to be partial to WebMD as if it is reliable, so here is a WebMD article you can check out:

http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20110624/very-low-calorie-diet-may-reverse-diabetes

And since I know you won't take the time to read it, here is an exerpt:
"Very Low-Calorie Diet May Reverse Diabetes
Study Offers Insight Into How Weight Loss Fights Type 2 Diabetes
By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Laura J. Martin, MDJune 24, 2011 (San Diego) -- A very low-calorie diet of 600 calories a day may be able to reverse type 2 diabetes, preliminary research suggests.

Eleven people who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within the past four years slashed their calories for eight weeks, sticking to a diet of liquid diet drinks and non-starchy vegetables.

Three months after going off the diet, seven were free of diabetes.

Sound too tough to follow? Don't worry, the researchers aren't recommending the low-cal diet as a treatment for diabetes.

"We used the 600-calorie diet to test a hypothesis. What I can tell you definitively is that if people lose substantial weight by normal means, they will lose their diabetes," says study head Roy Taylor,MD, director of the Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre at Newcastle University in England.

The findings were published online by the journal Diabetologia and presented here at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association (ADA)"

If you want to convince me that HCG is a placebo, then fine, that makes no difference. But convincing me that a few weeks of VLCD will kill me is a totally other story, and for that you are wrong - completely wrong.

Also, just an FYI, pregnant women have a circulating HCG level of between 50,000 to 200,000 mIU/mL. That is hundreds of thousands of times more HCG than is given in this diet, so please stop comparing the miniscule amount of HCG consumed on this diet to a normal pregnancy. They are not even in the same ball park. However, there are some similarities, as I can attest to since having 4 children. While your body is under the influence of HCG if you vomit everything you consume your baby will still get the nutrients he/she needs because your body will release your fat storage and give it to the developing baby. Also, on the flip side of that coin, under the influence of HCG if you eat everything in sight you will gain weight at an unbelievably rapid pace and it will get socked away as storage (hence the reason I was overweight to begin with - thank you Sonic Popcorn Chicken for getting me through that horrible first trimester, but the extra 20 pounds was not worth it!).

I started using MFP when I was consuming 1600 calories and doing CrossFit. I lost 5 pounds in two months. In September and part of October I used HCG to lose 15 pounds in three weeks. I used my MFP during that time as well. Now I am maintaining at 1500-1800 calories and yoga/dance. Again, I use MFP to track my calories and exercise. Are you saying I should not be allowed to utilize this tool because I am an HCG user? I don't have the same right to an internet app? Seriously? That is really lame when you think about it. We can't be in your "club"?

Nobody says you can't use the tools the site provides, but these forums are set up for MFP's approach, and they do not condone this diet, because if someone reads about it here, goes off and trues it and makes themselves ill, this site, and the owners can be held liable for it. This is why it is generally frowned upon in the forums.

teagin2002

So if I try something that makes me sick from one of the forums I can sue the site and would have grounds to win.

Now I think that is very interesting and ty for telling me that.

Also keep in mind the MFP site stated it is still researching this diet in this thread and has not banned it from the forums, also there have been some personal attacks on me as well.

You really should be promoting a safe environment for all instead of personal opinions, and whether a person will try this diet or not is their choice and is something they will choose to do whether it is due to this site or not.
I really can't see anyone winning a law suite because they got an idea from a general chat room, if this were true then any talk about anorexia or Bulimia would also be frowned on even if it were against it. Most people who try it learn about from people who are against it.

There is not excuse for making statements like wait 2 years from now and you will gain it all back, or you will contract some disease.
These statements are the ones that should be frowned on in any site.

silkaclark

I admire MFP and think it is a wonderful tool for tracking our health goals. But it is a tool. It will be utilized differently by everyone. Saying that people could find out about the HCG diet on here then go try it out and get sick and later sue MFP, is like saying someone can sue Google because it's possible to Google porn. Google is a tool. MFP is a tool. If porn bothers you - don't Google it. If HCG bothers you, don't look at the threads. I'm just seeing the same people on every HCG thread attacking and making fun of the people that use it. If I said I think people that take steroids and use HGH to gain muscle mass are destroying their bodies, shrinking their balls, and are damaging their health permanently I'm sure there would be a lot of folks on here ready to disagree with me and cite links to Factoid. But it would be really obnoxious and inappropriate of me to take it a step further and go seeking out every thread on HGH just so I could tell them they like to shrink their balls, and have fun never having kids, and enjoy that high pitched voice, and so on and so forth. Why would I behave like that? That is just childish and insecure. But that is what we see on every single post that a new member makes about HCG. I had no clue that people were so hateful until I came to MFP and made the mistake of opening an HCG thread one day. I had no idea that people would be so cruel and hurtful on here because of a diet that I was simply trying to learn more about that day. All of the hurtful comments did not prevent me from trying it. On the contrary, it was the mature and sweet and supportive women that are having so much success with the HCG diet that made me want to try it. That was MY choice. I am happy with it. I never told anyone else to try it. I have not seen any posts on MFP saying "Hey, you all should try HCG, it rocks!". All I have seen are simple introductory posts from a brand new MFP user asking a simple question, and it ends up being a 30 page debate from the same people accusing them of drinking pee and starving themself to death. Why must you scare away new MFP members simply looking to get healthy? That can't be good for business on MFP either.

teagin2002

I admire MFP and think it is a wonderful tool for tracking our health goals. But it is a tool. It will be utilized differently by everyone. Saying that people could find out about the HCG diet on here then go try it out and get sick and later sue MFP, is like saying someone can sue Google because it's possible to Google porn. Google is a tool. MFP is a tool. If porn bothers you - don't Google it. If HCG bothers you, don't look at the threads. I'm just seeing the same people on every HCG thread attacking and making fun of the people that use it. If I said I think people that take steroids and use HGH to gain muscle mass are destroying their bodies, shrinking their balls, and are damaging their health permanently I'm sure there would be a lot of folks on here ready to disagree with me and cite links to Factoid. But it would be really obnoxious and inappropriate of me to take it a step further and go seeking out every thread on HGH just so I could tell them they like to shrink their balls, and have fun never having kids, and enjoy that high pitched voice, and so on and so forth. Why would I behave like that? That is just childish and insecure. But that is what we see on every single post that a new member makes about HCG. I had no clue that people were so hateful until I came to MFP and made the mistake of opening an HCG thread one day. I had no idea that people would be so cruel and hurtful on here because of a diet that I was simply trying to learn more about that day. All of the hurtful comments did not prevent me from trying it. On the contrary, it was the mature and sweet and supportive women that are having so much success with the HCG diet that made me want to try it. That was MY choice. I am happy with it. I never told anyone else to try it. I have not seen any posts on MFP saying "Hey, you all should try HCG, it rocks!". All I have seen are simple introductory posts from a brand new MFP user asking a simple question, and it ends up being a 30 page debate from the same people accusing them of drinking pee and starving themself to death. Why must you scare away new MFP members simply looking to get healthy? That can't be good for business on MFP either.

I agree with this post, but I feel a bit more stronger because I joined MFP months after i was done with HCG. I wast sharing my experience, my pit fall and successes just like I have seen in many other threads. Even if the way they got there was controversial they were never attacked with ill wishes and hopes of failure. How can you justify this?
I am a person who has followed something and stuck to it for a long period of time.
I read you saying quick fix, it was not easy at all. I sacrificed my comfort, joining meals with friends and family,a nd if you think I don't like food you are very wrong.

I still don't eat carbs and it has nothing to do with HCG. I don't eat carbs because when I do I just can't seem to stop.
I don't do that with fruit, protein or veggies.
I can sit down and enjoy an apple, but something emotional happens to me when it comes to carbs and one roll is not enough for me. So even though I have stopped HCG and it has been months, I still struggle with my own demons.
I am human with human tendencies and have struggled to get where I am today and am working hard to stay here.
And for anyone to make light of that hurts my feeling, for anyone to tell me that I will gain the weight back or contract some kind of illness angers me.

I have nothing but good wishes for all, why can't I get it back in return. I feel it is what I deserve and shame on you treating me any different.

FatassFairy

Mfp needs a stop following option, i am so over this and i can't get it from my topics list

silkaclark

Maybe YOU need to stop following HCG posts.

Steven

I posted this earlier in the thread yesterday, but it seems it's impossible for this thread to continue politely. Please move the conversation to a Group if you are interested in further discussing this topic. I'm locking this thread.

Yesterday's post:

Dear Posters,

MyFitnessPal strongly recommends that our users follow the calorie guidelines automatically assigned by our site, unless they are under the direct supervision of a doctor. We are currently reviewing the medical literature on the HCG/500 calorie diet and reserve the right to moderate against discussions of this diet at any time in the future.

For the time being, HCG discussions remain an option for members in the Groups section. Please remember that even in Groups, all site wide rules must be correctly moderated, or the Group runs the risk of deletion. Specifically, endorsement of purchasing prescription supplements or medications without a prescription is in violation of the MyFitnessPal posting guidelines, which can be reviewed here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/welcome/guidelines

Thank you all for your concern. We're definitely looking closely at this issue.