hCG Diet...

lauralou23

I did it and lost about 112 lbs, I have gained back about 6 lbs in the past 2 months but that is due to muscle gain, I am lifting weights. I also lost inches and have a much tighter body.

I have said this before on other HCG threads, I used it as an alternative to weight loss surgery. I treated it that way too, so I followed it exactly without any cheats at all. It is very difficult and if you don't follow it properly you are setting yourself up for failier and a high possibility of gaining it all back.

I do believe it works, but I would never want to do it again. It was just way too hard and I think that is why I work so hard now not to gain it all back :flowerforyou:

before HCG I ate about 800 calls/day trying to lose weight and just couldn't.
I started in 11/2010


I stopped about 6 months ago and I now I eat an average of 2400 cals/day and burn an average of 300 cals/day. I work out 6 days/week and lift 3 days.
Most recent photo was taken yesterday at the gym:


my diary is open if you would like to check it out. I am eating at a very high protein intake as I am lifting at this time, so I change my ratios protein/carb/fat from time to time to achieve my goals.

Again I would not recommend it unless you don't have any other options, as it is very difficult and if you can't follow it exactly you are setting yourself up for failure. The cheats work for dropping the pounds, but hinder in the maintenance phase.

Good luck sweetie :flowerforyou:

Thank you, this is exactly what I want to use it for... I'm not looking for a quick fix, I need a jump start and I'm willing to follow a strict diet for 6 weeks and train myself to eat better. I've looked into the lapband and I don't qualify for it.

If you don't qualify for surgery you don't qualify for a VLCD like HCG. Also, since it ****s up your metabolism, it's not gonna "jump start" anything - you'll get fast results at first but struggle to keep it off later, no matter how healthy you eat. You'll lose muscle and probably suffer more serious health problems that will stop you working out etc later on

I didn't qualify for it because I wasn't over weight enough.

sexforjaffacakes

Don't even bother, let's face it, we all know that just like "horrorchix89", she'll read 100 negative responses to HCG, then find one person that used it successfully, and use that one answer as an excuse to do it.
This time next year they'll be back on with 2013's new years resolution to try the Master cleanse or a juice fast, despite being told it's baws, or maybe they'll actually learn from their disastrous HCG experiments and come back to do it the healthy way.

No amount of scientific evidence or horror stories seems to deter people as long as they can find ONE god review.

sexforjaffacakes

If you don't qualify for surgery you don't qualify for a VLCD like HCG. Also, since it ****s up your metabolism, it's not gonna "jump start" anything - you'll get fast results at first but struggle to keep it off later, no matter how healthy you eat. You'll lose muscle and probably suffer more serious health problems that will stop you working out etc later on

I didn't qualify for it because I wasn't over weight enough.

EXACTLY! VERY LOW CALORIE DIETS LIKE HCG ARE ONLY FOR THE EXTREMELY OBESE! AND EVEN THEN IT'S UNDER DOCTORS SUPERVISION!

If you're not fat enough to need surgery, you're not fat enough to be able to handle a vlcd.

lauralou23

Now I know why I stay away from the message boards... Geesh! Thanks to those of you who answered my actual question. Those of you who just wanted to throw your opinions out there, I didn't ask for that. I thought this message board was for "Diet and Weight Loss Help" not "Diet and Weight Loss Opinions".

I apologize, I didn't realize this was such a controversial diet. I wouldn't have posted about it.

Also, thank you to the ones who inboxed me about their success stories. It's a shame they couldn't post on here for the "fear of being attacked". We are all supposed to support each other on MFP! I've been on here since May and never have I seen bashing like this before!

HorrorChix89

Don't even bother, let's face it, we all know that just like "horrorchix89", she'll read 100 negative responses to HCG, then find one person that used it successfully, and use that one answer as an excuse to do it.
This time next year they'll be back on with 2013's new years resolution to try the Master cleanse or a juice fast, despite being told it's baws, or maybe they'll actually learn from their disastrous HCG experiments and come back to do it the healthy way.

No amount of scientific evidence or horror stories seems to deter people as long as they can find ONE god review.

You really didn't need to use me as an example lady.

sexforjaffacakes

Now I know why I stay away from the message boards... Geesh! Thanks to those of you who answered my actual question. Those of you who just wanted to throw your opinions out there, I didn't ask for that. I thought this message board was for "Diet and Weight Loss Help" not "Diet and Weight Loss Opinions".

I apologize, I didn't realize this was such a controversial diet. I wouldn't have posted about it.

Also, thank you to the ones who inboxed me about their success stories. It's a shame they couldn't post on here for the "fear of being attacked". We are all supposed to support each other on MFP! I've been on here since May and never have I seen bashing like this before!

You've been on since May and you haven't realised it's "contraversial"?

Seriously, search the forums for HCG, you will find 10 negative reviews for every person who has emailed you their "success story".

We're not "attacking you", we're giving you advice, because you'll damage yourself if you do it.

Honestly? I don't really give a **** if you kill yourself doing HCG, but I cba with your whining a few months down the line when you put it all back on.

So do yourself and all of us a favour, go research it on the boards before wasting your time/money/health

Jolenebib

Eating smaller portions will teach your body to eat smaller portions. Unless you have a lot of weight to lose, diet & exercise are the best method for losing weight.

chicago_dad

apotemnophilia is a great alternative to HCG if anyone is interested in losing a lot of unwanted and unsightly weight.

Erindipitous

The hCG diet is an ill advised fad and I'd recommend you reconsider trying it. Conversations about the hCG diet do not go well and mods shut them down quickly. People have some very strong opinions about the diet, myself included. If you really researched it and have come to the conclusion that it "doesn't seem like a bad idea', it's because you're reading and believing propaganda that is not backed by solid science. Please go to more credible sources. You will not find a single quality scientific article that indicates that hCG does anything for weight loss.

You do not need to starve to lose weight. Please spare yourself and those around you the discomfort. Please spare yourself the potential health problems.

This.

jamiesadler

Okay, don't chew my head off! I don't get on the message boards as much as I'd like so I'm sure this has been up here before... Has anyone done or know someone who has done the hCG diet? How did you/they do?

I know there are a lot of opinions out there about this diet. I used to have mine and thought that of course, anyone eating 500 calories/day is going to lose weight... duh! But I researched more about it and how it actually works and it doesn't seem like a bad idea.

I've read that it also teaches your body to maintain on smaller portions and less calories. So you develop healthy eating habits along the way.

I did the HCG diet. I chose the drops three times daily and lost over 70 pounds. Now that being said i have good and bad thoughts on this. The best obviously is the weight I lost and the clean eating habits I learned from it. THe bad is that while I lost fat and weight I also lost lean muscle. Its all in what you make of it. The HCG diet did teach me how to properly eat and I made a perm change in my eating habits. jIt is a great way to kick start a life change. The diet I used was www.affordablehcgdiet.com My story is on there.

I chose to lose the last 40 pounds through fitness and my trainer told me I am the cleanest eater she has ever seen and that in her experience the hog does have that benefit. Good luck!

veganbaum

Thank you, this is exactly what I want to use it for... I'm not looking for a quick fix, I need a jump start and I'm willing to follow a strict diet for 6 weeks and train myself to eat better. I've looked into the lapband and I don't qualify for it.

If you're willing to follow a strict diet for six weeks and train yourself to eat better, why don't you try doing that using a proven, healthful daily calorie intake without paying for the HCG drops and living off of the same amount of calories as an anorexic, while losing muscle and lowering your metabolism at the same time?

adidrea

I haven't done HCG but my friend has. She lost a lot of hair while on it...I don't know if this is a common side effect, but just something to look out for. She literally wouldn't leave the house without a hat or scarf or something on her head because huge chunks of hair fell out. This diet is just too low in calories, and while you might lose weight it's just not enough to support basic bodily function. Stuff will start to break after a short time...you're also likely to lose muscle and bone because your body will look for other sources of nutrition, and if you're not providing those with enough calories and nutrients your body has to get them from somewhere else (organs).

I hope that you make a healthy choice regarding this. I would definitely go to a doctor regularly if you decide to do it, just to make sure everything is okay.

Best of luck on your weight loss journey!

Coyla

I tried a 5 day "cleansing diet," you know, to jump start my weight loss. It was a little over 1,000 calories a day, low fat, low carb.

I lost 5 pounds really quickly. But my potassium also bottomed out, due to dropping so much water. By the last day, I was sick and could barely climb one flight of stairs.

I then decided to slowly up my calories. I ate 1400 for awhile, then 1500, then 1700 with exercise. Normally, 1700 would result in a decent amount of weight loss for me. However, after doing the cleanse, it didn't matter. I gained those 5 lbs back, plus another 8 lbs.

This was not as extreme as the HCG diet, and it was only for 5 days. The HCG diet will likely have a worse outcome.

You have to be healthy, too. Any heart problems, insulin trouble, liver trouble, and kidney trouble, and this diet could be deadly.

Pookylou

Thank you, this is exactly what I want to use it for... I'm not looking for a quick fix, I need a jump start and I'm willing to follow a strict diet for 6 weeks and train myself to eat better. I've looked into the lapband and I don't qualify for it.

If you're willing to follow a strict diet for six weeks and train yourself to eat better, why don't you try doing that using a proven, healthful daily calorie intake without paying for the HCG drops and living off of the same amount of calories as an anorexic, while losing muscle and lowering your metabolism at the same time?

My thoughts exactly!

geckofli

From what I've seen & I'm not on the forums much but
Some people have strong opinions on this topic and it doesn't take long for them to turn nasty, rude, *****y mean and condescending. It really does bring the trolls out from under the bridges

Personally I don't know how you survive on 1200 cals a dy let alone 500, but I have a very physically demanding job and I'm trying to increase my muscle while loosing my bulk.

I'd counsel against doing it but I haven't even googled it

sexforjaffacakes

Please not that the two (count it, two) people who were successful on this board were much larger in their before pic than you are.

I don't mean this in an offensive way, it's just a known fact that VLCD are only suitable for those with a very high BMI.

MaximalLife

Okay, don't chew my head off! I don't get on the message boards as much as I'd like so I'm sure this has been up here before... Has anyone done or know someone who has done the hCG diet? How did you/they do?

I know there are a lot of opinions out there about this diet. I used to have mine and thought that of course, anyone eating 500 calories/day is going to lose weight... duh! But I researched more about it and how it actually works and it doesn't seem like a bad idea.

I've read that it also teaches your body to maintain on smaller portions and less calories. So you develop healthy eating habits along the way.

It's pure self sabotage all the way.
Everybody is looking for the easy, fast way, and all hCG will do is enrich the scammers who sell and market this trash diet.

You've been warned.

Didn't ask your opinion... asked if anyone has done it or know anyone who has done it... thank you though

You posted on a public message board, you asked everyone's opinion.

People get uptight when they don't hear what they want to hear.
Story of my life.

CMmrsfloyd

There really is no need to call people out personally. People are adults and can make their own decisions whether we agree with them or not.

Lauraloo, I know the responses come off as harsh but people are just trying to warn of the possible side effects/dangers of eating at such a low level. There's a thread around here somewhere with scientific evidence that shows it's not as great as it seems on the surface, I don't have the link off-hand but maybe someone else does.... Anyway aside from the difficulty in getting adequate nutrition on so few calories, there is a danger in losing weight too quickly in that a large portion of the weight you lose may be muscle instead of fat. You want to lose fat, obviously, but you really don't want to lose a large amount of muscle if you can help it. Muscle helps drive your metabolism. If you lose a lot of muscle mass, it can make it much harder to continue losing weight or even maintain your weightloss after you come off of the 'plan'. The way to maintain muscle mass while also losing fat is to eat at a *moderate* deficit (MFP recommends no more than 2 lbs per week), and strength training is supposed to help you maintain your muscle mass as well. But when you're on such a very low calorie diet, you are advised to actually NOT exercise, you literally do not have the energy to spare for the extra activity, so it's harder to avoid losing more muscle than you would if you were on a more moderate plan.

Teagin has had some pretty amazing results, I'll admit that - she looks amazing. And I know there are others that have been happy with their results. But there are also a lot of people that have had really bad side effects - hair loss, hormone imbalances, mood swings, fatigue, gaining the weight back when they go back to normal eating, etc. There are also some people that have posted about being happy with their results on here before, but then when they listed their before/after weights and measurements it was shown that they actually lost a lot of muscle, not just fat, and then they decided that maybe it wasn't as great as they thought before they were shown the math.

It's a highly personal decision, it is generally not supported by MFP, however if you do decide to do it I think you should at least speak with your dr first and a nutritionist that would help you make the most out of that tiny amount of calories. I am skeptical of the actual HCG aspect of the 'plan' as it has not been shown to actually *do* anything to help with weightloss (anyone eating a tiny amount of calories like that would lose weight at least for awhile). It seems like one could just stick to the MFP allotted calories for free and not stress their body so much in the process. But as I said, we are all adults and can make our own decisions.

onedayillbamilf

I have gained back about 6 lbs in the past 2 months but that is due to muscle gain, I am lifting weights.

:laugh:

thankyou4thevenom

Okay, don't chew my head off! I don't get on the message boards as much as I'd like so I'm sure this has been up here before... Has anyone done or know someone who has done the hCG diet? How did you/they do?

I know there are a lot of opinions out there about this diet. I used to have mine and thought that of course, anyone eating 500 calories/day is going to lose weight... duh! But I researched more about it and how it actually works and it doesn't seem like a bad idea.

I've read that it also teaches your body to maintain on smaller portions and less calories. So you develop healthy eating habits along the way.

I looked at this and decided against it

1) It's basically a starvation diet. You will lose a lot of weight and quickly. The problem is keeping it off.
2) The side effects. Amongst the things like weight loss, is lack of energy, hair loss, not being able to do anything, loss of muscle. slowing of your metabolism.
Quite frankly as someone with an ED the above did not scare me. What did was this..
3) It's not the HGC that causes you to lose weight. It's the diet. Even 'Pounds and inches' written by the founder of this diet states this. Yet most people on this diet will deny this fact.

Build muscle and you'll keep the weight off in the long term. Get skinny fit not skinny fat.

Zaffy01

I have never done the HCG diet, but I know a woman who has and she lost 35lbs on it (she has sense gained all of the weight back, plus some). I personally don't think the diet is worth the risk, have you considered other forms of getting into better eating habits?

About a month ago I cut diary products, processed foods, and soda out of my diet and to-date I have lost about 11lbs. I didn't "count calories", but watched my portion sizes and started eating slower to give my body time to recognize that I don't need to eat more food. This has been a good healthy method that worked for me, it may work for you as well.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do

lauralou23

Honestly? I don't really give a **** if you kill yourself doing HCG, but I cba with your whining a few months down the line when you put it all back on.

So do yourself and all of us a favour, go research it on the boards before wasting your time/money/health

That is a horrible thing to say to someone. If you don't want to hear "whining" later on then don't read the post! Simple as that! But don't say something like you don't give a **** if you kill yourself. That's just wrong.

dad106

I'm not surprised to see all the HCG IS A SCAM comments. I'm thinking about trying it myself. I even contacted a lady here who has seen it work on friends and family and researched books on it. I'll do some research myself to make my final decision but as of now it's a defiantly YES!

The way I see it, it wouldn't hurt to try. I can totally do 500-750 calorie diet without even thinking that hard. Plus I feel it'll teach me to avoid the 1000 calories meals from Burger King (god I miss those fries).

You learn to avoid the thousand calorie meals at Burger King by educating yourself on nutrition. Read their(or any) nutrition guide before going and learn to make a healthy choice, like grilled chicken or a salad. Half a bun and a small drink.. fruit instead of fries.. the list goes on and on.

HCG is not going to teach you to read a nutrition guide or eat healthier.. but it will teach you to starve yourself and how to waste money quick.

sexforjaffacakes

Honestly? I don't really give a **** if you kill yourself doing HCG, but I cba with your whining a few months down the line when you put it all back on.

So do yourself and all of us a favour, go research it on the boards before wasting your time/money/health

That is a horrible thing to say to someone. If you don't want to hear "whining" later on then don't read the post! Simple as that! But don't say something like you don't give a **** if you kill yourself. That's just wrong.

Well why should I care when you don't?
You clearly don't care about your health, or you wouldn't be doing it ;]

Ali_TSO

I, for one, am shocked this thread is still up... :noway:

JacksMom12

You posted something about a controversial topic on a PUBLIC forum of people who take their HEALTH very seriously. Did you honestly expect to only receive responses filled with puppy dogs and rainbows? I'm not going to run on a pregnancy board and ask what people think about me smoking while I'm pregnant and expect pleasant replies. If you only want to hear the good opinions you would have maybe received one response. Im sure there are some HCG support sites out there with a bunch of balding, weak, sick people with no muscle just raving about it. If thousands of people here tell you how bad it is verses 1 or 2 saying its good.. But you don't want to pay any attention to what people are warning you about, you've obviously already made up your mind .. So why even post about it!

Ali_TSO

I'm not going to run on a pregnancy board and ask what people think about me smoking while I'm pregnant and expect pleasant replies.

That's the perfect analogy.

rbryntes

apotemnophilia is a great alternative to HCG if anyone is interested in losing a lot of unwanted and unsightly weight.

I do feel like I have one arm too many...

killagb

This diet is pure fail. That's all you need to know. Thank me later.

lauralou23

Honestly? I don't really give a **** if you kill yourself doing HCG, but I cba with your whining a few months down the line when you put it all back on.

So do yourself and all of us a favour, go research it on the boards before wasting your time/money/health

That is a horrible thing to say to someone. If you don't want to hear "whining" later on then don't read the post! Simple as that! But don't say something like you don't give a **** if you kill yourself. That's just wrong.

Well why should I care when you don't?
You clearly don't care about your health, or you wouldn't be doing it ;]

I never said I was doing it. I probably won't. But I wanted to hear what people who have actually tried it think. The ones who actually tried it and have messaged me it's about 50/50 results. Either it worked great but it was super hard or it worked great and it was super hard and then I gained all the weight plus some back. Not what I want. I'll probably stick to my 1- 1.5 lb/week loss plan and exercise and eat healthy like I've been doing for the past several months. And eventually I'll lose the weight I want and be happy with myself.