HCG is BAD!!!

kookyxox

I dont actually believe that it was the injections that caused your niece to get so sick but the actual starvation. While she failed to take in a suitable amount of calories her body was burnning fat including the fat around her vital organs causing the damage. I'm not condoning HCG as with this comes the strict calorie intake, however I'm just pointing out that it was the starvation itself that caused her problems and not necessarily the HCG.

moejo3

It is sad that we have to go to injections and pills to lose weight/fat. It is a shame that our food industry cannot be overhauled instead. We should be eating a majority of our diet with whole foods and minimal processed foods. Yet, it is the reverse. Processed foods are killing us slowly...

starracer23

Not too surprised...I'm sure many more stories are going to be popping up. So sad!! Praying for your niece.

What is even sadder though, are the people that don't have an issue with only eating 500 calories and putting some "magic" hormone in their body.

Eat at a deficit
Eat better quality foods (not a bunch of processed crap)
Exercise, do both cardio and weight training and you should lose weight.

But too many people are lazy...they eat good for a week and then go back to old habits. Or they work out for a week, realize that it is work and that it does cause some soreness and they quit and old habits sneak back in....so then they say "Well nothing works...I need a magic pill to fix it"

STICK TO IT!! Stop quitting and stop whining!

Acg67

It is sad that we have to go to injections and pills to lose weight/fat. It is a shame that our food industry cannot be overhauled instead. We should be eating a majority of our diet with whole foods and minimal processed foods. Yet, it is the reverse. Processed foods are killing us slowly...

Yes, the food industry needs to be overhauled because they are forcing people to buy processed foods. Pfft

beckajw

If I'm not mistaken one form of HCG has been banned by the FDA, but I don't recall which...

The FDA does not allow it to be sold over the counter as a weight loss supplement any more because it doesn't aid in weight loss. It's the 500 calorie diet that causes the weight loss. The FDA also said the 500 calorie diet can lead to health problems such as gallstones, heart arrhythmias and electrolyte imbalances. It's the diet, not the supplement that's dangerous. The supplement is just useless.

You can still get it prescribed to you by your doctor, but it's supposed to be used for infertility (because it's what your body should produce when pregnant), not for weight loss. There are side effects (most are like pregnancy symptoms) from taking the prescription form, but some women (1-2%) can develop severe Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. It sounds like the OP's niece may have developed severe OHSS. Her doctor should have warned her to tell him/her immediately if she had any mild symptoms, so she could stop the treatment before it became severe. It's generally not fatal, but can lead to life-threatening conditions.

Health_Gal

Please do not attempt the HCG diet. It is a dangerous starvation diet, as scientists have repeatedly proven that HCG does NOTHING to make it safe to eat so little food.

The HCG diet has done nothing but HARM to people I know that used it.

The only reason people lose weight on that plan is you are only allowed to eat 500 calories a day. HCG has been scientifically proven to do NOTHING to help with weight loss or to make it safe to eat only 500 calories a day. It will not protect muscle, reset your metabolism or do anything else the snake oil salesmen that sell it claim. Dr. Simeons was a quack doctor. His "HCG protocol" has absolutely NO scientific backing and is not worth risking your health on.

You will most likely get that weight back, as that is what happens to almost everyone that does that dangerous HCG starvation diet

Any doctor that pushes the HCG diet plan should be stripped of their license to practice medicine because they are being totally unethical and giving advice that goes against the conclusions of all reliable scientific research on the subject.

The HCG diet has been studied by many scientific organizations, and they all concluded that HCG, even the "real" injectable version, is no more effective than a placebo, and eating only 500 calories a day for weeks, as recommended by that plan, can cause more health problems than it solves.

I know some people that put their faith in the HCG diet, and became very ill from malnutrition as a result. Then they regained more weight than they lost. Now they wish they never heard of HCG.

The Government is now in the process of getting all that fraudulent stuff off the market, and it's about time!

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm281333.htm

http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/hcg-diet-dangerous-1428

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hcg-diet/AN02091

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/truth-about-hcg-for-weight-loss

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/weight-loss-cure-dont-want-you-to-know

http://www.dietscam.org/reports/hcg.shtml

Long_and_Lean

I personally do not feel that HCG is bad. I had tried it about 1.5 years ago after trying a strict low-fat diet with exercise and appropriate nutrition. I even used the calorie guidelines that were recommended for me, ate the foods I was supposed to, exercised regularly, drank water...the whole thing. I did not really lose anything. And I tried this method for many, many months yet I saw no improvement, felt really low (my self-esteem was at rock bottom) and I kept out-growing clothes and went up in pant sizes instead of down

I thought it was maybe hereditary or that I had some kind of hormonal imbalance or something wrong with my thyroid. Had that all checked and I was fine, my cholesterol was good...I just do not lose weight at all no matter what I do.

So, 1.5 years ago I started the HCG diet and it worked. I wanted to lose 20 lbs and I did. I kept off the weight for over a year but with travel, I had poor eating habits so I gained 12.5 lbs back. I started exercise again, tried eating right...nothing. So, I am back on the HCG diet and I can attest that this diet really works for me. I have energy, I feel good, I am losing weight at a reasonable rate and I am not, contrary to what you all believe, "starving". Yes, I am on a strict low calorie diet but I eat good proteins (fish, chicken, seafood), vegetables (any leafy green or other green veggies), fruit (whatever I want) and one very small carb (like melba toast) and I drink a lot of water and take my vitamins. I want to only lose the 12 lbs and so far I've lost 2.0 and I feel better than I have with any other diet or exercise program I have ever tried before

Knock the diet if you want. But for those of us who kill ourselves with strenuous workouts and limit ourselves to our calorie intake in addition, this diet really works. I still work out, I eat minimally (yes, I know this is a "problem" for some people), but I am losing weight and I am feeling good.

I know that once I am done, I will need to eat right. It recommends slowly increasing your caloric intake. I did this the last time and I did not gain a pound back for a year and then over the last few months I have gained because I was eating fast food and very unhealthy things. HCG works for me. You just have to use it appropriately

Have you considered your weight loss is due to the extremely low calories and not actually taking the hormone?

THIS

sexyrosey

Just an fyi for all of you who want a 'quick fix' with HCG injections. My niece has been using it, with her Dr's blessing, has lost a lot of weight, looks awful and is now in the hospital, seriously ill. She is peeing 'black stuff' and may have kidney damage!
Your health and your life is more important than getting a quick fix. Please, please, do not use this stuff or any other 'fad' diets. You won't be able to maintain your weightloss and learn the right way to be healthy unless you do it right, with MYFITNESSPAL!

I did it on and off for a year yes I lost 80lbs. I had the same reaction and was told I had kidney damage and my liver was next. I stopped they put me on a protein diet for 3 months thing got better and my hair started to grow back. I had lost so much hair from it. I now find it so hard to lose weight now and any carbs i eat I will gain weight. I have to say it becomes and addiction, i have times when i think I would try it again. I thank god i have family and a boyfriend who would kill me if I did it again. Prayers are sent her way.

dunnweb

I'm still in shock that any Dr. in the world would suggest this as a way to lose weight! They should lose their medical license.This girl is young, only 28 and has a life to live yet.

She should sue. Even Optifast gives you 800 calories a day. 500 is just... ugh, there are no words. It's beyond wrong.

Yes let's continue to sue doctors so they continue to fear diagnosing things and tend to go with the safest and least effective option as a result. OP was this the doctor's FIRST suggestion or did they try to put her on a diet/exercise regimen that she failed? Put down your pitch forks people.

EDIT: Actually OP states "with the doctor's blessing". Did the doctor say to do the injections or did he just not argue with the desire for the patient to take it upon herself to do it?

TrailRunner61

If I'm not mistaken one form of HCG has been banned by the FDA, but I don't recall which...

The FDA does not allow it to be sold over the counter as a weight loss supplement any more because it doesn't aid in weight loss. It's the 500 calorie diet that causes the weight loss. The FDA also said the 500 calorie diet can lead to health problems such as gallstones, heart arrhythmias and electrolyte imbalances. It's the diet, not the supplement that's dangerous. The supplement is just useless.

You can still get it prescribed to you by your doctor, but it's supposed to be used for infertility (because it's what your body should produce when pregnant), not for weight loss. There are side effects (most are like pregnancy symptoms) from taking the prescription form, but some women (1-2%) can develop severe Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. It sounds like the OP's niece may have developed severe OHSS. Her doctor should have warned her to tell him/her immediately if she had any mild symptoms, so she could stop the treatment before it became severe. It's generally not fatal, but can lead to life-threatening conditions.

OHS is what they think it is. She's still very sick and is taking strong pain meds to cope with the abdominal pain. She has to see a urologist for the black urine (whatever that was) and an endocrinologist.

TrailRunner61

I'm still in shock that any Dr. in the world would suggest this as a way to lose weight! They should lose their medical license.This girl is young, only 28 and has a life to live yet.

She should sue. Even Optifast gives you 800 calories a day. 500 is just... ugh, there are no words. It's beyond wrong.

Yes let's continue to sue doctors so they continue to fear diagnosing things and tend to go with the safest and least effective option as a result. OP was this the doctor's FIRST suggestion or did they try to put her on a diet/exercise regimen that she failed? Put down your pitch forks people.

csdev, she is 28, has been overweight since grade school. She had tried all the the 'diets' and in my opinion, (after finding out on my own), she is too lazy to do it the right way. She has failed 'dieting' many times and now she is desperate for a quick fix. It takes WORK to be healthy, to eat right and to 'find the time' to exercise. I just pray she's finally done taking the stuff and that word gets out to people that they need to do 3 things to lose weight, not take 'magic' supplements, starve themselves or not EVER eat this or that or ONLY eat this or that. It's simple!

Eat healthy food!
Eat the right portions of food!
Move more!

TrailRunner61

I'm still in shock that any Dr. in the world would suggest this as a way to lose weight! They should lose their medical license.This girl is young, only 28 and has a life to live yet.

She should sue. Even Optifast gives you 800 calories a day. 500 is just... ugh, there are no words. It's beyond wrong.

Yes let's continue to sue doctors so they continue to fear diagnosing things and tend to go with the safest and least effective option as a result. OP was this the doctor's FIRST suggestion or did they try to put her on a diet/exercise regimen that she failed? Put down your pitch forks people.

EDIT: Actually OP states "with the doctor's blessing". Did the doctor say to do the injections or did he just not argue with the desire for the patient to take it upon herself to do it?

Her Dr. suggested the HCD diet. She gets (or was) injections at a pharmacy.

DanaDark

Sue the crap out of that doctor.

Long_and_Lean

Just an fyi for all of you who want a 'quick fix' with HCG injections. My niece has been using it, with her Dr's blessing, has lost a lot of weight, looks awful and is now in the hospital, seriously ill. She is peeing 'black stuff' and may have kidney damage!
Your health and your life is more important than getting a quick fix. Please, please, do not use this stuff or any other 'fad' diets. You won't be able to maintain your weightloss and learn the right way to be healthy unless you do it right, with MYFITNESSPAL!

I did it on and off for a year yes I lost 80lbs. I had the same reaction and was told I had kidney damage and my liver was next. I stopped they put me on a protein diet for 3 months thing got better and my hair started to grow back. I had lost so much hair from it. I now find it so hard to lose weight now and any carbs i eat I will gain weight. I have to say it becomes and addiction, i have times when i think I would try it again. I thank god i have family and a boyfriend who would kill me if I did it again. Prayers are sent her way.

re: the hair thing, I know someone that was an ardent HCG disciple (even worked for them), lost 50 lbs or so on it, and it RUINED her hair. I mean ruined. She had shoulder length hair and you could see her scalp it was so fine. Oh yeah, and then she started gaining back all the weight. He has since left HCG. I haven't heard much more about it (I don't even know if she can talk about it, HCG is like a friggin cult), but she's on a healthier path now.

dunnweb

I'm still in shock that any Dr. in the world would suggest this as a way to lose weight! They should lose their medical license.This girl is young, only 28 and has a life to live yet.

She should sue. Even Optifast gives you 800 calories a day. 500 is just... ugh, there are no words. It's beyond wrong.

Yes let's continue to sue doctors so they continue to fear diagnosing things and tend to go with the safest and least effective option as a result. OP was this the doctor's FIRST suggestion or did they try to put her on a diet/exercise regimen that she failed? Put down your pitch forks people.

csdev, she is 28, has been overweight since grade school. She had tried all the the 'diets' and in my opinion, (after finding out on my own), she is too lazy to do it the right way. She has failed 'dieting' many times and now she is desperate for a quick fix. It takes WORK to be healthy, to eat right and to 'find the time' to exercise. I just pray she's finally done taking the stuff and that word gets out to people that they need to do 3 things to lose weight, not take 'magic' supplements, starve themselves or not EVER eat this or that or ONLY eat this or that. It's simple!

Eat healthy food!
Eat the right portions of food!
Move more!

I agree. That's why I was ousting someone who was crying to sue the doctor...

dunnweb

Sue the crap out of that doctor.

You can't sue the doctor for making a treatment suggestion to a patient that is completely legal... Sheesh and you wonder why they are so hesitant to actually help anyone.

ang3h

That HCG diet is so absolutely ridiculous. One of my former co-workers was writing on Facebook about how she started the HCG diet and complained all the time about how sick she felt with only eating 500 calories a day.. how the hell is that a healthy way to lose weight? She lost weight sure and then gained it all right back.

pattyg1821

human chorionic gonadotropin ( hCG) is a hormone produced during pregnancy that is made by the developing placenta after conception. when a women gets pregnant its what is detected in a urine home pregnancy test or blood test.

pattyg1821

i did take the oral drops from march til may 2011 with breaks in between and when i was on the breaks i walked 2-3 miles a day and added ate 1500 calores. I ended loosing about 30 pounds.

Never felt bad.

dyneemo

Yes, I did actually. But I tried an extremely low calorie diet for a few weeks as well (almost 4 weeks) and I did not really lose much...2.5 pounds is all. In 4 weeks time, on a strict calorie diet, that just was not what I was hoping for. I walk briskly over 1 mile per day as well and I do strength exercises, so it isn't like I'm just doing a fad thing and not taking care of myself or exercising. HCG works for me. I'm not sick at all, I never got sick the first time I used it and I actually have more energy. I don't find it "dangerous"...I think it is just like any diet. It depends on the user and how responsible they are for it. Any diet & exercise program can be "bad" and "harmful" if the person doing it doesn't do it correctly or responsibly