HCG...what do you guys think?

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sweetrevenge
sweetrevenge Posts: 188
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone heard about this new method of weight loss? They inject you (or you can take pills) with HCG (the pregnancy hormone) and your supposed to lose 1-2 pounds a day. My friend was asking if I had heard of it, which I hadn't so I started reserching it. IDK, it seems that any drug, hormone or pill that would make you drop 1-2 pounds is questionable. I have reseached it a little on-line but was wondering if you anyone on MFP has heard of it or knows anyone that has gone that route. Thanks!

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  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
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    I have never heard of it...but it sure doesnt sound healthy....and sounds way too good to be safe
  • MattySparky
    MattySparky Posts: 771
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    sounds like it messes with your hormones. That doesn't sound natural to me.
  • StaceG1986
    StaceG1986 Posts: 350
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    I've never heard of it either, and to be honest anything that makes you lose 1-2 lbs a DAY doesn't sound safe to me either!!
  • mama22girlz
    mama22girlz Posts: 291
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    I wonder how a pregnancy hormone would make you LOOSE weight, when really when pregnant your suppose to gain. I wouldn't mess with it, next thing you know you'll start lactating ;)
  • sweetrevenge
    sweetrevenge Posts: 188
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    I have never heard of it...but it sure doesnt sound healthy....and sounds way too good to be safe

    Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking. This friend of mine jut doesn't seem to want to put in the work to lose the weight and I have been trying to find a way to nicely tell her that she can't cheat everyday especially two weeks into her diet. The will power just isn't there and she is looking for a quick fix. She was really worried about losing weight and having excess skin which I don't think will happen to her, she isn't that big.....but in my opinion losing weight at that rate would give anyone loose skin.
  • sweetrevenge
    sweetrevenge Posts: 188
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    I wonder how a pregnancy hormone would make you LOOSE weight, when really when pregnant your suppose to gain. I wouldn't mess with it, next thing you know you'll start lactating ;)

    LoL....Well the first thing I thought of was how ridiculously sick I was with my babies and how that is supposed to be from hormones, that's what makes me nervous. This stuff isn't even approved by the FDA yet.
  • Plwarder
    Plwarder Posts: 30
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    I ran into an old friend and she had dropped over 50 lbs. She was doing the HCG shots. She said she would do the shots and was only allowed to eat 500 calories per day. She did not exercise, of course. It is not for me because I know I would just gain the weight back and I also play a pretty aggressive sport so there is no way I could live off of 500 calories. She looks great but I can imagine it was not the healthiest way to lose weight, even though it was done under the direction of a doctor.
    I can tell you though that seeing her lose all of that weight motivated me to get off my lazy butt and take control of my weight the healthy way.
  • sweetrevenge
    sweetrevenge Posts: 188
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    I ran into an old friend and she had dropped over 50 lbs. She was doing the HCG shots. She said she would do the shots and was only allowed to eat 500 calories per day. She did not exercise, of course. It is not for me because I know I would just gain the weight back and I also play a pretty aggressive sport so there is no way I could live off of 500 calories. She looks great but I can imagine it was not the healthiest way to lose weight, even though it was done under the direction of a doctor.
    I can tell you though that seeing her lose all of that weight motivated me to get off my lazy butt and take control of my weight the healthy way.

    What about excess skin. She must have had excess skin to lose 50 lbs so quickly?
  • imagymrat
    imagymrat Posts: 862 Member
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    You're also restricted to a stupid 500 calories a day, and they advise you not to exercise because your body can't handle it..my friend is taking the shots, covered by our stupid health care system..what a waste of taxpayers money. She's very obese, 5'2 390lbs...instead of getting her lazy *kitten* in the gym and eating right, she takes cheat cuts, and every single time ends up bigger then before..don't take offense to the lazy comment, she IS, i've known her for 30 years, no other reason than eating way too much crap and doing nothing but sitting on her rear smoking cigs...sorry..off topic, her and her antics just p*ss me off!
  • mama22girlz
    mama22girlz Posts: 291
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    LoL....Well the first thing I thought of was how ridiculously sick I was with my babies and how that is supposed to be from hormones, that's what makes me nervous. This stuff isn't even approved by the FDA yet.

    Yeah I was sick too, lost alot of weight and it wasn't fun. Its just not healthy to make yourself sick to loose weight.
  • mworld
    mworld Posts: 270
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    :sick: seems about as attractive a form of weightloss as amputating a limb.
  • RedneckWmn
    RedneckWmn Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I know a girl whow as doing it as well. Giving herself the shots though. She lived on chicken and veggies for 3 meals a day. She worked out as well with it even though she wasn't supposed to. She was losing almost a dress size a week. It didn't last long. She quit that and gained it all back.
  • sweetrevenge
    sweetrevenge Posts: 188
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    You're also restricted to a stupid 500 calories a day, and they advise you not to exercise because your body can't handle it..my friend is taking the shots, covered by our stupid health care system..what a waste of taxpayers money. She's very obese, 5'2 390lbs...instead of getting her lazy *kitten* in the gym and eating right, she takes cheat cuts, and every single time ends up bigger then before..don't take offense to the lazy comment, she IS, i've known her for 30 years, no other reason than eating way too much crap and doing nothing but sitting on her rear smoking cigs...sorry..off topic, her and her antics just p*ss me off!

    Honestly, I love this girl I truly do, but she too is always looking for a quick fix. I agree with the laziness part. Someone people just have no motivation, but still want the positive results.
  • Junisahn
    Junisahn Posts: 166 Member
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    Makes you wonder what it would do to your fertility - I would guess it would make your body think you were pregnant, so then, you may not ovulate. Just speculating - I've never heard of it before.

    500 calories a day, though? Sheesh - that restriction alone would make me to lose 1 lb a day... until my body thought it was starving.

    Now that I think about it, I wonder if it works for that very reason - maybe the HCG doesn't let your body go into starvation mode, allowing you to eat 500 calories and not hold onto the fat. hmmmm....
  • sweetrevenge
    sweetrevenge Posts: 188
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    :sick: seems about as attractive a form of weightloss as amputating a limb.

    LMAO!!!
  • sweetrevenge
    sweetrevenge Posts: 188
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    Makes you wonder what it would do to your fertility - I would guess it would make your body think you were pregnant, so then, you may not ovulate. Just speculating - I've never heard of it before.

    500 calories a day, though? Sheesh - that restriction alone would make me to lose 1 lb a day... until my body thought it was starving.

    Now that I think about it, I wonder if it works for that very reason - maybe the HCG doesn't let your body go into starvation mode, allowing you to eat 500 calories and not hold onto the fat. hmmmm....

    I read a little about it and has something to do with changing the way we store fat...didn't really understand it. Men can take it too, which is even more bizzare to me.
  • KatieM7
    KatieM7 Posts: 588 Member
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    From what I hear about HCG shots/pills is that in order for them to get the hormone they get it from the urine of the pregnant woman. Which is just plain gross. That alone makes me not want to do it but when I read that you can only eat 500 calories a day now that is just wrong. Seriously people that try to take the easy way of losing weight are honestly just going to gain it right back. You have to change the way you eat to really make a difference. No offense to anyone!
  • mmnichol
    mmnichol Posts: 208 Member
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    My stepdaughter started this a couple of months ago. She has lost about 20 lbs and wants to lose a few more, I was concerned when I saw what she was eating for the day....turkey bacon. She started feeling funny, weak, numbness, headaches. Her PCP feared she had MS. She's had CT and MRI and forunately studies were negative. She told the MD what she was doing and doc told her to stop immediately. This program can't possibly be any good for your body and unforunately young girls don't think about the future and their health, just losing weight.

    Just my experience.
  • dragonflymeup
    dragonflymeup Posts: 1 Member
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    I just wanted to tell you a little about the HCG diet. I know quite a bit about it. I actually just completed two rounds of HCG. You should know that the amount of HCG that you inject is a tiny amount compared to what a woman carries when she is pregnant. The purpose of the hormone is not to help you lose weight. It is to protect your muscle and organs. Much the same way that HCG does not allow the baby to take from your organs or muscle when you are pregnant. You need that protection with such a limited caloric intake. It also helps your hunger. Make no mistake, this is not an easy quick fix. There is a lot of prep to every meal and having to be very strict. You cannot cheat or you will surely put weight on. The shot is the easy part. Having the resolve to stick to it is the real test. I did this diet from the end of Jan. through half of March and I lost 35lbs. The average weight loss works out to be about .5lb a day. Somedays you lose more and some days you lose less. Another thing I have found and read about also is that HCG naturally helps your skin have less sag. Even my baby pouch has tightened considerably.

    I do have a word of warning though. While I am very pleased that I got a great jump start on my weight loss I would not recommend this diet long term. It seems that it can slow your thyroid if used too much. That is due to the fact that you consume so few calories. Most people are low on iodine which helps stimulate your thyroid so I would suggest anyone take an iodine supplement if they start this diet. The last part of the diet is the maintenance. There is a 6 week period after the diet that you should follow very strictly. It allows your body to adapt to more calories and carbs. I just ended my 6 weeks and it was hard to keep the weight from coming back. You have to be dedicated just like any diet. I am pleased to say that I did it and have kept the weight off but those I know that did not do the maintenance plan put it right back on. This diet works, but it is no walk in the park. Do your research before you consider it. There are tons more rules to follow. I hope that helps. Good luck!

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