hCG

I have never heard of this diet before but it seems like a very low calorie diet, not sure of the content or whether or not you take nutritional supplements as well.

Personally, I could never do something like this, I like food! but it can be a very valuable tool for people to get weight off very quickly if needed to rapidly improve chronic disease-related problems or as a pre-cursor to surgery. Really, it should only be being used in people who are very obese and who have tried other, safer weight loss approaches and failed. It should also definitely be done under the supervision of a doctor - to be honest, we (dietitians) would rarely if ever recommend that a VLCD be commenced outside of a hospital setting because the changes in your electrolyte levels can be severe.

As for re-gaining the weight... it depends what you count as 'regaining the weight'. Research shows (sorry everyone) that a high percentage of people who lose weight gain it back, regardless of what method they used. Now research comparing VLCDs and standard diet show for example:

VLCD: Lost 50kg, regained 30kg, net weight loss 20kg
Regular diet plan: Lost 20kg (this was over the same time frame), regained 10kg, net weight loss 10kg.

So as you can see, the VLCD group regained more, but they also lost more and their net weight loss was still more. This particular study (although I havent used their actual numerical results) was over 8 years so who knows what happened after that.

I really want to thank you for providing this information I heard good and bad things about HCG, your information really helps me put it all in perspective
thanks again

It is working well for me. Net loss in 10 days 10.2 lbs. There's no way I'd be seeking new, smaller 'goal' jeans otherwise!

Traci

Update:

6/13/10 Day 1 weight 184.8
7/1/10 Day 19 weight 168.4
Net loss 16.4 lbs

I was at Kmart yesterday and grabbed a pair of size 8 jeans off the rack . . . . . and they fit. :laugh: (Lee riders)

This is a whole new world for me.

Goal this round: 159 (or close)

had my labs and medical review yesterday. Cholesterol and triglycerides levels are finally well into normal range--i can't do statins due to allergies. Both doctors were very impressed and we reviewed my nutrition and transition to maintenance phase later this month. Liked their scale better than my nemesis at home, but to be fair, i will just go with the reading on mine.

How far out of range were you chol and tri levels before? Did you do a 23-day or 43-day protocol?

This just seems like an unhealthy approach to weight loss; why would you inject your body with a hormone instead of choosing to eat better and exercise? I just tend to think about what you are going to be able to keep up for life, assuming you want to keep the weight off. I wish you luck, but hope you can incorporate eating better, healthier foods in your life plan.

And I have researched this topic:
"Regardless, once a person stops the hCG diet, he or she will have to adopt a normal and healthy lifestyle, or the weight's just coming back. Proponents of the hCG diet maintain that the purpose of the diet is to break food addictions and abnormal eating behaviors, and that the month or so of treatment allows a person to do so. In this sense, the diet hopes to achieve short-term weight loss with long-term behavioral modification.


Of course, eating well-proportioned meals is much easier when you're injecting stimulants and hunger-suppressing hormones. If you gain weight again, the doctor or clinic -- upon the follow-up visit -- may recommend you start the treatment over again. Therefore, you may just scrap real attempts to change eating habits and sign on to long-term use of chemicals without fixing the real problem: your diet and exercise habits.


A month-long course of hCG injections and crash dieting will likely help you lose weight, but a key question is: Is this the best way to permanently modify poor eating habits?


In addition to the reliability of a new diet fad popping up to replace the one before it, there's another constant when it comes to dieting -- no matter what you do, maintaining a healthy weight depends on eating right and exercising."

Well, I can't speak for others on this topic, but I can speak for myself. I have found that everyone's standard answer of "eat less move more" just doesn't work for me. I enjoy the horrible foods the most...and I just can't say no to some of them. I can eat an ENTIRE box of Kraft Mac & Cheese myself...and a whole frozen pizza to boot. My wife is the same way. Her situation is actually a little more dire than mine. She needs to exercise...she gets that. She can only exercise SO MUCH because her weight is affecting her knees and back. She can only walk so far until she's stiff as a board and has to quit for a few days to recover...and the cycle repeats. We've researched this program for OVER a year now. We've read and polled and asked and inquired. We've found out what works and what doesn't. This program is anything but a "fad diet"...it was established 60 years ago. If she can use a program that will allow her to drop massive pounds without beating herself up in the gym until she is TRULY healthy enough to do it, then I'm behind her 100%...in fact, I'm doing it with her so that she has someone to lean on and she doesn't have to watch me eating junk food while she's on a restricted diet. That would just make me an a__hole. People talk incessantly on these HCG forums about eating properly and exercising - doing it the "right way." You all have to realize that not everyone is healthy enough to work out 3 times a week or more...and some people's schedule doesn't allow for it. I know that sounds like an excuse, but it doesn't make it invalid. If you'd pop open Dr. Simeons ebook "Pounds & Inches", you'd realize that this whole program is a LIFELONG dietary change. Once you are off the 500-calorie VLCD, the book gives you guidelines as to what you should eat and you are free to exercise as much as you wish. Some people even find they have enough energy to exercise while their still on the VLCD. You've asked the question if this is the best way to change unhealthy eating habits. Many have tried and failed to do this other manners. If this is what it takes for someone to change permanently and go on living their lives in a healthy manner and live a long healthy life, I don't care if it's Drano their sticking in their butt...as long as they see the result they desire, it's fine by me.

At 230 I don't think I could have run, not with the arthritis in my knees - and I had ACL reconstruction on my left knee 18 years ago. Now - under 190 - I really enjoy running. I have completed two 5ks, a mini-triathlon and a 10K (1hr 3 minutes ?secs) this summer with another 5K and a half marathon to go.

Yes, I do feel that this is the best way to permanently modify my eating habits - it was exactly the eating discipline that I lacked. You may not understand it, but I have such a feeling of control with this eating plan, when previously I always felt out of control.

I have the energy to continue running 3 days a week if I want, but have chosen not to during this phase, besides with 4 kids under 5 and summer here, we are finding lots to do and stay active.

I really feel that the real key is what you learn on your journey, regardless of how you get there.