The truth about HCG as told by Dr. Pete Grott
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cparter
Posts: 754 Member
I know those who live and die by HCG and have the nerve to call it a success story will sling their arrows and stare angrily at the computer screens (plus a few choice words) but I am going to post this article anyway for those who are contemplating this dangerous "Diet Fad" but have not been sold just yet.
Dr. Peter Grott, United Media, Health Columnist, The Harvard Medical School Adviser, stated in a recent article the following as it refers to HCG:
This "Diet Fad" frightens me.
First, hCG (human Chorionic gonadotrophin) is a prescription drug for fertility. HCG is a hormone present in pregnant women's urine.
HCG plays many roles, including guaranteeing that a developing fetus receives the calories and nutrients it needs to grow. It is able to do this by releasing fat from the hips, buttocks, abdomen, and thighs to give the developing fetus nutrients.
In terms of the hCG diet, the user must inject the medication once a day for 23 to 40 straight days. The hCG must then be discontinued for at least six weeks because the body will develop temporary immunity.
Any "Diet" that restricts you to 500 calories a day is going to cause weight loss whether or not there is a medication involved. The reason for the weight loss is starvation, which will eventually lead to serious complications.
The initial published findings of hCG's ability to add weight loss have not held up to scrutiny.
Also, given that hCG is a naturally occurring pregnancy hormone, it can lead to symptoms of pregnancy, such as swollen, tender breasts and water retention. There are also reports of health problems resulting from the "Diet", including increased risk of blood clots, depression, restlessness and headaches.
Many of you will continue to swear by it and those who want to take the quick and easy way out but this is dangerous. The risk outweigh the short time results. Many of you or most of you will continue down this path which is your choice but once again I refuse to take this as a success story and will continue providing evidence that this is risky if not dangerous.
Dr. Peter Grott, United Media, Health Columnist, The Harvard Medical School Adviser, stated in a recent article the following as it refers to HCG:
This "Diet Fad" frightens me.
First, hCG (human Chorionic gonadotrophin) is a prescription drug for fertility. HCG is a hormone present in pregnant women's urine.
HCG plays many roles, including guaranteeing that a developing fetus receives the calories and nutrients it needs to grow. It is able to do this by releasing fat from the hips, buttocks, abdomen, and thighs to give the developing fetus nutrients.
In terms of the hCG diet, the user must inject the medication once a day for 23 to 40 straight days. The hCG must then be discontinued for at least six weeks because the body will develop temporary immunity.
Any "Diet" that restricts you to 500 calories a day is going to cause weight loss whether or not there is a medication involved. The reason for the weight loss is starvation, which will eventually lead to serious complications.
The initial published findings of hCG's ability to add weight loss have not held up to scrutiny.
Also, given that hCG is a naturally occurring pregnancy hormone, it can lead to symptoms of pregnancy, such as swollen, tender breasts and water retention. There are also reports of health problems resulting from the "Diet", including increased risk of blood clots, depression, restlessness and headaches.
Many of you will continue to swear by it and those who want to take the quick and easy way out but this is dangerous. The risk outweigh the short time results. Many of you or most of you will continue down this path which is your choice but once again I refuse to take this as a success story and will continue providing evidence that this is risky if not dangerous.
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Good information. Whether people agree or not it certainly doesn't hurt to get more info.
I personally do not agree with the HCG + 500cal plan, I want to have a healthy lifestyle and have the energy to play with my family.
I'd rather take 1 year to lose the weight while setting a good example or a healthy lifestyle.0 -
Thank you for posting this. You're right there are those who will glare angrily at their monitors and you will most likely receive a few heated e-mails but people need to hear the facts. Of course you will lose weight if you only intake 500 calories a day but you WILL gain all of it, if not more back. A co-worker of mine ended up in the hospital for weeks because of this "diet". I know few of you will give up this farce but, with any, luck some will. Thanks again my brave friend.0
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Unfortunately some are hard to train. The HCG fans look past the danger because they want a shortcut. It is hard to receive if you are blinded by your own inability.Thank you for posting this. You're right there are those who will glare angrily at their monitors and you will most likely receive a few heated e-mails but people need to hear the facts. Of course you will lose weight if you only intake 500 calories a day but you WILL gain all of it, if not more back. A co-worker of mine ended up in the hospital for weeks because of this "diet". I know few of you will give up this farce but, with any, luck some will. Thanks again my brave friend.0 -
Thanks for sharing it CP:flowerforyou: I'd never heard of it over here :noway: but honestly I can now say I'm glad I never did :huh: It's a crazy diet to be undertaking not healthy at all by the sounds of it :noway:0
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:drinker: I'll raise my glass to you Cparter! I had never heard of this until I read a thread about it today. 500 Kcal/day is a crazy amount of food to live on. I'm not sure if the HCG diet has gone through the peer reviewed journal process or if the anti-HCG campain has done so either. I just don't see the FDA signing off any study on a 500 Kcal/day diet. Those days passed when the 60s ended from what I heard.0
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I appreciate you posting this. Regardless of the few HCG fanatics on here, I think others need to hear the truth. Everytime someone posts something about this, it turns into WWIII. Great that its a well-respected individual speaking about it too.0
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Thank you so much for posting this. I have seen the HCG threads but not really looked into what it was as I want to be healthy and follow a sustainable plan rather than try yet another quick fix. This looks frightening to say the least!
Thanks again.0 -
Hi, all --
It is true that almost any posts about HCG draw "passion" from both sides! It is also easy to see how the diet seems scary -- it has many components that are outside conventional wisdom.
I have been researching the HCG diet for 5 solid weeks now -- reading everything I can find on it and meeting and talking with people who have done the diet.
About HCG itself, the dose is quite small, and can be taken under the tongue or via injection. It is available in homeopathic form, too.
It is great that concerned people offer information here, but it is important to remember that medical professionals are not united about the HCG diet -- many doctors support it, prescribe it and see helpful results for their patients. Also it is important to know that it has been around for 40 years, and so can't really be called a fad.
I also had to laugh when I saw a warning about HCG from a weight loss surgeon -- he could possibly have a big conflict of interest!! And certainly, surgery is more extreme than HCG.
The US FDA stance on HCG is not what some say it is -- their stance is actually that HCG has not been thoroughly studied for weight loss, not that it is contraindicated. HCG has been studied for fertility, at very high dosages, and has been ruled safe.
Regarding the low calorie diet, fasting is a common practice for many people, and the veggie, fruit and lean protien HCG plan is less extreme than that. Also, the 500 calorie diet is not the only thing nourishing the body while on HCG -- fat stores, and the nutrients held within them, are also nourishing the body during the short time one is on the plan. People report feeling very vital once the HCG has stabilized in their bodies, and not hungry.
Too many people seem to stay on HCG for a longer time than is recommended, shorten the protocol's break times between rounds, and also seem to cheat. This seems like it would place a lot of stress on any body.
I am in Europe right now for work, and here it is a regularly followed diet, that people regard as safe and very effective.
So, I hope people will make a calm, reasonable decision about what to do, but please don't allow one point of view to be your only guide.
Best wishes for success!
MM0 -
*Cowering under the table ready to get bashed*...
See to me, a previously serial dieter, the HCG diet is no different to say Lighter Life, Slim Fast, All about w8 and the Cambridge Diet. All encourage people to eat well below what is healthy each day in terms of calories and all are a short term 'fix' which do not offer long term results.
I have tried all of the above diets and things like weight watchers, slim fast, the lemonade diet, thermoslim tablets, colon cleanse, akai berries...you name it I tried it. I lost lots of weight to start with but I felt like crap and as soon as I stopped following the plan I piled the weight straight back on and more. In desperation I even considered weightloss surgery but ironically I was too light. At the end of my dieting days I was a whole 3 stone heavier than when I ever started.
I would be the first one lining up for new diets in search of an easy way to lose the weight BUT I have learnt the hard way that these things are not the long term solution.
When approaching weightloss the only way to solve the problem is not to go on a 'diet' but to change the way you eat for good. To learn to eat healthily and most importantly to learn to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.
I wish dr's would spend more time and money encouraging this in people than backing these diets xxx0 -
When you come to the logical conclusion that the only way doctors and pharmaceutical companies make money is if you're sick. And that fat, unhealthy people tend to get sick more often than thin, healthy people, it makes perfect sense that doctors denounce the HCG diet. Because it actually works and they can't make any money from it!
I personally compare them to Jiffy Lube Mechanics, always trying to scare you into purchasing more useless crap from them.
Everything this lying quack said was either a scare tactic or categorically false. And of course he has no facts to back up his false opinions. I'm a 275lb man. I've eaten 500 calories/day for 7 days in a row and haven't been hungry once. I'm not starving; the HCG is releasing fat and my body is burning it as energy. Pretty straight-forward! Why do I have to eat a lot when I'm burning 3500-4000 calories/day of pure fat? I wish the quack doctor would explain that. Your body doesn't care where the calories come from, as long as they're available.
It still amazes me how people still call it a quick fix when in actuality it is a lifelong plan of weight loss and weight maintenance. It'd be nice if you would at least learn what exactly it is before you denounce it.
Be scared if you want; believe these quacks who want you to be fat & sick so you'll come visit them more often and help them buy more BMWs. I for one have decided to take my health into my own hands, and the HCG diet is working fantastic for me.0 -
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/29/9/940
a quick, albeit old read. I remember hearing how semi-starvation diets were really big back in the 60s and early 70s. I've even heard of a study done in the 60s where morbidly obese study participants were only given a multi-vitamin and allowed to drink water, and that was it. I'll see if I can look that one up. It might be bookmarked in my textbooks.0 -
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You may call him a quack with his Harvard credentials, etc. However he is not dumb. Any rational person will see that 500 calories taken with hormones is not rational thinking. Ok, he notes just like those who complained about this post that you will lose weight with that type of starvation but in the long run, the short term results (30 lbs or so) vs the long term outlook does not line up.
275 lbs, 185 lbs or 400 lbs, if you do not learn how to eat and realize that you did not get that way overnight you will never learn. I gained my weight slowly over 18 years so I do not expect to lose it within 9 months or so (had 80 lbs I wanted to lose even though 70 would have done well). I expect to enjoy the slow ride and get my body adjusted. The way I am doing it is not leaving loose flesh hanging here and there because my body did not adjust fast enough because I was losing weight too fast. When I am done losing weight I can look back and realize how precious the journey was and look ahead and embrace what I have learned and realize how precious my future is.
You can choose to hang on to hCG and take your quick fix or you can wake up and get your life on the right track. Learn how to eat. Control the food or it will continue to control you. Got off the couch and move your rear or you will never get in gear. Try for something you can hold onto for a life time instead of trying to get quick results that have no solid future. You can be one of the statistically few that lose the weight or at least most of it and then change your diet during the process and continue a road to recovery or you can be the statistical norm who lose the weight get over the "fad" that has been around 40 years and Surgeon General still does not endorse it and rebound back to where you came from or even higher. Life is about choices and that is your choice. I prefer to take the high road on this one and I will continue doing my research and distribution of medical reports so those who are wise will resist this temptation.
You all who disagree have a right to do so and you can call me or the docs what you wish but I will never call this a success. It goes against all conventional wisdom and has no leverage in a society who truly want to make a life style change.0 -
hummm.. look at lisa who has lost 117 lbs by changing her habits and feel great about with no drugs, pills or shakes. Look at the people who have lost 164, 200, 155, etc.. lbs that are all in the 100 and above range by simply learning how to eat right and exercise. Yes the progress was slow in the beginning but over two years these people saw the results and are happy to testify about it. Did the doctor continue to get rich because these people continued to be obese and sick? No, because these people slowly started to come off their meds they were living by and started to set examples for their families or others to follow. Heck, look at the testimony section from the my home page for the lady who went on today show because she lost over 100 lbs using this sight. She too did it without drugs, fad diets (which HCG will cotninue to be in my opinion even if it is 100 years in existence) by simply changing her life style which included her shopping habits, eating habits and got rid of her sedentary life style. She proved that wisdom is the key.When you come to the logical conclusion that the only way doctors and pharmaceutical companies make money is if you're sick. And that fat, unhealthy people tend to get sick more often than thin, healthy people, it makes perfect sense that doctors denounce the HCG diet. Because it actually works and they can't make any money from it!
I personally compare them to Jiffy Lube Mechanics, always trying to scare you into purchasing more useless crap from them.
Everything this lying quack said was either a scare tactic or categorically false. And of course he has no facts to back up his false opinions. I'm a 275lb man. I've eaten 500 calories/day for 7 days in a row and haven't been hungry once. I'm not starving; the HCG is releasing fat and my body is burning it as energy. Pretty straight-forward! Why do I have to eat a lot when I'm burning 3500-4000 calories/day of pure fat? I wish the quack doctor would explain that. Your body doesn't care where the calories come from, as long as they're available.
It still amazes me how people still call it a quick fix when in actuality it is a lifelong plan of weight loss and weight maintenance. It'd be nice if you would at least learn what exactly it is before you denounce it.
Be scared if you want; believe these quacks who want you to be fat & sick so you'll come visit them more often and help them buy more BMWs. I for one have decided to take my health into my own hands, and the HCG diet is working fantastic for me.
So, you can not discredit those who have walked this walk without the need of drugs and "fad diets" that the Surgeon General after 40 years or so of existence has refused to endorse. Do your research and learn how to eat/shop/move or what ever it takes to show that you are at once in control.
However, it is your choice and I truly hope the best of success to you but I will never endorse this unfortunate practice.0 -
Hi, all --
It is true that almost any posts about HCG draw "passion" from both sides! It is also easy to see how the diet seems scary -- it has many components that are outside conventional wisdom.
I have been researching the HCG diet for 5 solid weeks now -- reading everything I can find on it and meeting and talking with people who have done the diet.
About HCG itself, the dose is quite small, and can be taken under the tongue or via injection. It is available in homeopathic form, too.
It is great that concerned people offer information here, but it is important to remember that medical professionals are not united about the HCG diet -- many doctors support it, prescribe it and see helpful results for their patients. Also it is important to know that it has been around for 40 years, and so can't really be called a fad.
I also had to laugh when I saw a warning about HCG from a weight loss surgeon -- he could possibly have a big conflict of interest!! And certainly, surgery is more extreme than HCG.
The US FDA stance on HCG is not what some say it is -- their stance is actually that HCG has not been thoroughly studied for weight loss, not that it is contraindicated. HCG has been studied for fertility, at very high dosages, and has been ruled safe.
Regarding the low calorie diet, fasting is a common practice for many people, and the veggie, fruit and lean protien HCG plan is less extreme than that. Also, the 500 calorie diet is not the only thing nourishing the body while on HCG -- fat stores, and the nutrients held within them, are also nourishing the body during the short time one is on the plan. People report feeling very vital once the HCG has stabilized in their bodies, and not hungry.
Too many people seem to stay on HCG for a longer time than is recommended, shorten the protocol's break times between rounds, and also seem to cheat. This seems like it would place a lot of stress on any body.
I am in Europe right now for work, and here it is a regularly followed diet, that people regard as safe and very effective.
So, I hope people will make a calm, reasonable decision about what to do, but please don't allow one point of view to be your only guide.
Best wishes for success!
MM
I agree. From both sides this can be extreme, and everyone will always have their own opinions. However, if you believe that people are doing this just for "a quick fix" and will "gain it all back and then some" then you do not know enough about this diet to start bashing it. Yes, there are some physicians that are against it. And there are some that are NOT. Yea, if you eat 500 calories a day you will lose SOME weight, but then your body will go into starvation mode and you will stop. Hince where the HCG comes in. And I am eating much more healthy now, and not hungry at the end of the day. I have a hard time even eating the 500 calories I am supposed to eat because I am FULL. The whole point of this diet when followed correctly is to reset your hunger set-point in your hypothalamus. Which means when you are done with this diet, you will get full faster. So I wont gorge on 2000-3000 calories a day and still be hungry. It is much more than just losing weight quickly. And there are a lot of people who have done this with success and have kept it off. You should always consult a physician if you are thinking about doing any weight-loss program, and it would not be recommended not to. So, please try to get both sides of the story, and not just one. There is much more to this than just eating 500 calories, taking some hormones and losing weight. That is what someone with a blind eye sees. One side. For anyone wanting information about the diet and what the purpose of it is, and how it works I suggest reading this: http://powermaxnutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/pounds_and_inches.pdf
Now, I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and that is mine. You all can have yours, but please do not bash something without having all of the information on it first. Thank you. And congrats to everyone who is able to lose their weight the old fashioned way. I wish I could have, and have tried to for about 7 years now. I have finally found something that has worked for me, and everyone I know has noticed a huge difference in my eating/exercising habits. We are all here for one goal, and if we succeed without harm to oneself then I think that is fantastic :flowerforyou:0 -
When you come to the logical conclusion that the only way doctors and pharmaceutical companies make money is if you're sick. And that fat, unhealthy people tend to get sick more often than thin, healthy people, it makes perfect sense that doctors denounce the HCG diet. Because it actually works and they can't make any money from it!
I personally compare them to Jiffy Lube Mechanics, always trying to scare you into purchasing more useless crap from them.
Everything this lying quack said was either a scare tactic or categorically false. And of course he has no facts to back up his false opinions. I'm a 275lb man. I've eaten 500 calories/day for 7 days in a row and haven't been hungry once. I'm not starving; the HCG is releasing fat and my body is burning it as energy. Pretty straight-forward! Why do I have to eat a lot when I'm burning 3500-4000 calories/day of pure fat? I wish the quack doctor would explain that. Your body doesn't care where the calories come from, as long as they're available.
It still amazes me how people still call it a quick fix when in actuality it is a lifelong plan of weight loss and weight maintenance. It'd be nice if you would at least learn what exactly it is before you denounce it.
Be scared if you want; believe these quacks who want you to be fat & sick so you'll come visit them more often and help them buy more BMWs. I for one have decided to take my health into my own hands, and the HCG diet is working fantastic for me.
Call it a quack if you want but not all doctors are in the medical field just for the money. Many are but some aren't. I've went with my parents to their doctors and to my own doctor and they've never suggested ANY type of diet but told me to eat right, exercise a little, and the fat will come off. Since 8/29 I've lost 14lbs and I'm so incredibly proud of myself. I have so much confidence in myself now because I know that I don't NEED the latest magic pill or injection to lose weight. I have a higher self-esteem for myself because of my accomplishments. NOBODY needs any type of surgery, pills, injections, etc. to lose weight. And just about ANY health professional will tell you that losing more than 2-3lbs. per week is NOT healthy. The best way to lose weight is slow and steady or you risk stressing your heart and other vital organs and I can back that up. If you lose weight too fast, 90% of the time you'll gain it all right back. And unless you learn proper eating habits, you'll never be healthy and slim.
Now to back up my statements. I was watching "One Nation Overweight" (a special documentary on MSNBC or something like that, google it) and they had a morbidly obese man have bariatic (SP?) surgery and 2 months later he ended up having a heart attack and DYING. Why? Because it was an overnight change and it shocked his body. So go ahead and lose 1-2lbs. daily with HCG and have a heart attack. I'll keep losing my 1-3lbs per week and slowly adjust my body the healthy way. Now are you going to call me a liar? Have some common sense people.0 -
Here's my thoughts, DIETS DONT WORK!!! It doesn't matter what the title, the pill or any hype because people think of diets as temporary, a means to reach a goal and then they get to their goal and realize how difficult or expensive it will be to maintain a diet plan.
Hcg will end up like all the others, a thing of the past.
For all of you who have tried and failed for years and years to do it the right way all I can say is you weren't trying hard enough, ya I know that was a bit harsh but I am one of those people and it wasn't until I realized I wasn't giving a 100% each and everyday that I finally took ownership for my weight. Eventually you are going to have to learn to exercise everyday and eat only the calories you need as fuel, until you do this you will continue to yo yo and fight the battle of the bulge.
What i want to know is why does spending so much money on ridiculous pills or shots and the following the "program" suddenly make people feel like this is the only plan that has ever worked for them. It's just like Alli, if you would just follow the low fat food plan and exercise you would still lose weight and that's a much better way than the poor women who have tried it and end up with anal leakage at parties because they ate a freaking steak.
In the end, it is up to each of us to decide our path in life and if you choose the path with quick fixes you will spend your life repairing those quick fixes so to each their own, you can try to reason on either side and the other is NEVER going to listen so let the diet pill poppers and shot takers and master cleanse drinkers learn their way and let the exercise and healthy food people do it their way and when it really counts is who maintains it best and according to the national diet registry the people in the latter will always prevail! :drinker: :drinker:0 -
Nice post Nich0le and very good points!:drinker:Here's my thoughts, DIETS DONT WORK!!! It doesn't matter what the title, the pill or any hype because people think of diets as temporary, a means to reach a goal and then they get to their goal and realize how difficult or expensive it will be to maintain a diet plan.
Hcg will end up like all the others, a thing of the past.
For all of you who have tried and failed for years and years to do it the right way all I can say is you weren't trying hard enough, ya I know that was a bit harsh but I am one of those people and it wasn't until I realized I wasn't giving a 100% each and everyday that I finally took ownership for my weight. Eventually you are going to have to learn to exercise everyday and eat only the calories you need as fuel, until you do this you will continue to yo yo and fight the battle of the bulge.
What i want to know is why does spending so much money on ridiculous pills or shots and the following the "program" suddenly make people feel like this is the only plan that has ever worked for them. It's just like Alli, if you would just follow the low fat food plan and exercise you would still lose weight and that's a much better way than the poor women who have tried it and end up with anal leakage at parties because they ate a freaking steak.
In the end, it is up to each of us to decide our path in life and if you choose the path with quick fixes you will spend your life repairing those quick fixes so to each their own, you can try to reason on either side and the other is NEVER going to listen so let the diet pill poppers and shot takers and master cleanse drinkers learn their way and let the exercise and healthy food people do it their way and when it really counts is who maintains it best and according to the national diet registry the people in the latter will always prevail! :drinker: :drinker:0
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