The HCG diet??

I've heard a lot about it and seen lots of ads around town for it, but don't seem to have heard of too many of my girlfriends doing it? After failing the fad diet yoyo for years and throwing lots of money at it, I decided I jjust had to do it the right way... NATURALLY... of course, my opinion, but I'm interested to hear more about this one and see the long term results... Seems like it promises fast drops, but in my experience, when you lose weight fast, you're not giving your body enough time to adapt to these changes and your brain enough time to reprogram itself into healthy habits...

wikipedia, for your info.

Weight loss A controversial usage of hCG is as an adjunct to the British endocrinologist A.T.W. Simeons' ultra-low-calorie weight-loss diet[13] (less than 500 calories).[14] Simeons, while studying pregnant women in India on a calorie-deficient diet, and “fat boys” with pituitary problems (Frölich's syndrome) treated with low-dose hCG, claimed that both lost fat rather than lean (muscle) tissue. He reasoned that hCG must be programming the hypothalamus to do this in the former cases in order to protect the developing fetus by promoting mobilization and consumption of abnormal, excessive adipose deposits. Simeons, practicing at Salvator Mundi International Hospital in Rome, Italy, recommended low-dose daily hCG injections (125 IU) in combination with a customized ultra-low-calorie (500 cal/day, high-protein, low-carbohydrate/fat) diet loss of adipose tissue without loss of lean tissue. After Simeons’ death, the diet started to spread to specialized centers and via popularization by individuals, such as the controversial author Kevin Trudeau, famous for promotion of alternative therapies and treatments.

The controversy proceeds from warnings by the Journal of the American Medical Association[15] and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition[16] that hCG is neither safe,[15] nor effective as a weight-loss aid.[17]

A meta analysis found that studies supporting hCG for weight loss were of poor methodological quality and concluded that "there is no scientific evidence that HCG is effective in the treatment of obesity; it does not bring about weight-loss or fat-redistribution, nor does it reduce hunger or induce a feeling of well-being".[18]

[edit] Homeopathic hCG for weight control Controversy about and shortages[19] of injected hCG for weight loss have led to substantial internet promotion of "homeopathic hCG" for weight control. The ingredients in these products are often obscure, but if prepared from true hCG via homeopathic dilution, they contain either no hCG at all or only trace amounts. Proponents of homeopathic HCG claim the solution bears the "energetic imprint" of HCG. There is no scientific evidence that this "energetic imprint" exists or that homeopathic hCG has any effect. According to Dr Dennis Clark at Diets In Review, "Homeopathic HCG does not fit the classical criteria for a homeopathic treatment. Published results are all based on testimonials. No scientific research has been published on homeopathic HCG in any of the homeopathic or mainstream medical research journals."[20]
On January 24, 2011 the FDA deemed this drug fraudulent and ineffective for weight loss. It is also not protected as a homeopathic drug and has been deemed an illegal substance. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/49921/

I have lost 38 pounds in 2 rounds on HCG injections. Have kept the weight off since October of last year, so almost 5 months so far.

I am back on the Primal plan and losing again.

The key to keeping the weight off is to adhere to all the phases to a T, especially Phase 3, the no sugar, no starch phase. This is where the Hypothalamus resets to the new set point.

In Phase 4, you have to slowly re-introduce the sugars and starches back into your plan.

500 calories a day is NEVER healthy. Ever. Dangerously low number of calories for one to live off of. The HCG diet also encourages it's followers not to work out because the caloric deficit is already too low. There is no energy there for you to use. You'll burn muscle as your body hangs onto fat for storage as it will think it's starving. Of course you'll lose weight eating 500 calories a day, wacky hormones/chemicals or not. It really just depends on what kind of weight you want to lose and how you want to feel doing it. Lose muscle and feel sluggish or lose fat and feel fabulous. This diet is so entirely unhealthy! Sorry...that's my rant.

Losing weight was easy on it, the problem I faced was putting life and social events on hold, then coming off the HCG diet afterwards. You'll definitely lose weight if you follow it, but most people I know personally, gained quite a bit more weight back afterwards.

Yes I do the injections myself and I do have a prescription. The clinic premixed the hcg and I just pull out 125 units everyday myself. I'm an LPN and I know how to give injections but they went through explaining everything anyway,lol, and then they made me give myself my first injection to make sure I was capable of it.
About 4 months ago I googled in my area for places that had hcg and there were none... now there's like 6 places in town offering it.

I got my prescription from my Naturopathic Doctor and the compounding pharmacy in St Louis.

Putting aside the fat loss while taking these drops, your body isn't getting the NUTRIENTS is needs on only 500 calories a day. Getting your nutrients is just as important to weight loss as creating a calorie deficit.