The dangers of the HCG diet

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I was reading up on the HCG diet wondering what it was all about. I was shocked when I heard how low calorie it was. I stumbled across this article by Dr. Michael Snyder. I actually fear for the people on this diet, 500 calories is not enough calories to support basic brain function. Aside from that, you are actually losing primarily LEAN MUSCLE on this diet. I am going to copy the article and post the link.






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DIET COLUMN
HCG Diet: Look Elsewhere for Weight Loss

UPDATE: See our interview: hCG Diet Reviewed by FullBar’s Dr. Michael Snyder

You won’t see me promoting quick fixes or fad diets anytime soon. But every once in awhile something comes along that seems so dangerous I have to call it out. That’s why I’m going to help reveal the truth behind the HCG diet.hcg injections

What it is: HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone produced during pregnancy by the cells that form the placenta. This hormone is detected in the blood around 11 days after conception; it is detected in the urine around 12-14 days after conception. While it is most commonly associated with pregnancy, it is present in both genders.

What it does in the body: HCG signals the hypothalamus (area of the brain that affects metabolism) to mobilize fat stores. In pregnancy, this helps the body bring nutrients into the placenta, fueling the fetus with the energy to grow.

The weight loss claim: The HCG diet (using daily hcg injections) will help you lose 1-3 pounds per day. The HCG-diet combines the daily injections with a very low-calorie diet (500 calories per day).

500-calories per day is severely restrictive! In fact, it is not enough calories to support normal brain function. Your body will compensate by using stores of glycogen, protein (muscle) and some fat, which lowers your resting metabolism. Before you can lose true weight, you will be so irritable, lightheaded, and cranky that you’ll reach for whatever food you can get your hands on and have a field day.

Scientific evidence: There is no scientific evidence supporting HCG injections as a weight loss strategy. In addition, these injections have not been approved by the FDA for use in weight loss. In fact, since 1975 the FDA has required all marketing and advertising of HCG to state the following: “HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of obesity. There is no substantial evidence that it increases weight loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction, that it causes a more attractive or ‘normal’ distribution of fat, or that it decreases the hunger and discomfort associated with calorie-restricted diets.”

“HCG is a hormone extracted from urine of pregnant women. It is approved by FDA for treatment of certain problems of the male reproductive system and in stimulating ovulation in women who have had difficulty becoming pregnant. No evidence has been presented, however, to substantiate claims for HCG as a weight-loss aid.” via the FDA

HCG ban: The hormone was recently added to the list of “banned substances” in Major League Baseball, as it was becoming increasingly popular among steroid users. Athletes turned to this, among other “performance enhancing drugs” because it “mitigates the side effects of ending a cycle of steroids.”

Negative side effects: The common side effects include headaches, mood swings, depression, blood clots, confusion, and dizziness. Some women also develop a condition called Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS); symptoms of this include pelvic pain, swelling of the hands and legs, stomach pain, weight gain, shortness of breath, diarrhea, vomiting/nausea, and/or urinating less than normal.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Weight loss is hard work and it won’t come in a potion, pill, or injection. The most “dangerous” thing you should be doing to your body is trying a new exercise that intimidates you like rock climbing or completing a marathon.

Read more: HCG Diet | How Does the HCG Diet Work | HCG Diet Dangers http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/07/hcg-diet-look-elsewhere-for-weight-loss/#ixzz1Cik1wPQl


http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/07/hcg-diet-look-elsewhere-for-weight-loss/

Replies

  • Panda86
    Panda86 Posts: 873
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    Yeah, honestly, I don't know why people do this. Ok, I do. They are more worried about being skinny, than they are about being healthy. Anything that has you taking unnatural hormones to mess with your body, IS NOT GOOD. We didn't gain this weight over night, I don't know why people think they should lose it over night. There is nothing healthy about it, and it doesn't teach them proper nutrition, so every single person I have known that used it has gained all (and sometimes more) of their weight back as soon as they are off their "diet". So sad :( Come on people, let's do this the HEALTHY way!!
  • chrissym78
    chrissym78 Posts: 628 Member
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    Wow! that's nuts! Thanks for posting, I wasn't sure what all was involved in that diet... geez!
  • mariapuhl
    mariapuhl Posts: 529 Member
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    My friend did the HCG diet and lost 100 lbs in a semester. Then he stopped. And started gaining it all back just as quickly. So then he did HCG again.... then started gaining it back... he's stuck in this permanent yo-yo.

    And why? Because it doesn't change your eating habits. You eat that stupid 500 calorie a day diet, workout like crazy, and then once you go off of it, you go back to your normal eating habits.

    Example: One time at Taco Bell, in the time it took me to eat ONE taco, he ate 2 tacos, a burrito, and a quesadilla. The quesadilla he just folded over 2 times and ate it in two bites.

    Example two: His sandwich from Subway is still a footlong BMT, with cheese, mayo, no veggies, AND TWO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES on the sandwich.

    Seriously?! It's not a lifestyle change its a diet, and a bad one.

    I know there are people on here who have had HCG work for them, so good for you, but from my own experience of what I've seen of it, I'd NEVER do that to my body or want my friends to.
  • VictoriaMilanowski
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    Wow! I had heard of this from a friend who was thinking of trying this... I know her mom and step-dad had both been doing it for a while. I haven't talked to her in a few weeks though so I don't know if she is or not. I think I'll forward the article and call her to express my concern. Thanks for posting this!
  • Cristy_AZ
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    I know!! I have a friend who is doing this and her DOCTOR actually told her it would be OK since she didn't have very much weight to loose as long as she just did it for the 40 days (I think that's the length your supposed to take it) and she is taking drops not injections which somehow she thinks is safer!! VERY scared for her. Oh, and by the way, as far as I can see she hasn't lost much if any weight and hasn't said one way or the other, while I have been slowly loosing safely since November and people are starting to notice... THE HEALTHY WAY REALLY DOES WORK!!
  • ashlee954
    ashlee954 Posts: 1,112 Member
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    Extracted from pee? Ewwww. The whole diet seems absurd.
  • Panda86
    Panda86 Posts: 873
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    Extracted from pee? Ewwww. The whole diet seems absurd.

    Agreed.
  • paleonyx
    paleonyx Posts: 32 Member
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    It is absurd! I could sell people bottled cat urine and tell them it would make them lose weight- as long as they only eat 500 calories a day while taking it, and work out every day. Of course they'd lose weight no matter WHAT "supplement" they are taking, they are starving themselves! It's like anorexia with hormones. I read the HCG thread on here and I am not trying to be critical, but it is insanity that anyone would buy into this, especially *so many* people.
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
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    It is absurd! I could sell people bottled cat urine and tell them it would make them lose weight- as long as they only eat 500 calories a day while taking it, and work out every day. Of course they'd lose weight no matter WHAT "supplement" they are taking, they are starving themselves! It's like anorexia with hormones. I read the HCG thread on here and I am not trying to be critical, but it is insanity that anyone would buy into this, especially *so many* people.

    Obviously you have not read the Simeons' Protocol who was a brilliant doctor and way before his time.

    I have successfully done 2 rounds and have lost 38 pounds from the Protocol. I went through all 4 phases, have lost 38 pounds of FAT, no muscle and have maintained my weight loss so far for 5 months now.

    My doctor suggested this plan to help align my female hormones and reset my Endocrine system. It has helped tremendously.

    Also, you can not eat 500 calories alone without the HCG and lose weight in the same manner.

    500 calorie plan and NO HCG - Muscle loss, fatigue, etc............

    500 calories plan with HCG - Fat loss, pounds lost, energy and feeling great. Body changes shape from losing fat weight.

    The reason that the plan is NOT unhealthy is due to the clean eating of the calories you do consume and because it induces a state of Ketosis you are burning FAT which means you are burning up to 4,000 extra calories per day just like you consumed them from eating.

    My doctor prescribed the HCG injections to me and it has helped tremendously. It is the same HCG they prescribe when you are going through fertility treatments, only in a smaller dose. I did not purchase anything from a random website or from a weight loss clinic.

    I go to a Naturopathic Doctor and she recommended this plan to me.

    As I have mentioned in another thread, until you have had some of the health issues that some of us has had that doesn't allow us to lose weight - don't judge.

    Also, that article contains many fallacies.
  • boopsiegrl
    boopsiegrl Posts: 105 Member
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    I did the 1st round to jump start myself it was just what I needed to encourage myself to go on didn't regain weight and now I am doing a more balanced diet. I have to admit if I had not jump started with this I would not be dieting today because I was through with diets
  • anovasjo
    anovasjo Posts: 382 Member
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    Also, that article contains many fallacies.

    like?
  • anovasjo
    anovasjo Posts: 382 Member
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    "[The HCG] treatment became all the rage; for a time, it was the most widespread medication given in the United States to lose weight, and was the main treatment used in eighty Weight Reduction Medical Clinics in California.
    Unfortunately, it didn't work: None of the mainly female patients seeking treatment, it turned out, were suffering from Fröhlich's syndrome.
    The medical establishment only started to become suspicious of the drug when reports surfaced that part-time doctors were being offered as much as $100,000 a year by weight-loss clinics to spend one afternoon a week sitting and writing pads of prescriptions for the drug."
    http://www.cvshealthresources.com/topic/dietscams

    AND MORE IMPORTANTLY:

    “Our investigation was designed to retest the hypothesis of the efficacy of human chronic gonadotropin (HCG) on weight reduction in obese women in a clinic setting. We sought to duplicate the Asher-Harper study (1973) which had found that the combination of a 500 cal diet and HCG had a statistically significant benefit over the diet and placebo combination as evidenced by greater weight loss and decrease in hunger. Fifty-one women between the ages of 18 and 60 participated in our 32-day prospective, randomized, double-blind comparison of HCG versus placebo. Each patient was given the same diet (the one prescribed in the Asher-Harper study), was weighed daily Monday through Saturday and was counseled by one of the investigators who administered the injections. Laboratory studies were performed at the time of initial physical examinations and at the end of the study. Twenty of 25 in the HCG and 21 of 26 patients in the placebo groups completed 28 injections.

    THERE WAS NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE in the means of the two groups in the number of injections received, weight loss, percent of weight loss, hip and waist circumference, weight loss per injection, or in hunger ratings. HCG does not appear to enhance the effectiveness of a rigidly imposed regimen for weight reduction.”
    http://www.ajcn.org/content/29/9/940.full.pdf

    I could keep going?

    http://www.dietscam.org/reports/hcg.shtml
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Trudeau
  • rose1617
    rose1617 Posts: 469 Member
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    I did the 1st round to jump start myself it was just what I needed to encourage myself to go on didn't regain weight and now I am doing a more balanced diet. I have to admit if I had not jump started with this I would not be dieting today because I was through with diets
    I can see that. Most people that start diets are looking for immediate results. When they don't get them, they quit.
    What I hate about this diet is that it is a short-term diet solution and therefore IMO not healthy for long-term weight loss.
    Because you cannot be on HCG for life, it will cause most people who try it as a weight-loss tool to rebound once they stop taking the injections/pills/drops.
    I can't even say it will teach people how to properly portion their food because 500 calories is not enough per day to properly portion out into a healthy long-term weight loss solution.
    Maybe it teaches some to eat less and that helps them longer-term, but that's really the only benefit I've seen to it.
    I've primarily seen people on this "diet" before and after bariatric surgery to ensure that their stomach heals and can get the job done that the surgery was required to do.
    I'd like to know, though, what medical issues this diet is prescribed for beyond that.
  • LoveMy3Boys
    LoveMy3Boys Posts: 562 Member
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    The HCG diet is nuts to me. I can't even believe someone would agree to a 500 calorie diet and not consider they are on the road to anorexia.
  • jknops2
    jknops2 Posts: 171 Member
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    Yes, calories in and calories out. Eat less and/or exercise more. That's it for weight loss.

    All these diets and supplements are just being promoted by people making money of them. And as we can see with all the advertisements everywhere, people are making a lot of money of scamming people looking for a quick fix to lose weight.