HCG Diet?

QueenofCups
QueenofCups Posts: 365 Member
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone tried this or heard of it?
I had never heard of it before this weekend, and I found out about it from my Dad and stepmom. They went on it with the guidance of their physician and have lost a bunch of weight and inches and feel great. My stepmom said it is "amazing!" But I am just not sure about it.
I of course would love to try it if it really works, but something about only eating 500 calories for 20-40 days and not being able to exercise worries me.
Now for them - and for my Mom who might try it - this doesn't seem so bad. None of them do a lick of exercise and just eat junk all the time. So the idea of being on a strict diet where you have clear instructions on what to eat and when makes sense to reestablish healthy eating habits. But for me, I feel like it might be a little extreme.
I guess I am not as *fat* as I thought I was, or I would be jumping all over this. But I would rather sweat off this excess poundage.

Aww....I am growing up! LOL!!

Replies

  • HCG is a hormone taken from a pregnant woman's urine. It is supposed to loose fat stores in the body. However, the FDA has NOT approved it for weight loss. It is approved ONLY as a fertility drug. I looked into this after my friend, a nurse lost about 30 pounds in 25 days....guess what......she gained EVERY pound of it back plus a few extra. It's not something that can be maintained, therefore it is a temporary loss....lifestyle change of diet and exercise is best.
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
    Interesting... I just talked to a co-worker whose mom did this. She too, loved it and lost lbs and inches, and then when the injections stopped the weight came back - quickly. Her metabolism is COMPLETELY screwed up. My co-worker said it has taken her mom MONTHS to drop the weight that came back and she's still trying.

    My advice - stay away. If you want to lose weight and keep it off you have to change your lifestyle (especially if you want to maintain weight loss).

    Just because HCG is a "natural" hormone doesn't mean it is normal for our bodies to be injected with increased levels of it!
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
    Did they say what happens after 40 days when you've gone back to eating normally and your metabolism is shot and your face is so sunken that you look ill?
  • IF YOU GO BELOW 1200 CALORIES ADAY YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT FAR TO QUICKLY AND GAIN IT ALL BACK PLUS SOME!

    you will also use your muscle up as calories. this is not a good idea
  • counting calories is a lifestyle change that wil be with you long after you have lost your weigh, you will know just at a glance roughly what calories there are in foods and steer clear of the higher ones.
    this is the best way believe me i have been on this now for 6 years i would rather lose my weight slowly and it stay off believe me
  • Loosing weight is all about learning to eat properly, the only way you are going to do that is to stick to a proper way of eating and not rely on fads that come and go. The weigh didn't go on over night and it certainly isn't going to come off over night, with or without pills and potions but at least learn from past experiences and get it right this time by eating a healthy sized portion of good food.
  • loisasabe
    loisasabe Posts: 3 Member
    I have a friend who used the diet. Interestingly enough, she lost 20 lbs in 30 days and 6 months on maintains a weight of + or minus 2 lbs at any point in time. Now she says the secret is it is supposed to just jump start you as the pounds wont magically stay away, of course if you go back to eating junk etc the weight will come back. Plus there is a 3 week period where you build up to a normal 1,500 calories during which time you are supposed to observe which foods make you put on weight and then also another 3 week period for the re-introduction of starches and sugars into your system. She also claims that she has no desire for chocolates (she used to be addicted) anymore and has learned to cook a whole deal with little or no oil as the diet challenged her creativity.
    Good for her, if I had a lot of weight to lose I could try it too, but with only 15lbs to go....nah, I would pass. A lot of people on HCG use myfitnesspal too interestingly enough. Bottom line though is whatever you do, needs to be a lifestyle change
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