HCG Diet

@ambrosij...ok, I wanted to do that because the quote is getting really long:) That study I do not believe was done in the US. It's by indexmedico and intersol, and the conference for hCG is in Argentina. I'll keep you posted. I found your lnks for the other articles you posted, and I'm reading them too. I do have a couple of problems with them...but I'll continue to read and make my mind up at the end.
Thanks!

See the problem I have with studies, or the lack of studies conducted in the United States is that the only way a drug manufacturer is going to research a medication is if they can profit off of it. Because HCG is a hormone it can not be patented, and much of the money associated with the research neccesary for FDA approval would be lost. Also, the FDA is a government entity and like all governement entities it is ultimately swayed by the biggest piggy bank aka Lobbyists. There is alot of reason not to allow or endorse HCG for weight loss, to include the billion dollar weight loss supplement market, and the billion dollar weight loss drug (of patented drugs like alli) market. The only way HCG will ever get a fair shake is through an independent research effort conducted at a college somewhere...and even then most will dismiss the results.

@ambrosij...ok, I wanted to do that because the quote is getting really long:) That study I do not believe was done in the US. It's by indexmedico and intersol, and the conference for hCG is in Argentina. I'll keep you posted. I found your lnks for the other articles you posted, and I'm reading them too. I do have a couple of problems with them...but I'll continue to read and make my mind up at the end.
Thanks!

Yes about the independent study!!! Anyone in the medical field who wants to do a research study?? This would be a great on done in the US, with US standards for significance ratings! You'd get published A LOT!!! Any takers?

I purchased a bunch of candy bars, muffins and other high calorie foods, since I do not keep these in my home... So this diet will end up being kid of pricey once it's all said and done...

I've read and re-read the protocol several times, It just seems so counterintuitive to force yourself to eat tons to "bad" foods I havent eaten for years... I hope all this sugar and starch doesn't make me feel sick come day 3 when it's time to start the vlcd...

Probably too late now...but there are NO caloric regulations for the loading days. Give in to your every craving. The loading days are basically your oppourtunity to get out every little craving you could possibly have. In fact the protocol mentions that the higher the fat and sugar the better...and do midnight snacks to. One of my loading days consisted of Pizza, moon pies, french toast, cookies, candy...all sorts of bad stuff, you will gain weight but it will drop off nearly immediately once you start R2. How is it going for you BTW?

That's what was thinking, we will see how the first round goes, luckily I have 18 months until my wedding and should be able to reach my goals by then!

Started loading day 1 this morning- I guess I'm used to the 1200 calorie diet I've lived on for the past few years! I ate a large breakfast and I feel stuffed! The only confusing part about the protocol- it doesn't give any caloric recommendations for the loading days- I don't want to overdo/underdo it!

You should be eating FATTY foods, not sugary and starchy junk foods.

There are plenty of fat filled foods that are healthier than sugar filled junk foods.

Go get a quality, REAL milk shake...............make some chicken wings dripping in butter. Go buy a fat filled, Huge steak and eat the fat as well as the meat............

Stay away from the muffins, candy bars, etc......

I'm curious to know the detailed biology behind the diet. I know it's been mentioned but can you direct me to a scientific source that specifically outlines the chemical processes that would support the use of the hormone in burning of excess fat. The more detailed the scientific explanation, the better.

I know that in the case of some vitamins, any EXCESS of the vitamins are stored in fat cells for later use. But if you are not getting the vitamins in your diet, then would you not run out of excess stores quickly? Also, you risk not getting proper amounts of vitamins and minerals that are not fat soluble and thus will not be stored in the body (vitamin B, C, thiamine, etc...). Is it possible to get sufficient amounts of these vitamins from the restricted diet and/or use of a supplement?

The diet may be effective, whether this is due to the restricted calories or the hCG or a combination of the two, but does that necessarily mean that it is healthy for your body? Is there evidence that it is? I just can't imagine how it doesn't cause headaches, fatigue and trouble concentrating the way that not eating in general would (I expect I'll be told that it's because of the calories burned from the fat cells, but I'm skeptical). Is it advisable to exercise moderately or heavily while eating so little?

I also want to point out that different medical journals and sources have different levels of credibility and guidelines for publication, and that it is important to take into consideration who is conducting/funding the study and read it critically taking these factors into account.

None of this is meant to be combative or judgmental. I'm actually very curious about the ins and outs of the diet from a biological perspective. If the diet is giving you the results you are looking for and you feel good doing it, then that's great and I wish you all the best in your weight loss!

Id like to see something statistically significant with like a couple hundred participants. How would you control the diet though? In order for the study to be fair they would have to follow Simeon's protocol, as described in the 1950's to a tee. Alot of the studies that were conducted simply failed to follow that protocol in their testing. I honestly think the study would get burried, there is alot more power and money behind not studying it as there is in studying it.

See the problem I have with studies, or the lack of studies conducted in the United States is that the only way a drug manufacturer is going to research a medication is if they can profit off of it. Because HCG is a hormone it can not be patented, and much of the money associated with the research neccesary for FDA approval would be lost. Also, the FDA is a government entity and like all governement entities it is ultimately swayed by the biggest piggy bank aka Lobbyists. There is alot of reason not to allow or endorse HCG for weight loss, to include the billion dollar weight loss supplement market, and the billion dollar weight loss drug (of patented drugs like alli) market. The only way HCG will ever get a fair shake is through an independent research effort conducted at a college somewhere...and even then most will dismiss the results.

@ambrosij...ok, I wanted to do that because the quote is getting really long:) That study I do not believe was done in the US. It's by indexmedico and intersol, and the conference for hCG is in Argentina. I'll keep you posted. I found your lnks for the other articles you posted, and I'm reading them too. I do have a couple of problems with them...but I'll continue to read and make my mind up at the end.
Thanks!

Yes about the independent study!!! Anyone in the medical field who wants to do a research study?? This would be a great on done in the US, with US standards for significance ratings! You'd get published A LOT!!! Any takers?

I agree..but I don't think 100 participants is a good idea. The margin or error increases a lot with that many. In my field of statistical study, 30-50 people is a good number for generalization for the public. I would think that for this study, it would be best to have groups divided by men and women, and then broken down into groups one more time of similar body types (for example, height and weight...etc).

I wish I could branch off into this study. I'm not MD though, will just be PhD.....I'd make some good money and have many publicaions if I could!

I'm curious to know the detailed biology behind the diet. I know it's been mentioned but can you direct me to a scientific source that specifically outlines the chemical processes that would support the use of the hormone in burning of excess fat. The more detailed the scientific explanation, the better.

I know that in the case of some vitamins, any EXCESS of the vitamins are stored in fat cells for later use. But if you are not getting the vitamins in your diet, then would you not run out of excess stores quickly? Also, you risk not getting proper amounts of vitamins and minerals that are not fat soluble and thus will not be stored in the body (vitamin B, C, thiamine, etc...). Is it possible to get sufficient amounts of these vitamins from the restricted diet and/or use of a supplement?

The diet may be effective, whether this is due to the restricted calories or the hCG or a combination of the two, but does that necessarily mean that it is healthy for your body? Is there evidence that it is? I just can't imagine how it doesn't cause headaches, fatigue and trouble concentrating the way that not eating in general would (I expect I'll be told that it's because of the calories burned from the fat cells, but I'm skeptical). Is it advisable to exercise moderately or heavily while eating so little?

I also want to point out that different medical journals and sources have different levels of credibility and guidelines for publication, and that it is important to take into consideration who is conducting/funding the study and read it critically taking these factors into account.

None of this is meant to be combative or judgmental. I'm actually very curious about the ins and outs of the diet from a biological perspective. If the diet is giving you the results you are looking for and you feel good doing it, then that's great and I wish you all the best in your weight loss!

I'm curious to know the detailed biology behind the diet. I know it's been mentioned but can you direct me to a scientific source that specifically outlines the chemical processes that would support the use of the hormone in burning of excess fat. The more detailed the scientific explanation, the better.

I know that in the case of some vitamins, any EXCESS of the vitamins are stored in fat cells for later use. But if you are not getting the vitamins in your diet, then would you not run out of excess stores quickly? Also, you risk not getting proper amounts of vitamins and minerals that are not fat soluble and thus will not be stored in the body (vitamin B, C, thiamine, etc...). Is it possible to get sufficient amounts of these vitamins from the restricted diet and/or use of a supplement?

The diet may be effective, whether this is due to the restricted calories or the hCG or a combination of the two, but does that necessarily mean that it is healthy for your body? Is there evidence that it is? I just can't imagine how it doesn't cause headaches, fatigue and trouble concentrating the way that not eating in general would (I expect I'll be told that it's because of the calories burned from the fat cells, but I'm skeptical). Is it advisable to exercise moderately or heavily while eating so little?

I also want to point out that different medical journals and sources have different levels of credibility and guidelines for publication, and that it is important to take into consideration who is conducting/funding the study and read it critically taking these factors into account.

None of this is meant to be combative or judgmental. I'm actually very curious about the ins and outs of the diet from a biological perspective. If the diet is giving you the results you are looking for and you feel good doing it, then that's great and I wish you all the best in your weight loss!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2405506

I just found this one too, I can't figure out how to get the whole article, but it's by a department of Medical Physiology and Biochemistry, of the University of Stellenbosch, Parowvallei. This is the abstract posted by U.S. National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health. I don't know how to get the whole article though, I think you may have to pay. But this is the abstract. If you can get access to get the whole article, I bet it would say all the scientific biological info you're looking for.