HCG drops thoughts and opinions??

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  • Steph_135
    Steph_135 Posts: 3,280 Member
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    No matter what the promise of weight loss, I wouldn't tough the stuff. There have been many success stories, but it doesn't sit right with me. I suggest watching a couple videos on YouTube about the progress of people who are taking it. There are some really sad stories as well, about people starving on the 500 calorie recommended diet, and not seeing the results the program promises. And I also agree with the comment above, although it's contradictory to my beliefs, but the injection seems to be the true method.
  • LilynEdensmom
    LilynEdensmom Posts: 612 Member
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    After months of research and talking to other people I decided to give it a try...I won't lie I'm going over my calories by about 100-200 a day the 200 overage is when I work out, depending what type of workout I'm doing. I'm on Day 11 today and have lost 8 pounds. Alot of my friends have taken it and they have NOT gained the weight back.
    I did see a dr and she cleared me for them, saying that it might help and might help with the motivation she is taking the injections. I"m terrified lol of needles so I went with the drops. And no this was not a doctor at a weight loss clinic. This was my gyno (tmi sorry) at the health dept.
    I got 6 bottles for 150.00 b/c they were on special.
    The only side effect I have noticed is acne, my face is broke out like it gets when I'm pregnant annoying but I can handle that. No mood swings, fatigue or headaches.
    Hunger, no I get hungry around lunch time and have found if I don't eat as soon as I start getting hungry I do feel sick, but I'm not starving.
    **Would love to have some friends on here that is doing this so feel free to add me.**
  • Jill_Clemmons
    Jill_Clemmons Posts: 32
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    The HCG diet, in all it's forms, is very dangerous. I know people that did it, and they were suffering the whole time they were on 500 calories. They were so tired that they could barely get through the day, and were hungry most of the time. And once they finished the diet, the weight they went to all that trouble to lose came right back. In over 50 years, no scientific proof has been found to support the theory behind the HCG diet.

    If you already invested your money in the homeopathic drops, they probably wouldn't do any harm if you use them with a safe eating plan of at least 1,200 calories. But eating 500 calories a day and putting your trust in the HCG weight loss theory is just NOT worth the risk.

    When people do manage to lose weight on this diet and keep it off, it's probably just because they eliminated a food from their diet they had a sensitivity to that was making them fat, and did not reintroduce it once they were finished. But you could do that on an elimination diet or a clean eating diet without have to torture yourself with a 500 calorie diet or risk your health on unproven, unscientific theories

    .The website below has some good links to why the HCG diet is a very bad idea and dangerous to your health.
    http://www.tucsonmedical.com/pages/hcg.php
  • Rworthy
    Rworthy Posts: 271 Member
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    Dr. Oz did a show about this - the drops contain NO significant amounts of HCG. He did not recommend the diet. The results are too varied. Some people have had severe adverse reactions to the diet. Eating so few calories can only lead to a sluggish metabolism.
  • Jill_Clemmons
    Jill_Clemmons Posts: 32
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    Now that the FDA has declared that over-the-counter HCG drops are illegal, I wish they would start enforcing it. The FDA has NEVER approved HCG as a weight loss drug, so I don't see why doctors that are pushing it on their patients for weight loss aren't being prosecuted. The sooner they start closing down the HCG weight loss clinics, the better, and any doctor or nurse that recommends HCG for weight loss should be stripped of their medical license. That is the only way to stop this nonsense.
  • slapshotgolf
    slapshotgolf Posts: 163 Member
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    A few of the posts here have hit the nail on the head. I'm not a proponent of this diet. Unless you learn how to eat and exercise, maintaining the weight loss is hard, and at 500 cals per day, the weight loss it attributed to the fact that you are starving yourself, not the HCG.
  • SJSharksChick
    SJSharksChick Posts: 83 Member
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    It didn't help me whatsoever. Not to mention the 500 calorie diet is far too restricting. I was lethargic, moody & hungry pretty much everyday while taking HCG drops.

    In my opinion, save your money & invest it in something that actually works (running shoes, weights, healthy foods, gym clothes, etc.)
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
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    I hear it helps boost natural testosterone output after a clen/deca/test cycle.

    Yup. So in other words not something wise for you to take considering you are not doing steroids and unless you want to get a lil "manly" then I recommend that you DON'T take them.
  • jocelynrinear
    jocelynrinear Posts: 31
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    I did the HCG injections last September for my birthday. I spent $500, did the bloodwork, and saw a nutrionist every week. I lost 12.7lbs and kept it off. But four months ago, I started having really painful mestrual cycles and really heavy bleeding. I went to my OB and he yelled at me. After several tests I have cysts on my ovaries which have to be removed. They are huge. He thinks it is the result of the HCG because I never had problems before. I also got a negative test back on my pap smear and have a biopsy scheduled to see if it is cervical cancer. My doc was very upset and told me I should of consulted him before I did it. I guess some people are prone to having these problems and the HCG injections can increase your risk of cancer.
    That is why I decided to join this website. I need to do it safe. No cheating!
  • Jill_Clemmons
    Jill_Clemmons Posts: 32
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    Thank you for sharing your story, jocelynrinear. One of my friends that did the HCG diet with homeopathic drops is now having trouble with his eyesight. I've read that the fats you are told to eliminate from your diet during the HCG diet are necessary for good vision ( see http://www.dietihub.com/essential-essential-fats-for-eyes ), so would not be surprised at all if his doing the HCG diet was the cause of the vision problems he's having now.

    The weight he lost on the HCG diet is also coming back, so again, it's NOT worth the risk to do HCG or any other extreme fad diet! Extreme fad diets are not healthy, and can cause many long-term health complications you didn't bargain for.
  • pittielover23
    pittielover23 Posts: 268
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    Messing with the horomones in your body in an effort to lose weight scares the poo out of me. Not something I would EVER try. I know the result of messed up horomones (I have PCOS) and would not wish it on anyone.

    On top of that, 500cals a day is not a healthy way to lose weight. Period.
  • jocelynrinear
    jocelynrinear Posts: 31
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    I did not want to scare anyone but I wish I read everything about the side effects before I did it. I kept the weight off but now I have to pay the price.
  • janack
    janack Posts: 33 Member
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    Every single person I know of that has done the shots has lost tons of weight.
    Every single person I know of that has done the shots gained back the weight...and then some (or a lot) on top of it.
    They were no better, or worse off, in the end and were out a boat load of money.

    Good luck on your try at it, it would be nice to hear a long-term success story!
  • mericksmom
    mericksmom Posts: 222 Member
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    Sister in law did it and in 6 months she loss massive amount of weight (i think 50-75 lbs) She followed the diet a T and even stopped using moisterizers and cream make up (cuz that too can make you gain weight on that diet) She is pregnant again and after this child we will see if she can continue with her results. I am not a fan because she dropped the weight so fast and with such a restricitve diet adding to it afterwards will end up making you gain the weight back due to the body being in the starvation mode for so long. I wish you the best no matter what route you go. Jusst make sure you get checked out by drs and you play it safe.
  • mzjandiace
    mzjandiace Posts: 162
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    Hi everyone;
    I'm a plus size lady, and with every pregnancy I've had I lost weight; but I didn't starve myself, so I am sure that the HCG will work, and I believe it really is for people that are seriously overweight.
    My thing is, I want to do the HCG, but I want to do it with a healthy diet. I believe that if I lower my calorie intake with the combo of HCG, that the weight will come off gradually.
    When a woman is expecting, we really don't think about counting calories, and if the HCG is pretty much telling your body that it's pregnant, IMO it should have the same effect.
    Someone please let me know if I'm even close.

    Thanks
  • Jill_Clemmons
    Jill_Clemmons Posts: 32
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    Hi,

    You are smart to want to eat a healthy diet with HCG. I know some people in other groups that use the homeopathic HCG with healthy, "clean eating" of 1,200 - 1,500 calories a day, and they still lose weight. There is absolutely no reason to endanger your health on 500 calories a day with this. And if you decide to use HCG, I would suggest you use the homeopathic, because the kind you inject can have some really bad side effects. See http://www.cancerdecisions.com/content/view/125/2/lang,english/
  • Rubie81
    Rubie81 Posts: 720 Member
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    Screwing with your hormones, eating 500 calories a day max....there is no limit to weight loss, I guess. It's sad and weak. The end.
  • JustMichelleB
    JustMichelleB Posts: 290
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    Of course the HCG diet "works". You starve yourself by eating only 500cal/day. How would one NOT lose weight by doing this?
    Then you stop the diet and you gain all the weight back, adn then some, and screw with your metabolism while you're at it.

    To the OP of the post, you've lost 40lb, that's awesome, keep up the good work!!! It's a lifestyle change, not a quick fix!!
  • 0Jaime0
    0Jaime0 Posts: 26
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    I've tried the HCG drops from a page on Facebook that had alot of followers who were seeing results, so I bought a bottle. I lasted about a week on them, and during that week I lost 5 pounds. I decided to stop taking them because I would be okay during the day restricting myself to the 500 calorie diet, but by the end of the evening I would get very lightheaded and feel faint. I just decided it wasn't healthy for me, and I discontinued use. Honestly, anyone who eats chicken and greens everyday all day and drinks 1 gallon or more of water is going to lose weight, so you can't really say it's the drops that are causing the weightloss. So, here I am back to MFP to do this the RIGHT way, and change my lifestyle by chaging my portions and eating habits. Good luck to you if you try them, but get the from a doctor so you know they're real :)
  • Jill_Clemmons
    Jill_Clemmons Posts: 32
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    I look forward to the day that the FDA starts cracking down on the clinics and doctors that sell the HCG diet to unsuspecting people that come to them for advice. The is absolutely no provable science behind the HCG diet theory, and the so-called doctors that push the HCG diet should be stripped of their medical licenses!

    Read this, and you will see how UNsafe HCG really is! http://www.cancerdecisions.com/content/view/125/2/lang,english/

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