HCG DIET -Fact or Fiction?!?!

I'm doing a second time. It took me from size 16 to size 11 last year. I maintained the size 11, and since I started last week, I've lost 7 pounds.. I'm on a higher dose, and I feel great, no hunger. It costs me 95.00 a round, which is 43 days for me. i average about 400 to 500 cals a day. I do the 30 Day Shred and Hot Yoga. I feel great! All I do is cut my sugar, and fats down. If I followed protocol exactly, I'd have lost over 12 pounds by now. I intend to maintain my loss by continuing my exercise protocol.I have no problems cutting cals, that's a ritual for me...when I am conscious and mindful of my calories and the scales, i loose. my energy is up...I also get reiki drumming, which somehow motivated me to keep going. I never consider anything a struggle, and effort, yes. once things become struggle, then you fail, cause the universe sees it as struggle. This is joyous for me.



I have been a nurse for over 18 years. I do my own injections, painlessly.

I am happy for the people that have found success with it but it seems too extreme for me. I am firmly in the camp that says if you have to go that extreme it is unlikely that you are going to be able to keep the weight off long term (although some obviously do...I am talking about the majority of people). You need to change your lifestyle...there is no permanent quick fix.

Besides, I had to do HCG injections when I was undergoing fertility treatments. I am not going there again...

I'm sorry, but if you gained back all the weight as soon as you went off of it, then the diet didn't "work." I am a firm believer in a lifestyle change, not a diet.

It actually does. The whole process is reseting your metabolism. I've lost 40lbs. My blood pressure is normal after 11yrs of b.p meds. I have more energy. I no longer eat just to eat. I eat "clean" and don't have carbs or sugar cravings like I use to. After the six weeks you can slowly intro carbs/sugar back into your diet. But, as with ANY diet, if it's not a LIFESTYLE change, you will gain the weight back!

That's great, Beeveryhealthy!

I bought the HCG that was recommended by Dr Oz.

Do you have the article where he recommended that? the one time I saw him speak of this diet, he called it crazy! I can't imagine that he changed his mind...

I just looked up the episode that aired on HCG and his final thoughts were not to buy the drops online or at a pharmacy, but it was worth trying if you went through a doctor.

o.O

Not that I was a fan of his but I would never ever take anything he says seriously after that.

Oh that's great!!!

It's a shot? That does what?

My Doctor told me it's okay to do something a little drastic for a short period of time.

He said that 30 days of risk is better than 10 years of carrying around this extra 40 pounds.

I'm on Day 4 of the 500 calories and I feel awesome! I have been eating SO MANY fruits and veggies.

That would be fine if that were your only 2 options. You have a third option, that's eat a healthy, sustainable, moderate calorie diet. This diet would consist of good food coupled with exercise and lose the weight in a slower and more controlled manner giving your body time to adjust hormonally to your changes, allowing you to keep your muscle mass, and allowing you to develop healthy eating habits that last for life, all without the knowledge that you relied on a crutch to succeed which can subconsciously be a detriment to a healthy lifestyle.

*cheering*

Here's the thing though, MFP is my FITNESS pal, not my extreme weight loss pal, so I don't think it's kosher to promote things like HCG on here, but that's just me.

it's not just you, it's me too.

Me three.

I lost AND MAINTAINED over 60 lbs lost using HCG!!!

Yes it works ..and like ANY plan ONLY IF YOU WORK IT!!!!

I lost AND MAINTAINED over 60 lbs lost using HCG!!!

Yes it works ..and like ANY plan ONLY IF YOU WORK IT!!!!

Saying "It works because it worked for me" is like saying "I held up a golf club in the middle of a thunder storm and wasn't struck by lightning, therefore it's not dangerous to do that.", in other words, just because it worked, doesn't mean it's the correct way to do it. Plus, nobody said you don't lose weight on HCG, we all just said it's a very unhealthy way to lose weight. ANYONE would lose weight on 500 - 800 calories a day.

And news for the HCG crowd, your body adjusts to low calorie levels, so that "I don't feel hungry" thing, it's common to anyone on a low calorie diet, and has never been proven (or even correlated) to be the result of any HCG injections. You guys should read up on the initial studies about this treatment, it was pure speculation based on 1 doctor's observational hypothesis after he stumbled upon it in India (?, I think, it's been over a year since I researched it). There have been multiple meta studies done over the last 2 decades on the effacacy of the HCG clinical trials done, and they all conclude that the clinical trials that claim HCG was effective were of extremely poor quality, and this has been researched by multiple private firms on different continents with no governmental ties. This drug is pure hype, nothing more.

I would, however, love to track the LBM loss for someone on an HCG plan, I'll bet it's double someone losing weight with a 500 calorie NET deficit.

studies and position papers on the HCG phenomena

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8527285?dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2405506?dopt=Abstract

http://www.asbp.org/resources/uploads/files/HCG Position Statement.pdf

http://www.casewatch.org/ftc/news/2007/trudeau.shtml

and to show just how long this has been disproven, an AJCN study from the 70's
http://www.ajcn.org/content/29/9/940.full.pdf

I lost AND MAINTAINED over 60 lbs lost using HCG!!!

Yes it works ..and like ANY plan ONLY IF YOU WORK IT!!!!

Saying "It works because it worked for me" is like saying "I held up a golf club in the middle of a thunder storm and wasn't struck by lightning, therefore it's not dangerous to do that.", in other words, just because it worked, doesn't mean it's the correct way to do it. Plus, nobody said you don't lose weight on HCG, we all just said it's a very unhealthy way to lose weight. ANYONE would lose weight on 500 - 800 calories a day.

And news for the HCG crowd, your body adjusts to low calorie levels, so that "I don't feel hungry" thing, it's common to anyone on a low calorie diet, and has never been proven (or even correlated) to be the result of any HCG injections. You guys should read up on the initial studies about this treatment, it was pure speculation based on 1 doctor's observational hypothesis after he stumbled upon it in India (?, I think, it's been over a year since I researched it). There have been multiple meta studies done over the last 2 decades on the effacacy of the HCG clinical trials done, and they all conclude that the clinical trials that claim HCG was effective were of extremely poor quality, and this has been researched by multiple private firms on different continents with no governmental ties. This drug is pure hype, nothing more.

I would, however, love to track the LBM loss for someone on an HCG plan, I'll bet it's double someone losing weight with a 500 calorie NET deficit.

studies and position papers on the HCG phenomena

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8527285?dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2405506?dopt=Abstract

http://www.asbp.org/resources/uploads/files/HCG Position Statement.pdf

http://www.casewatch.org/ftc/news/2007/trudeau.shtml

and to show just how long this has been disproven, an AJCN study from the 70's
http://www.ajcn.org/content/29/9/940.full.pdf

You make me happy.

He makes me happy too

HCG is a shortcut. Beyond the possible health risks, the biggest problem I see is that you don't learn to eat properly while doing it. You are underfeeding and not learning what a reasonable portion is, addressing any emotional eating issues, and figuring out how to meet the required nutrional needs of ones body. So when you stop using the HCG, you go right back to the way you were eating before you started...basically, putting the weight right back on (plus a few). I'd rather do it slowly and keep it off.

My boss did this last year. She lost 20 pounds and looked good!!! Those 20 pounds are back, plus 15 and now...I'm slimmer than she is. Oh and she still smokes (but I quit).

Ok, just finished week 2. I am down a total of 11 pounds and 2 1/2 inches on my waist. People have noticed the 11 pounds and it makes me more confident. I have no hunger which is one of the best things I have found with this diet. I have also noticed that my stomach is firming up, and I'm not doing any additional exercise. I'm hoping this next week goes as smoothly as the last 2.