Help! Metabolism needs fixed after HCG
AiimeeDee
Posts: 116 Member
I'm at a complete loss. About a year ago I did the stupid HCG diet even though I didn't need it. I was at a great weight. Had a great metabolism. Worked out, kept track of my calories. Ate clean most the time. Could have a few beers or a cheat meal and it wouldn't kill all my hard work. But at work everyone was doing the HCG diet and I completely got sucked in thinking it would lean me out even more. IT WAS THE WORST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE! I am so mad at myself for doing it. I am now 10 pounds heavier then before starting the HCG. For the life of me I can't lose it. I am tracking on mfp like I was before, working out... I'm doing everything I did before the HCG and it's just not working. I can only assume I ruined my metabolism. HiiT/weights at home has not been working. So I rejoined the gym to get more cardio in. I am now also going to focus on an actual strength training program hoping this will kick start my metabolism. Does any one have a similar story? Has anyone found the answer to getting back to your previous weight? I feel so frustrated that it can be hard to keep at it and stay positive. Any advise would be awesome!! Please help!
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Replies
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You can't ruin your metabolism. Period. Are you weighing all your food to track accurately? You are just most likely eating more than you think you are.
I took HCG for about a month or so, and it didn't ruin my metabolism. I've lost almost 50 lbs since I quit taking it.11 -
How long have you been trying to lose weight this time?3
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I'm tracking and weighing my food. I've been trying to get back to my pre HCG weight for about a year1
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My last year in college I was doing cardio for over and hour every day and I believe I was eating around 1000 calories a day (I could be mistaken on this as I wasn't counting calories and i wasn't weighing everything) I got exceptionally thin.
2 kids and 60 pounds later, my metabolism was not ruined due to my unhealthy habits and i was able to lose weight with the help of a food scale and MFP.
Hope this helps.10 -
You might have lost a load of muscle mass, therefore the struggle to lose weight...Start doing a good lifting program, suck up the fact that you have to rebuilt lost muscle mass and take it slowly... Good luck12
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Even if your metabolism changed during the diet it was probably a lot less than you imagined and is probably back to previous levels now.
I would think that after such a restrictive diet you probably ate more when it finished, and that's become habit.
Also, you probably lost weight through muscle loss, this knocks your tdee and your workout intensity.7 -
thank you guys! I'll keep at it.1
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Yeah, I think a lot of people use the term metabolism to describe what is actually the difference due to loss/gain of muscle mass.
I'd eat more and lift to fix your "metabolism" before trying to lose weight.3 -
The hormone is popular for "curing" infertility.
Make sure you are not pregnant
http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/guide/fertility-drugs?page=20 -
JanetYellen wrote: »The hormone is popular for "curing" infertility.
Make sure you are not pregnant
http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/guide/fertility-drugs?page=2
Apparently there is so little hormone in the "suppliments" they were trying to get it registered as homeopathy!0 -
Did the HCG diet. Lost weight. Changed my habit shortly after that.
It is a starvation diet which uses HCG - the hormone pregnant women pee out (and coincidentally use to determine fertility.) The concepts is it fools your body into thinking it's pregnant (yes technically males cannot get pregnant, but...) and forces the body to burn fat versus muscle or other fuel. It requires a prescription to get the real thing by the way. HCG is a controlled substance (not herbal HCG or all the other stuff on the market OTC).
In short it's a XLC (extreme low calorie) diet which has you eating between 500-800 calories max a day.
1. No matter what you do you are going to gain weight after the HCG diet if you jump back into pre-HCG calorie consumption levels. That's just the simple fact your body is going to readjust from starving it so deal with it.
2. The diet is focused on calorie restriction and you are going to need to understand your BMR to get a true sense on what you are really burning up a day. Go back to basics here and understand your BMR.
3. Focus on an exercise routine that delivers muscle and strength gains. HCG is notorious for removing a very unbalanced amount of lean body mass (LBM.) 5x5 stronglifts would be the best medicine for the calorie restrictive HCG sufferer.
Your metabolism isn't damaged. You just lost a lot of muscle. Work the muscles. LIFT HEAVY. EAT WELL.3 -
I am absolutely NOT condoning this diet, but why not just eat 500-800 calories a day and don't bother with HCG drops??0
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And, since HGC is now illegal to sell in the United States they don't contain any of the actual hormone at all. It's a scam.1
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I did the HCG injections with a Rx. So it was definitely hormones. Glad that''s in the past. Moving forward. I think I'm going in the right direction since I'm going to reintroduced a weight training program. It just blows that what I was doing before's not working. I have been using MFP since 2012. Had the best results ever with tracking and HiiT/lifting. Sometimes eating exercise calories back sometimes not. Lesson learned. When something is working stick with it and be happy. Don't do stupid quick 'fixes'!2
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Holy crap, I just looked up the HCG diet, that horrible, I wouldn't last a day trying to limit myself to 500 calories lol.
Glad you quit it.
I'd be terrified to take HCG considering how sick I got hen I actually WAS pregnant.0 -
It worked for me and I was able to keep it off until I got reckless eating habits again. I'm not encouraging the diet, not by a long shot, it's just there is more to it than meets the eye. It's far more than just restricting calories. Your nutrition has to be spot on or you can do serious damage. I had no ill side effects, but I don't think it's worth it because it's a quick fix and you miss out on gaining crucial knowledge that you learn when you go the natural diet and exercise way. If you cheat on the HCG diet your weight skyrockets. Before the drops were illegal I did them twice. Your supposed to eat a lot for the first two days. I know it does something to your body because eating normal causes massive weight gain. Like way more than normal weight gain. I ate at a buffet the first two days and gained 7 pounds. You lose it fast, but it's playing with your body's chemistry and brain function so I'm glad it's illegal. If you were going to attempt to eat even 1200 calories on it you would still gain weight. It's just a bad idea, especially for women on menopause. Serious havoc can occur if you try this. Mom had her hair falling out at some point. Just stay away from the stuff like the plague. I was fine the second time, but the first time I screwed up my nutrition and couldn't get my hands and feet to warm up for around two weeks.1
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The safest diet: counting calories and exercise.6
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So this is anecdotal, so take it for what it is. I worked with a girl who had a very similar case as you. She was already fairly skinny and did 3 rounds of HCG with her husband. She did follow the protocol, so it was 3 months on, a month off. For six months after that, she struggle to lose any way, even after her rebound period. Based on what she told me, it appears that the diet increased adaptive thermogenesis (metabolic adaptation) and she lost a good amount of muscle (which also would lower metabolic rates). So her goal was more reversing some of the effects. Based on that, we essentially did a reverse diet. When I started to work with her, we had to start her on a 1400 calorie diet to maintain (online calculators (so statistical averages) were around 1700). During this period, so start a structured lifting program (NROL4W). After six months (sadly) she start see some improvements in your body composition, but also, started seeing some minor weight loss. We continued similar protocol for the next six months and got her up to 1700 calories. Now, she loses around that range.
At this point, your metabolic functions might be lower than the standard person which would required a greater reduction in calories. So I guess the question is, how many calories are you eating now? Which lifting program are you following? And how long are your HIIT sessions?3 -
ShamanDiva wrote: »I spent alot of time doing research before doing any type of HCG. My first time in 2013, lost 30lbs and was monitored by a doctor - VLCD 500 cals with HCG and B12 injections. Got a bit expensive so I researched more and did the drops on my own, lost another 10lbs and stalled so I gave up. More research done and in 2016, redid another round of HCG drops, this time at 800 cals, more food choices and the key indicator is getting and staying in Ketosis. Losing a 1lb a day, eating healthy low carb foods and feeling great. Don't knock it till you try it and research it. My downfall was to give up too soon when stalls started, not understanding that you have to give your body time to readjust. If you'd like to know what program worked better for me, send me an email or add me as a friend. Happy Losing!
But at 800 calories a day :noway: You'd lose weight anyway, why add some random and expensive drops, what is the point???1 -
Try interval fasting. It help reboot your metabolism. I just finished fasting for 30 days during Ramadan. In those 30 days, I did not go to the gym. I ate a pre-dawn mean at 2:30am and then stopped fasting at sun down 9:20pm. No water no nothing. When the thirty days were up I lost 4kg, I hit the gym again and lost another 2kg in a week. All I do is 2 miles in 20 minutes on the crosstrainer, 5 sets of 5 reps deadlifts (choose a weight that suits you but doesn't kill you) and weighted barbel squats again 5 sets of 5 reps deadlifts (choose a weight that suits you but doesn't kill you). I'm still dropping weight and getting stronger.0
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Like others on the thread, I don't believe you get significant, lasting effects on metabolism from diets like this, I just don't see evidence for it and the logic doesn't stack up for me.
However, I could believe it has lasting psychological effects, and lasting effects on appetite and hunger. I'm thinking of that famous starvation study after the war - some of the subjects reported having trouble feeling full, being persistently hungry etc even after regaining weight. And I know for me, a big part of getting on the right track for fat loss was adjusting my mindset, losing some moral fixations and anxieties around food to tackle cravings.
After a starvation diet I imagine you could have some of that work to do, to undo the effects of starving yourself on your appetite and perceptions of food. Your eating may be driven in part by a subconscious expectation of scarcity, which would make you more inclined to overeat.0 -
I'm at a complete loss. About a year ago I did the stupid HCG diet even though I didn't need it. I was at a great weight. Had a great metabolism. Worked out, kept track of my calories. Ate clean most the time. Could have a few beers or a cheat meal and it wouldn't kill all my hard work. But at work everyone was doing the HCG diet and I completely got sucked in thinking it would lean me out even more. IT WAS THE WORST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE! I am so mad at myself for doing it. I am now 10 pounds heavier then before starting the HCG. For the life of me I can't lose it. I am tracking on mfp like I was before, working out... I'm doing everything I did before the HCG and it's just not working. I can only assume I ruined my metabolism. HiiT/weights at home has not been working. So I rejoined the gym to get more cardio in. I am now also going to focus on an actual strength training program hoping this will kick start my metabolism. Does any one have a similar story? Has anyone found the answer to getting back to your previous weight? I feel so frustrated that it can be hard to keep at it and stay positive. Any advise would be awesome!! Please help!I'm at a complete loss. About a year ago I did the stupid HCG diet even though I didn't need it. I was at a great weight. Had a great metabolism. Worked out, kept track of my calories. Ate clean most the time. Could have a few beers or a cheat meal and it wouldn't kill all my hard work. But at work everyone was doing the HCG diet and I completely got sucked in thinking it would lean me out even more. IT WAS THE WORST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE! I am so mad at myself for doing it. I am now 10 pounds heavier then before starting the HCG. For the life of me I can't lose it. I am tracking on mfp like I was before, working out... I'm doing everything I did before the HCG and it's just not working. I can only assume I ruined my metabolism. HiiT/weights at home has not been working. So I rejoined the gym to get more cardio in. I am now also going to focus on an actual strength training program hoping this will kick start my metabolism. Does any one have a similar story? Has anyone found the answer to getting back to your previous weight? I feel so frustrated that it can be hard to keep at it and stay positive. Any advise would be awesome!! Please help!
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Beer? Ate clean most of the time? You did not do the diet right at all. Did you even read the protocol? You can't do those things at all. Why waste your time and money?
You have to go through phases 3 and 4 to keep the weight off. Anyone who does those stages keeps the weight off. If you don't follow the protocol and allow your hypothalamus to reset, you will gain weight. If you'd followed the protocol precisely you would not have gained. Skipping the maintenance phases is just not smart thinking.
Also, the drops are pretty useless. You need the pure hcg injections. I followed the protocol all the way to the end and never gained back any weight. If you do the diet with injections through a doctor, they will not let you skip the maintenance part. Doing drops is like sugar water.1 -
Sophsmother wrote: »You have to go through phases 3 and 4 to keep the weight off. Anyone who does those stages keeps the weight off. If you don't follow the protocol and allow your hypothalamus to reset, you will gain weight. If you'd followed the protocol precisely you would not have gained. Skipping the maintenance phases is just not smart thinking.
No, eating only 500 calories a day and believing in magical hormone drops is just not smart thinking.8 -
jessiethe3rd wrote: »Did the HCG diet. Lost weight. Changed my habit shortly after that.
It is a starvation diet which uses HCG - the hormone pregnant women pee out (and coincidentally use to determine fertility.) The concepts is it fools your body into thinking it's pregnant (yes technically males cannot get pregnant, but...) and forces the body to burn fat versus muscle or other fuel. It requires a prescription to get the real thing by the way. HCG is a controlled substance (not herbal HCG or all the other stuff on the market OTC).
In short it's a XLC (extreme low calorie) diet which has you eating between 500-800 calories max a day.
1. No matter what you do you are going to gain weight after the HCG diet if you jump back into pre-HCG calorie consumption levels. That's just the simple fact your body is going to readjust from starving it so deal with it.
2. The diet is focused on calorie restriction and you are going to need to understand your BMR to get a true sense on what you are really burning up a day. Go back to basics here and understand your BMR.
3. Focus on an exercise routine that delivers muscle and strength gains. HCG is notorious for removing a very unbalanced amount of lean body mass (LBM.) 5x5 stronglifts would be the best medicine for the calorie restrictive HCG sufferer.
Your metabolism isn't damaged. You just lost a lot of muscle. Work the muscles. LIFT HEAVY. EAT WELL.
the problem with that logic is that pregnant people gain weight, and they're supposed to. so why would anyone try hcg?1 -
Worked like a charm for me. But I followed the diet precisely. It was easy and I kept the weight off, but you have to be committed all the way.2
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Sophsmother wrote: »You have to go through phases 3 and 4 to keep the weight off. Anyone who does those stages keeps the weight off. If you don't follow the protocol and allow your hypothalamus to reset, you will gain weight. If you'd followed the protocol precisely you would not have gained. Skipping the maintenance phases is just not smart thinking.
No, eating only 500 calories a day and believing in magical hormone drops is just not smart thinking.
How much did you lose on it? Do your research before you comment. Unless you've been through the injections and all 4 phases of hcg, your opinion is baseless. You have to have gone be through it to know what you're saying. It's a complicated protocol that is 100% successful if you do it right. I did and was gobsmacked at how successful I was. This is nothing like just a 500 calorie diet. I did that many times without success. The injections are game changers. Try it out then come back and post.1 -
Messing with your pituitary hormones could indeed change your metabolism. It is a monumentally stupid thing to do.5
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All this talk of it being due to muscle mass loss seems against reason
Muscle at rest burns 2 calories more than fat per 24 hour period. So even 10lb muscle loss would only be 20 calorie drop (at rest)
Must be another reason...I'm with thermodynamic adaptation and you need to reverse diet
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