Help! Metabolism needs fixed after HCG
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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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Sophsmother wrote: »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.
Are you here now because you didn't follow the protocol?6 -
queenliz99 wrote: »Sophsmother wrote: »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.
Are you here now because you didn't follow the protocol?
I was wondering myself why if it worked for her, she is here.3 -
Christine_72 wrote: »I am absolutely NOT condoning this diet, but why not just eat 500-800 calories a day and don't bother with HCG drops??
Because it's magic! It's not the low calorie consumption that causes weight-loss, but the "stuff" in the drops. #smh
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Hi, this is my first time posting, but I would like to share my HCG experience. I am not recommending this diet and am not planning on doing it again in the future. I followed the protocol exactly with a Dr. I lost 42 lbs. which I had no trouble keeping off for four months after finishing. I have hypothyroid and PCOS and had been going through fertility treatments for most of the past 10 years to no avail. Four months after finishing HCG I had a surprise pregnancy. What my Dr. Thought at the time was that I got pregnant do to the HCG. I now am more inclined to think that I got pregnant from the diet. By doing HCG I learned that I need a low carb diet which is what you eat while doing HCG. While I won't do a 500 calorie diet again do to how much muscle I think I've lost I am sure glad I did it then.1
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Your diet made you pregnant???
That's not how I thought it worked at all...5 -
CattOfTheGarage wrote: »Your diet made you pregnant???
That's not how I thought it worked at all...
It doesn't. The OP said she's been going through fertility treatments, meaning she wanted a kid and ended up pregnant while doing HCG injections. Maybe it boosted her hormones enough that she could get pregnant, who knows.1 -
queenliz99 wrote: »Sophsmother wrote: »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.
Are you here now because you didn't follow the protocol?
I was wondering myself why if it worked for her, she is here.
it is a weight loss protocol not a weight maintenance, smart choice, education protocol.
All it does it help you lose weight but it doesn't give you the tools to maintain that weight loss.2 -
CattOfTheGarage wrote: »Your diet made you pregnant???
That's not how I thought it worked at all...
Actually....a low carb diet alters your hormonal states as well, so it very well can effect pregnancy. I was on a ketogenic diet that changed my cycle as well as my ovulation and guess what..."surprise! I'm now 3 months pregnant." This is the case especially if you have PCOS, too, btw. I've heard of many becoming pregnant after being on a low carb diet, after having lots of problems becoming pregnant due to pcos. If you spend as much time reading up on the info as you do on sarcasm you'd be surprised what you can learn!1 -
The hcg protocol is a precise diet with very strict rules, because it is indeed a hormone and it will indeed have an effect on the hypothalamus, which regulates other hormones. If anyone is curious invest in some knowledge and read the weightloss apocalypse. It explains all the intricacies of the diet and how and why it works with up to date research. Never follow a lengthy vlcd alone you will not have the same effects.
And for those criticizing the lady who said she lost and maintained using this... as to why she is here on mfp still? Maybe in your case this site only serves to aid in your weightloss, but for many others who have succeeded it is a tool to help maintain the loss or move on to sculpting, which also requires a strict diet.
As many body builders who use it can attest to. I hope one day you find yourself at that stage with a more open and accepting attitude ☺1
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