Starting the HCG Protocol tomorrow!

nothingtofear
nothingtofear Posts: 2 Member
edited September 30 in Introduce Yourself
Hi,
I am starting the HCG drops tomorrow.. That is to say i am in the two day load phase and will start the 500 calorie part tomorrow. The whole thing seems so counter intuitive to me, but i have seen such amazing results. Can anyone speak to this? I would appreciate any support and advice! I am pre-diabetic and need to do something fast.
Thanks!!!

Replies

  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    I doubt you'll like my advice, but I think it is sheer madness, on several levels, to try the HCG diet. It's a starvation diet with unknown, unproven and unregulated supplements. Seems like an awful lot of pain, discomfort, and potentially harmful side effects for a great deal of money.
  • staps065
    staps065 Posts: 837 Member
    I'd be interested in seeing your outcome!
  • DinaHCG
    DinaHCG Posts: 11
    I am on the HCG diet. I have lost 12.6 pds in 12 days! I love it. 203.3 to 191 in 12 days! People it is NOT a starvation diet, I have no pain, discomfort, and potentially harmful side effects. I spent $40 on my drops, which are made in an FDA aprroved lab. I am so much healthier, I have energy, I feel great.

    Don;t listen to other peoples negativity. Do what you feel is right for you. My mom has gone from a size 20 to a 10 on 4 months. Another friend has lost 40 pbs since May. I know many, many people on this diet and they are doing great!

    Go for it, surround yourself with positive people and throw out the negative.....You will be so glad you did. Facebook has a support page under liquid hcg diet. I go there frequently to ask questions and get help and support.

    If you have FB you can add me. YOu can join me on here too!

    Good luck!
  • mummyv811
    mummyv811 Posts: 237
    I have done the HCG diet before and think it is fantastic if you need a kick-start! I can see why people think it is 'madness' as it is pretty harsh and difficult to stick to. But if you've got the motivation to stick to it properly (it's only a MAXIMUM of 40 days after all) you will see amazing results.

    Good luck with it :D xxx
  • gallen122
    gallen122 Posts: 1
    I've lost 24.5 lbs. on HCG, when nothing else has worked. My dr. wants me to lose another 15-20 lbs. so I will be going back on the diet next week. The even better news is that I haven't gained back an ounce in over 3 months. My eating habits have changed for the better and I feel amazing. Good luck!!!!
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    I am on the HCG diet. I have lost 12.6 pds in 12 days! I love it. 203.3 to 191 in 12 days! People it is NOT a starvation diet, I have no pain, discomfort, and potentially harmful side effects. I spent $40 on my drops, which are made in an FDA aprroved lab. I am so much healthier, I have energy, I feel great.

    500 calories a day is indeed a starvation diet.
  • countrymom1
    countrymom1 Posts: 125 Member
    I did one round of the HCG diet (I did the shots) and finished that around mid-May. I lost 30 pounds and have kept it off and then some. I am now 33 pounds down. It was the perfect kickstart that I needed. I still want to lose about 25 pounds, but I am doing that by using MFP to count calories and I am running three days a week. I feel great!

    Good luck with HCG program!
  • _Sally_
    _Sally_ Posts: 514 Member
    There are no true, healthy shortcuts to losing and maintaining weight.

    Give MFP a chance. Looks like you only recently joined and have not given it a chance. MFP provides the tools and community support to not just lose weight in a healthy manner, but to make permanent lifestyle changes. I have seen LOTS of folks with results (look at the Success message board folder) and my own results to date have exceeded my own expectations since it was so hard for me to lose it on my own before joining MFP.

    There is no way you will be able to maintain any HCG weight loss without knowing about and acting upon proper nutrition and portion sizes.

    I do wish you the best of luck, but I'm concerned that the mindset of quick, fast results will only set you up for failure in the longer term.
  • countrymom1
    countrymom1 Posts: 125 Member
    I am on the HCG diet. I have lost 12.6 pds in 12 days! I love it. 203.3 to 191 in 12 days! People it is NOT a starvation diet, I have no pain, discomfort, and potentially harmful side effects. I spent $40 on my drops, which are made in an FDA aprroved lab. I am so much healthier, I have energy, I feel great.

    500 calories a day is indeed a starvation diet.

    You're right, 500 calories is a starvation diet. HOWEVER, HCG metabolizes stored fat, so that even though you're only consuming 500 calories a day, your body is actually getting around 1200-1700 calories a day. -- That is why women who are overweight that get pregnant typically do not gain a lot during pregnancy because the HCG that their body is producing is using the stored fat for calories.
  • mickynieuwoudt
    mickynieuwoudt Posts: 21 Member
    It is not that hard to follow! Plan your meals ahead, and portion your food in ziplock bags as soon as you get home from the store. I do all my meal planning and portioning on a Sunday for the week ahead, and it makes food preperation a breeze! Drink lots of water, and go for a 20 -30 min walk every day. I love this diet - I realised that for years I was putting junk into my body - with HCG you learn to eat healthy food in healthy portions. Good luck! You are going to be amazed at the wonderful results!:laugh:
  • mickynieuwoudt
    mickynieuwoudt Posts: 21 Member
    It is not that hard to follow! Plan your meals ahead, and portion your food in ziplock bags as soon as you get home from the store. I do all my meal planning and portioning on a Sunday for the week ahead, and it makes food preperation a breeze! Drink lots of water, and go for a 20 -30 min walk every day. I love this diet - I realised that for years I was putting junk into my body - with HCG you learn to eat healthy food in healthy portions. Good luck! You are going to be amazed at the wonderful results!:laugh:
  • _Sally_
    _Sally_ Posts: 514 Member
    I did one round of the HCG diet (I did the shots) and finished that around mid-May. I lost 30 pounds and have kept it off and then some. I am now 33 pounds down. It was the perfect kickstart that I needed. I still want to lose about 25 pounds, but I am doing that by using MFP to count calories and I am running three days a week. I feel great!

    Good luck with HCG program!

    Maybe I'm not reading this correctly... are you saying you only lost 3 lbs since finishing HCG two months ago? Maybe you lost more muscle than fat in your HCG loss and you've lowered your base metabolism.....
  • nothingtofear
    nothingtofear Posts: 2 Member
    Thank you, all
    I am new to mfp bit not new to diets, nutrition etc. I just need a kick start. I am looking forward but still a tad anxious about it.. I think i am afraid i will be hungry, but i hear that s not the case..
    Any recipes to share?
  • _Sally_
    _Sally_ Posts: 514 Member
    I am on the HCG diet. I have lost 12.6 pds in 12 days! I love it. 203.3 to 191 in 12 days! People it is NOT a starvation diet, I have no pain, discomfort, and potentially harmful side effects. I spent $40 on my drops, which are made in an FDA aprroved lab. I am so much healthier, I have energy, I feel great.

    500 calories a day is indeed a starvation diet.

    You're right, 500 calories is a starvation diet. HOWEVER, HCG metabolizes stored fat, so that even though you're only consuming 500 calories a day, your body is actually getting around 1200-1700 calories a day. -- That is why women who are overweight that get pregnant typically do not gain a lot during pregnancy because the HCG that their body is producing is using the stored fat for calories.

    I'm no scientist, but this sounds like dangerous marketing tactics. Your body is likley living off of your muscles, not fat.
  • sallyokc
    sallyokc Posts: 2 Member
    Hi! I am writing to encourage you about the HCG diet. I did it last summer and was thrilled with the results. I had allowed my weight to get as high as 283 years ago. I fought it and fought it. I worked out on my own. I did Jenny Craig. I did Weight Watchers. I paid Fitness Together over a thousand dollars and worked out with a personal trainer two summers in a row. I logged my food in diaries meticulously. I hovered between 260 and 273 for years. Then I woke up and my son's college graduation was just around the corner. Not only that, he was engaged and the wedding loomed large! A student's mom had done HCG with great success, so I went for it. I lost weight. I lost a pound a day. From June 15 to August 8, 2010, I l went from 256 to 229. Graduation and wedding were in December, so I did it again. This time I dropped from 229 on October 2 (where I had held for 2 months) to 210 by November 11. I felt proud of myself by mid-December when wedding and graduation arrived.

    Since then, I finished a stressful school year, have helped my husband (who loves to cook and eat and has no weight problem at all) transition to retirement, had surgery, hosted tons of company (husband's family), went on vacation, and lost my grandmother. I held at 215 through the end of school. Due mostly to the surgery, I ballooned back to 235, so I have started HCG again. I said goodbye to favorite foods on load days, but then am off and running. I was 234 on July 21, and weighed 238 today, July 24. My cousin is getting married in September, and I have a dress I bought from Talbots last summer and have never worn that I want to fit into by then. I need to get back to 210 or less for it to look really good!

    I'm so glad you're on Myfitnesspal. I recommend that you plan your food by plugging in your entire day in the morning, then follow your plan. Be sure to include snacks. Turkey from your local deli will save your life. Drink a gallon of water daily! Drink unsweetened iced tea (if you like it) in addition. Use Truvia or streevia products to sweeten. I allow myself one Diet Dr. Pepper (my soda of choice) daily if I'm feeling the hunger. I exercise. By the end of last summer I was walking 3 miles five days per week and riding a 10 mile trek on my bike once a week. Fish is great with orange and salsa! Use Steevia drops to make your own Starbuck's frappuccino type drink. Caffeine is your friend!

    By the way, my cholesterol dropped from 236 to 164 last summer. For you, that may be the best news of all. It's your life and your health. Rest. Be careful. But be positive! You can do it! My favorite mantra while on the diet is to tell myself regarding any particular craving: "Yes, I can have that. But I choose not to. I choose my health. I choose to look and feel great in my clothes. I choose to fee sexy for my husband. I choose to fit in the airplane seat comfortably. I choose life! I choose health! I will reward myself with that piece of pizza or slice of cake when I am at x weight. I can go buy it or make it whenever I want. I am in control, not the food." That's a big deal for me. My dad died at age 44. I will be 46 this year. I choose life. You can, too!
  • klabeau
    klabeau Posts: 261 Member
    Thank you, all
    I am new to mfp bit not new to diets, nutrition etc. I just need a kick start. I am looking forward but still a tad anxious about it.. I think i am afraid i will be hungry, but i hear that s not the case..
    Any recipes to share?

    Yes, just follow the protocal and you will do fine. I started in April. I've lost 51lbs. I'm now off the drops. I began weight training this week to help build mucsle.Good luck.
  • kimsue123
    kimsue123 Posts: 24 Member
    The HCG drops only contain trace amounts of HCG-not enough to make any difference. It is like a placebo. Anyone consuming 500 calories per day will lose weight.
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    I am on the HCG diet. I have lost 12.6 pds in 12 days! I love it. 203.3 to 191 in 12 days! People it is NOT a starvation diet, I have no pain, discomfort, and potentially harmful side effects. I spent $40 on my drops, which are made in an FDA aprroved lab. I am so much healthier, I have energy, I feel great.

    500 calories a day is indeed a starvation diet.

    You're right, 500 calories is a starvation diet. HOWEVER, HCG metabolizes stored fat, so that even though you're only consuming 500 calories a day, your body is actually getting around 1200-1700 calories a day. -- That is why women who are overweight that get pregnant typically do not gain a lot during pregnancy because the HCG that their body is producing is using the stored fat for calories.

    That's the marketing hype. There are no valid studies proving that the HCG diet does any such thing.
  • countrymom1
    countrymom1 Posts: 125 Member
    I am on the HCG diet. I have lost 12.6 pds in 12 days! I love it. 203.3 to 191 in 12 days! People it is NOT a starvation diet, I have no pain, discomfort, and potentially harmful side effects. I spent $40 on my drops, which are made in an FDA aprroved lab. I am so much healthier, I have energy, I feel great.

    500 calories a day is indeed a starvation diet.


    You're right, 500 calories is a starvation diet. HOWEVER, HCG metabolizes stored fat, so that even though you're only consuming 500 calories a day, your body is actually getting around 1200-1700 calories a day. -- That is why women who are overweight that get pregnant typically do not gain a lot during pregnancy because the HCG that their body is producing is using the stored fat for calories.

    I'm no scientist, but this sounds like dangerous marketing tactics. Your body is likley living off of your muscles, not fat.

    Actually, I am more toned now that I was in mid-May, when I finished the program. Like I said, I am running now, so I'm building muscle. As a nurse, I know that the body metabolizes stored fat much more quickly than it does muscle, so, no, my body is not livng off of muscles.
  • countrymom1
    countrymom1 Posts: 125 Member
    Also, I did not just jump into the HCG Protocol uninformed. Again, my background as a nurse, I did plenty of research before going ahead with it. I read Dr. Simeon's entire manuscript on the protocol, so that I could understand how and why the program works. I would be interested to know how many of the people commenting on this thread have actually read Dr. Simeon's manuscript?
  • Samerah12
    Samerah12 Posts: 610 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/292606-say-no-to-hcg

    ^several peer reviewed, double blind studies that found no benefit and significant side effects to injecting yourself with HCG vs. just starving yourself on a 500 cal diet.

    And think about it, really. If it were as safe and effective as they claim, why would anyone be on MFP trying to do this the slow, hard way?

    Everyones always looking for the easy way out, there just isn't one.
  • amjmomma
    amjmomma Posts: 41
    I agree wholeheartedly. I tried it for a little over a week. Yes, I lost 9 pounds, which is fantastic in such a short time, but I felt horrible!! I felt weak (they even warn you not to do any exercise) and lethargic. I was angry and irritable all the time. It just felt so unhealthy. You are only allowed to eat certain foods and you can only eat a small amount. Everyone is going to have a different opinion about it, but mine is that you should do it the old-fashioned way and be patient! The weight will come off if you are eating good food (in healthy amounts!) and exercising, it just won't be overnight. You probably didn't get heavy overnight either! Good luck either way!
  • DinaHCG
    DinaHCG Posts: 11
    I did the same before I started. I researched for 2months. pro's and cons. All I am going to say is I feel better than I have in a long time. I have energy, I am not starving. I love what this has done for me.

    Everyone has the right to do what is right for their body and themselves. For me it's HCG ALL THE WAY BABY!!!!
  • NatalieWinning
    NatalieWinning Posts: 999 Member
    "pre-diabetic" and starting an extremely low calorie diet plan designed to try to mimic pregnancy. To me this sounds a little irresponsible. So your body is already having a hard time with the food you are eating, and then you stop putting enough food in. Do you live near a hosipital and have someone to call them if you crash?

    Maybe it's safe-ish as diets go. But it doesn't really sound like a great plan for someone with pre-existing health issues.

    Thats only an opinion, though.
  • mickynieuwoudt
    mickynieuwoudt Posts: 21 Member
    Before you badmouth something you clearly do not know much about, do your reseach!!! HCG saved my life! :noway:
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