HCG Diet

bad news. google it or use the search button here. its a pretty hot topic

http://www.dietscam.org/reports/hcg.shtml\

HCG Worthless as Weight-Loss Aid
Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) is a hormone found in the urine of pregnant women. More than 50 years ago, Dr. Albert T. Simeons, a British-born physician, contended that HCG injections would enable dieters to subsist comfortably on a 500-calorie-a-day diet. He claimed that HCG would mobilize stored fat; suppress appetite; and redistribute fat from the waist, hips, and thighs [1]. There is no scientific evidence to support these claims [2-13]. Moreover, a 500-calorie (semi-starvation) diet is likely to result in loss of protein from vital organs, and HCG can cause other adverse effects. Gabe Mirkin, M.D., has noted:

At one time, HCG was the most widespread obesity medication administered in the United States. Some doctors liked it because it assured them of a steady clientele. Patients had to come in once a week for an injection [14].

HCH is also marketed in sublingual (under the tongue) form. No scientific tests of sublingual HCG have been published, but it is safe to assume that it would be no more effective than injected HCG.

In 2009, the American Society of Bariatric Physicians issued a position statement which stated:

Numerous clinical trials have shown HCG to be ineffectual in producing weight loss. HCG
injections can induce a slight increase in muscle mass in androgen-deficient males. The diet used
in the Simeons method provides a lower protein intake than is advisable in view of current
knowledge and practice. There are few medical literature reports favorable to the Simeons
method; the overwhelming majority of medical reports are critical of it. Physicians employing
either the HCG or the diet recommended by Simeons may expose themselves to criticism from
other physicians, from insurers, or from government bodies [15].

Government Regulation
In 1976, the FTC ordered the Simeon Management Corporation, Simeon Weight Clinics Foundation, Bariatrics Management Corporation, C.M. Norcal, Inc., and HCG Weight Clinics Foundation and their officers to stop claiming that their HCG-based programs were safe, effective, and/or approved by the FDA for weight-control. Although the order did not stop the clinics from using HCG, it required that patients who contract for the treatment be informed in writing that:

THESE WEIGHT REDUCTION TREATMENTS INCLUDE THE INJECTION OF HCG, A DRUG WHICH HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION AS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE IN THE TREATMENT OF OBSITY OR WEIGHT CONTROL. THERE IS NO SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT HCG INCEASES WEIGHT LOSS BEYOND THAT RESULTING FROM CALORIC RESTRICTION, THAT IT CAUSES A MORE ATTRACTIVE OR "NORMAL" DISTRIBUTION OF FAT, OR THAT IT DECREASES THE HUNGER AND DISCOMFORT ASSOCIATED WITH CALORIE-RESTRICTIVE DIETS [16].

Since 1975, the FDA has required labeling and advertising of HCG to state:

HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of obesity. There is no substantial evidence that it increases weight loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction, that it causes a more attractive or "normal" distribution of fat, or that it decreases the hunger and discomfort associated with calorie-restricted diets.

Promotion By Kevin Trudeau
Negative studies and government action reduced the use of HCG injections for weight control close to zero. However, promotion by infomercial king Kevin Trudeau has caused their use to increase. His 2007 book, The Weight Loss Cure They Don't Want You to Know About, claims that "an absolute cure for obesity was discovered almost fifty years ago" but was "suppressed" by the AMA, the FDA, and "other medical establishments throughout the world." Trudeau further claims that until now, "this miracle weight loss breakthrough has been hidden from the public so that drug companies can make billions of dollars selling their expensive drug treatments and surgical procedures for obesity." The alleged cure consists of HCG injections plus 50 to 60 required and recommended do's and don'ts [16].

In 2007, the FTC charged Kevin Trudeau with violating a court order by misrepresenting the contents of the book [17]. In infomercials, Trudeau falsely claimed that the book's weight-loss plan is easy to do, can be done at home, and ultimately allows readers to eat whatever they want. Previous FTC action had led to a court order banning from using infomercials to sell any product, service, or program except for books and other publications The order specified that he not misrepresent the content of the books. In 2008, the Court ruled that Trudeau had violated the previous order and ordered him to pay more than $37 million.

References
Simeons ATW. The action of chorionic gonadotrophin in the obese. Lancet 2:946-947, 1954.
Asher WL, Harper HW. Effect of human chorionic gonadotrophin on weight loss, hunger and feeling of well-being. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 26:211–218, 1973.
Bosch B and others. Human chorionic gonadotrophin and weight loss. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. South African Medical Journal 77:185–189, 1990.
Carne S. The action of chorionic gonadotrophin in the obese. Lancet 2:1282–1284, 1961.

Craig LS and others. Chorionic gonadotrophin in the treatment of obese women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 12:230–234, 1963.
Frank BW. The use of chorionic gonadotrophin hormone in the treatment of obesity. A double-blind study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 14:133–136, 1964.
Greenway FL, Bray GA. Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) in the treatment of obesity: a critical assessment of the Simeons method. West Journal of Medicine 127:461–463, 1977.
Shetty KR, Kalkhoff RK. Human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) treatment of obesity. Archives of Internal Medicine 137:151-155, 1977.
Lebon P. Treatment of overweight patients with chorionic gonadotrophin: follow-up study. Journal of the American Geriatric Society 14:116–125, 1966.
Lijesen GK and others. The effect of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) in the treatment of obesity by means of the Simeons therapy: a criteria-based meta-analysis. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 49:237–243, 1995.
Miller R, Schneiderman LJ. A clinical study of the use of human chorionic gonadotrophin in weight reduction. Journal of Family Practice 4:445–448, 1977.
Stein MR and others. Ineffectiveness of human chorionic gonadotrophin in weight reduction: a double-blind study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 29:940–948, 1976.
Young RL and others. Chorionic gonadotrophin in weight control. A double-blind crossover study. JAMA 236:2495–2497, 1976.
Mirkin G. Getting Thin. Boston: Little Brown & Co., 1983.
American College of Bariatric Physicians. Position statement: Use of HCG in the treatment of obesity. Approved Dec 2009.
In the matter of Simeon Management Corporation et al. Order, opinion etc., in regard to alleged violation of Secs. 5 and 12 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Docket 8996. Complaint, Oct 15, 1974. Final Order April 29, 1976.
Trudeau K. The Weight Loss Cure They Don't Want You to Know About. Alliance Publishing, 2007.
FTC: Marketer Kevin Trudeau violated prior court order. FTC news release, Sept 14, 2007.
This article was revised on May 10, 2010.

Go to the search feature and type in HCG. There have been previous posts on this. Lots of heated discussion and hateful comments.

In the mean time, please try not to take some of the comments you're about to receive, to heart. Some people are very brutal (or at least perceived that way).

Yep. You will get plenty I'm sure.

Cutting a limb off is usually cheaper, more effective and your weight will stay off.

Lemme put it this way....I've seen patients die using it. Does that sound good to you?

I did the actual diet -- not the sublingual nonsense. I had to inject myself eeeeevery morning for over a month. I lost ten pounds of body fat, which is not nearly as much as they say you will lose. Although, I guess your loss depends on how much your body fat % is to start. Anyway, I lost ten pounds and have not gained it back. Not even an ounce. The diet, however, was awful. I wouldn't recommend it. I would say you're much better off just doing a regular diet and exercise program. In the end, you'll feel much better than I did.

I did the HCG diet. I lost 30 lbs in 45 days or something like that. It worked - I was not hungry - ever. However, once the program was over, I gained those 30 lbs back plus another 20 lbs. Most of that was my own fault but what I took away from that experience was that it is a fad diet like everything else I had done. The only way I am going to lose weight is to really change what I am doing. I have to eat better, eat less and exercise more. It is a simple remedy but such a hard one to conquer.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide to do. Feel free to message me with any questions that you may have about the diet. I still have all my material and can help answer the unknown's if you would like.

Well, I've been doing homeopathic HCG since March, taking the summer off and breaks in between rounds as instructed by Dr. Simeon. I am down 68 lbs and weigh what I did in grade 9 30 years ago. I have tried every weight loss program, pill and exercise out there - nothing works like this. I foster a 2 year old and a 1 year old and have the energy, at 43, to keep up with them all day. I am losing inches in all the right places, including my thighs and arms, and not shrinking my bust down to saggy pockets. I start a 40D and just got fit for a new bra this week - a 36DD. You can tell me it doesn't work but my scale tells me different. I've had 8 friends and family members join the diet because of watching me. For the first time in my life, I feel like I can be a normal healthy weight.

Ok I'm gonna get hammered for this so let me qualify by saying that *I* don't think this diet is healthy or sustainable.

But. . . my husband and his entire family lost 200 lbs collectively with the shots version, under doctor's supervision. It started because my FiL needed to drop some serious weight FAST for health reasons (his doctor said this and recommended HCG, and I don't know the exact details) and he lost over 70 lbs. His wife saw that and thought hey, that looks good, so she lost 30 lbs. My brother and sister in law lost 50 lbs each. My husband needed to lose weight so that he could join the Navy so he lost 60 lbs on it.

Now that said-- as soon as you come OFF the diet you have no muscle tone because you can't work out while eating so little. They tell you not to. Also as soon as you add any type of sugar back into your diet you gain back exponentially. The ONLY reason it has worked for my husband is that he went straight from that diet to boot camp training. And it was very hard on him to do that, as you can imagine.

My in-laws swear by HCG (in the form they used it, which had no flushes or drops-- it was basically a shot, 2 liters of water, 8 oz of lean protein, 8 oz. non-starchy veggies, and 2 apples per day) and say if you use it properly it's amazing-- personally I could never do it. I need real food, and a change in lifestyle not just weight.

My husband would never do it again-- he was miserable the whole time he was on it, but it did make him lose a lot of weight. I have serious doubts about whether he would have kept it off had he not joined the Navy right after.

. I start a 40D and just got fit for a new bra this week - a 36DD.

I'm just super curious now, since it's a pregnant hormone, did you your boobies grow because you're lactating? I'm really not trying to be a smart *kitten*, I'm just wondering if you're getting pregnant lady boobs to go with the pee.

My husband's family have kept their weight off so far (it's been about a year since they started) because they eat NO sugar at all. And I'm pretty sure my MiL still goes back on the shots occasionally for maintenance, which is a pretty expensive way to maintain if you ask me.

. I start a 40D and just got fit for a new bra this week - a 36DD.

I'm just super curious now, since it's a pregnant hormone, did you your boobies grow because you're lactating? I'm really not trying to be a smart *kitten*, I'm just wondering if you're getting pregnant lady boobs to go with the pee.

I'm not on HCG and luckily mine have gone from a 42C to a 38DD