Help With a Research Paper on Fad Diets

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sxy4suma
sxy4suma Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Everyone... Before I ask my question please let me say I know this is a very "hot" topic on here and I am not looking for a debate on weather it is healthy, safe, sustainable, able to maintain or even if it is pee. AND YES I USED THE SEARCH!!!

You guessed it I have an HCG question. I am not looking to take it I just want to hear the opionion of a few people.

MY QUESTION ---

If the weight loss is from the 500 calorie diet alone how do people lose so much weight so fast? From what I have learned

1 pound equals 3500 calories right? Many people claim to have lost 7-10 pounds in one week. So erring on the safe side lets say 7 pounds is a 24,500 calorie defficet. If I do the BMR calculations on a 30 year old female that weights 200 pounds her BMR is around 1400 a day so that is 9,800 calories in a week minus the 3500 they eat makes it a 6,300 calorie defficet. That is not even 2 pounds a week.

So the calorie in calorie out buffs please help me understand this. My calculations may be off I just want to know what I am talking about when I write about this diet.

Please keep it friendly and informative I really need help!!!

P.S. Sorry I couldn't spell check I am an awful speller!!!
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Replies

  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    Water weight would be my guess, if you're talking about the first week.
  • sxy4suma
    sxy4suma Posts: 10
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    I thought about that too. And it does seem to be the first week people lose the most. I would guess that would be a big contributer. But when you look at the full cycle people have lost 30+ pounds in 40 days that can't be all water AND if you are supposed to drink 2 litters of water wouldn't that replace it? I have also thought well muscle weighs more than fat maybe it is muscle weight but I would immagin that to be A LOT of muscle by the end of a cycle... What do you think?

    I am guniuinly curious and unedgucated on the subject so please don't take it as a debate as much as curiosity.
  • bregalad5
    bregalad5 Posts: 3,965 Member
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    Assuming they actually have some energy, they could be exercising as well, which would up their caloric deficit.
  • sxy4suma
    sxy4suma Posts: 10
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    Assuming they actually have some energy, they could be exercising as well, which would up their caloric deficit.

    Thats an interesting thought. Although they are not supposed to I guess they could. But if the defficet difference is like 18,200 calories thats a lot of exercise in a week.

    You guys are awesome by the way!!! Thanks for the help... Keep it coming please.
  • sxy4suma
    sxy4suma Posts: 10
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    bump***
  • sxy4suma
    sxy4suma Posts: 10
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    I guess I should have put HCG in the topic... Not getting many answers...
  • CrzyAte
    CrzyAte Posts: 55
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    BUMP!!! Cause I wana know too!!!
  • Devilbat
    Devilbat Posts: 14
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    BMR isn't 'how much an average person would burn in a day with normal activity,' it's 'how much would be burned if that person was essentially in a coma.' Your estimation of how much an average person would burn in an average day is off, thus throwing off the rest of your calculations.
  • sxy4suma
    sxy4suma Posts: 10
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    If a person was in a coma wouldn't the burn less than someone not in a coma? That being said wouldn't it just make the difference higher?
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    I haven't done HcG so I can't answer your questions, but you probably need to go back and research the BMR for your sample made-up person. Its highly doubtful that a 30 year old weighing 200 pounds has a BMR as low as 1400 calories per day. It would be very shocking if that was the case.


    anyway, good luck on your paper. I would recommend using "whether" instead of "weather", however.
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
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    I hadn't thought about it that way. Perhaps the real world enters into this. For the same reason a person could eat right, exercise, burn more calories than they ate and then gain weight.

    At the beginning it is probably a lot of water weight.
    They are also probably losing muscle too.
    You also have to keep in mind these people are overweight, so their body burns more calories just to maintain, so the calculations are going to be all askew. A person that weighs 300 lbs is going to need more calories to sustain, than a person who weighs 150lbs. If they both start consuming the same number of calories then the one that weighs more with lose more. Their daily activities are different.
    Their body is going to react differently due to the shock factor too. (Their bodies have go to be in shock with that low of eating.) Some bodies will fight it some with thrive.
    Unless you have a body bugg with them all in a completely controled environment you are going to get more variables, than you know what to do with. Gender, age, weight, muscle mass, all of these things will alter the outcome.

    Good luck on your paper. I don't know what angle you are going for, but best wishes anyway.
  • Devilbat
    Devilbat Posts: 14
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    If a person was in a coma wouldn't the burn less than someone not in a coma? That being said wouldn't it just make the difference higher?

    Yes. Say, for example, this made up person with the BMR of 1400. This person also goes to the store, cleans house, walks the dog, makes dinner, etc. Overall, let's estimate 2000 cals burned. Over a weeks time, that's another 4200 cals not eaten in your calculations. Also, dlaplume makes some good points as well. There are so many factors involved.
  • sxy4suma
    sxy4suma Posts: 10
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    Thank you hmalin and dlaplume2. Both good points. Without a controlled enviornment it is hard to know all the veriables I was just hoping to get an idea. As far as my angle it strictly a research paper so I have no opinion on WHEATHER it is a good or bad thing.
  • MaryS910
    MaryS910 Posts: 348 Member
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    Have you read Dr. Simeon's original book about the HCG protocol, "Pounds and Inches"? He explains that the hcg helps us to burn our abnormal fat stores that we already have in our body. Look at men who aren't on hcg or anything, they go on a diet and bam, lose faster than women and we attribute it to the fact that they have more muscle mass so the muscle helps them burn fat. I think the hcg must be working in somewhat the same way.

    I'm about to finish my 3rd round of HCG since May, have lost a net of 55 lbs and feel great and am eating so healthily. I can't explain HOW it works. I just know that it does. :)
  • PB67
    PB67 Posts: 376
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    Have you read Dr. Simeon's original book about the HCG protocol, "Pounds and Inches"? He explains that the hcg helps us to burn our abnormal fat stores that we already have in our body. Look at men who aren't on hcg or anything, they go on a diet and bam, lose faster than women and we attribute it to the fact that they have more muscle mass so the muscle helps them burn fat. I think the hcg must be working in somewhat the same way.

    I'm about to finish my 3rd round of HCG since May, have lost a net of 55 lbs and feel great and am eating so healthily. I can't explain HOW it works. I just know that it does. :)

    There isn't a shred of peer-reviewed science to support that HGC does a thing to promote weight loss, and plenty to show that it doesn't do a thing.
  • ladybug1620
    ladybug1620 Posts: 1,136 Member
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    He explains that the hcg helps us to burn our abnormal fat stores that we already have in our body. Look at men who aren't on hcg or anything, they go on a diet and
    This makes no sense. How then is it so easy for pregnant women to gain weight BESIDES their baby/placenta/fluid? If it was the hcg that was burning up extra fat then don't you think even women who over eat a little during pregnancy wouldn't gain a ton? This diet is a joke.
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
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    Thank you hmalin and dlaplume2. Both good points. Without a controlled enviornment it is hard to know all the veriables I was just hoping to get an idea. As far as my angle it strictly a research paper so I have no opinion on WHEATHER it is a good or bad thing.

    I'm sorry I didn't mean to imply any secret angle. I meant as to what angle you were looking at as far as technical medical aspects, societies opinion on fad diets, whether or not there is an scientific evidence that they work or not, maybe the placebo aspect of whether the results are real or just optomistic thinking. That kind of angle.

    As with most topics you show me ten surveys for it and I will show you 10 against it, from any angle. I was just curious to know which angle you were coming from. It would also depend on what class it was for. If it's science then the technical aspect comes into play. If it was english, any thing could go. If it were a political class or socialogy, then the way society accepts these would be pertinent.

    Just my 2 cents
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    How do we know they wouldn't have lost just as much by eating the 500 calories alone?
  • sxy4suma
    sxy4suma Posts: 10
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    Thank you hmalin and dlaplume2. Both good points. Without a controlled enviornment it is hard to know all the veriables I was just hoping to get an idea. As far as my angle it strictly a research paper so I have no opinion on WHEATHER it is a good or bad thing.

    I'm sorry I didn't mean to imply any secret angle. I meant as to what angle you were looking at as far as technical medical aspects, societies opinion on fad diets, whether or not there is an scientific evidence that they work or not, maybe the placebo aspect of whether the results are real or just optomistic thinking. That kind of angle.

    As with most topics you show me ten surveys for it and I will show you 10 against it, from any angle. I was just curious to know which angle you were coming from. It would also depend on what class it was for. If it's science then the technical aspect comes into play. If it was english, any thing could go. If it were a political class or socialogy, then the way society accepts these would be pertinent.

    Just my 2 cents

    Sorry I know that came off a little definsive. The capital wheater was to aknowledge the spelling error mentioined by a previous post. lol

    The paper will be for a Health class. It mainly discusses the long term effects of fad dieting. While I will be talking about what it may or may not do to the body I didn't want to get into that on here. I totally agree with you though everything you find with a positive opionion you will find just as many negatives. I wish it was for a Science class I would love to run a controlled science project on this... Wouldn't that be fun.
  • sxy4suma
    sxy4suma Posts: 10
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    How do we know they wouldn't have lost just as much by eating the 500 calories alone?
    [/quote


    While we don't know that without doing a study but if we are to assume the calorie in calorie out method is correct then the weght loss wouldn't be the same... I guess if anyone reading this that has any experience on anarexia and how fast the weight is lost would pipe in that would be greatly appreciated.

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