HCG

My only experience has been reading the threads about it here, and the general consensus is that it isn't healthy and most people gain back the weight they lose.

The majority of people on this site are losing weight through eating properly and exercising, and that seems to work quite well. Why not try this approach first?

My boyfriend works with a few folks that are on that horrible diet. the 500 cal/day goal is SO unhealthy.. he said that the hcg'ers we're very moody, and complained often times of feeling weak. He also said that their general appearance started to fade too.. probably from lack of nourishment... Hope this helps =]

I did it for a about 3 weeks and I was miserable! I was always hungry and moody! I tried it becasue several people I work with did it and lost weight (i work at a hospital) but only a couple people kept it off (they had less than 20lbs to lose) everyone else gained the weight back and the doctors heavily critized the diet...

This is a much better way, excecise and log your food for a couple weeks and give it a try! I felt amazing in my first week

I am probably the only person you will hear on this board talk somewhat positively about hcg. I lost 50 pounds doing the hcg protocol 2 years ago and have kept the weight off. Was it easy. NO! It took a lot of hard work, planning and disciplne to follow that diets. I had mild side effects compared to a lot of people. I have heard some horrible stories about people losing their hair and being very sick. I had mild fatigue, moodiness and heavy periods while using hcg. I will tell you right now if you have little will power don't even attempt to use hcg. Eating 500 calories a day is very difficult. I ate chicken, shrimp and lettuce for a year. I probably would not have done this diet but I was very heavy and suffering from bad knee and back pain. I was contemplating having a lap band done and decided to try hcg after hearing someone else talk about it. I am glad I did it because it started me on a road of losing the weight that I needed to get rid of. Now I refuse to use hcg. The side effects are difficult to deal with and I find my life much more enjoyable eating healthy and exercising. BTW, I lost the weight so fast on the hcg that I now have some very saggy skin on my body that I can not get rid of.

I did the injections. It seems like people that do the injections do better than those that do the drops. There is a lot of information on the internet about hcg but the best information I have found is from a group on sparkpeople.com. And the Prinster book (red cover) that is sold on Amazon.

Hope this helps you in your decision.

I just finished day 14 of a 21 day round. I have lost over 9 pounds in 14 days. I am doing the drops opposed to the injections or pellets that are available and if I could go back and do it again, I would choose the pellets over the drops. Injections are not even an option to me because the thought of a needle makes me sick. I was considering doing another round in January ( because I will be in phase 4 during the holidays and you can introduce starches and sugars slowly back in to your diet at that point ) but my husband asked me~ just tonight ~ to finish this 21 days and not do it again. It is a difficult plan to follow just like any other diet. Atkins is difficult and even more restricted in the fruits and veggies area in my opinion and I am big on protein, fruits and veggies. My husband and I both love to workout , as well, and on the HCG, you cannot do much more than a brisk walk during the day. I miss my treadmill and my Zumba... A LOT! As far as losing weight, that is a great bonus to the HCG but I will say this..... if you plan to start it, you need to be ready to finish it to the end or YOU WILL gain all your weight back. This is not a get skinny quick thing that you can go back to your old habits after losing. I knew that going in to this and I have every intention of following this through to the end and continue my journey to my weight loss goal. My personal opinion of the diet....I think that it is an awesome opportunity for immobile individuals that cannot walk due to their weight. There are lots of obese people out there that get this HCG through their primary care physician and are watched closely to lose weight. To me, I feel like if you can get the HCG prescribed by your doctor, the good must outweigh the bad ....and you do hear bad experiences....I am not denying that...I have read them too, but I have also seen so many success stories, as well. I watched just the other day where a doctor HIMSELF did the HCG and he swears by it and has maintained his weight for years. I have also seen where two people were in the I.C.U. from it because they had a negative reaction to it because of a sugar issue. Would I suggest this diet to one of MY family members....probably not. ONLY because I would never forgive myself if they lost the weight and then gained it back if they did not follow through. That is the major thing with the HCG. That is why you have people that have done the HCG and said they gained their weight back and I notice that the ones that own up to their weight gain will be big enough to tell you that they went back to their old eating habits. Then again, we are all here for a life change, right? So, if you get to your goal weight and quit logging your foods and go back to eating the way you use to, you will gain that weight back too... no different then the HCG. It is just real important with the HCG that you follow it to be successful. I am looking forward to getting back to my regular dieting and exercising, but I don't regret my HCG decision for a second. It has taught me so many things about food choices and I am experiencing first hand what it is like to function without the nasty sugars and starches that I always depended on to run in my day. I hope this helps.

I haven't done it but I can't because my Breast Cancer was hormone-receptor-positive.

But I know 4 people (friends) that did it 2 both lost 20 - 30 lbs
the other 40 lbs and the last one lost 18 lbs but when she stopped she went back in to menopause and got very depressed and ended up on Anti Depressants.

I think you are going to get positive and negative feedback from both sides, just depending on the expierence the person had.

Thanks, everyone!

By the way, for those of you suggesting I "try diet and exercise" first. While I appreciate your opinions, you can't seriously think that I haven't already tried that.....repeatedly.

:-D

*looks at ticker below*

118 lbs lost.

diet and exercise.

and a whole lot of sweat, guts and determination....


I'm not even going to bother to give my opinion on HCG.

Here we go again.

Good for you. However, I'm not you. I'm also not suggesting that HCG is the "end all be all". It's more of a last resort type thing.

Just to clarify, I was asking about HCG experience, so I could make an informed decision - not the opinion of people who haven't had any experience with it.

Why are you not me?

You don't think that I came down to looking for last resorts when I was 286 lbs? You don't think that I too looked to this kind of 'lifestyle' for a quick fix?

All I'm trying to say is that this doesn't have to be the last resort for you, you're only 31 - make healthy changes in your life, eat at a moderate caloric deficit and shake your butt...its not hard. You don't have to starve yourself on 500 calories a day, you can enjoy your life. Don't punish your body, feed it, train it enjoy what your body can do.

Thats all I am saying.

Good for you. However, I'm not you. I'm also not suggesting that HCG is the "end all be all". It's more of a last resort type thing.

Just to clarify, I was asking about HCG experience, so I could make an informed decision - not the opinion of people who haven't had any experience with it.

Why is it required that I 'try it' before commenting?

If you've had trouble losing with diet and exercise, have you consulted a doctor to rule out things such as PCOS and/or thyroid issues? I've heard that people with PCOS get better results on low carb diets, for whatever reason. Just throwing this out there because HCG is a really bad idea. Do the research for yourself, you'll see(and don't take marketing information as fact).

*shoots self in head* Just don't do it! Bad news bears

Please read this topic:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/338789-looking-for-peeps-who-did-hcg-diet-with-bad-results

This article:
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/diet/articles/2011/03/14/hcg-diet-dangers-is-fast-weight-loss-worth-the-risk

And the following Blog.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MrsCon40/view/hcg-a-handy-reply-to-the-multitude-of-quick-fix-seekers-148860

You should try Alli instead. Much funnier, er um, better results.

If you didn't have the willpower to follow a simple eat less exercise more "routine", what makes you think you will be able to stick to the HCG?