hcg diet?

I am just curious. Who has thoughts or experience with the hcg diet? Good or bad, let's hear it.

Threads on HCG get closed here. It's not considered a viable way to lose weight safely.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I LOVE ME SOME PREGNANT LADY PEE!!!!! DERICIOUS!

Dangerous, a waste of money, a scam.

It's just the VLCD that causes weightloss. The HCG does nothing. The only thing HCG will succesfully help you lose is money.

Not all reviews are negative!


http://www.weightshop.net/documents/Bryman HCG Article.pdf

I am just curious. Who has thoughts or experience with the hcg diet? Good or bad, let's hear it.

I just checked your profile and it shows you've already lost 39 lbs and only have 36 left to go, and I believe it said you're a runner? It sounds like you're already doing really great already, I would recommend to just keep at it and continue losing weight in a steady, healthy way. The HCG 'plan' basically has you using either injections or drops that have not actually been proven to help in weightloss in any way, and then it requires you to eat only 500 calories per day. People think the HCG is making them lose weight, but in reality the extremely low calorie diet is making them lose weight. 500 calories is so low that people on the HCG 'diet' are encouraged to NOT exercise b/c they really don't have the energy to spare. Do you want to have to give up running to do this 'diet'? Some people that do it think it's all wonderful and amazing b/c they drop weight so quickly, but keep in mind when you lose weight TOO fast you are likely to lose a larger amount of muscle, not just the fat you want to lose, but MUSCLE, which can have a negative impact on your metabolism and make it harder to keep the 'weight' off when you are done. 500 calories is about the amount that a person suffering from anorexia might eat. It's very difficult to get in adequate nutrition on such a low amount, and consequently some people experience nasty side effects such as hair loss, mood swings, etc.

Some people do feel that very low calorie diets are an okay way for morbidly obese people to get a jumpstart on their weight, but I would never suggest it for anyone that is already active and is not facing immediate danger to their health due to the huge amount of weight they need to lose. Anybody who's dr. isn't saying 'you need to lose a LOT of weight RIGHT NOW' should really be going about things in the healthy, moderate way that MFP suggests. It is healthier and more sustainable to do things the moderate way.

If you feel like you're stuck in a plateau and looking for a way to break it, and that's what led you to ask about it, there are other, safer, effective ways to break out of plateaus. You can try zig-zagging your calorie intake, or try sticking to your deficit 90% of the time but then doing a 'spike' or high-calorie day (sounds crazy but it totally works IME), changing up your diet in terms of the amount of carbs/fat/protein just to mix things up, or changing your workout routine so that you are challenging your body in new ways, rather than just doing what it has become accustomed to doing.

Teagin - you started out with quite a lot of weight to lose - just wanted to point out that I did qualify in my answer that it might be okay for people who have a LOT of weight to lose. I just honestly do not feel it's a good option for people that are not starting out with a lot of weight or people that are already exercising and progressing well on their own. I am happy for your success (and blown away by your before/after pics that you post sometimes) but this lady has already lost 39 lbs on her own and only has 36 left to go, I just don't feel it's necessary for her to start eating 500 calories per day to continue to progress.

What i want to know is how easy is it to purchase is it not illegal in most countries without prescription?? and in that case it would only be available to men with infertility issues??

40lbs down. It saved me. Prepping for my next half marathon. I did my research. It's not for everyone.

I don't think it's a good thing for the majority of the planet... I think anything that makes a man have a positive pregnancy test is dangerous... What's wrong with good old fashioned calorie counting and exercise? It may not be glamorous or instant but it works!

Teagin - you started out with quite a lot of weight to lose - just wanted to point out that I did qualify in my answer that it might be okay for people who have a LOT of weight to lose. I just honestly do not feel it's a good option for people that are not starting out with a lot of weight or people that are already exercising and progressing well on their own. I am happy for your success (and blown away by your before/after pics that you post sometimes) but this lady has already lost 39 lbs on her own and only has 36 left to go, I just don't feel it's necessary for her to start eating 500 calories per day to continue to progress.

Thank you for your kind words :flowerforyou:

My response is more of calm down people it is not evil and will not consume all good in the world :laugh:
Just do your research and find what works for you.
Personally I used it as an alternative to weight loss surgery. It is very strict and I never did any cheats at all, this is how I got the results I did. If you have other options, or are not disciplined enough to follow a diet plan like you have a medical condition and what you are doing is the antidote then it's not for you!
I see so many people doing cheats and eating foods that are not on the list and then not eating enough cals after they are off. This is detrimental to their long-term success and is why it is best to be followed under the supervision of a doctor.

Good luck luv, and again if you have other options I wouldn't recommend it, it is just too hard.
I think that is why I push myself so hard now to stay healthy. I never want to go through that again

Ah right see i thought it was the injections that you would be using, i do use hcg but i use it for what it was made for.

I have heard that there's a higher calorie version, but if you are a runner and go the low cal route you cannot exercise like you do currently. In fact, they recommend almost no exercise at all.

As for the ability to obtain it there are still clinics offering the injections. My in-laws use one.

OP if you want an unbiased opinion of the diet as someone who watched a lot of people do it feel free to IM me.

I had some cat pee this morning with my daily dose of crack.

YUMMY :drinker:

HCG is definitely not for everyone! It is a quick way to drop a lot of pounds but you have to follow the plan it gives you for after the diet. I did it for a year off and on. I lost weight and always gained it back. Even when I followed the after plan. It has given several women I know a severe hormone imbalance. It also is proven to take a way your sex drive, and long after the diet. I don't recommend it if you already exercise and eat right. You will starve in the first week. It made me really irritable that first week and late into the evenings. If you are in a hurry to lose weight for an event or something like that it will work, but go back to your regular plan you have now after it. You have to remember if you choose to do it you will lose weight but I really don't think it can be healthy for a person to lose weight that fast. Good luck I hope this helps!

It'll work, I've seen it work. My family has tried it (over, and over and over). It didn't work due to the HCG (it's simply a very expensive placebo), but due to the dangerously low calorie intake. You'll definitely lose the weight, but you'll also lose muscle mass, and your energy. You'll also gain a significant amount of that weight back after the diet is over, and there's nothing you can do about it. You're body will latch on to everything you feed it after being deprived for so long.

It's not worth it. Save your money. Do it the right way. You didn't gain the weight overnight, don't try to lose it overnight!