Has anyone tried HCG?

arykh4778
arykh4778 Posts: 6 Member
edited October 12 in Introduce Yourself
I am undecided if I will try hcg (again) until I found this website. I have NEVER counted calories in my life and my goal was 1200 today and I bombed. Trying to do low carb 30g or less and 1200 but was starving and ate more like 1500 for day #1. Slightly frustrated and thinking that hcg would be easier. Any advice would be so appreciated. I need to lose 20 and soon.
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Replies

  • megsalla80
    megsalla80 Posts: 10 Member
    doing hcg now... you're definitely hungry eating 500 calories. i'm not really sure what the drops do exactly... if u can tough it out for 4 weeks or so then try hcg again.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    yea i totally love drinking pregnant lady pee!
    just a warning - this thread will get locked. they dont allow promotion of unhealthy diets
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,380 Member
    1500 is really not bad. It's quite possible that you could still lose weight at that level. If you have set your profile to 'lose 2 lbs per week' try going in and changing it to 'lose 1 lb per week'. Your daily calorie number will be a little higher and might feel more manageable, and you will not be starving and will still lose weight. OR you can incorporate exercise into your day and log it here on MFP, which allows you to eat a bit more than your normal daily goal. If you exercise and burn off 500 calories, your daily goal gets raised to 1700 for that day - you can choose to eat all, part, or none of those 'extra' calories, it's up to you. Personally I eat most of my 'exercise calories', it helps keep me satisfied with the volume of food I get to eat PLUS I still lose weight at the rate I requested to lose. It may not work exactly that way for everyone, it takes a bit of trial and error, but it is worth a try to see if it works for you. Definitely healthier to exercise and eat a bit more than to eat only 500 calories per day.

    Also, please don't take offense at this b/c it is an honest question - if you are starving at 1200 and unable to stick to that, what makes you think HCG and 500 per day is a good idea for you? The HCG topic is actually quite taboo here, it is not really supported by the site administrators b/c it is so controversial. Even the FDA has said that the over-the-counter drops are not effective and do not do anything they claim to do. There are some people here on the site that have done it previously, some are quite happy with their results but others had awful side-effects from the super low calories and gained the weight back. It's not something I would personlly recommend for someone who only has 20 lbs to lose, you can do that with a moderate caloric deficit, with or without exercise.
  • Becca_007
    Becca_007 Posts: 596 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/345321-forum-rules-please-read-before-posting

    3. No Promotion of Unsafe Weight-Loss Techniques or Eating Disorders
    a) Posts intended to promote potentially unsafe or controversial weight loss products or procedures, including non-medically prescribed supplements or MLM products will be removed without warning.
  • kktigger72
    kktigger72 Posts: 1 Member
    Are you referring to the HCG drops? If so, a good friend of mine is using them and she told me she can only have 500 calories a day!!!! In my opinion, as soon as you go back up to regular calories per day and stop the drops you're going to gain all of the weight back. By learning to count your calories and exercising more you will change your lifestyle and it will be something you can stick with!!!! Good luck!
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    HCG is now illegal (in all but injectible form) and has been proven to be ineffective for weight loss. What causes you to drop weight is the extremely limited calorie intake they put you on, not the drops.

    It's really important to remember that you didn't gain weight overnight, so don't expect that you can drop it all and keep it off overnight also.

    There are a lot of folks on here who lost a significant amount of weight eating 1500-1600 calories per day (or much more) and doing exercise. They did it, and so can you.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    brb, grabbing some popcorn
  • sassylilmama
    sassylilmama Posts: 1,493 Member
    Thread gone in 3...2..1
  • marylouise123
    marylouise123 Posts: 127 Member
    I never tried it.. But I did read up on it & there is suppose to be a diet to follow with it & the calorie intake is really low.. I know this is hard.. But just set your goals & realize that you have to be realistic with those.. I have over 100 pounds to lose & I know I have a long road to go.. This is a lifestyle change & not a diet.. I just joined MFP a week ago & I love it.. Logging the food really helps me to keep on track. HCG might help some people.. But I always think of that stuff as a quick fix to a longterm problem.. To each his own I guess.. Just take it day by day... Some days are better than others.. There are a lot of nice people on here & some are very supportive.. That helps me alot.. I had a bad day yesterday & I made it thru without cheating once... That was a major feat for me.. So good luck & I hope you reach your goals...
  • mogadad
    mogadad Posts: 41 Member
    Take your time. I think 1200, which is borderline starvation is probably too low. Kick it to 1400 and allow yourself time to get your body used to it. I let the site set my goals in all categories except cholesterol which I over rode because of my health problems.
  • arykh4778
    arykh4778 Posts: 6 Member
    Thank you, I agree HCG is really not the natural way to go. I really want to lose 2-3lbs a week but need some advice as to WHAT diet to actually do. Weight watchers doesn't work for me since I tend to eat all my points in not so great things. I guess I will stick this out for a full week and see if I can get some results. Let me know what works best for you all. Thanks for the advice, God knows it need it...ha.
  • Dtho5159
    Dtho5159 Posts: 1,054 Member
    Im surprised its still here....
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    The HCG diet itself is dangerous. 500 Calories a day cannot be maintained to a human without there being a massive detriment of energy within your body.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    Thank you, I agree HCG is really not the natural way to go. I really want to lose 2-3lbs a week but need some advice as to WHAT diet to actually do. Weight watchers doesn't work for me since I tend to eat all my points in not so great things. I guess I will stick this out for a full week and see if I can get some results. Let me know what works best for you all. Thanks for the advice, God knows it need it...ha.

    2-3 lbs per week is unrealistic, quite frankly.

    You're better off learning to be less aggressive with your diet ambitions and go for 1-1.5 lbs per week.
  • hsk1019
    hsk1019 Posts: 235 Member
    Are you referring to the HCG drops? If so, a good friend of mine is using them and she told me she can only have 500 calories a day!!!! In my opinion, as soon as you go back up to regular calories per day and stop the drops you're going to gain all of the weight back. By learning to count your calories and exercising more you will change your lifestyle and it will be something you can stick with!!!! Good luck!

    Totally agree with this. Make a lifestyle change, don't take a pill.
  • NZGYMCHICK
    NZGYMCHICK Posts: 10
    I'm doing it. I've done it before. It's fine and it works. I'm never hungry. 2 meat/protein serves per day plus vegetables and strawberries and an apple, tea and coffee... It is especially nice if you are gluten free and don't eat breads, pastas, etc. There are soooo many hidden calories in sauces and sweets. I eat very healthily but of course it is not for everyone. As soon as I cut out all sweets and alcohol everything got easier. I have a weakness for cheese/dairy products so that in moderation. But there's nothing wrong with something that will help "kick start" your weight loss. 4.5 kg (10 lbs) in two weeks... and the next 10 kg (22lbs) I plan to take off a bit slower but I will be at my goal by mid-March. : )
  • jessicagrimwood
    jessicagrimwood Posts: 15
    My aunt, cousin and mom did it and lost weight but another one of my aunts was doing it and it made her liver enzymes go up...not good.
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
    If you cant stick too 1200 how are you going to stick to 500?
  • bcampbell54
    bcampbell54 Posts: 932 Member
    brb, grabbing some popcorn
    I'm with you
  • skirtinthedirt
    skirtinthedirt Posts: 12 Member
    I may have missed it but......

    Are you exercising as well as dieting? Are you able to exercise? If you really want to lose a bunch of weight and keep it off and not yoyo around based on food intake incorporating exercise into your plan is really the only way to do it.

    Also, if you have a good exercise plan in place, you don't have to agonize over every little calorie, as long as your normal diet is reasonable, which is nice.
  • NZGYMCHICK
    NZGYMCHICK Posts: 10
    Nah, not true. The human body can survive on a lot less for a lot longer than 3 weeks. 3 weeks on a low-cal diet is nothing. Everyone I know who has tried this raves about it. And it is certainly healthier than fake detoxes or the "lemon detox" diet which people actually still do. I think people need to realize that a portion size of protein is 3.5 oz NOT 16 oz....
  • greekbellydancer
    greekbellydancer Posts: 22
    i did the HCG injections last year....yes, i lost weight.....but, what do u think will happen when u eat only 500 calories a day??? LOL
    but, of course, once u go back to eating "normally" ....like, over 1,200 calories, u will gain whatever u lost....
    unfortunately, there are no easy fixes.....it's a lifestyle change......we all need to learn WHAT to eat and HOW MUCH and learn that when we surround ourself with knowledge and supporting people, we can do what it takes to be successful in our weightloss challenges!
    just take the time to read about the success stories here and u will see that NONE of them were successful overnite! :-)
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
    I am undecided if I will try hcg (again) until I found this website. I have NEVER counted calories in my life and my goal was 1200 today and I bombed. Trying to do low carb 30g or less and 1200 but was starving and ate more like 1500 for day #1. Slightly frustrated and thinking that hcg would be easier. Any advice would be so appreciated. I need to lose 20 and soon.

    I looked at HGC myself and decided against it.
    Here's why

    1) It's a starvation diet. They will get you results but not for long. You won't often find people who do this kind of diet that keep the weight off.
    2) The side effects are horrible. You lose hair, have no energy etc...
    3) It's not the HGC that causes you to lose weight. Most of the people on HGC deny this fact. That's the scariest thing. The person who created the diet wrote something called 'Pounds and Inches'. It states in there it is not the HGC that causes the weight loss but the calorie deficit. If the people that promote it don't even know this it's not a good place to start.

    You're better off losing slowly. You're more likely to keep it off in the long run.
  • Jenatini
    Jenatini Posts: 1
    I tried the HCG without drops (tho the drops are suppose to, I'm told, help starve off your hunger). The ONLY thing I like about this diet is that you eat delicious fruits and veggies and lean meats (which is what you're suppose to eat) and it's proportioned (since we all can a tendency to overeat) but it's only 500 calories a DAY! Which isn't much and you're body needs more. I lost 5 pounds. What it did for me was help turn my unhealthy eating habits back around so that I'm now back to eating healthier meals instead of eating salty, fatty foods. And now that I'm eating healthier and have increased my calories to 1200, I'm also exercising which is something that isn't recommended during that diet. It's way better to change your eating habits.. cut out all sugar and salt and add more exercise to get that heart pumping!
  • pammiekay68
    pammiekay68 Posts: 16 Member
    I was told if you were doing the HCG, you were still supposed to eat a maximum of 1200. The weight loss staff told me that 500 isnt enough and is very unhealthy. Just do 1200 and incoorporate exercise into your routine.
  • hopingforhealthy
    hopingforhealthy Posts: 26
    yea i totally love drinking pregnant lady pee!
    just a warning - this thread will get locked. they dont allow promotion of unhealthy diets

    <3

    hcg is downright dangerous.

    OF COURSE you lose weight eating 500 calories. And probably your hair. And bladder control.
  • Bells5001
    Bells5001 Posts: 75 Member
    M friend tries it lot weight and now gained it all back.....if you want to loose weight eat 1200 cal per day and exercise. Try to reduce "white" carbs and eat lots of veggies :-)....it's slow and steady no quick fixes will keep pounds off.



    Good luck!
  • twentycent
    twentycent Posts: 5
    HORRIBLE IDEA!!! Simply regulating you diet and a small amount regular exercise works for everyone (if it doesn't your either overestimating your caloric needs or you have a metabolic disorder i.e. Thyroid problem or the like. In that case your doctor can run tests and medicate you accordingly). HCG and the like are as bad in my view as amphetamines and steroids if your doctor hasn't suggested it there's a reason why.
  • melonsss
    melonsss Posts: 144 Member
    in my opinion healthy eating and treats in moderation lead to successful and sustainable weight loss. I think aitkens, Dukan, south beach diets ect are fads and should be treated like so. good luck
  • Nikkiray32
    Nikkiray32 Posts: 123
    From personal experience I would never recommend doing the HCG diet. I had HORRIBLE side effects. I had headaches that would last all day long into the night. I would wake up out of a deep sleep from hunger pains ( as if I was I was a person from a starving nation). I started bleeding in between my periods. Some days I didn't have the energy to clean the apartment. After doing dishes and vacuuming I felt like I ran a marathon. The only thing HCG does is keep you from shaking and passing out. Oh, and when my cycle was comming and I would get the munchies, I would feel like my stomach was eatting itself from the low calorie intake.
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