HCG Diet

bookin01
bookin01 Posts: 19
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone tried the HCG Diet?
My Dr is really pushing me to try it and I have expressed how I feel about it.
I have lost 10 lbs in one month making that 30 lbs total within 4.5 months.
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Replies

  • mcelledge
    mcelledge Posts: 68 Member
    sounds like you are doing good why do you need HCG?
  • christibam
    christibam Posts: 478 Member
    This girl I know did it and she went from being 180 to 130 in a year. I don't know what her eating habits were though so I don't know if it was the HCG or something else. Personally, I wouldn't try it. There's something about accomplishing it through sheer will power that makes the weight loss journey even more fulfilling.
  • aj_gettingfit
    aj_gettingfit Posts: 257
    A lady at my work tried it for a while. She did lose weight but had to stop because she had other medical issues getting in the way. I know her doctor really pushed for her to do it too. I guess a lot of medical staff are starting to do it. All I know is you can't have more than 500 calories a day.

    Sounds like you are doing great on your own. I think I'd stick with it and see how it turns out before trying HCG.
  • melhayes1115
    melhayes1115 Posts: 187 Member
    I honestly can't believe any doctor would recommend that diet. It's sounds so unsafe. You are doing so well on your own, why change what you're doing?
  • SpaceMarkus
    SpaceMarkus Posts: 651
    If your Dr. is pushing something like that, find a new Doctor. There's not a damn thing healthy about it.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    Has anyone tried the HCG Diet?
    My Dr is really pushing me to try it and I have expressed how I feel about it.
    I have lost 10 lbs in one month making that 30 lbs total within 4.5 months.
    Your doctor is a quack. It's a marketing ploy to make extra money. I'd switch doctors if that's his stance.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    <--- lost more than 100 pounds in a year eating nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks in sensible portions, drinking plenty of water, and exercising regularly. (sensible portions add up to more than 1200 calories fyi)

    Oh, and I didn't have to swallow or inject any pregnant lady pee in the process.

    Bottom line? Skip HCG and any other fad diet and just focus on being healthy for a lifetime by (I feel like a broken record sometimes) eating nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks in sensible portions, drinking plenty of water, and exercising regularly. (and be patient - you didn't put it all on in a month, you can't expect it to come off in a month)
  • Elibasia
    Elibasia Posts: 211 Member
    I did this diet (with the drops not the inyections) and it was hell hard. 500cals is to little food and I was starved all the time. I kept taking the HCG drops and added more calories to my diet and stopped losing the pounds. For me the hunger was not worth it.
  • cessnaholly
    cessnaholly Posts: 780 Member
    Sounds like you are doing well the way you are going. Why is your doctor pushing HGC?
  • malindaja
    malindaja Posts: 29
    A gal my hubby works for does it. She eats 500 calories a day and takes a pill. She has lost 30lbs in 4 weeks. Part of me is super jealous. Then the other part is like... Hey lady, want to try bootcamp with me?! :)
  • jyow01
    jyow01 Posts: 123 Member
    I had a friend that did this she did lose weight but as soon as she stopped taking the HCG she put it all back on. I'm not sure if it is something that can be a true life change. Sounds like your doing great on your own but you have to go with how you feel don't let anyone push you into doing something you don't want to do.
  • amymoore728
    amymoore728 Posts: 72
    I have a friend that tried it and tried to work out as well... those things don't go together. You can't eat only 500 calories a day and still have energy to exercise. She loves exercise so she stopped HCG and continued her journey the healthy, normal way.
  • Rose_Oh
    Rose_Oh Posts: 41 Member
    My niece tried that diet but found it very difficult to stay on the 500 calorie requirement. She said she was literally starving all the time. She is now on WW and doing well.
  • joeylu
    joeylu Posts: 208 Member
    I think its a quick fix. You will gain the weight back as soon as you start eating again. You will be placed on a 500 cal diet plus injecting yourself with human growth hormones.
  • AdrienneKaren
    AdrienneKaren Posts: 168 Member
    I can't believe a doctor is recommending that. As someone who suffered from hormonal imbalances for years, I learned that they are NOT something you want to mess with. Your body doesn't need the HCG hormone when you're not pregnant and if you're pregnant, you shouldn't be trying to lose weight. Also, on the HCG diet, you're only supposed to consume 500 calories per day. With that kind of restriction, your body will lose a drastic amount of weight but it will not be getting enough nutrients and will quickly go into starvation mode. As soon as you go off the diet, your weight will rebound and it will be all for nothing. The only surefire way to lose weight and stay healthy is by eating well and exercising. It's not the fastest way, but it's the healthiest.
  • millionsofpeaches
    millionsofpeaches Posts: 372
    30 lbs in 4.5 months sounds awesome! Keep up what you are doing... That is how healthy people loose weight.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    This girl I know did it and she went from being 180 to 130 in a year. I don't know what her eating habits were though so I don't know if it was the HCG or something else. Personally, I wouldn't try it. There's something about accomplishing it through sheer will power that makes the weight loss journey even more fulfilling.

    HCG is a 500 cal (starvation diet) while taking pregnancy hormones. No doctor should be recommending this, maybe he gets kick backs from the company that provided HCG.

    OP you are doing great on your own stick with it and MFP and you will have lasting healthy results. People on HCG can end up losing almost as much muscle as the do fat, with diet and exercise you will burn much more fat then muscle.
  • MarySunshine70
    MarySunshine70 Posts: 118
    We have a fitness business in our town that does HGC. They always post before and after pics of their clients.
    All the after pics show that it does work.... of course it works, having 600 cal a day will make anyone lose weight!!!!
    Here's what I've seen ... Two years late the men look great - like their after pics. The women look even bigger than their before pics.
    I don't know if it's that the women are eating for emotional reasons and therefore can't maintain a lifestyle change or what....
  • Elibasia
    Elibasia Posts: 211 Member
    If your Dr. is pushing something like that, find a new Doctor. There's not a damn thing healthy about it.
    I totally agree:noway:
  • rileymama
    rileymama Posts: 196 Member
    Sounds like you are doing well the way you are going. Why is your doctor pushing HGC?

    I agree!!
  • gc2052
    gc2052 Posts: 183
    Is there an eating plan to go with the HCG. I tried the over the counter HCG and regular eating habits which are OK. Lost NO weight. It is suppose to suppress your appetite? Not mine. Have found nothing but will power that can supress my appetite.
  • dustidawn
    dustidawn Posts: 18 Member
    Like most of the people who have commented, I don't think it's a good idea. I also have had a couple friends do it and they do lose weight but I'm not sure if it's the HCG or that they are only eating 500 A DAY! That's not healthy at all! Also, like some have said, my friends gained all the weight back once they stopped. I can't believe any good doctor would recommend it....
  • tonyacoursey
    tonyacoursey Posts: 404 Member
    I did the HCG diet back in 1997. It does work and I ate 1500 calories a day. I kept it off for 7 years and then slowly started putting it back on. Reason for gain.....laziness and complacency. While I am not using it at the moment, I have found it to be beneficial if you have a medical professional helping you.
  • Pookylou
    Pookylou Posts: 988 Member
    Is there an eating plan to go with the HCG. I tried the over the counter HCG and regular eating habits which are OK. Lost NO weight. It is suppose to suppress your appetite? Not mine. Have found nothing but will power that can supress my appetite.

    500 calories a day.......... :noway:
  • aclark6818
    aclark6818 Posts: 209 Member
    sounds like you are doing good why do you need HCG?

    You may need a second opinion. Looks like you're making great progress!
    :flowerforyou:
  • Sl1ghtly
    Sl1ghtly Posts: 855 Member
    Is there an eating plan to go with the HCG. I tried the over the counter HCG and regular eating habits which are OK. Lost NO weight. It is suppose to suppress your appetite? Not mine. Have found nothing but will power that can supress my appetite.

    It's more like a 'no eating plan'.

    Also, not losing weight when using the urine with a normal diet says something about the quakery of it all...
  • mangozulu
    mangozulu Posts: 90 Member
    You are doing well with your own methods, why would you switch? The Doc must be getting kick backs from the purveyor. I'm a nutrition/dietetics student currently and have been studying Anatomy and Physiology for the past two semesters. The endocrine system is immensely complex. Altering any hormone level needs to be considered very carefully. Is your Doc a specialist in endocrinology? Also, apparently, the HCG diet is not exactly getting a big thumbs up from academia.

    Quote : "The controversy proceeds from warnings by the Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that hCG is neither safe nor effective as a weight-loss aid.

    A meta analysis found that studies supporting hCG for weight loss were of poor methodological quality and concluded that "there is no scientific evidence that HCG is effective in the treatment of obesity; it does not bring about weight-loss or fat-redistribution, nor does it reduce hunger or induce a feeling of well-being"."
  • rmdemattia
    rmdemattia Posts: 26
    It's not just a blanket 500 cals per day. Its a restricted diet where you can only have certain foods. You don't count the calories, you are just supposed to stick to the eating plan that comes with it.
    I am currently trying it and I have lost 6 lbs in 6 days. I am doing this diet in conjunction with a trainer who is very familiar with the diet.
    The first couple days I was hungry, but the point of the HCG is to suppress your appetite and use your stored body fat for energy. So the HCG is tricking your body into using your fat for the calories it needs, instead of you eating those calories.
  • christibam
    christibam Posts: 478 Member
    This girl I know did it and she went from being 180 to 130 in a year. I don't know what her eating habits were though so I don't know if it was the HCG or something else. Personally, I wouldn't try it. There's something about accomplishing it through sheer will power that makes the weight loss journey even more fulfilling.

    HCG is a 500 cal (starvation diet) while taking pregnancy hormones. No doctor should be recommending this, maybe he gets kick backs from the company that provided HCG.


    Oh Christ. LOL I was wondering why she said once that a plate of food I was eating which had wheat toast with peanut butter, greek yogurt, ONE strawberry and egg whites with spinach had "too many crabs and starches." (Yes, she made a typo and said crabs instead of carbs. I'm keeping it that way because it's funny to me)

    That sounds horrible. :\
  • Sl1ghtly
    Sl1ghtly Posts: 855 Member
    It's not just a blanket 500 cals per day. Its a restricted diet where you can only have certain foods. You don't count the calories, you are just supposed to stick to the eating plan that comes with it.
    I am currently trying it and I have lost 6 lbs in 6 days. I am doing this diet in conjunction with a trainer who is very familiar with the diet.
    The first couple days I was hungry, but the point of the HCG is to suppress your appetite and use your stored body fat for energy. So the HCG is tricking your body into using your fat for the calories it needs, instead of you eating those calories.

    I believe the extremely low amount of calories is why your body uses stored fat, not the hcg. In fact, hcg has never been proven to do anything other than make quick cash for some quack.
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