HCG Diet

[showurhorns]

Has anyone tried homeopathic Hcg? My mom started injectable HCG diet 6 weeks ago and has lost 35lbs. I was very skeptical as 500 calorie diet sounded dangerous. I researched Dr. Siemons Pounds and Inches Hcg Diet and it has some compelling evidence of working. I don't think I would normally try such a drastic diet, but I have about 75lbs to lose and exercise and diet just doesn't do it. Believe or not I eat healthy and stay active. I am considering Homeopathic HCG diet to get to close to ideal weight and maintain through exercise.

For me a quick loss will help me stay motivated. One reason for wanting such a quick lose is I want to start running again. I can't run with much weight.

[SimplyRochelle]

No advice, but I've been curious about this too. I also have about 75lbs to lose and despite exercising 5 times a week and eating well, it is barely dropping off. A co-worker of mine lost about 50lbs on it over like 3 months. I'd love to hear of other's experiences.

[SpottedFoxx]

It is the biggest scam. Seriously - just eat 500 calories a day and you'll lose at the same rate as some one being injected with Hcg. By the way - when you restrict to 500 calories and then go back to a healthy level, you'll gain everything back (and it usually brings along some friends).

There is no magic pill.

Less calories in (a healthy number - not 500) + more calories out = weight loss.

Rochelle - when you say you are eating healthy what does that mean? Are you tracking what you are eating? Try using a website like sparkpeople to track the amount of calories you are eating. Also, if you are eating a lot of diet foods (or processed foods) it can inhibit your weight loss.

[showurhorns]

SpottedFox- I hear what you saying about 500 calories then gaining it back. My goal is a quick weight lost to help w/ a jump start to get back to running. I have been walking 5 times a week for 1 1/2 hrs each. I have noticed the energy increase and more stamina but the weight is just stagnant. I can not run at this weight. The weight came on after 6 years of infertility treatments and 6 miscarriages. I am sure hormones and stress was the cause.

I defiantly do not feel as HCg diet a cure/miracle pill. I just need a jumpstart to be able up my cardio so I can start losing in a healthier environment.
I am tracking what I eat, Where my downfall is I don't eat .My friends all ways comment on it, they think I should weigh nothing if you go by what I eat. I have cut out all sugars and bad carbs.
I did start the Hcg diet yesterday out desperation. I can not handle being this weight any longer. I have already lost 2.6 lbs. I know it probably water weight. Like I said I do not plan for this diet to be a cure all but just some motivation/jump start to a more healthier lifestyle. Although cardio is discourage as it promotes hunger. I have continued w/ pilates and walking.

[Sharlla]

Originally Posted by SpottedFoxx

It is the biggest scam. Seriously - just eat 500 calories a day and you'll lose at the same rate as some one being injected with Hcg. By the way - when you restrict to 500 calories and then go back to a healthy level, you'll gain everything back (and it usually brings along some friends).

There is no magic pill.

Less calories in (a healthy number - not 500) + more calories out = weight loss.

Rochelle - when you say you are eating healthy what does that mean? Are you tracking what you are eating? Try using a website like sparkpeople to track the amount of calories you are eating. Also, if you are eating a lot of diet foods (or processed foods) it can inhibit your weight loss.

not a scam. i cant go into it as im on my palm but read up on the science bhind why it works with hcg. this is not a crash diet and its eating healthy whole foods. woulnt you liketo lose a lb a day of excess fat (not structal fat o muscle) a day, all the whileeating healthy, never hungry, and having a ton of energy and then keeping it off after you are done?
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[showurhorns]

Sharlia- I do not feel like it is scam either. I have done the research behind it. I do feel like after the protcol it is important to maintian it with the whole foods and excercise. In otherwards can get off and go eat McD' s and sit on the sofa and expect to keep it off. My mom was off the HCG and was eating 1200 calories and lost 10 more pounds before starting her 2nd round. I gave my mom alot of grief about this diet when she started it because I believe she wasn't doing enough before trying it. She didn't eat well and did not excersice. But as I saw the weight drop off her so quickly I got curious. Did the research and feel good about my decsion. Now I think mom fell for the typical diet clinic crap. I do feel like she will gain it back if she doesn't start an healthier attitude once she reaches her goal.

[Drummer's Wife]

No, it's not a scam and no, it's not the same as eating 500 calories a day w/o HCG - that is more along the lines of starving yourself, and would amount to losing muscle before fat.

Unless one has done the research, read and understood the original protocol - I don't think it's fair to write it off as a fad diet or scam. It's not a quick fix - it's a lifestyle change. The stricter part of the diet only lasts 3-6 weeks, depending on how long of a round you do, and is not unhealthy for your average person who has some weight to lose.

Here's a link that includes a PDF for Dr. Simeons Pounds and Inches.

It's not for everyone, but for some people - it's one of the only things that really works to lose at least the initial weight and reset their hypothalamus.

[sapphire_chan]

Do you have to deliberately reduce your caloric intake, or do you just end up eating less because of the HCG?

[Sharlla]

you have to eat 500 cals. basically 200 grams lean protein, 2 servings of fruit, 5-6 serving of veggies and 2 melba toast a day. might not sound like much but if you had 2 smoothie and 2 huge plates of salad its really a lot.
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[Panserbjorne]

it works, absolutely, and without question and is not a scam in any way shape or form.

http://www.hcgobesity.org/hcg_obesity_study.htm

You do deliberately reduce your caloric intake and it's very specific in terms of the ratios of what you can eat and which foods.

I can't say enough good things about it. And I agree, if you actually read the science it's hard to refute it. I have done several seminars on it after learning about it and am consistently impressed with what I see. I have helped several people IRL with it as well and am never anything less than delighted by the responses. It is NOT the same as fasting. It is an entirely different mechanism.

[Panserbjorne]

Originally Posted by showurhorns

SpottedFox- I hear what you saying about 500 calories then gaining it back. My goal is a quick weight lost to help w/ a jump start to get back to running. I have been walking 5 times a week for 1 1/2 hrs each. I have noticed the energy increase and more stamina but the weight is just stagnant. I can not run at this weight. The weight came on after 6 years of infertility treatments and 6 miscarriages. I am sure hormones and stress was the cause.

I defiantly do not feel as HCg diet a cure/miracle pill. I just need a jumpstart to be able up my cardio so I can start losing in a healthier environment.
I am tracking what I eat, Where my downfall is I don't eat .My friends all ways comment on it, they think I should weigh nothing if you go by what I eat. I have cut out all sugars and bad carbs.
I did start the Hcg diet yesterday out desperation. I can not handle being this weight any longer. I have already lost 2.6 lbs. I know it probably water weight. Like I said I do not plan for this diet to be a cure all but just some motivation/jump start to a more healthier lifestyle. Although cardio is discourage as it promotes hunger. I have continued w/ pilates and walking.

If you were already engaged in a fitness regimen then it's fine to continue so long as you have the stamina to do so. It's only discouraged that you start a new one.

[Panserbjorne]

Originally Posted by SpottedFoxx

It is the biggest scam. Seriously - just eat 500 calories a day and you'll lose at the same rate as some one being injected with Hcg. By the way - when you restrict to 500 calories and then go back to a healthy level, you'll gain everything back (and it usually brings along some friends).

There is no magic pill.

Less calories in (a healthy number - not 500) + more calories out = weight loss.

Rochelle - when you say you are eating healthy what does that mean? Are you tracking what you are eating? Try using a website like sparkpeople to track the amount of calories you are eating. Also, if you are eating a lot of diet foods (or processed foods) it can inhibit your weight loss.

Just out of curiosity, what would you say to someone who had an impeccable diet free of anything refined including grains, ate small amounts, was extremely active, had great strength, endurance, agility and cardiovascular health, ate an appropriate amount of calories based on their basal metabolic rate and was 85 or so pounds overweight despite not binging, not eating after 7 pm, getting a good amount of rest etc? Have you been there? Have you ever worked with someone (or several someones) closely who have where there were literally no errors in diet or lifestyle and yet the weight did not move? What would you recommend then?

I think it's very easy to judge someone for an issue you do not have. I think that it's important to keep an open mind and look to other people's experiences rather than assuming they're just "not doing it right."

By the way, a double blind study that contradicts your assertion is links a few posts up. They found there was a difference between those on the VLCD vs. those on a VLCD + HCG. Here is part one of the conclusion:

"1. Female obese volunteers participating in a double blind study, and submitted to the administration of an oral presentation of hCG plus a VLCD, decreased specific body circumferences and skinfold thickness from conspicuous body areas more efficiently than Placebo+VLCD -treated subjects.

Since a significant fat proportion from total body fat is subcutaneously located (50 to 65 percent, depending on sex and fat distribution), this hCG metabolic activity would result in a reduction of the total body fat mass, the main cause for obesity. We suggested that the combination of a VLCD and oral hCG could not only trigger clinically significant changes in subcutaneous fat stores but simultaneously decrease body weight and modelate body contour."

I'm not saying it's for everyone. But I do think perhaps reading the actual material before writing it off for others may be prudent.

[SpottedFoxx]

[QUOTE=Panserbjørne;15576466]Just out of curiosity, what would you say to someone who had an impeccable diet free of anything refined including grains, ate small amounts, was extremely active, had great strength, endurance, agility and cardiovascular health, ate an appropriate amount of calories based on their basal metabolic rate and was 85 or so pounds overweight despite not binging, not eating after 7 pm, getting a good amount of rest etc? Have you been there? Have you ever worked with someone (or several someones) closely who have where there were literally no errors in diet or lifestyle and yet the weight did not move? What would you recommend then?

Yes, actually, I have been in that situation as have several of my immediately family and the bottom line was there were two things happening. For me... I thought I was eating healthy. However, when I learned portion control and what healthy really was (not lean cuisines for lunch and dinner every day)... I started to lose weight in a slow and healthy manner.

For my mother and sister, there were medical reasons for their slow weight loss. With intervention, my sister has lost (and kept off) 90lbs and my mother over 200lbs.

I have researched the Hcg diet (as I do every new fad that comes out). I still think it's baloney.

[Panserbjorne]

so you weren't REALLY eating healthy, but when you DID you lost weight. So what if someone already is?

[chiromamma]

Originally Posted by Panserbjørne

Just out of curiosity, what would you say to someone who had an impeccable diet free of anything refined including grains, ate small amounts, was extremely active, had great strength, endurance, agility and cardiovascular health, ate an appropriate amount of calories based on their basal metabolic rate and was 85 or so pounds overweight despite not binging, not eating after 7 pm, getting a good amount of rest etc? Have you been there? Have you ever worked with someone (or several someones) closely who have where there were literally no errors in diet or lifestyle and yet the weight did not move? What would you recommend then?

It sucks when you feel like you're doing everything right and it just doesn't work.

If I were experiencing that type of weight not budging with diet and vigorous exercise, I'd get my thyroid evaluated. Probably have a complete hormone profile done. You can bet there won't be any deficiencies of HCG. I think it's dangerous to put hormones that are produced during pregnancy into a non pregnant body. Will it help with weight loss? Maybe. But in addition to the research supporting HCG/weight loss there is also a myriad of potential negative side effects.

I know a number of people who have tried the HCG. They dropped lots of weight and gained it back in spades once they returned to a normal caloric intake of 1500-1800 calories. This happened even when they increased gradually and incorporated exercise into their plan.

[Panserbjorne]

and if thyroid profiles were normal? Not even any subclinical deviations?

I have seen and spoken to so many people who have done it with success. I just think that an open mind is really necessary. I also think like any diet there are right and wrong ways to approach it.

Some people can experience set points. This does seem to help quite a bit. As I said the seminars I've attended have been quite compelling. I'm just willing to keep a very open mind and I haven't seen anything that leads me to believe it's a "crock." Is it a magic bullet or cure all? NO! It doesn't claim to be from what I've read though. It encourages people to eat clean food, consciously and be accountable for their health for the rest of their lives.

[SpottedFoxx]

Originally Posted by Panserbjørne

so you weren't REALLY eating healthy, but when you DID you lost weight. So what if someone already is?

My point with that was some people think they are eating healthy but they aren't. Also, in my example, I stated my mother and sister were eating a fantastic diet but due to medical conditions were unable to lose the weight. When those conditions were addressed, the weight came off.

OP - I gained my weight due to IF as well. Pumping ourselves up with those hormones did a lot to mess up our metabolism. However, after trying several quick starts (one of which almost put me in the hospital), I found that steady weight loss (1-3lbs a week) is healthy and maintainable. Not just for me but in every MEDICAL study done (not done by the company selling a product), they tell you that in order to lose and maintain weight loss you must change your lifestyle and stick with it.

Every diet works. If you can survive on 500 calories and hcg shots for the rest of your life then maybe this will be your diet. If you can eat nothing but cabbage or grapefruit or soup for the rest of your life, then that would be the way to go.

For me - journeling my food (I use sparkepeople - it's free), eating between 1200-1400 calories a day and exercising keeps my weight down.

[Panserbjorne]

I hear what you are saying and completely respect it. You found that you were not eating healthfully, but the people I work with are-and if they are not they at least KNOW they are not and can be honest about it. When nothing else seems to work this is an option. It's not "the rest of your life" it's three weeks.

As to medical conditions...I have sent people for testing up the wazoo. When nothing comes back, nothing comes back. I'm not saying this is the best diet out there, that it's the only option or that there aren't things that should be done before this. All I'm saying is that in my experience it works, and the people who are vigilant and really engage in behavior modification as the protocol suggest can have excellent results.

What was fascinating to me was that when I started hearing about this diet, which was only within the last year, I started looking for holes. I also began looking for people who had tried it and failed. I spent a few months doing that and the only people *I* found refuting the diet were those that had not tried it. Everyone who DID do it (and post about it, write about it, agreed to be interviewed about it etc. so I guess you could say it was a self selected group) had only great things to say about it, including that it taught them how to eat healthfully and appropriately ie: paying attention to portion control, feeling of satiety, looking for nutrient dense foods and weeding out THEIR problem foods. There are boards and forums and clinics full of people who have lost and kept it off.

Now, you can argue what you want, but if, in the end, all this did was accomplish the things I listed it's an a-ok way to get there. If it does what it says it does, more the better.

Of course it's controversial. Of course it's not conventional. All I'm saying is that I do not personally believe that it is a hoax. Anyone is free to disagree.

[indianagrl]

I too was very skeptical of this diet. My MIL went on it almost a year ago and I thought she was crazy! But after I watched her drop from a size 12 to a size 4 and keep it off for more than six months I started researching it more. My doctor started prescribing rx amounts of hcg along with a group class and individual consultations so I thought I would try. I am only on day six, but have lost almost five pounds without feeling hungry at all. What I am really noticing is that it is changing my outlook towards food. I'm really paying attention to my body's signals more..."am I actually hungry? or just thirsty? or just am accustomed to having popcorn when I watch tv?"

The other thing I am interested in is that my doctor said there is evidence that low doses of hcg will up progesterone while decreasing estrogen. As someone who has been dealing with infertility for almost two years, this sounds great to me! My test results at the infertility doc almost always come back with low progesterone and high estrogen & testosterone (but not enough to diagnose anything, my numbers are always borderline...including thyroid and insulin resistance).

I would really like to see how others are doing on this? My energy is through the roof! And like I said, it is really changing the way I look at food. Anyone else?

[Panserbjorne]

Originally Posted by indianagrl

What I am really noticing is that it is changing my outlook towards food. I'm really paying attention to my body's signals more..."am I actually hungry? or just thirsty? or just am accustomed to having popcorn when I watch tv?"

The other thing I am interested in is that my doctor said there is evidence that low doses of hcg will up progesterone while decreasing estrogen. As someone who has been dealing with infertility for almost two years, this sounds great to me! My test results at the infertility doc almost always come back with low progesterone and high estrogen & testosterone (but not enough to diagnose anything, my numbers are always borderline...including thyroid and insulin resistance).

This is exactly what I was referring to. I think it's great. I have a few people doing this right now (as I said) and one is down 19 pounds in 16 days. She looks great. She has found that where as she used to have trouble getting out of bed she is awake and alert in the morning and ready to go. She feels more comfortable, is happier and happy with the change in relationship to food.

Another person I know has chosen to do it and is having the same experience. Last I heard she was down 8 pounds in 5 days. Day three was hard (which it often is for everyone-in theory that's the day you've exhausted your supply of fat from loading days and convert to mobilizing abnormal fat) but once that was over things were excellent again.

I don't know...still have not heard a negative story yet. And I've seen quite a few people IRL do it. As I stated before I don't think the effects will be lasting if you don't modify behavior-but that's part of the protocol. Like most other things if you want to do it, you need to commit to it in it's entirety to yield the results promised.