Has anyone tried the HCG diet without the hcg?

[babygirlie]

It's a cycled 500 calorie a day diet or so right? Don't get me wrong, I definately think pregnancy stops weight gain somehow especially in the breastfeeding part.. but just wondering... anyone doing it without the hcg? and what were your results and how do they compare with people taking the injections/pills?

[Sharlla]

without the hcg you would starve and lose muscle. you would not be burning thousands of calories a day. anorexic people do it. they end up dying from cardiac arrest or totally messing up their bodies for life.

and I always gain a ton of weight during pregnancy but then again I always eat too much crap when pregnant too.

[Zevy]

it works because it is low cal, not because of the hcg. The hcg actually does nothing...its based on pseudoscience.

It isn't healthy. And most people fail because they can't stand to eat that low cal and end up bingeing. Moderation is a better tactic.

[SuburbanHippie]

If you did a 500 calorie diet without hcg, your body would go into starvation mode and your body would cling to the weight it has. This is why when you're in phase 3, you need to up your caloric intake to at least 1600 calories to make sure you don't gain any of the weight back that you lost.

The hcg triggers your body to burn the abnormal fat instead of the fat each cell needs to survive. You can literally watch the fat melt off your frame. When your body has lost all abnormal fat, your body will not lose anymore weight. You would then go into phase 3 for maintenance and phase 4 is back to normal, moderate eating.

[mary3mama]

Yep, what Sharla and SuburbanHippie said...500 calories a day would be dangerous without the addition of hcg.

I can say from experience that the hcg variety I am taking works for my body. I cannot speak for any other products nor for any body other than my own...but in that limited situation, it is effective, not based on pseudoscience and not a hoax.

I would never try the 500 calorie diet without the hcg. Not only would you induce starvation mode...and dizziness, weakness, general malaise...you would not lose weight. The body hoards calories and makes more fat in that situation. It does not lose.

The hcg absolutely is working for me. I have lost 19 lbs in 19 days without feeling weak or dizzy or anything other than healthy and energetic.

[greenmagick]

My doctor recommended this diet to me. Its the one the office recommends. Its called the HCG diet because it uses hcg...without it, it is just starvationt
The science behind it makes sense to me...I know early in both pregnancies I lost weight...only time in my life I was able to. Otherwise I constantly gain regardless of what I do.

On here I have seen several people slamming it as psuedoscience or that it doesnt work..but obviously it has worked pretty well for a lot of people. My doctor recommends it because of the success other clients have had with it. It, like anything, is not going to work for all. Part of that is likely because of people who try it without researching it first. On some of the forums for it I have seen people do all kinds of off protocol things and be confused as to why it didnt work...well, thats WHY there is a protocol. Its not just a cycle 500 calorie diet with hcg...there are specific foods and phases.

I dont know, I guess homeopathy and some herbs even are called psuedoscience....I know they work and am happy with them. I am not a person who ignores science but I do realize it is fallible...we cant always find out the whys and hows...we are just not that advanced.

[ambereva]

Originally Posted by babygirlie

It's a cycled 500 calorie a day diet or so right? Don't get me wrong, I definately think pregnancy stops weight gain somehow especially in the breastfeeding part.. but just wondering... anyone doing it without the hcg? and what were your results and how do they compare with people taking the injections/pills?

Lots of people try it all the time, it's more commonly known as starvation. Even with the HCG, your body is still starving.

[greenmom4]

There's a lot of anecdotal evidence that suggests the hcg protocol is not starvation. I'm a testament to that. HCG causes the loss of abnormal fat, not structural fat or lean body mass. I've lost inches on my bust, waist and hips but I don't look gaunt or malnourished and I have plenty of strength and energy. Obviously this is a controversial thing, but I think it's worthwhile to mention (again) that hcg isn't just an appetite suppressant that allows you to eat a really low amt of calories. That said, I wouldn't just follow a 500 cal diet without the hcg. Doing so would mean your body would cannibalize your lean body mass and wreak havoc on your metabolism.

[mary3mama]

Originally Posted by ambereva

Even with the HCG, your body is still starving.

Nope. It's not.

[ambereva]

Originally Posted by mary3mama

Nope. It's not.

yeah, it is. Starvation isn't just about calories, it's about nutrients too. There's no possible way a human being can meet their nutrient requirements on 500 calories a day. And vitamin supplements just don't cut it.

[SuburbanHippie]

.

[mary3mama]

Originally Posted by ambereva

yeah, it is. Starvation isn't just about calories, it's about nutrients too. There's no possible way a human being can meet their nutrient requirements on 500 calories a day. And vitamin supplements just don't cut it.

I respectfully suggest a person learn more about the hcg protocol before judging it.

One's body is not expected to get all the nutrients it needs from 500 calories a day on the protocol. That is all explained in the literature.

It works, at least for some of us, very, very well and without starvation or malnutrition or anything negative.

peace,

[Sharlla]

Originally Posted by ambereva

lots of people try it all the time, it's more commonly known as starvation. Even with the hcg, your body is still starving.

lol

[Ruthiegirl]

I have done hcg and the low calorie diet with amazing results. The hcg is essential.

I don't get all the slams...this program has been a life saver for me. I have lost nearly 30 pounds, feel terrific and am certainly not starving myself. Works for me.

[Panserbjorne]

it's interesting, the assertion that most people fail because they can't hack it. Especially since there are threads here full of lots of people who are doing/have done it and done really well. I haven't noticed anyone who started it drop off or say that it wasn't working or that they just couldn't stick to the diet. Yes, there are sometimes transgressions, but that's life. Thing is that most that have "cheated" don't like the way it felt and get right back on it. What I said found is that I couldn't find testimonials from folks that did it to the letter and had negative experiences. I haven't seen anyone post that it's a bad idea because they tried it and it messed them up. Everyone who's done it (the way it was meant to be done) has glowing reports.

I'd also say that every food you eat on protocol is nutrient dense, real food. The same can't be said for most diets. No crazy bars, snacks, points you can use up eating pizza or cake...just real food. No sugar, no starch, nothing refined to leech nutrients. Just FOOD. *And* it's for a very finite period of time. You don't go for months at a clip. But again, it's all explained in the literature.

To each their own!

[chiromamma]

First of all, I want to say I empathize with folks who are obese and desperate to to lose weight. I devour the stories of men and women who lose 50, 100, 200 or more pounds! The courage and determination to stick to a long term goal like losing 200 pounds is remarkable to me.

However, the use of human chorionic gonadotropin as a weight loss drug just BLOWS my mind. People do not become overweight or obese because they have an insufficient amount of hcg in their system. It's not like having a thyroid issue and needing to supplement with thyroid hormones or nutrients that support the thyroid.
Hcg has no place in the non-pregnant body.

The origins of using HCG to decrease body fat are in the steroid body building scene...not exactly a healthy scene. It's all about short term "benefits" with no regard for long term effects or health, for that matter.

I have read lots of hcg literature including the much lauded and very poorly written Pounds and Inches.
The terminology is quite the same as steroid terminology...stacking, etc.
HCG is also completely uncontrolled. Just like with early body building steroid use, most doctors, trainers, best friends are flying by the seat of their pants with this program.
Since this drug is being used for an unintended purpose, there is no official protocol for its use with weight loss. Anyone can claim their protocol is the right one. Anyone can claim that their hcg product is the purest too.
Again, no control whatsoever. Also, no liability should someone become ill or injured using this product.

HCG was originally used to counter act the "shrinkage" that occurs from long term steroid use. When men take HCG, it increases their testosterone, hopefully reversing said shrinkage. The increase in testosterone also increases muscle mass and decreases body fat.

So sure, it's more than the 500 calorie diet, which, by the way, is preceded by gorging yourself for 3 days.

I am so concerned about the eventual fallout, health-wise that will likely occur as more and more folks use this for weight-loss. You just can't mess around with hormones and not have negative effects. We've seen the sad effects of long term steroid use in body builders and athletes. For many years, HRT was the life saver for women in menopause. Then a large, long term study showed how much it was increasing the risk of heart attacks in women. Now HRT is approached very cautiously.

Not so long ago, trainers and best friends were recommending ephedrine for weight loss support with some very tragic results. But hey, the lady was skinny when she died of that heart attack!

I think the popularity of this dubious weight loss regimen is a result of the desperation folks feel when they think they are out of control of their bodies combined with the the rampant need for immediate results/gratification that is so prevalent in our society....the ideal environment for snake oil sales people.

[chiromamma]

Originally Posted by greenmom4

There's a lot of anecdotal evidence that suggests the hcg protocol is not starvation. I'm a testament to that. HCG causes the loss of abnormal fat, not structural fat or lean body mass. I've lost inches on my bust, waist and hips but I don't look gaunt or malnourished and I have plenty of strength and energy. Obviously this is a controversial thing, but I think it's worthwhile to mention (again) that hcg isn't just an appetite suppressant that allows you to eat a really low amt of calories. That said, I wouldn't just follow a 500 cal diet without the hcg. Doing so would mean your body would cannibalize your lean body mass and wreak havoc on your metabolism.

Forgive me...but these terms "abnormal fat" and "structural fat" are terms made up by the creators of this diet.
All excess fat is abnormal. Once there's an abundance of fat, it accumulates around the heart, liver, and other organs. There is no specific way to reduce that fat other than a reasonable decrease in caloric intake and an awesome increase in caloric output.
As a scientist and holistic practitioner, this diet just drives me nuts.