HCG diet

[Aerogal]

Just wanted to share - Don't know if any of you have heard of this, but it requires taking daily shots of Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) for 21 or 40 days, weekly B12 shots and very restrictive 500 cal diet. My sister did it and wanted me too as well, but I needed to be ready for it- mentally and financially. I was determined to get to 200lbs before starting. In the meantime I researched and read up on the Dr Simeon protocol (developed in the 1950's). HCG is from pregnant womens' urine (now you know what they did with all cups you filled) and it literally causes your system to use your abnormal fat (the layers on your belly, thighs, arms et..) as energy.
I just did a 40 day course under Dr supervision and have lost 29lbs (most people would lose about 35 but i have a messed up thyroid). No exercise except for a 1/2 hour walk is allowed (because of the limited cal - it's enough for you to be healthy). I feel great, had no issues (no headaches, blood sugar or blood pressure issues). I'm extremely happy with the results, considering I was lucky to lose 1 lb every 2 weeks on my own.

Don't let the 500 cal fool you, it's 2 servings of very lean protein, certain veg & fruit (an apple must be one of the fruit) and one melba toast or grissini (skinny breadstick) everyday. Today I had seaoned grilled chicken, tomato with dill and a tsp of balsimic vinegar, apple, bread stick, poached cod with cajun seasoning, spinach, orange and a second grisini. I feel full.
Now that I'm thru I begin a 1400 cal a day diet and I need to maintain my weight for 2 weeks so my body understands that I'm not starving and weighing less is ok.

And after 6 weeks off I'm doing it again to lose the last 20 lbs or what ever I have left after losing on my own again

 

[sockgirl77]

I've heard about this diet. I really need to go on a diet. But I am neither mentally or financially ready for this one.

 

[rack'm]

Any diet that restricts your caloric intake to 500 calories a day can't be healthy for you.

 

[Aerogal]

This diet is based on science and if anyone attempts it without the proper dosage and support will not only fail but will be so starved as to eat to excess. It is healthy for the time you are on the program (no more than 21 or 40 days). The extra calories you need for energy and body function is coming from the excess fat on your body. You don't lose the fat needed between your muscles or anything. And you don't lose muscle!
It works and HCG is FDA approved - but the protocol must be followed. There are sites that claim to sell HCG, but there is always those sources that don't actually give you the correct dosage or it is inferior product from China or India. It's expensive around here cause only one DR in the area provides the program and insurance won't cover it (but they'll pay for gastric bypass - a terrible thing to do to yourself). Any doctor COULD do this for you, if you can convince them that you would be successful (and yes - you do have to be vigilant - no cheats!).

 

[Roman]

This diet is based on science and if anyone attempts it without the proper dosage and support will not only fail but will be so starved as to eat to excess. It is healthy for the time you are on the program (no more than 21 or 40 days). The extra calories you need for energy and body function is coming from the excess fat on your body. You don't lose the fat needed between your muscles or anything. And you don't lose muscle!
It works and HCG is FDA approved - but the protocol must be followed. There are sites that claim to sell HCG, but there is always those sources that don't actually give you the correct dosage or it is inferior product from China or India. It's expensive around here cause only one DR in the area provides the program and insurance won't cover it (but they'll pay for gastric bypass - a terrible thing to do to yourself). Any doctor COULD do this for you, if you can convince them that you would be successful (and yes - you do have to be vigilant - no cheats!).

Happy to hear of your achievement, but with any weight loss, you have to watch your Gall Bladder. It can act up on you in a heart beat. I've never heard of this diet before, so I am a little leary of it. Thanks for sharing though.

 

[Nickel]

Any diet that restricts your caloric intake to 500 calories a day can't be healthy for you.

That was my thought. Restricting exercise because you're willingly starving yourself should raise a huge red flag.

HCG Diet Dangers: Is Fast Weight Loss Worth the Risk? - MSN Health & Fitness - Healthy Living

Exactly why the hCG diet is experiencing a revival now is unclear, but the hype has sparked a response from the FDA. In January, the agency warned that homeopathic hCG is fraudulent and illegal when sold for weight-loss purposes. Though the FDA said such products aren't necessarily dangerous, their sale is deceptive, since there's no good evidence they're effective for weight loss. What's more, all hCG products, including injections prescribed by a doctor, must carry a warning stating there's no proof they accelerate weight loss, redistribute fat, or numb the hunger and discomfort typical of a low-calorie diet.

Doesn't sound like it's FDA approved for weight loss to me.

And nearly 10 years earlier, a report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal stated hCG has "no value" as a means of managing obesity, and that the diet has been "thoroughly discredited and thus rejected by the majority of the medical community."

It's not healthy to starve yourself. Please be careful.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

It's not healthy to starve yourself. Please be careful.

There is a lot of bad information on this "diet." I think it was Dr Oz who did a segment on it -- pretty scary. Ladies were having all sorts of physical complications from this hormone. I always worry about side effects down the road from ingesting chemicals into our bodies.

There are plenty of healthier ways to lose weight. You just have to be committed to it and work hard at it.

 

[libertytyranny]

Any diet that restricts your caloric intake to 500 calories a day can't be healthy for you.

Actually, there is evidence that severely restricted calories can make you live longer and make you healthier into old age. now, of course, that would have to be a life choice to continue on restricted calories forever..a couple weeks of doing it won't have such a benefit.
Restricted calories must be extremely nutritional, though. An apple and a melba toast don't really sound super nutritional. I watch a docu about a guy who lives his life this way and his meals are very specific and mostly filled with greens and specific fruits/veggies/protein.

 

[Nickel]

Actually, there is evidence that severely restricted calories can make you live longer and make you healthier into old age. now, of course, that would have to be a life choice to continue on restricted calories forever..a couple weeks of doing it won't have such a benefit.
Restricted calories must be extremely nutritional, though. An apple and a melba toast don't really sound super nutritional. I watch a docu about a guy who lives his life this way and his meals are very specific and mostly filled with greens and specific fruits/veggies/protein.

Okay, but what did this guy consider restriction? Around 1200 calories? I have a hard time believing that someone can thrive on 500 calories, no matter how nutritionally dense they are.

 

[SoMDGirl42]

It's expensive around here cause only one DR in the area provides the program and insurance won't cover it (but they'll pay for gastric bypass - a terrible thing to do to yourself). Any doctor COULD do this for you, if you can convince them that you would be successful (and yes - you do have to be vigilant - no cheats!).

I had a friend do this diet, but she lives in Maine. She's lost nearly 100 pounds.

So which doctor around here is the only doctor doing this?

Congrats on your weight loss.

 

[libertytyranny]

Okay, but what did this guy consider restriction? Around 1200 calories? I have a hard time believing that someone can thrive on 500 calories, no matter how nutritionally dense they are.

it's based on a percentage of basal metabolic rate, or something similar. it isn't a set "number" per se. It is nearly impossible to follow I will say that right now .. a couple extra years of life and health just aint worth it to me to not be able to eat

but it does challenge the conventional wisdom that there is a certain amount of calories that you HAVE to have for health and wellbeing. Older folks need less calories to sustain them..and that may be a natural process rather than just being less active like many have hypothesized. But older folks have weaker taste buds, less appetite..it may be for a reason :shrug:

either way, at my age 500 cals would make me feel like crap. but the body is pretty amazing and there is so much we don't know. it adapts to all sorts of conditions we put it in. Free radicals in food have been linked to cellular damage (precurser to cancer) and one hypothesis is that lessening those can extend health..lots of neat stuff.

I don't think short periods of restricted calories is going to kill anyone, it may make it harder to lose weight in the future, though. Personally I think the dramatic weight loss people are having is due to the restricted calories and NOT the hormones. people experience such weight loss on "cleansing" and "detox" diets as well, with no hormones at all. I am not particularly convinced it is healthy to lose weight this way, but in some people who are morbidly obese it is much more dangerous for them to continue to be obese than it is for them to restrict cals.

 

[thurley42]

I think in health and fitness more than any other subject short of politics, you can find conflicting data on everything. More protein is good, more protein is bad....Carbs good, carbs bad...etc, etc, etc.

The fact is everyone is different and our bodies respond to different things. What works for you might not work for me, and vice versa. The only time tested true method is a sound diet and an active lifestyle.

If it works for you, more power to you