Anyone done the HCG diet?

[badblackpug]

HCG is not approved for use as a diet aid. The HCG diet is a very low calorie diet. The HCG part is just a gimmick. HCG has no bioavailabilty if taken orally. Your body will only synthesize the hormone if injected. However, this point is moot as HCG has no bearing on weight loss. It is the super low calorie diet that you eat that makes you lose weight.

 

[rascalmom]

I actually agree with you BadBlackPug. I don't think the HCB has any weight-loss effects on its own at all. What it did for me was allow me to tolerate the very low calorie diet while still feeling great and having energy.

Whether that happens due to HCG's effect on seratonin levels or a placebo effect is debatable. But the fact remains, it did work for me. No way I could have stuck to the plan without the HCG.

 

[babynurse31]

I used HCG to jumpstart my weight loss during a plateau. It was easy to follow & I lost 25 pounds in 23 days. I was able to continue to lose weight using diet & exercise and have lost a total of 140 pounds!! I felt great while taking HCG & would do it again in a headbeat if I hit another plateau. I used homeopathic drops.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

I don't know about it being banned but at work we got a memo from BCBS saying they would not pay for the injections.

Yep, BCBS will not pay. I had to pay out of pocket. I do know you are supposed to eat a high protein diet. The shots were easy to give, and I hate needles. The pills are uppers, so they were fun at first. Was only on it 2 months and DH found out and threw everything away.

 

[surfergirl602]

HCG is not approved for use as a diet aid. The HCG diet is a very low calorie diet. The HCG part is just a gimmick. HCG has no bioavailabilty if taken orally. Your body will only synthesize the hormone if injected. However, this point is moot as HCG has no bearing on weight loss. It is the super low calorie diet that you eat that makes you lose weight.

I have to disagree with you on the gimmick part. I did a control diet.. followed the protocol without the drops for two weeks, and then did it with the drops. I did not lose any weight when I did not take the drops. When I did, I lost up to two pounds a day. I ate the same exact foods each day to replicate.

 

[angwill]

I saw Dr. Oz talk about it and another TV doc. In the end be careful and only do it with a doctors care. They did talk on TV that the drops do not give you enough HCG to make a difference and you will only be losing weight due to calorie intake vs the HCG shots. The reason for the doctor is that such low calorie intake effects muscles and organs. The heart is a muscle. Dr. Oz said it can cause organ failure as well. It was also said that if you have ever had cancer or have cancer in your body you do not know about it can cause the cancer cells to become active again. It would also be dangerous if you have the HCG in your body and end up in the ER and not able to tell them about the HCG. HCG is what is detected in pregnant women so if they detect it then it would effect the care you get. I wouldn't be surprised if health insurance companies come up with a way to refuse payment if HCG is detected in the body and you are not pregnant.

 

[beachcomber]

I can assure anyone that I have no financial stake in the protocol at all. In fact, I have done the protocol through two different doctors, and on my own using homeopathic drops. I can tell you that the HCG DOES do more than just help you through the low calorie diet phase. It actually helps many lose in places that years of dieting and exercising did not help, and the crucial part is the resetting of they hypothalamus to the new set point for your weight....allowing people to maintain (as long as they don't go back to their bad habits). When people cheat during the low calorie stage, or the three week stage following (called stabilization), maintaining the new weight is very difficult.

This is not just a "high protein diet"....how can it be when you are only to eat 200 grams of protein from a VERY limited list each day?

And of course, anyone on this low of a calorie diet will lose weight. That is obvious. What is not obvious is the overall well being of the person doing the protocol. With the HCG, there should be no hunger, no aches/pains, no negative effects to the body and you see weight fall off much differently than if you were to go on a very limited calorie diet without the hormone.

In addition, the amount of the hormone (ESPECIALLY IF YOU USE HOMEOPATHIC) is so minute, that it generally will not show up in a pregnancy test in an ER or your "tinkle on a stick" home test. It is safe for men to use.

There is also a difference between sublingual prescription drops and homeopathic drops that a previous poster didn't mention. When Dr. Oz discussed it, he specifically was referring to the homeopathic. Prescription strength drops do work as well as subq shots with weight loss and the other benefits of using the hormone. I will say, having done both, that I prefer the shots.

With all of that being said, I do recommend STRONGLY going through a doctor. And if you would choose not to, that you would have a check up prior, and ask for blood tests to be done.

(MickeySP, I'll try again)

 

[SaraJayne]

HCG is not approved for use as a diet aid. The HCG diet is a very low calorie diet. The HCG part is just a gimmick. HCG has no bioavailabilty if taken orally. Your body will only synthesize the hormone if injected. However, this point is moot as HCG has no bearing on weight loss. It is the super low calorie diet that you eat that makes you lose weight.

I agree with you, which is why I decided against doing HCG when I discussed it with Beachcomber.

 

[kt_mom]

I did the HCG diet last fall from Sept through early November or so with a break in October for several weeks before and during our Disney trip. I lost 30pounds.

I chose to do the homeopathic drops and had no problems with the diet or hunger when following the protocol. The biggest thing for me was that the diet is very boring. I also hate water and was addicted to sodas so that was a transition. I also had to learn to actually drink coffee and not a little coffe with my cream and sugar.

For the most part I have kept the weight off since then. I gained about 5 pounds on our recent beach trip but I had definitely over indulged all week.

I'm attempting to start another round today actually. Hopefully it will go well. Summer is a really bad time to start a diet for me, just too many temptations but we'll see how it goes.


I would be glad to answer any questions that anyone has either in this thread or by PM. Just let me know.

 

[beachcomber]

Dr. Oz is replaying his show today. It's worth watching if you're thinking about it. And after this show aired, I believe he did a round, as did his wife. His follow up opinion/information is in a current issue of First for Women magazine.

 

[luvsJack]

Ok, this is coming from someone who has lost and gained 100's of pounds and who is currently trying to lose.

The fact of someone losing the weight and then gaining it all back goes to show that this is not something that you can do from now on.

Most anything "works" to lose weight. Even the cabbage soup diet "works", its the % of people who keep it off after they have lost that tells you if a plan is really successful.


I have never even inquired about this plan, but a friend of mine did awhile back. 500 calories a day was all she was allowed. How is that remotely healthy??

If you look at the plan and don't immediatly think "I can do this from now on" chances are you won't and that will tell you that the weight is not going to stay off.

 

[beachcomber]

Ok, this is coming from someone who has lost and gained 100's of pounds and who is currently trying to lose.

The fact of someone losing the weight and then gaining it all back goes to show that this is not something that you can do from now on.

Most anything "works" to lose weight. Even the cabbage soup diet "works", its the % of people who keep it off after they have lost that tells you if a plan is really successful.


I have never even inquired about this plan, but a friend of mine did awhile back. 500 calories a day was all she was allowed. How is that remotely healthy??

If you look at the plan and don't immediatly think "I can do this from now on" chances are you won't and that will tell you that the weight is not going to stay off.

I agree! Any weight loss plan that someone embarks on should be fully researched and committed to....especially the "long term" aspects. If you don't change your mindset and your habits for the long term, NOTHING will work.

On it's face, it sounds weird. Which is why I spent at least 6 weeks researching it before trying it. Please know that you don't live on that low calorie amount the rest of your life! Again, even if you're not interested for yourself, the best way to start learning about THIS protocol is to read the original manuscript (for free, everywhere on line) is Dr. Simeon's Pounds and Inches. And, again, talk to a doctor. More and more are recognizing this as a legit way to lose weight....not just doctors that offer it as part of their practice.

Personally, I went from a size 12 pushing into a 14, to a comfortable size 2 or 4 (depending on brand), and have kept it off for almost 2 years. I have had a couple friends regain weight that have attempted it, but they were major cheaters during the two critical phases. And both will admit that, and do not blame the protocol at all for their bad choices.

 

[Magic Mom]

Ok, this is coming from someone who has lost and gained 100's of pounds and who is currently trying to lose.

The fact of someone losing the weight and then gaining it all back goes to show that this is not something that you can do from now on.

Most anything "works" to lose weight. Even the cabbage soup diet "works", its the % of people who keep it off after they have lost that tells you if a plan is really successful.


I have never even inquired about this plan, but a friend of mine did awhile back. 500 calories a day was all she was allowed. How is that remotely healthy??

If you look at the plan and don't immediatly think "I can do this from now on" chances are you won't and that will tell you that the weight is not going to stay off.

It's not intended to be a life long eating plan. The low calorie diet is very short term, then you transition gradually to a healthy long term diet with exercise. The low calorie portion is just intended for weight loss, in order to maintain you have to incorporate healthy eating just like any other diet plan.

 

[luvsJack]

I agree! Any weight loss plan that someone embarks on should be fully researched and committed to....especially the "long term" aspects. If you don't change your mindset and your habits for the long term, NOTHING will work.

On it's face, it sounds weird. Which is why I spent at least 6 weeks researching it before trying it. Please know that you don't live on that low calorie amount the rest of your life! Again, even if you're not interested for yourself, the best way to start learning about THIS protocol is to read the original manuscript (for free, everywhere on line) is Dr. Simeon's Pounds and Inches. And, again, talk to a doctor. More and more are recognizing this as a legit way to lose weight....not just doctors that offer it as part of their practice.

Personally, I went from a size 12 pushing into a 14, to a comfortable size 2 or 4 (depending on brand), and have kept it off for almost 2 years. I have had a couple friends regain weight that have attempted it, but they were major cheaters during the two critical phases. And both will admit that, and do not blame the protocol at all for their bad choices.

Its great that it seems to have worked for you! I do think that everyone has to realize that what works for some will not work for them.

I went from a size 20 to a size 6 on Slim Fast. It really worked well. But when I needed to start eating "real" food, I started gaining it back and now I am right back where I started. Was it the fault of Slim Fast? No. Can I say "it doesn't work"? No, it does work. But, you have to learn how to eat healthy and that is the hardest part.

I am back on track but this time, I am planning to START with learning to eat correctly.

It's not intended to be a life long eating plan. The low calorie diet is very short term, then you transition gradually to a healthy long term diet with exercise. The low calorie portion is just intended for weight loss, in order to maintain you have to incorporate healthy eating just like any other diet plan.[/QUOTE]

That is the thing that everyone (ME included) needs to learn. There is no magic cure. You have to learn how to eat healthy.

 

[beachcomber]

Its great that it seems to have worked for you! I do think that everyone has to realize that what works for some will not work for them.

I went from a size 20 to a size 6 on Slim Fast. It really worked well. But when I needed to start eating "real" food, I started gaining it back and now I am right back where I started. Was it the fault of Slim Fast? No. Can I say "it doesn't work"? No, it does work. But, you have to learn how to eat healthy and that is the hardest part.

I am back on track but this time, I am planning to START with learning to eat correctly.

It's not intended to be a life long eating plan. The low calorie diet is very short term, then you transition gradually to a healthy long term diet with exercise. The low calorie portion is just intended for weight loss, in order to maintain you have to incorporate healthy eating just like any other diet plan.[/QUOTE]

That is the thing that everyone (ME included) needs to learn. There is no magic cure. You have to learn how to eat healthy.

EXACTLY! That's the key for anything to work long term. If you think of it as something to do short term to drop weight fast....while planning to go back to be a Junk Food Junkie...well, nothing will work.

And this is not for everyone. If you can't commit, if you build in excuses or plans for cheating...you've sunk yourself before you've started. I feel the same about any plan. I totally worked the system with WW Points (I was doing that previously, along with a personal trainer twice a week AND at least two sessions a week of Pilates Reformer). But not when I did the old WW plan with selections (and plain old walking), hard to figure out how to eat a whole bag of M&Ms and fit it into your plan.

I think, as a society, we like to make excuses or justify our eating habits. I know I do it. We want the instant gratification, and don't want to admit it.

 

[surfergirl602]

Junk food actually makes me sick now if I eat it. blah.

 

[beachcomber]

Junk food actually makes me sick now if I eat it. blah.

Me too! No more even eating a half a pint of Ben & Jerry's. I truly can do "just" the actual serving size or smaller! And I notice right away if I've gone up a few pounds. Part of it is just the daily awareness.

 

[surfergirl602]

Me too! No more even eating a half a pint of Ben & Jerry's. I truly can do "just" the actual serving size or smaller! And I notice right away if I've gone up a few pounds. Part of it is just the daily awareness.

Now that's I've lost my fat, I'm toning up with Beachbody. LOL Yay for a new me!

 

[beachcomber]

Now that's I've lost my fat, I'm toning up with Beachbody. LOL Yay for a new me!

Woohoo!!!!