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Opinions on HCG diet?

owlgirlowlgirl member
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in Getting in Shape
Hello all...
My sister has been doing the HCG diet (homeopathic drops -- NOT injections) since January and has lost more than 40 pounds.  She says she feels great -- a lot of energy -- and does not feel hungry. 
I'm skeptical, and have tried doing some research online.  Generally, I'll find websites/posts that either rave about it... or websites/articles that are ambivalent about it -- they don't praise it, but aren't really critical of it either.
Has anyone tried it?  Know anything about it, good or bad?

Thanks!
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Re: Opinions on HCG diet?

  • MarriedInAFeverMarriedInAFever member
    First Comment
    You should be skeptical. Eating less than 500 calories a day is not safe and definitely not the way to sustainable weight loss.

    The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat within a healthy calorie range, track your calories and exercise.

    Check out this article:

    http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/07/hcg-diet-look-elsewhere-for-weight-loss/
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  • owlgirlowlgirl member
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    Well, that was my thought in reading about it... I mean... yeah... if you eat so few calories, you're bound to lose... but I've also read that 500 calories a day is not enough really for sustaining body/brain power!  I just wanted to make sure I wasn't misreading the essence of the diet somehow.  Thanks!
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  • MarriedInAFeverMarriedInAFever member
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    You're exactly right. 500 calories is just not enough to do... anything. I've done crash diets before where I wasn't eating enough calories and I was so very, very tired all the time. Who wants to be like that? It's not worth it and then you'll just gain it back.

    You obviously have the right idea. Those kinds of diets can be tempting, but they are NOT worth it. Try counting your calories through TheDailyPlate.com or SparkPeople.com. Or join Weight Watchers. Those are all great programs.

    Thanks about the sig pic! Wait until you need Nebb's, you'll drool! Tongue out
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  • TurtlesAllTheWayDownTurtlesAllTheWayDown member
    First Comment Combo Breaker First Anniversary
    Honestly? I've lost about 30 pounds since January. I probably could have lost more without my affinity for beer and mexican food. People come here bragging sometimes about how they lose, on average, about 2 pounds a week on this diet. Which you can do with regular diet and excercise.

    Not to mention, what happens when you go off the diet and you haven't learned to 1) work out and build muscle and 2) correct the diet behaviors that made you gain weight in the first place? You'll pack it right back on.

    The girls on this board are great. We encourage healthy lifestyle changes!
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  • loving2011loving2011 member
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    The idea of eating so few calories scares me! Why would anyone do something so ridiculous? 


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  • cat1121cat1121
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    I have lost 20lbs on this diet, using homeopathic drops.

    Honestly, your sister is going to give you a better idea of how it goes.

    You have to read Pounds and Inches to really understand how it works. It lists the reasons and the science of why you can eat 500 calories (it's because HCG releases abnormal fat, not the fat around your kidneys, etc, which is the dangerous one to lose).

    For more support, check out Pounds and Inches and the Happily Thinner After site.

    Also read what Christiane Northrup says about it in Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom.

    Here is the thing about HCG. You lose weight fast. It's great. But once you go off the 500 cal phase, you eat low starch, low sugar to maintain the weight loss.

    HCG doesn't deal with your emotional issues. It doesn't deal with when you grab that extra ice cream because you're pissed at your father, etc. All of that is still there and it's easy to gain it all back if you aren't dealing with that too.

    I also suggest reading Women, Food and God. It's profound.
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  • cac847cac847
    First Comment
    There is no such thing as "abnormal fat."  How you burn excess fat is determined genetically, and your body will NOT burn the visceral fat necessary to protect your internal organs unless you are severely underweight and malnourished and have entirely used up the rest of your fat stores. There is absolutely no scientific evidence that hCG protects against this anyway, or aids in weight loss at all. 500 calories a day is nowhere near enough to maintain normal brain or body function, and consuming that few calories over an extended period of time carries the risk of low blood pressure, electrolyte disturbances, heart palpitations, hypoglycemia, fainting, tremors, and malnourishment. The difference between drops and injections really doesn't matter. The hormone is the same no matter how it gets into the body, and the long-term effects of taking when not pregnant and not as a fertility drug are unknown. Losing weight through balanced diet and exercise is the safer and better option.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hcg-diet/AN02091
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  • mjjlaw2001mjjlaw2001 member
    First Comment
    I agree with 500 calories being dangerous.  If I go below 1000 I am lightheaded and 1000 calories is dangerous.  A woman should never go below 1200 calories because most women need at least that many for their body to function normally on daily basis. It takes calories for the body to get up, walk around, go to work, cook food, etc. and if you take in less than that,you will feel sluggish and tired and not able to do anything.  
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  • raynesraynes member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    In addition to all the things MarriedInAFever and cac847 posted, the absurb popularity of this diet is creating a shorted of hcg for women that actually need the drug for fertility purposes.  Do you really want to be the person to take that away from someone trying to have a baby?

    OP, it seems like you've got your head screwed on straight, and can see that this is not the way to go.  Stick around, because there are many here who can offer real, helpful advice.  It might not be "quick" or "easy" but if weight loss was either of those things, wouldn't everyone be thin?
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