If you came to me and said, "Sara, I am only going to eat 500 calories a day," I'd tell you that's not such a great idea. If you then told me, "But I'm going to take a daily injection of HCG too," I think a little red flag would go up in my brain and a siren would go off screaming DANGER!!! And then you might hear me say a few choice words describing whoever came up with this insane diet, and that if they have a medical license it should be revoked.
It's called the HCG Diet. You might be familiar with it. You might even do it. If you do, I beg you to read this, and keep an open mind.
What is HCG? HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) is a hormone, more specifically a hormone present in pregnant women that ensures that the fetus gets enough nutrients regardless of the mother's caloric intake. It does this by using the mother's fat reserves. It is also used to help boys with pituitary problems develop their otherwise underdeveloped genitals.
The guidelines of the HCG Diet, as explained on the Discovery Health website are as follows:
1. Each round of treatment lasts a minimum of 26 days. The first 23 days require a daily injection of HCG.
2. A round of treatment cannot last longer than 40 days, so that the user does not develop an immunity to HCG.
3. Users must restrict their daily calorie intake to 500 calories, but not until after the third shot. The HCG is supposed to eliminate the extreme hunger pangs one would be feeling as they basically starve themselves. However, after reading through certain forums on the subject, most people still felt hunger.
4. Food should be restricted to proteins, with very few carbs and fats. Alcohol is forbidden.
How do people obtain HCG? A lot of people are actually finding doctors to prescribe this to them! So it must be approved by the FDA as a weight-loss aid, right? Wrong. It's approved by the FDA as a fertility drug. Anyone want an even higher risk of getting pregnant? If you are taking birth control at the same time, that's almost a guarantee you're screwing up your body chemistry. Sure, it's safe for pregnant women to take HCG, but that's because they are supposed to have it there in the first place. There are reasons why we have the hormones we do, but let's not get side-tracked.
There are risks, of course: blood clots, headaches, restlessness, depression, not to mention an array of side-effects resembling pregnancy such as swelling, water retention, and breast tenderness. HCG can also cause a potentially life-threatening condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. I've been pregnant. I can't say I was too fond of having feet the size of watermelons. So far, I'm seeing all of these scary risks, and I'm not seeing any risks or nasty side-effects from eating healthy and exercising.
"But, gosh, if it works, I could lose 30 pounds in a month!" Um, yeah, about that... Independent studies showed that there was absolutely no difference in weight loss between the HCG group and the placebo group. Both groups restricted their caloric intake to the 500 outlined in the diet. Also, both groups reported feeling hunger pangs. Gee, imagine actually being hungry with a whopping 500 calories a day! It was concluded by the American Medical Association that HCG was ineffective as a weigh-loss aid, since it did not enhance the effectiveness of the rigid 500-calorie diet. Think about it, if you wouldn't starve yourself to get thin, why would you starve yourself and take ineffective shots of dangerous hormones?
Another thing that scares me about this diet is one of the people behind it. His name is Kevin Trudeau. Ring any bells? This man is one of the biggest frauds on the face of the planet. Apparently the federal government thinks so too, because he's previously been convicted and imprisoned on charges of fraud and larceny. He wrote a book about this diet called The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About, where he describes the plan originally designed by A.T.W Simeons.
Regardless of what results people have seen on this suicide mission er, I mean, diet, they will eventually have to start living a healthy life of eating right and exercising. You can crash diet all you want, but at the end of the day, unless you want to crash diet the rest of your life and live in perpetual hunger, I suggest you learn how to eat right and exercise to maintain your weight loss. It's just not healthy to eat so few calories! Once you stop, you'll gain all your weight back, plus more, because your body has slowed your metabolism to a screeching halt.
What is HCG? HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) is a hormone, more specifically a hormone present in pregnant women that ensures that the fetus gets enough nutrients regardless of the mother's caloric intake. It does this by using the mother's fat reserves. It is also used to help boys with pituitary problems develop their otherwise underdeveloped genitals.
The guidelines of the HCG Diet, as explained on the Discovery Health website are as follows:
1. Each round of treatment lasts a minimum of 26 days. The first 23 days require a daily injection of HCG.
2. A round of treatment cannot last longer than 40 days, so that the user does not develop an immunity to HCG.
3. Users must restrict their daily calorie intake to 500 calories, but not until after the third shot. The HCG is supposed to eliminate the extreme hunger pangs one would be feeling as they basically starve themselves. However, after reading through certain forums on the subject, most people still felt hunger.
4. Food should be restricted to proteins, with very few carbs and fats. Alcohol is forbidden.
How do people obtain HCG? A lot of people are actually finding doctors to prescribe this to them! So it must be approved by the FDA as a weight-loss aid, right? Wrong. It's approved by the FDA as a fertility drug. Anyone want an even higher risk of getting pregnant? If you are taking birth control at the same time, that's almost a guarantee you're screwing up your body chemistry. Sure, it's safe for pregnant women to take HCG, but that's because they are supposed to have it there in the first place. There are reasons why we have the hormones we do, but let's not get side-tracked.
There are risks, of course: blood clots, headaches, restlessness, depression, not to mention an array of side-effects resembling pregnancy such as swelling, water retention, and breast tenderness. HCG can also cause a potentially life-threatening condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. I've been pregnant. I can't say I was too fond of having feet the size of watermelons. So far, I'm seeing all of these scary risks, and I'm not seeing any risks or nasty side-effects from eating healthy and exercising.
"But, gosh, if it works, I could lose 30 pounds in a month!" Um, yeah, about that... Independent studies showed that there was absolutely no difference in weight loss between the HCG group and the placebo group. Both groups restricted their caloric intake to the 500 outlined in the diet. Also, both groups reported feeling hunger pangs. Gee, imagine actually being hungry with a whopping 500 calories a day! It was concluded by the American Medical Association that HCG was ineffective as a weigh-loss aid, since it did not enhance the effectiveness of the rigid 500-calorie diet. Think about it, if you wouldn't starve yourself to get thin, why would you starve yourself and take ineffective shots of dangerous hormones?
Another thing that scares me about this diet is one of the people behind it. His name is Kevin Trudeau. Ring any bells? This man is one of the biggest frauds on the face of the planet. Apparently the federal government thinks so too, because he's previously been convicted and imprisoned on charges of fraud and larceny. He wrote a book about this diet called The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About, where he describes the plan originally designed by A.T.W Simeons.
Regardless of what results people have seen on this suicide mission er, I mean, diet, they will eventually have to start living a healthy life of eating right and exercising. You can crash diet all you want, but at the end of the day, unless you want to crash diet the rest of your life and live in perpetual hunger, I suggest you learn how to eat right and exercise to maintain your weight loss. It's just not healthy to eat so few calories! Once you stop, you'll gain all your weight back, plus more, because your body has slowed your metabolism to a screeching halt.
I know we all want to lose weight quickly, but we shouldn't be trashing our bodies to get the results we want. Slow and steady is the way to go. I feel great everyday because I eat foods that provide me with nutrients and energy. Losing weight can be enjoyable, you just have to find healthy foods you like to eat and exercises you like to do. Remember, if health is your goal, appropriate weight loss will come from it.
That's for sharing this, Sara. I knew a couple girls who did this diet and they looked so horrible... yeah, they lost weight, but they suffered from so many side effects and other consequences for doing this diet. It's terrible!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I think it's really great that you are able to eat healthy and work out and have it work for you. but what about the people that it doesn't work so easily for? I have struggled with my weight my whole life, it has gone up and down and back and forth and I have just about "done it all". My doctor introduced me to this HCG diet and I knew there was a lot of controversy about it. But if you really researched it and if you were a doctor I would think you might have some kind of a claim here. I trust my doctor completely, as he is my father. And I know he would never do anything to harm me. So when he told me that this diet was my last chance before lap band surgery, you better believe I jumped at the chance. (how about you write about the lap band surgery and all of it's risks?) For me it's not just some "fad diet". It goes a lot deeper than that. It's a chance to get my life back. A chance to have a life period! A chance to watch my daughter grow up and live a full happy life. And if it is done properly and under the supervision of a doctor it is a perfectly safe and effective way to lose weight. Do a little more research please and stop freaking out and judging others.
ReplyDeleteThat is what they said about fen-fen which millions of people did and then they found out what it did to the heart. We are always ready for a quick fix rather that trying to just eat healthy and exercise. I lost 108 pounds over 3 years and still have 20 to go. It may take another year but look how long it took to put it on. Anything unnatural should be looked at with caution.
ReplyDeleteDear Megan,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, do I even know you? Because if you did know me, you'd know I've been pretty heavy my entire life, and I laugh that you think I've had it easy. You'd also know I do some pretty thorough research before I make a decision. According to the BMI I've been obese all the way through college and am still obese, even though I've lost weight. Believe me when I tell you weight has been a struggle for me my whole life. I've gone from 130 to 120 to 140 to 135 to 150 to eventually 188. I donated every article of clothing that didn't fit me after I was pregnant because I thought there was no way I'd ever wear it again. I know how it feels to look at yourself and think you're hopeless.
I also know what works and what doesn't. If eating right and exercising doesn't work for you, then I hate to say this, but you aren't doing it right! It's just that simple.
I'm here to share information with my friends, and whoever else decides to read this, about being healthier. I'm here to share how to do it right! It isn't about starving yourself, and it isn't about making yourself sick. I knew this post would cause some controversy because I know people who do this diet. As I posted, this diet is hardly any different than eating 500 calories a day, which is proven in and of itself to be unhealthy. I still think it's extremely dangerous, and as such, I have to share that belief with my friends. I give the information, it's up to you to decide what you want to do with it.
Yes you do know me. you may say I even met you at your heaviest, when you were pregnant. I see that you have done some research, but I still don't think you fully understand it. It is not "unnatural". your body makes HCG naturally. your levels get higher when you are pregnant and that's how a pregnancy test works. not only that, but haven't you ever wondered how pregnant ladies can be so sick (throwing up all the time, not eating anything) and still be healthy and have a healthy baby? It's because HCG triggers the body to use up those fat stores. I have 120 lbs of extra storage...that's a whole other person practically. Someone on the HCG diet that is doing it properly isn't giving themselves toxic levels of this hormone, it's hardly even as much as when a person is pregnant. Though you could have a false pregnancy test while using it. Ooh, how scary!
ReplyDeleteWould you say a diabetic does scary and unnatural things by injecting themselves with insulin? something the body makes naturally?
Look, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you and I hate drama. All I'm saying is don't judge because it's not something you fully understand. You don't know my situation and I don't know yours. you don't know that I have been "doing it wrong" all this time. There is a whole emotional aspect of it too that I won't even get into, we'd be here for years.
So please, let's part as friends.
Megan, I have figured out who you are and I'm sorry that I have offended you. This was not meant to come off as judgmental, but it's just how I feel about it. I am legitimately scared for the people who participate in this diet. We don't know each other all that well, and that's cause for misunderstanding.
ReplyDeleteI'm not an endocrinologist by any means, but I have done reading on endocrinology and have deduced that we have certain levels of certain hormones at certain times for specific reasons. They should not be tampered with unless our hormone levels are faulty. I'm not saying that the hormone itself is toxic, but that the use of it in improper ways is dangerous. That's why I see no problem with people using injections of hormones to do what they were meant to do in the first place. I posted on the blog what HCG does; I am aware of how it works.
I also know the emotional side of weight control, which I addressed partially in a former post.
I am more than willing to agree to disagree, but I worry that you aren't looking into the long-term. This may work for you now, but there will come a time when emotional issues will have to be addressed and healthy habits will have to replace this diet if you want to keep the weight off. Again, perhaps it's none of my business what other people choose to do with their bodies, but as the author of a blog about health, I thought this issue should be addressed.
As a life long food addict, I can say the it is very difficult to control my weight. Unlike other addictions, you can't just stop eating, without dying anyway.
ReplyDeleteI can say from my experience that the only time I've been able to lose weight is when I have carefully watched what I eat AND exercised. One with out the other does not work for me (or anyone really). The exercise that works best for me is resistance training. Aerobics are important, but don't help by themselves.
To be successful at weight loss, you MUST exercise to boost your metabolism. Using drugs as a shortcut for this will just cause your body's chemistry to get out of balance. This is NEVER good.
Just because a Doctor is supervising doesn't make it a good thing. My doctor wants me to take cholesterol lowering medication. I told him I would, when he can show me studies that can show that they reduce the risk of heart attach and stroke. I'm still waiting because there are none. Why would I take a drug to reduce my cholesterol AND damage my liver if it doesn't reduce those risks.
If the doctors were really wanting to help people lose weight, and not just make huge amounts of money from vulnerable people, they would run test to determine if you have a hormone imbalance, etc. Correcting these issues is ALWAYS good.
For those offended by this post, grow up and take charge of you life and health. It is a copout to play the "But it's so hard" and "You don't know how hard is for me" cards. Life is hard. That's what makes us better people, unless we wallow in our self pity.
Thanks for the good info, Sara. Keep up the good work.
Great blog, Sara. God created our bodies to function in a certain way, and because we don't have a complete user manual, we don't have the knowledge we need to artificially alter the chemicals within our bodies. I don't always agree with the FDA and believe that a lot of their decisions are made after considerable lobbying from the pharmaceutical corporations, but even without regard to their opinion of HCG, it is obvious that using HCG is dangerous and irresponsible. I don't care how many doctors tell people to use HCG. Doctors used to recommend smoking to alleviate stress. Is lung cancer any less deadly when you started smoking because your doctor told you to?
ReplyDelete