HCG Diet

[Elisabeth in IL]

Has anyone done this diet? Did you go through a Dr. or order the HCG on-line? I've read the book and am ready to start but want some info from those who have done it.

[Berta]

I have no affiliation with any of the sites linked. I have been on the diet (on round 3 right now) and it works for me. It's a VERY hard diet to do mentally, but if you stick to it, it will work.

 

I've lost 60 lbs on the hCG diet. Make sure you read the original protocol:

 

http://hcgdietinfo.com/Diet-HCG.htm

 

and follow only the original protocol for your food list. There are a lot of BS sites that allow a more variety of foods and most people don't understand why it doesn't work for them.

 

DO NOT buy any hCG that you find in Walmart or GNC. You can get the "Intermountain hCG pellets" from http://www.Netrition.com. Put three pellets under your tongue three times a day.

 

There is a huge support group for hCG at hcgdietinfo.com and lowcarbfriends.com.

 

BEST.DIET.EVER! When I am in between rounds I eat 2200 calories a day and don't gain any weight.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Search hCG and many threads and experiences will come up.

[Elisabeth in IL]

Search hCG and many threads and experiences will come up.

I tried searching and didn't find any. Maybe I'm not searching with the correct word choices. If you can link the threads, I'd appreciate it!

[Elisabeth in IL]

You can get the "Intermountain hCG pellets" from www.Netrition.com. Put three pellets under your tongue three times a day.

 

Berta, When I went to this site and typed "Intermountain" in their search engine, nothing came up. I read that you shouldn't be hungry when you are in phase 2. Did that hold true for you? How many days did you do at phase 2 - 40? Thank you for your help.

[Chaos Coordinator]

I started it, but as a Pp said, it's very difficult mentally and emotionally, I am tandem nursing and had some milk blisters pop up and the stress from that put me over the edge and I couldn't do hcg diet anymore. I would like to try again but I need some other areas of my life to settle down before I'm ready.

[Jann in TX]

I will not be 'officially' using HCG-- I will be using a 'formerly homeopathic' version called HC3.

 

My dd's Dr has several clients on the HCG injection program-- their weightloss has been the same or LESS than those who have used HC3.

 

I used HC3 one year ago and lost 25 pounds in 4 weeks. I was easily able to maintain-- well until this past January when I had to go on a medication that caused rapid weight gain-- and in February a DIFFERENT medication and another 10 pounds!

 

My weight has been stable for a few months and now I'm ready to loose the 'new' weight-- and hopefully more!

 

I followed the original protocol for the most part-- I learned how to combine spices for interest-- if the food tasted great then I was more easily satisfied with a smaller portion.

I would grocery shop and then portion the meats and freeze in individual portions. My favorite lunch was baked talipia-- one small fillet 3-3.5 oz-- sprinkled with Monterrey Chicken seasoning. Just wrap in foil and place in oven set to 400F for 20 minutes... perfect every time! I usually paired this with a big salad.

 

Good luck and remember to add FLAVOR to your meals!

 

I really was not hungry-- and seeing the numbers on the scale go down every day was a HUGE incentive!

[HiddenJewel]

Just be aware that for some it has really messed up their hormones.

[MariannNOVA]

I used RELEANA (google it) through my doctor's office.

 

Yes, it works -- 30 pounds in 28 days.

 

Consecutive months are not recommended. You need to take time off and eat according to the maintenance plan.

 

It cost about $600-$800 for the month (cannot remember) -- I would not recommend the homeopathic stuff -- i've tried it and it doesn't work. I felt like carp on it.

 

I felt great on RELEANA.

[My3Boys]

I just started. I did the load this weekend and did the first dose Sunday night. I have lost 6 1/2 lbs in 4 days, and I've already done a little "cheating" :tongue_smilie:.

 

I am doing a homeopathic hcg I bought through http://www.trimyouspray.com. I would say most homeopathic hcgs out there don't work, especially the ones you get at Walmart or the drugstore. I went with this one because I personally know 3 different people who used this and each one of them lost all the weight they wanted to. My best friend is one of them and I was amazed at the transformation. They are also super friendly and helpful and have their own support forums. Great customer service.

 

I wanted to add, make sure you do the load even though some people will say it's not necessary. Follow the diet closely. Trim you spray gave me downloads which included detailed instructions and a chart of what you can eat during each phase, also detailed. I will admit though that I have already done a few no-nos (like eating zucchini and blueberries) and still lost at least a lb a day. Some people don't follow the diet at all, they just keep it low-fat and at around 500 calories. This may not work for everyone though so I would still advise you to stick to the choices they recommend.

 

Be advised that there are also some restrictions on the type of lotions, toothpaste, etc. You can't have anything with essential oils in it because it "deactivates" the spray. This was not a biggie for me. There is an approved list of personal products that are safe to use.

 

The spray is expensive but worth it. It took me awhile to get past the cost ($77 plus shipping for 50 days, which is 1 round). Now I am sorry I waited. I won't hesitate to order again if I need to do a second round.

[Prairie~Phlox]

Sorry, I know there are a lot of people on here that have used this, but even on Myfitnesspal.com they do not endorse this as a diet. It is starving yourself, I don't care if you do follow dr.'s orders. I would really recommend Myfitnesspal. It's about a lifestyle change and long term, who wants to take HCG pee for the rest of their life.

[My3Boys]

Sorry, I know there are a lot of people on here that have used this, but even on Myfitnesspal.com they do not endorse this as a diet. It is starving yourself, I don't care if you do follow dr.'s orders. I would really recommend Myfitnesspal. It's about a lifestyle change and long term, who wants to take HCG pee for the rest of their life.

 

The homeopathic versions do not contain any hcg. I tried myfitnesspal, stuck with it and lost nothing. Some people have medical issues that prevent successful weight loss through diet and exercise. I wish the normal route would work for me, but it just doesn't.

[Wildcat]

.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Wildcat

[AmyontheFarm]

I used this:

 

http://www.thetree4life.com/en/Specials/hCG-XPlus%E2%84%A2/B12-a-30-day-supply/flypage.tpl.html

 

I lost 60 pounds. I am VERY happy with this product and I will be going back on it. I decided to stop for a couple of months to allow my body to catch up with itself and so I can enjoy my ice cream during the summer. I now weight 200 pounds and I'm planning on losing another 50. My dr. wants me down to 125 - that is not going to happen.

 

Make sure you get the hCG XPlus and the Vitamine B12 together they are wonderful! I should have mentioned that my dr put her husband on these drops before I started them, so if she was comfortable having her husband on them, I figured I would be comfortable for them also. Check out the prices because I can't believe what people are paying for their drops and if Kosher is a requirement, they have you covered.

 

(1) 30-Day Supply of Our New Vibrational hCG XPlus in a Kosher Certified Glycerin Base:

(1) 30-Day supply of our New 5000mcg Berry Flavor Vitamin B12 Methylcobalamin Sublingual Drops

 

 

Edited July 6, 2012 by AmyontheFarm
additional info

[QuirkyKidAcademy]

I just don't have the "won't power" (as in "I won't eat this or that) to stick to a VLCD. If I did, I wouldn't be in the shape I am.

 

I used the hCG pellets to help me retrain my brain, as well as lose pounds. I did 40 days on the pellets and lost 20lbs. I did NOT adhere to a 500 calorie eating plan. Instead, I used the combination of feeling less hungry AND seeing the numbers on the scale change to reprogram my brain and my stomach.

 

I probably ate under 1000 calories five days a week and under 1500 the other two days. I'm sure it was a psychological thing, but feeling less hungry helped me to evaluate - am I really hungry or am I bored? am I hungry or is this emotional eating?

 

40 days on hCG and only 20lbs down might seem like a failure according to the protocol, but for me it is a huge win. I plan to do another round in October.

 

My long-winded way of saying - it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing diet.

[butterflymommy]

Anyone who limits their intake to 500 cal a day will lose weight... you might want to just consider a fast or partial fast. Dr. Joel Fuhrman has a book on fasting. I think the primary medical supervision you need is checking potassium levels. (??)

 

To chaos-- you need at bare minimum 1500/ day when BFing and more if tandem. If you lose more than 2 lbs a week, which you likely would on a 500 cal a day diet, that can compromise the quality and certainly quantity of your milk.

 

Interesting anecdote, I am exclusively BFing my 9 month old. A couple months ago I got a nasty stomach flu and ate about 500 cal or less a day for a week. (I wasn't counting but have in the past so I'm very good at estimating.) For the first four days my supply held steady-- there was less but it was definitely adequate. By the time I got to day 5 eating that little my supply was close to gone and baby was barely peeing at all. Thankfully I felt better by day 7 and could start eating more. I've always wondered how bad supply issues would be on a partial fast or fast, now I know!

 

Oh, and I lost 5 pounds in just that one week, and gained three back immediately once i started eating normally.

[Slartibartfast]

I started it, but as a Pp said, it's very difficult mentally and emotionally, I am tandem nursing and had some milk blisters pop up and the stress from that put me over the edge and I couldn't do hcg diet anymore. I would like to try again but I need some other areas of my life to settle down before I'm ready.

 

I don't think that is something someone should do while nursing. I think it would be too difficult while your body is working to produce milk for two children. I think you were right to have stopped.

 

:grouphug:

[Mom in High Heels]

I did it and lost 27lbs in a very short time and have kept it off for nearly a year. I am planning to go back on it on Monday to drop 15-20 more and I'll be done. I tried to go back on after James Bond left for Afghanistan, but I wasn't "in the game." You absolutely have to be in the right frame of mind for this diet. I can honestly say though that I cheated quite a bit. Bad, bad, bad! Still, I dropped the weight, so yay, and I haven't put it back on. My weight will fluctuate 3-4 lbs at any given time, but I think that's hormonal.

 

You can check out the HCG diet boards (hosted on another site) here. They have free cookbooks you can download and the support and help is really great. There are days I wouldn't have made it without the boards. It's especially inspiring to check out the success stories sub-forum. It's great motivation.

 

As for not being hungry, well, that depends. Some days I'm not hungry at all and the thought of eating 100g of meat makes me want to wretch and there are other days when I wonder what kind of sauce would taste good with one of the dogs. :D Days 3 and 4 are always the hardest for me. After that I'm good for about a week, and then I get hungry again for a day or two. It can also depend on the HCG. Some people need more than the recommended dose, and some need less, so you have to figure out if your dosage is off.

 

Good luck.

[My3Boys]

I just don't have the "won't power" (as in "I won't eat this or that) to stick to a VLCD. If I did, I wouldn't be in the shape I am.

 

I used the hCG pellets to help me retrain my brain, as well as lose pounds. I did 40 days on the pellets and lost 20lbs. I did NOT adhere to a 500 calorie eating plan. Instead, I used the combination of feeling less hungry AND seeing the numbers on the scale change to reprogram my brain and my stomach.

 

I probably ate under 1000 calories five days a week and under 1500 the other two days. I'm sure it was a psychological thing, but feeling less hungry helped me to evaluate - am I really hungry or am I bored? am I hungry or is this emotional eating?

 

40 days on hCG and only 20lbs down might seem like a failure according to the protocol, but for me it is a huge win. I plan to do another round in October.

 

My long-winded way of saying - it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing diet.

 

I'm not adhering to it either, although I don't eat/use anything that will render the spray ineffective (coffee, anything with mint). I'm actually eating pretty much the way I did before, except I've cut out the little bit of sugar I was having in my coffee,or anything high carb, which I never had much of either. I am still losing 1 to 1 1/2 lbs a day, which is more than I dared hope. I am even eating a little cheese, and the only vegie I'm cutting out is corn. I have had a little dressing on my salads too. Yes, mixing my vegies and with dressing to boot. I'm breaking every rule in the book, or at least a lot of them. Doesn't seem to make a difference.

 

That's how I know it's the spray that's doing it. I ate this way pretty much before too, meat and vegies, and didn't lose anything.

[farmgal]

I've been reading these threads for months and I have one question. If my morning sickness was really bad with each preg. will HCG or any of the similar products have the same effect on me?

 

I'm all for losing weight! But to this day, if I get sick I'm doing the math in my head and thinking "there's no way!"

[Mom in High Heels]

I've been reading these threads for months and I have one question. If my morning sickness was really bad with each preg. will HCG or any of the similar products have the same effect on me?

 

I'm all for losing weight! But to this day, if I get sick I'm doing the math in my head and thinking "there's no way!"

 

No, it shouldn't. I never had morning sickness with Indy, but Han Solo nearly killed me. I never had any problems with the HCG diet. It works in the body differently from when you produce it, I think.

[farmgal]

That is encouraging!!

 

The hard part will be deciding which product.

 

Thanks so much for anwersing!

[Jann in TX]

I DO have a medical condition that prohibits me from loosing weight by exercise and 'eating healthy'. I currently can eat 1000 calories (healthy food) and GAIN WEIGHT!

 

My metabolism is messed up due to some medication I had to take (injury and immune related)--- HC3 (not officially HCG but acts similar--all natural) is the ONLY thing I have found that has reset my metabolism.

 

It is a SHORT TERM program--you are NEVER "starving" yourself... when you 'starve' your metabolism actually SLOWS DOWN--- in this case it speeds up! Big difference.

 

Once you finish your 3-4 week round you step up your caloric intake and your metabolism 'resets'-- and you can eventually eat 2000 calories a day or more and maintain.

 

I have my Drs blessing-- and he does not sell or promote this program--but he does know WHY it works and that is it NOT starving yourself!