HCG Diet - Cincinnati,OH

The one part I don't get about that diet is you CAN"T work-out while doing it. Yes you'll lose weight but 500 calories is dangerous.

I think making changes are good but when a diet doesn't want you to exercise seems odd. Seems like they just want repeat customers.

Hi C.---Fad diets do NOT work. The ONLY way to lose fat, and that is the goal, is to lose 2-3 lbs per week. When you go on a restricted calorie diet, your body goes into preservation mode because it thinks it is going to die. Without adequate fuel, the body does start to eat muscle, which is easier to get to than the fat. Your metabolic rate SLOWS in order to conserve the stores it has accumulated.

You MUST think of your diet as a way of life...not just something you do temporarily to lose weight. Of course, the easiest way to lose weight is to eat mostly plants...fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes/beans, nuts and seeds. You want to eat as much volume of food as you can, while having that volume contain few calories...PLANTS. Look up the volumetrics diet on the internet. Another resource is the Vegetarian Starter Kit within www.pcrm.org. That whole website contains informaton that can help you with the resolve to eat mostly plants. For really great recipes, go to www.vegetariantimes.com.

Exercise is not negotiable. That will help you to lose weight faster and will help to increase your metabolic rate so that you burn more calories just sitting there. Use both cardio and weight training to encourage your body to achieve an optimal weight.

Many times people want/need to count something. I (and the health care professionals I work with) recommend counting fiber. Again, plants are high fiber foods and will keep you feeling fuller longer. Aim for at least 50 grams per day. Yes, 50 grams. We are woefully deficient in fiber, which is essential for intestinal health, as well as normalizing cholesterol and hormone levels in the bloodstream. And be kind to yourself. It is likely it took awhile to get where you are. It will take some time to get back to where you want to be.

I know I've thrown a lot at you in a short space. I am a wellness educator and I have access to a ton of great info for you, if you'd like it. Feel free to contact me at any time. Good luck...be well, D.

If you really want to lose weight and improve your overall health then the smartest thing to do is to learn about good food choices and begin to exercise. These lifestyle changes will benefit you for life. A short-term, quick fix diet won't make you healthy and strong in the long run. That takes time and work but well worth it.

I turned 40 this year and made a commitment to get in shape and get my eating habits back on track. Just making minor changes in the way I was eating caused me to drop 5lbs! I've now lost 12 lbs and am at 127 lbs (which is a good weight for me)! I haven't weighed that in forever.

I'm on the HCG diet right now and loving it. I have about 30 pounds to lose and I'm on track to lose about 20-25 of that in 40 days. I know "everyone" says this is dangerous and that you'll lose muscle... but if you read the diet protocol they address every concern and explain how the diet works. The drops/injections help with the hunger, and they protect muscle mass. So you're losing fat, not muscle. The reason you can't do strenuous exercise is that 500 calories plus burning fat just isn't enough calories to cover exercise. But you can do yoga, stretching, walking, etc.

I love getting advice from people on the Internet, but this is one case where I don't think that people who haven't researched the diet or haven't been on the diet are qualified to give their opinion. If all you know is that a person eats 500 calories, then it's going to look like a crazy diet. But if you've talked to your doctor, been to a weightloss clinic, or read Dr. Simeon's protocol, you might have an opinion worth giving.

You do not need to go to a clinic to do this unless you want to do the injections. If you want to follow the homeopathic protocol (which I'm doing), then you can buy your drops online. I chose liquidhcgdiet.com but there are a ton of places out there sellling this. Make sure you choose a company with free support, a guarantee, and that uses an FDA approved factory. PM me if you want any more info!

My response is against what everyone else says...but that is okay!!

I am on my second round of this diet. The first time around (back in July) I lost 20 lbs in 35 days. I was pretty strict (although I did have a bite of this and that here and there).

After going off the diet, I maintained my weight loss within 5 lbs (depending on how good/bad I ate that day) for 2.5 months. One thing I really 'learned' from that diet is that I do not need to snack in between meals at work. I eat the fruit for breakfast then wait until lunch to eat and then wait until dinner to eat again. I know some people say eating 5-6x a day is what people should do, but this works for me!!

Before starting the second round, I 'loaded' for two days...so that added on a few lbs...LOL. But I guarantee you...IF you follow the diet, you will lose lbs FAST. And if you go back to eating horribly, you WILL gain it back. But you just need to do it in moderation. I went back to eating how I did before...but would just make 'better' choices. Did I cut out all snacks, chocolate, etc? Nope!

I did not go to a clinic. I bought the drops from Amazon and vitamins from Dollar General. I also bought the protein water from a specific website (can't remember the name) but didn't end up using that as often as recommended because I didn't feel the need to.

I am sure you lose some muscle in this diet. You only eat 500 cals a day and are not hungry (due to drops) and your body essentially is 'burning 1500 cals a day' (what you would normally be eating) in order to help you drop weight fast.

I'd say give it a try. Everyone I know who has tried it has had success and no ill side effects.

Good luck!

Well the whole diet is bad for your body (it's a starvation diet) but you don't need the drops to do this. The drops are the scam and people are getting rich off of selling the stuff. You can eat 500 calories a day and lose the exact same amount of weight as you do with the drops. It's all in your head that they work. It works regardless. And it's dangerous no matter how you do it. How about learning how to eat right and exercise? Set a good example for your kids.

You will be losing muscle. The body is not intended to function on that many calories a day. The optimal ammount of calories for someone who is losing weight is 1200/day and cardio exercise is included. The goal is to burn more than you take in. But you still have to have enough calories for your body to function properly.

Whether you take HCG or not, at 500 calories a day you are going to lose weight, just not the weight that you want.

For 20lbs I would look at how and what you are eating and make smart swaps, something like the "Eat This Not That" book may be helpful or Cook Yourself Thin cookbooks, but not this. I would not reccomend anyone try this one.

You could get the same results with eating a 1200 calorie a day diet. Then exercise, even a little. Then there are a ton of little tricks, like eating snacks the are calorie negative, more burns then you consume, pickle, celery, I think it was blue berrie, I need to look into it again. I used to use a website, that I coild put in washing dishes, and regular chores, as well as dancing or fulll on work outs. What I loved about 1200 diet, is if you do nothing but that, you will lose about a pound every two days.

I have a friend who did the injections and over the course of a year lost 120+ pounds. And over a year later has kept it off and is off the injections. So no as long as you eat healthy you won't put it back on.

I hate the HCG diet... It's another fad diet. Remember when everyone was eliminating carbs? Ordering their hamburgers w/no buns etc. We need healthy whole grain carbs for energy and our bodies need more than 500 calories.

I agree with posters who say that when you deprive your body of nutrition you lose muscle not fat. Your body goes into survival mode. My mother was very ill with kidney failure and some other issues. She was having trouble eating and was not taking in adequate nutrition. It landed her almost dead it the hospital and weak as a newborn kitten. The doctor said that exact thing. The reason she was weak is her body was looking for nutrition and leaching it from her muscles. She lost a lot of weight, but definitely not healthy! It resulted in her needed a PIC line for nutrition. I know this is a different example, but it shows how your body seeks the muscle to live not fat.

I agree with other posters. By making lifestyle changes you would have a better bet. Eliminate sauces, eat 5 small meals per day, watch portion sizes: (fist full carbs, palm size protein, thumb sized healthy fats). Get 20 minutes of exercise per day. Lost weight slowly and keep it off. Drink lots of water. No pop or alcohol. (Alcohol causes the body to be 73% less likely to lose weight). And lots of yummy veggies!!!

Good luck and PLEASE put your health first!

I agree totally with Diane. It may work, but your body will rebound as soon as you stop the diet and gain back more than you started with. It's dangerous to deprive your body of needed nutrients and could cause you serious health problems. If you only need to lose 20 pounds, diets are not the way to go and have been proven to not work in the long run. You need to learn to eat a healthy (forever) diet AND exercise/walk to drop weight and keep it off. It's the only way.

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I agree totally with Diane. It may work, but your body will rebound as soon as you stop the diet and gain back more than you started with. It's dangerous to deprive your body of needed nutrients and could cause you serious health problems. If you only need to lose 20 pounds, diets are not the way to go and have been proven to not work in the long run. You need to learn to eat a healthy (forever) diet AND exercise/walk to drop weight and keep it off. It's the only way.

Oh, you'll lose 20 pounds. Then you'll go back to eating like normal, and they and more will come back. I would not listen to someone currently on the diet, if I were you. You need to talk to people who did it a year or more ago.

I used to be a chiropractic assistant. About a year or so before I left (because of pregnancy), the HCG started becoming really popular. My doctors did NOT do this diet. People would come in 6 months - a year after the diet ended. They put on the weight and then some. They wanted to do it again. Of course, we didn't do that diet. We simply helped people with lifestyle changes. The point is, you will lose weight. The ONLY way (proved by science over and over again) to keep weight OFF, is to be healthy. Eat a well balanced diet and exercise. You can't even hope to keep weight off without that. Quick fixes, are just that. A quick fix. Beyond the quick fix, you HAVE to change your lifestyle. Anyone will lose weight eating 500 calories. Just about everyone, will gain it back. Eat 1200-1500 calories a day and exercise. You will lose 20 pounds. It will be the HEALTHY way, that your body can keep off. .

Again, people who are currently on the diet is not advice you should hear. talk to them in a year. I bet they'll be heavier. Good luck.