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HCG Diet
The basic concepts of the HCG Diet were first made popular by A. T. W. Simeons MD. in 1971 through his book entitled Pounds & Inches A New Approach to Obesity, but was only available at expensive spas and weight loss clinics. However, 2009 brought a massive surge in the popularity of the HCG Diet as it is now readily available for people to try at home.
HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Hormone
- This hormone is excreted in the urine of pregnant women and is the marker of pregnancy as the fetus is producing and releasing the hormone as well as the placenta. The hormone is believed to stimulate the continued production of progesterone essential for fetal development and it’s believed to prevent an immune response from the mother which would result in the rejection of the fetus.
- This hormone is also excreted by certain tumors and can be a marker of cancers such as testicular.
- The interaction of this hormone in adults is not understood and it isn’t believed to have an active role in humans after prenatal development.
- HCG is used in combination with some anabolic steroids and is therefore listed on some of the illegal sports drug lists.
The HCG diet would be classified as a Fad Diet as there isn’t much evidence that HCG works in promoting weight loss in healthy adults, but only has been proven effective in boys with Fröhlich’s syndrome.
In fact, researching the history of HCG, shows that in the 60′s and 70′s some doctors were paid up to $100,000 a year to sit in a room and write prescriptions for HCG once a week for the weight loss clinics without ever seeing any of the patients.
In a recent double blind study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was determined that using HCG was ineffective in promoting weight loss.
HCG Diet Basics
The core of the HCG diet consists of extreme Calorie restriction of around 500 Calories a day mainly from lean protein and a daily injection of 125mg of the HCG hormone. Other programs promote taking the hormone orally. The diet proponents claim that the body will begin to burn fat reserves as the HCG prevents the body from breaking down muscle for energy. They claim that dieters can expect to lose “26 pounds in 26 days” with up to 3100 fat calories being used for energy per day.
Recommended Foods
Lean protein (fish, turkey, chicken, beef), celery, asparagus, spinach, tomatoes, onions, strawberries, grapefruit, oranges, apples, and tea.
Exercise
Exercise isn’t recommended on the HCG diet, in fact, it is discouraged.
Program Costs
There are many HCG diets springing up everywhere as this fad continues to gain popularity, but expect to pay around $140 per month for the HCG drops and additional costs for recipe guides, books, and meal plans. Costs could be significantly higher for those that go to clinics for their injections and consultations.
Pounds and Inches was updated and republished in 2010. Click here to purchase a discounted copy.
Discounted HCG supplies are available here.
Pros
- Dramatic, fast weight loss is possible.
Cons
- Weight loss is most likely due to Calorie restriction, not HCG.
- Side effects include headaches, risk of blood clots, restlessness, and depression.
- Exercise is not promoted as part of overall health.
- Calorie restriction is way below what is deemed safe by the majority of the medical profession.
- Side effects of the long term use of HCG are not understood.
- Some cancers could not be caught early as HCG injections will hide tumor markers.
- Lifestyle changes aren’t stressed, but falls under the quick fix mentality.
- HCG is not approved by the FDA
Conclusions
While many dieters are lured in by the HCG Diet’s claims of fast weight loss without exercise, dieters are warned to steer clear from the HCG diet as it is not a healthy way to lose weight and the use of HCG drops could potentially lead to other health problems down the road. The 100′s of testimonials being promoted across the internet are no doubt from people who experienced weight loss, but did so because of the extreme Calorie restriction and the high protein diet which promotes ketosis.
See Also: HCG Recipes: Over 200 gourmet recipes that support those following the HCG Diet Plan.
The HCG diet is not recommended, but if a Calorie restricted plan is what you are looking for why not try a healthier option such as the Medifast Plan.
Is the HCG Diet a Scam? See what the majority thinks in this online poll.
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Mel, who is they? Anyone can say anything about anything. Who are you talking about? I’ve been pregnant twice and the huge amounts of HCG never caused me health problems.
I am currently doing the HCG drops and they work great!! you just have to carefuller who you buy them from, a lot of places water them down…. i’m on day 10 and lost 17.2 pounds
They say that using hcg can cause other health problems. What kind of health problems?
I got the bottle of HCG thru a veterinarian, it’s the same product used in mares (horses) to cause ovulation. I mixed the bottle with lactated ringers NOT the water that comes with it, drew up all 45 syringes & froze them. Used 1 inch 25 gauge needles to inject myself in the MUSCLE. I lost over 40 lbs, I was never hungry or bored, never depressed, slept just fine. I started drinking & eating bad about 6 months after I lost the weight, due to a change in where I lived etc etc, but only gained less than half back. It really does reset your metabolism. I will do this diet again if I need to lose more than 20 lbs. The drops are a joke, one has to follow the ORIGINAL diet to have it work.
Good luck to everyone.
Seriously dont buy hcg stream , i was wondering how do i use it for
It to work properly since i just got a box with a difrent bottle and no instructions
so guess what I said to my self lets call customer service and
Taraaaa their phone dosnt work always busy i was scamed
DO NOT BUY FROM HCG EXTREME!!!! I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY FROM HCG EXTREME!!!!! If for some reason you decide to return your product within the given trial period, you will go through hell and back trying to get a refund. I ordered HCG back in May of 2011, I had to call several times to check and see if the order had been shipped. It was taking so long, I told them to just cancel my order and their reply would always be “We can’t do that since it’s already processed and has been shipped out.” My question was, if it’s been shipped out, where the heck is it? I received the sample in July and immediately returned it. They told me a refund would be issued and here it is, Sept 23rd and I have yet to see my $80 bucks back in my checking acct. Eveytime I call, the service reps are extremely mean and disrespectful. One lady told me “We don’t have a refund button that we can just push!” What the hell??? You happily take my money and then give me an attitude when I tell you your product isn’t going to work for me? Then I was told that I needed to tell my bank to put the money back in my account. Huh? What reputable company does that!!! I am filing a claim with the BBB today and I strongly urge anyone to make sure it’s worth the risk because once HCG deducts that money from your account, it’s pretty much gone, whether you like their product or not. X-TREME SCAMMERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ordered this product. They never sent me the sample so I called again. they said they would reship it.. never got it again. Called and talked to supervisor after waiting on hold over 23 minutes. I expressed the fact I do not believe I would ever get this product. I wanted it all canceled. They told me its now been cancelled.. guess I will find out if they charge me. I am going to talk to my bank to make sure they blocked (if that is possible) I do not believe they ever intended to send me this product. Just hope I forgot about it so they could charge me the 89.00.. very disappointed.
This diet was recommended to me by friends who had success with it. We used the oral drops. I followed the directions, started changing the way I ate & looked at food. Lost the weight I needed to. Seeing the scale go down so quickly was the motivation I needed.
Okay I’ve done this diet and you guys are missing so much more information. There are pills and a couple of other things you have to take and your looking at around $1000.00 a mth also the pills aren’t real it’s syntehic HCG the real HCG needs to be injected by a needle I got my HCG from Holland. If your buying the HCG from the states unless it comes in a vail its not the real deal. Oh and if you follow this book to the tea you will see results. This procedure is huge in Europe where it was first written by a doctor who started the first HCG clinic. You guys are missing out on alot of facts.
I have used HCG twice over the last 1.5 yrs with great results, I know of 6 friends (men and woman) that all used it and all with great results as well, I would highly recommend to anyone who cares about truly loosing weight. I have not heard of one complaint of anyone that I know who actually did it and followed the plan.
I just finished phase one of the diet and have lost 21 lbs. I went to a doctor and received treatment there. I do not believe this is a “quick fix” because I have tried Medifast, Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem and none of them worked for me. The HCG diet is the only thing that has shown results for me and I am so much healthier and happier now. It is not an easy diet, and anyone who says it is, is lying. Eating organic and unprocessed foods is just a good rule to go by no matter what.
@ts Yes they are, you sound like you went thru something like I did. Sadly companies like them can not be trusted. I won’t buy anything from HCG Extreme Diet
This article has a lot of errors.
The allowed foods have some items on it that are incorrect.
The statement about exercise is also wrong.
How about the “there is no proof” statement? I personally know 4 people who have lost 30+ pounds in 40 days. I myself have lost 16 in 25 days.
Also, I’m on a forum with a ton of women who are losing and have lost 30-100 pounds of fat.
Talk about your proof!
HCG works for me and people I know personally. It does everything it claims.
I think this article is informative and gives people soemthing to think about. Any diet you are contemplating should be researched so you can make the best decision for your health and body. I personally like the HCG diet. I understand how it works and if you follow the protocol to the T and complete the maintenance phases, it works. There are two points under “con” that I don’t agree with. The first is saying that exercise is not promoted. This is false. Every good HCG program highly promotes exercise! You cannot do high impact exercise because of the low calorie diet but walking an hour a day and exercises like yoga and pilates are highly recommended and encouraged (I do pilates). As you get into the Maintenance phases, a slow increase in exercise is also recommended and full exercise along with a healthy diet to maintain your weight is encouraged.
The second point I disagree with is when you say that lifestyle changes are not stressed. This is entirely untrue! Don’t be fooled! The HCG diet is difficult; just because you don’t have to do high impact exercise does not mean this diet is easy or a quick fix! This requires extreme motivation and dedication. Also, as you enter phases 3 & 4, you can gradually add more foods to your diet but you must do it in moderation and monitor your weight the entire time. Doing this forces you to be aware of what you are eating as well as how much you are eating. A lot of stress is put on eating healthful foods and being very aware of the “full” feeling you get and to stop when you feel full. Of course, this is just my opinion. I am not a professional. I am just a person, like many others who has struggled with weight her entire life and I understand the challenges that occur. This diet has changed the way I view food and it has changed the way I eat. Thanks for reading!
My wife ordered a “Free Sample” from HCG in Maine. The website specifically said there would be no recurring charges, two weeks later $79.95 was deducted from my account. I contacted the company and must have gotten the same person described above as she was not wanting to be of any help. I explained that if nothing could be resolved with this phone call, my next call would be to the BBB and the one after that would be to our State Attorney General’s Consumer Affairs Division. She did not appreciate my position, however she did refer me to another number where I again spoke to another lady with just about the same attitude. I was given instructions to return the HCG with an RMA number for a refund. Both argued that the fine print did say that any cancellation of this “Contract” had to be received by their company within 14 days of the order. They told me that it was written on the packing slip with the free sample. I still have the box and packing slip and cannot find what they are describing. This website is totally deceptive advertising at it’s best if not completely fraudulent. The BBB told me to wait for 10 days, if the refund had not been made to call them back to begin proceedings. The BBB told me there had been a total of 16 similar complaints, 12 have had to be resolved by them. Four were either pending, or dropped. Not a very good record for a company that has only been in business for about 1 year. They gave them an “F”. The first lady at HCG threatened that if I brought the BBB into an action against them that I likely would not get my refund. With the attitude I got from them I told her I would gladly lose my $79.95 however our Consumer Affairs division would gladly take legal action to shut their website down.They do not mess around with scammers in our state.
I just want to know a reputable one
@ beverly you would be safe to order it from a place like amazon then.
Can anbody tell me which HCG I should buy that is not a scam and that works?
Sorry Beverly but we aren’t about to open that can of worms, we will have every company trying to post links to their HCG drops. There are far better ways to lose weight anyway.
Also HCG Extreme
are not in Maine they are in Texas
I ordered the HCG Extreme on 7/8/11 did not receive it till the 23rd of July, I previously called them and asked where the product was and they said it was on back order, and like I said I got it on the 23rd. Included in the box was paperwork saying the 30 day trial started on the day of purchase and when I called the that following Monday after receiving it there was a recorded message stating if you were calling about HCG Extreme they could not help you and to call your bank? So I did not want to get billed for future bottles and I had no way to contact them I called my credit card comp. they said the only way to stop the future billing was to cancel my card, which I did imediately. I also read Dave’s comment about reporting them to the Texas State Attorney General and the FTC, so I did that too!Everyone else should takes these steps too! Thanks Dave for your info!!
Ok, I love the hcg, I got down to 125 from 153. Im healthy happy and my blood pressure is perfect. I now run 3-5 miles a day.
I HAVEN’T BEEN USING THE HCG DIET FOR VERY LONG, BUT I HAVE LOST 4 1/2 LBS IN 4 DAYS. SO FAR IT IS WORKING GREAT. EVEN THOU I HAVE A URGE TO EAT OTHER FOODS NOT ALOUD, I THINK IT WILL BE WELL WORTH IT IN THE LONG RUN TO BE BACK TO HEATHLY AND LOOKING GOOD. NOT ONLY DO I REALLY WANT TO LOSS THE WEIGHT FOR MYSELF, BUT ALSO FOR MY CHILDREN AND HUSBAND.
I used HCG diet and lost 56 pounds during 5 months. I am very happy! I am not sick but I feel great! I learned so much about food! I keep the same weight now and look perfect! I am new person and life is good! People are different and nobody knows what for sure is good or bad. I listened to my body and my body brought me to my new slim look and my new good health. I am not swollen any more, I am very active, my blood pressure is 120×70 (it was 225×190 before), I sleep well, I have no back pains, I can walk long, I dont feel heat so much (Im in Texas),I am very optimistic and I started loving life more. People say I am glowing and smiling all the time.
I have done three rounds of hcg and lost more than 50 pounds- I would have to say that if someone really does it the way Dr. Simmons has set it up- it is a life style change. Although on the diet itself you have to do a very low calorie- after the diet you change your thinking about food and your metabolism definitely is improved.
I’m just finishing my third week on the HCG diet (phase 3 starts in two days) and it has worked for me. 15 pounds in 20 days. The key will be if I can l keep it off. The HCG does suppress appetite. I haven’t been that hungry even though I’ve been on vlc diet.
we bought hcg xtreme and the product does not work.they sent another bottle before the 30 day free trial was up. charge my account.when i called the company to return the new bottle they told me that this was a auto ship and we are eligible for a refund. the company is not located in maine, they are located at 1409 university ave.lubbock tx.79401.please call the state atorneys office 1-512-463-2100 or the federal trade comission at 1-877-382-4357 and file a coplaint.they are rude and nasty people
ts, was right…DO NOT buy from HCG Extreme Diet at 165 Pleasant Ave., South Portland, ME, 04106, they are a scam and there customer service is so mean and rude. They will charge your card over and over again!
I GUESS THEY DIDNT LIKE WHAT I HAD TO SAY…..THEY DELETED MY COMMENT
Anna- This isn’t who you bought the product from, we don’t sell products. The above is just a review of the hCG diet and we don’t even recommend it.
Does anyone know how to get past the customer service department? I am waiting on my refund and it’s still processing???
@Denise, there are hundreds of companies selling hGC some are dodgy as well. You should probably just contact your credit card company.
this product did not help me i sent it back they returned it back and then sent another charged to my account i clearly sent it back in the 30 days now i have to close my account and still not be refunded my money. the supv. was rude and very unbecoming
DO NOT buy from HCG Extreme Diet at 165 Pleasant Ave., South Portland, ME, 04106, 877-475-7497. I returned my bottle to them, almost full, and they would not return my $80 I spent. They also would not send me a new bottle unless I agreed to have them charge me for shipping and handling…AGAIN…They supervisor, Jennifer, was very rude to me and laughed at me. DO NOT BUY from this company at this address/phone number because it is a complete scam.