hcg diet?

[Kerry]

ok im kinda confused.. and please im not bashing but im just wondering..
Now in the past, (in my eating disordered state) I have eatin 500 or less calories a day and lost weight just fine..

why does taking those drops make it any better? the promises of weightloss seem to be even less then what you would lose by just cutting the calories that low?

[mermaid]

Originally Posted by OurLuvsFromAbove

ok im kinda confused.. and please im not bashing but im just wondering..
Now in the past, (in my eating disordered state) I have eatin 500 or less calories a day and lost weight just fine..

why does taking those drops make it any better? the promises of weightloss seem to be even less then what you would lose by just cutting the calories that low?

I am using the homeopathic HCG to help lose weight on a lower calorie diet, but not the Simeon 500 calorie protocol. The drops I use seem to help curb hunger and facilitate dropping pounds faster than just cutting calories and carbs did. I am really only speaking for myself, though.

[farmgirl]

You need to read the Simeons protocol. He explains it. Very dry reading. Google it. It's free.

[dawnyama]

Originally Posted by OurLuvsFromAbove

ok im kinda confused.. and please im not bashing but im just wondering..
Now in the past, (in my eating disordered state) I have eatin 500 or less calories a day and lost weight just fine..

why does taking those drops make it any better? the promises of weightloss seem to be even less then what you would lose by just cutting the calories that low?

The whole thing is in Pounds and Inches, yes. But you only have to read some of these threads to get the whole "why we are doing it" kind of thing. Especially the before and after pictures. The hcg pulls the fat from the hard to reach areas--so you are losing from places you cannot even exercise away. The hcg makes it so you are not hungry (if you are your dose is wrong). There are many reasons to do it with the hcg versus without.

[julieboolie]

No worries!! This is where you should post your questions.

Not sure how long and successful your low calorie weight loss attempts were. I couldn't bare the hunger in the past and never made it last. W/ the hcg I wasn't hungry and really felt like the fat was being used from my "unwanted storage areas". I'm very pleased with the results and I was able to keep my calories very low, for 3+ weeks, with plenty of energy and no hunger. That's the real advantage to me. Many can lose weight on low calorie, but few can lose it at the typical hcg rate - 0.5-1lb/day. The stabilizing after the VLC portion is good too. On non-assisted VLC diets the rebound gain would be much higher, I'd expect.

Simeon's claimed the hcg would do other things, like re-set your hypothalmus etc., which I have yet to see happen for me. Hoping for it though. It'd be nice to maintain at a higher carb level than I've been following this past 7 years.

[kaylem]

I agree with all that has been posted already, but I would also like to add that I had NO CRAVINGS while taking hcg. It was crazy. I was able to turn away anything unhealthy, and I felt really good eating as clean as I had to on Simeon's diet. It was kind of like detoxing my system from all of the processed junk I had been feeding it. I can't say enough good things about hcg. It was the ONE thing that has worked for me in the past three years. I was one of those people who worked out, ate healthy (or so I believed), cut calories, etc...but nothing worked. This does. Try it. I'm telling you, it is the real deal. It even has it's own built in control...meaning, once you have reached an ideal weight, it will stop working and you will become ravenous. Anyway, I'm a fan!

[PiDevil]

I agree with kaylem. I have not had any cravings on this diet (its only day 11 of VLCD for me. I have had physical hunger from time to time but never the constant thinking about food of any kind.

Normally on any diet I've been on in the past be it a weight watchers type or Atkins, I become obsessed with some food be it french fries, cake, cookies, etc.

I just love that the mental hunger is gone. I've been searching for that for years.

[emel]

Just to toss a little science into the discussion...
We're not really existing on a 500 cal diet. The hcg makes the fat in our fat cells break down into a form which is usable by the body for energy, so our caloric energy comes from 500 cal of food and 2000 or more calories of body fat in an available form.

That's the reason we get starving when we've dieted down enough... there's no more body fat to make available for use, so we ARE on 500 calories, and it's time to up the calories and go off the hcg (within the rules of the program).

[dawnyama]

Originally Posted by emel

Just to toss a little science into the discussion...
We're not really existing on a 500 cal diet. The hcg makes the fat in our fat cells break down into a form which is usable by the body for energy, so our caloric energy comes from 500 cal of food and 2000 or more calories of body fat in an available form.

That's the reason we get starving when we've dieted down enough... there's no more body fat to make available for use, so we ARE on 500 calories, and it's time to up the calories and go off the hcg (within the rules of the program).

I love it when the science gets "dumbed down" enough for me to understand. Great explanation!!

[torister]

Originally Posted by emel

Just to toss a little science into the discussion...
We're not really existing on a 500 cal diet. The hcg makes the fat in our fat cells break down into a form which is usable by the body for energy, so our caloric energy comes from 500 cal of food and 2000 or more calories of body fat in an available form.

That's the reason we get starving when we've dieted down enough... there's no more body fat to make available for use, so we ARE on 500 calories, and it's time to up the calories and go off the hcg (within the rules of the program).

You have no idea how often I explain this to people who think I starve myself, when in reality....I have *plenty* of abnormal fat to live off for a good long time.

[Laschance]

torister ~ From looking at your stats you have done amazingly well.. Are you following the plan according to Simeon or Atkins.. I would love to see an example of what you have been eating to have such awesome numbers!! I am very impressed..help me!!!!

[torister]

Originally Posted by Laschance

torister ~ From looking at your stats you have done amazingly well.. Are you following the plan according to Simeon or Atkins.. I would love to see an example of what you have been eating to have such awesome numbers!! I am very impressed..help me!!!!

I lost a *lot* of weight following Atkins and after a 9 month long stall, I discovered HCG and I am following Dr. Simeon's protocol.

[mermaid]

Originally Posted by torister

I lost a *lot* of weight following Atkins and after a 9 month long stall, I discovered HCG and I am following Dr. Simeon's protocol.

From 380 to 240?! WOW!!

[torister]

Originally Posted by mermaid

From 380 to 240?! WOW!!

and lots more to go!!

[tobysgirl]

emel--you mention HCG is self-limiting so you don't lose more weight than you should. I'd like to go from 135lbs to 120lbs on a 23-day cycle. How would I modify the protocol to lose that amount of weight?

[torister]

Originally Posted by tobysgirl

emel--you mention HCG is self-limiting so you don't lose more weight than you should. I'd like to go from 135lbs to 120lbs on a 23-day cycle. How would I modify the protocol to lose that amount of weight?

You don't modify it at all. HCG will only allow you to lose abnormal fat. When that is gone, you will know it as you will become ravenous and it is NOT good to get to that point.

[emel]

Originally Posted by tobysgirl

emel--you mention HCG is self-limiting so you don't lose more weight than you should. I'd like to go from 135lbs to 120lbs on a 23-day cycle. How would I modify the protocol to lose that amount of weight?

YOu mentioned in another thread that you are in a normal weight range.
I'm not sure hcg would work for you, since you may not have any abnormal fat.

Other than that, I agree with Torister. When you have abnormal fat, you'll lose on hcg. When you lose your fat, you get starving, and you increase calories to stop losing.

[tobysgirl]

Thanks for the replies, emel and torister. I'm not sure HCG would work for me either--still in the information gathering stages.

Like I mentioned in the other post, this weight is high for me personally, but I know the body changes over time so there could be a new normal. Who knows?

I'm also very interested in how HCG can possibly "reset" your metabolism so it hums along at a higher rate.

[torister]

Originally Posted by tobysgirl

Thanks for the replies, emel and torister. I'm not sure HCG would work for me either--still in the information gathering stages.

Like I mentioned in the other post, this weight is high for me personally, but I know the body changes over time so there could be a new normal. Who knows?

I'm also very interested in how HCG can possibly "reset" your metabolism so it hums along at a higher rate.

It might be a high weight for you mentally, but 135 is pretty good for someone who is 5'6". It is in the bottom half of the recommended weight range for your height. 120 lbs is really at the bottom of healthy weight.