HCG Diet???

Hi,

I am not an expert on this diet but my sister-in-law did "melt away" on this diet, it was amazing to see.  However the cost prohibited her from staying on it and she gained it back just as quickly.  What it comes down to if you actually look at the plan is there is about 500 calories a day on this plan and any plan that you only eat 500 calories in a day is going to make you lose weight and fast.  This article talks about the diet.  http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/is-the-hcg-diet-a-risky-fad

My theory is most any diet works if you stick to it.

500 calories a day is a dangerously low level, isn,t ?

Lynn, are there not other diets that are not so drastic, like the Meditteranian diet with lots of fruits and veggies and small fish and nuts and seeds, just basically healthy eating which anyone in recovery would need. Our bodies have been through hell and need to be well nourished, it,s work, i have to admit, easier said than done, but worth it in the end as we rebuild our health

My friend went on the HCG diet last year.  She did the hormonal shots prescribed by a MD.  She had adily injections of HCG and followed the diet.  She lost 40 lbs within 6 weeks.  She just did round 2, andlost another 20 LBS.  Its been one year for her and she eats normally now, not all the junk she used to eat though and has kept off the wieght.  At her MDs office, they have not had anyone be unsuccessful on this.  Its expensive though. The shots were 700dollars.  Its the same HCG in your body with pregnancy but a mucgh smaller percent.  Dr. Oz had a show on it and a big time cardiologist and columbia presbyterian was on it.  He said the risk of taking the shots vs his being obese were far lower and so he followed the program and was a success.

I would like to try it too but havn't jumped in yet.  I dont know anyone who took the drops.

HCG is human chorionic gonadotropin.    Pretty much the exact opposite of taking lupron shots to shut down you ovaries, instead HCG would stimulate them (or testis in men).  The idea has been around for a long time, but my understanding is that it didn't stand up well in a proper clinical trial that was conducted.  I'm also not sure about any homeopathic HCG drops, as HCG would be destroyed by the digestive system and that is why it is done subcutaneously.  Perhaps the drops are intended as a sublingual mode of absorption and overcome that shortcoming.

 So I would say weaknesses in this approach are: 1) No proof it (HCG) aids weight loss or preservation of muscle mass 2) No proof non pharmaceutic versions actually contain HCG 3) Safety issues in stimulating ovaries in breast cancer patients 4) Safety of severe caloric restriction 5) ability to maintain weight loss requires sustainable changes in behavior.

 Steroid using bodybuilders have been using HCG for decades to restore hormonal function after steroid abuse.  I've never heard of HCG aiding fat loss or maintaining lean mass during dieting, and they as a group would take just about anything into their bodies if it helped lose fat or gain muscle.

Consider that if women w. BC take Lupron or have oophorectemies to reduce estrogen production, HCG is the direct opposite move.

Rather than just be negative, let me throw something out there.  The Pritikin diet.  Get a copy from your local library and take a read. It's nothing flashy, but something you can maintain for a lifetime.  He advocated what most of us recognize as a healthy diet, low fat, non-starchy vegetables, bulky foods, low to moderate protein, avoiding calorically dense foods.

I would think it would make a big difference if you were ER/PR+, which I am.  Just a thought.

Just something to think about - I am not advocating, but sharing: The amount of HCG injected is a minute level of the amount normally found in pregnancy and as fasr as I have been informed does not stimulate estrogen production due to the very low level of HCG used.  I recall seeing a Doctor Oz show where a well known Cardiologist at Columbia Presb noted he took it as the impact on his health from being  obese vs being on the HCG shots was far more troubling.aND this was a respected cardiologist. I would only seek information from a Dr  specialiszing in this tx vs anything on-line to ensure proper protocol and hormones.

sounds totally unnatural to me.

Hey Lyn, I lost about 35 pounds last year and was really struggling with losing the last 20 pounds.  I started the HCG diet and lost 14 pounds.  I was diagnosed with BC on day 18 of 30.  I paid $350 for the diet so I was ticked when my GP and onc. promptly kicked me off the diet.  There were a group of us doing the diet together.  I will say that of the 10 or so people who did the diet with me, none of us have maintained the weight loss.  As much as it stinks, a healthy diet and excercise routine is probably a better option both for cancer patients and for good health in general.

Susan

Lynh...........good decision............it works while you stay on it, but don't try going off............it is a scam..................