it's produced in a woman's body during pregnancy. that's where they get the injections, btw: the urine of pregnant women.
the so-called "diet" involved injections of a couple to few hundred units of hcg - they're injecting *urine* into your bloodstream which is pretty darned gross, you ask me - but pregnant women at the peak of hcg production during pregnancy have *thousands* of units in their blood - it's possible to have over 200,000 units!
if hcg performed as they claim (right before they ask for your credit card number), then why do pregnant women gain weight during pregnancy?
going by their own claims, not only should it be impossible for pregnant women to gain weight, but they should also not be subjected to cravings and binges and be bulletproof against gestational diabetes.
if you're thinking about doing it, save yourself the trouble: go to your family doctor and ask for a referral to a dietitian who will put you on a low-calorie diet that will get you the same results. if you're in canada, it's covered under your national health insurance.
personally, being injected with some strange woman's urine is bad enough - but being asked to spend a lot fo money to have them do it to me? that's just adding insult to injury.
This is my understanding. HCG works because the participants reduce their daily calories to 500 calories a day. IMO, that's not healthy. But an even better reason to stay away from HCG is what my doctor told me when I asked her about it. She said she's had patients do HCG (not under her direction) and their cholesterol is skyrocketing on it and then NOT coming back down without drugs after they get off the diet. I believe HCG works to lose weight, but I see it a lot like Phen-Fen. It worked, but at a major cost to your health. For me, no thanks. I'll lose weight the old fashioned way- diet and exercise.
i'm on a very-low-calorie diet but i've got 100lbs to lose so i have the excess fat to carry it for at least a little while. once my metabolism starts to slow - which from previous experience will be anywhere from 10% to 20% of my weight down - i'll have to switch it up to a more reasonable diet.
i also have to check in once a week at the dietitian or the dr's office (same clinic) to be weighed and my blood pressure and blood levels have to be checked every 2 to 4wks (depending on the results) as long as i'm on this diet.
VLCD - which is what the hCG diet is - is NOT something one does without direct medical supervision.
There's a doctor here called Dr. Bernstein that does this, he has a ton of clinics in Canada. I've known a ton of people to do the diet, it's only 500 calories a day and the injections are supposed to stop you from feeling hungry.
It works, but I think it is so bad for your health.
oh, i don't know about that - being pregnant with thousands of units of hcg sloshing around in my blood never stopped me from feeling hungry.
more likely it's the wallet weight loss that's stopping hunger cravings.
on my diet, i don't get uncontrollable hunger at all - i eat every 3hrs and since i'm allowed as much salad as i want (as long as there's no dressing, egg, cheese, etc, on it), i don't have a problem. if i DO find myself cravings, a strong flavour like 1/2c of sliced strawberries (25cal) or a home-made chocolate meringue (egg whites, sugar, cocoa powder, touch of vinegar, and cinnamon - 15cal/each) takes care of it.
I'm about to admit a embarrassing fact - I've tried it. For two days. Made it mid way through day two and said eff this because I was STARVING. It must be a mental placebo thing, you it's going to stop hunger, so you don't "feel as hungry".
At the end of the day, eating 500 calories is going to get results. With or without drops/tabs/injections. It is just hugely unhealthy and results in your metabolism getting messed up after doing a few "rounds" of it.
My sister's in-laws did it, and they both lost a substantial amount of weight. Now that they're not getting the injections anymore they're still eating super low carb and all organic, as prescribed by the diet, so they haven't gained it back. However, her mother-in-law looks so gaunt and her already thin hair is even thinner. She just truly looks miserably unhealthy, even though she's tiny now. I wouldn't try it (if I could afford it, which I can't) based on that alone.
#1 reason why i hate HCG: the logic doesn't fly
