The HCG Diet: The Good - the Bad - and the Ugly

When I began the HCG Diet this Summer I had an underlining question that had gone unanswered until now. Do people keep the weight off that they lose while following the HCG Diet? Let me answer that question for you as well as a few more you might have along the way.

THE GOOD: I had met 3 people (all in seperate households and families) in my neighborhood who were in the last phases of the HCG diet when I was trying to decided whether or not to do the diet. All of them had lost a lot of weight and were thrilled with the results. We had read hundreds of stories of people who were just ending the diet and were celebrating their victory. Some of them were even working through a second or third round (which is incredible!) So, naturally, Leif and I wanted in on the party! We jumped in, and in the end of the hard road we had lost a lot of weight. The good part about the HCG Diet is that it really does cause weight loss.

THE BAD: During my round of the HCG Diet I was miserable. It was a very hard experience for me physically and emotionally. This was very perplexing for me because you would think that with so much success I would be in a state of bliss. That was not the case. I was exhausted. I was hungry. And I was melancholy. There were better days then others. But overall looking back the memories are not pleasant. None of them except that my pants size decreased.

It wasn't until I had completed the HCG Diet that I discovered why I had struggled so much. I could tell that it had something to do with the lack of carbohydrates in the diet. Simply because that was the only thing that had changed in my diet. I always eat vegetables and meat. So, I hit my health and nutrition books and my best friend, Google. I was reminded that the carbohydrates that we eat not only provide our body with energy (calories) they provide the first building blocks for serotonin. Serotonin in the body is most known for its mood balancing function. When someone is low on serotonin they are often melancholy or depressed and fatigued.

In my opinion, someone who is already struggling with a low serotonin chemical imbalance (including myself) the HCG Diet could be disrupting to any prior efforts they have taken to balance this chemical in the body. I was on a very low dose of Paxil. Up until the HCG Diet it was balancing the problem. I suppose that if I took more during the diet it might help. But that isn't always easy or helpful. So, for many people the HCG Diet could contribute to an already imbalanced serotonin level in the body. This is the Bad about the HCG Diet.

THE UGLY: It has been around three to four months since Leif and I finished the HCG Diet. The original unanswered question that I had about whether or not people keep the weight off after the HCG Diet has been answered. In my opinion, the answer is most definitely NO! All three of the people that I had met personally who followed the HCG Diet have gained the weight back. Leif and I have most unfortunately gained the weight back.

Why after such a struggle to lose the weight would someone gain it back? I believe it is because the struggle to lose the weight was short lived. It took less then 30 days for Leif and I to lose the weight. A habit can't even be broken and corrected in that short amount of time. Along with the habits not being broken and corrected their was no training on how to live a normal healthy lifestyle. Those of us who follow the HCG Diet are in need of a quick fix. We want to lose the weight, and FAST! But unfortunately, that is not the way to keep the weight off. The only way to keep the weight off is to change the bad habits that brought on the weight in the first place. I believe the very best way to lose weight is through using the Weight Watchers program. I have met several people who have followed Weight Watchers and they have kept the weight off for years. I should have done that! This is the ugly truth about the HCG Diet.

I hope your view looking back is better then mine!

Uhh Yeeeah, Just Kidding!

So we started the HCG Diet again. I got to the evening of the second VLCD day and I decided I was done. I am so not up to dragging and feeling like I've been put through the washing machine. That is how I feel when I'm on the HCG Diet. So, after no breakfast and chicken and celery for lunch, I decided to make a tasty salad with plenty of chicken and sunflower seeds and vinaigrette dressing for dinner. And we ate until we felt good. I wasn't even going to eat dessert, UNTIL my friend dropped by with a warm apple zucchini pie in hand for us. So, I had a piece. How could I not, right? So, that was last night. We woke up this morning and both of us had lost a pound. So, we smiled and said "heck, maybe we can get lucky and eat normal and use HCG, and still loose weight." So we gave ourselves a shot. Tonight we went to Red Robin for dinner and had all the fixings. Something tells me we didn't lose a pound. I'll let you know though;)

Round Two Begins

Leif and I have leftover HCG from our first round of the HCG Diet. We will put it to use rather then have it go to waste. We have both gained around 7 pounds since the end of our first round of the HCG Diet. To me, this proves that the HCG Diet is not a magic bullet. It does not guarantee that you will never be overweight again. It is a quick weight loss program. But it is NOT a cure! The only cure is following a healthy diet and lifestyle plan and Determination. That is the ONLY Weight Loss CURE.

We follow a reasonably healthy lifestyle. We are active and we eat well balanced meals. However, we enjoy our sweets. So, until we eliminate that from our diet, we will never be free of the creeping pounds.

But I enjoy the weight being off while it lasts...

HCG Diet Maintenance Update

Look how AWESOME He looks! I say HOT!;)

We're in the middle of the three week HCG Diet maintenance period. At this point, of course Leif is doing great and is at a low. He's lost a couple of pounds. It has fluctuated, but now his weight is dropping. For me, mine has fluctuated as well. I seem to have gained at least one pound. After a steak day I can get my weight to 128. My low was 127. Leif and I have both had at least three steak days that I can think of.

It's hard for me to believe that my weight isn't going to creep up after the maintenance period. The HCG Diet is an interesting science project. Bummer that my body is involved. My mood and chemical imbalance has been severely effected by the HCG Diet. I will explain why in my next post. Leif on the other hand has felt just fine and found great success in the HCG Diet. It is all about different body's bringing different chemicals and issues.

So that's our update. We have about a week and a half left on the maintenance. We have followed a "low carb/no carb" diet. Similar to Atkins. I got online and printed off a months worth of low carb recipes. By now I'm weary of meat and cheese. I'm looking forward to the rainbow of colors and variety I used to have on my table. We still eat a lot of veggies. But I need my grains!
BTW: I don't know why I can't get a good pic of me! That stupid hat! Anyway, I FEEL good with the weight loss. It's my mind and emotions that have taken a plunge. Read my "discovery" post and find out why.

Leif's Before and After Photos

Leif lost A Lot of inches! I feel bad that we didn't measure. He lost all over. Especially his stomach, legs and arms. He has a little tummy still that he wants to lose. I personally think he looks AWESOME!! I will get a full photo of him soon.:)

Lena Before and After Photos

I don't have any Great pictures. But this gives you an idea of some of the changes. I lost a chin and a half. I lost around my arms, everywhere else. The places that still need fat loss are my thighs and stomach. The rest I need to tone up!
Thanks HCG For The Help!

End of 500 for Leif

Well, we called it quits on the 500 calories. In a way I'm sad to see it end. I was so close to my goal, but at the same time I'm happy with our next steps. During the this next period it seems common to loose another 5-10 pounds, so that would put me at my goal. Also, it is nice because we are starting a exercise program during this period, so not only will I loose the last few pounds but I will hopefully get in shape a little more.

On a side note, you may have noticed that Lena and I didn't loose equally, but if you look at how much we lost in compared to our initial weights its about even. Lena lost 11.6% of her initial weight, and I lost 11% of my initial weight. So on that aspect Lena won.

This is my exercise goals for this time period.

100 push-ups daily
100 sit-ups daily
1 mile on the glider

May not seem like much but its a whole lot more then I'm doing now.

VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) Complete: My Conclusion

It's funny, I feel like this part of the diet has ended a bit anti-climatic. I wish that I would have lost a lot of weight right up to the end. Unfortunately, I plateaued for several days. So I lost a bit of excitement.

But it is good to be moving on. Honestly, I do feel bad that I didn't reach my goal. I kick myself for not enduring through to the 40 days. But really, I was done. I needed huge and immediate results steadily in order to keep my mind and self control into the game. Once that ended, it was over.

So, anyway, how do I feel about the HCG Diet? Would I recommend the HCG Diet?

I am going to call this my preliminary conclusion. I will make my final conclusion in about two months. Then I will really be able to see the beginnings of the long term effects of the HCG Diet. For today, I would only recommend this diet on certain conditions.

First, I would insist that the person read Pounds and Inches word for word and really understand it.
Second, I would only recommend it if the person had been taught about living a healthy lifestyle and just needed a jump start on their weight loss.
Finally, I would only recommend the HCG Diet to people who were completely dedicated to following the diet with no doubts. Self control is mandatory!

How has the HCG Diet effected my general health?

The weight loss has been wonderful! My body naturally feels better when it's not carrying around extra fat. The aches throughout my body (chronic aching in joints) was non existent while using the HCG. My heal is hurting a bit again now that the HCG is out of my system. On the negative side, I'm still not sure why I am spotting again. It might be due to a drop in progesterone now that the HCG is out of my system. I read the the HCG raises the progesterone in women to aid the uterus' lining for the fetus when pregnant. It's an interesting thought...

7-4-09
Spotting only lasted one day. Did not turn into bleeding. Ended up being no big deal.
Feeling good these days!

Those are my preliminary conclusions. Stay tuned for further thoughts.

HCG DIET DAY 27: No shot day

Well, it's eggs, sausage, and cheese tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it! I am grateful for the weight loss and I hope to continue to lose weight while on the maintenance phase! Leif put it well when he said told me that we have both lost about 10% of our previous weight. That feels good.

Strange thing happened tonight. I started spotting again, as if I am going to start another period. Not Cool! This has never happened before. So it makes me wonder... My lower back hurt really bad yesterday too. So this isn't surprising. But very annoying if it goes into a full blown period again. The one I just got over a week+ ago was really heavy and long. Ugg!

HCG DIET DAY 26: No shot day

Well, we're done! We've decided to end this phase of the HCG Diet. We'll be moving to the maintenance phase in 48 hours or so, Monday to be exact.

We both woke up this morning with very minimal weight loss. For me, this has become the norm. I haven't cheated (except for the two tiny camping cheats) until just a bit ago. My body is DONE! I need to eat more and I need more carbs. I found myself SOO hungry and crazed while feeding the baby lunch that I chowed down a cracker and I snuck a peanut butter cup. Why I even let that in the house is BEYOND ME! STUPID!

I could tell I was done this morning. I just feel it. So I asked Leif how he felt and he's fine with ending a week earlier then planned. We've lost a lot of weight and inches. I feel bad that I haven't reached my goal. But I wonder if I can keep losing throughout the next month or so. I know we aren't supposed to. But I think that Dr.S. means that the people who have reached their minimum weight should not continue to loose weight. Maybe I'm wrong. But I am going to listen to my body and Pray for the best.

I put a swimming suit on today. I actually felt comfortable enough to go play out in the yard with the kids in their pool. This is a Big Deal! I feel okay about my body. There are little things like my upper thighs, my tummy pouch, and my arms that I'd still like to see trimmed. But I am really looking forward to exercising and weights! Really, I am actually looking forward to it. That is another sign of progress.

So, there it is. I'm now gathering recipes for the next three weeks. Things are looking tasty. I hope we feel more content on the next phase and don't think so much about our weight. It's starting to run over into our 4 year olds vocabulary. I'm nervous about hearing "how many calories is in that?" from a four year old.