There are no miracle cure-alls, silver bullets, or magic pills that will get you trim, fit and healthy, but after an exhaustive search and rigorous testing, The Sherpa has pinpointed a few natural health therapies that DO help and ferreted out the scams to avoid...you may be shocked by what we've discovered.

The HCG Diet: Miracle Solution or Dangerous Fad?

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Posted Tuesday, Jul. 3rd, 2012

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The HCG Diet Miracle Solution or Dangerous Fad

Imagine if you could effortlessly lose 43 pounds in 37 days. In other words, you could drop an average of one pound a day, every day, for a month.

Could weight loss really be so easy?

Sure!

If…

…you’re willing to pump yourself full of a hormone that’s produced during pregnancy…

…and if you adopt a restrictive diet that allows you a paltry 500 calories a day – about what you’d normally get from just one healthy dinner…

…and if you’re content risking your health and well-being, just to shed some pounds.

Not so simple after all, huh?

The hormone is HCG, which has been linked to a slew of dangerous side effects. Worse, it doesn’t even work.

Proponents may claim that thousands of people have safely lost weight on the HCG diet. But the research tells a different tale.

America’s Growing Obesity Epidemic…

The USDA estimates that the average American consumes a whopping 156 pounds of sugar every year—that’s 31 five-pound bags each! Needless to say, eating habits such as these are responsible for Americans’ spiraling weight gain. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than one third (35.7 percent) of U.S. adults are now classified as obese, and two-thirds of adults are classified as overweight.

Unfortunately, instead of adopting healthy eating patterns, many dieters are looking for a quick fix, often in the form of fad diets, many of which are frowned upon by doctors and other health authorities.

Take the HCG diet: Fans swear that it will help you lose huge amounts of weight in a short time – “lose 30 pounds in 30 days” is a common refrain. But are such claims accurate? And even if they are, is this diet worth the risk?

What is HCG?

The HCG weight loss system revolves around taking a substance called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), a hormone produced by pregnant women. HCG can be extracted from urine or created synthetically.

In the early stages of pregnancy, many women suffer from nausea and vomiting and may consume fewer calories as a result. This puts them at risk for going into “starvation mode” – the ultimate consequence of low calorie consumption – which could trigger a spontaneous miscarriage. To prevent this problem, their bodies release HCG, which, in turn, triggers the release of fat from areas such as the hips, thighs, buttocks, and abdomen. This tricks the body into believing that it is taking in sufficient calories, thus ensuring adequate nutrition for the growing fetus.

But what’s all that got to do with dieting?

Well, in the 1950s, a British endocrinologist named Dr. Albert Simeons discovered that his overweight teenage male patients who received injections of HCG lost body fat. He later combined administration of HCG with a very low calorie diet, which he recommended as a system to shed massive amounts of weight quickly.

These days, people who promote the HCG diet claim that it leads to rapid weight loss, including loss of fat around the stomach, hips, thighs, and upper arms; minimization of hunger; and increased feelings of well-being.

The diet regime consists of taking HCG – in the form of drops, injections, or homeopathic preparations – as you follow a very low calorie diet. Taking the HCG supposedly prevents the body from turning to lean muscle for calories and directs it to draw on abnormal fat reserves instead. It’s also said to prevent the body from going into starvation mode, which can cause serious damage to the body.

Sounds pretty easy, right? But there’s more to this story.

Low Calorie, High Hormone…

HCG appears to exert its action on the hypothalamus, where it causes the body to release stored fat, which is then available to be used by the body for nourishment. But this alone isn’t sufficient to cause weight loss. In fact, proponents say it’s the combined effect of HCG and a daily 500-calorie diet that’s responsible for its alleged results.

But here’s the problem: Weight loss, as we now know, has little to do with calories themselves.

Think about it. Sure, you could shed pounds if you consumed just 500 calories in the form of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein. But swap those healthy choices for cookies, chips, and other “empty”, low-nutrient calories, and you’re not going to lose weight. In fact, you might even gain some pounds!

People who successfully lose weight and keep it off aren’t doing so by simply cutting calories. They’re choosing foods that are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial compounds, and low in sugar and other refined carbohydrates.

That said, the HCG diet does cut out all sugar and most starches, focusing on one vegetable, one fruit, and one protein for lunch, then the same plan at dinner, only using different foods than those eaten at lunch. No wonder adherents have lost weight. But the diet also includes some questionable advice, like skipping breakfast—a sure way to set yourself up for failure, because it downregulates your metabolism and can cause you to overeat later in the day.

A sample daily meal plan on the HCG diet includes:

Breakfast: Tea or coffee in any quantity without sugar. Only one tablespoonful of milk allowed in 24 hours. You may use stevia as a sweetener, but you’re not supposed to actually eat – a pattern that studies have actually linked to a greater risk of weight gain, not loss.

Lunch:

  • Protein: Choose from—100 grams of veal, beef, chicken breast, fresh white fish, lobster, crab, or shrimp. (Salmon, eel, tuna, herring, dried, or pickled fish are not allowed.)
  • Vegetable: Choose from—one to two cups of spinach, chard, chicory, beet-greens, lettuce, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, or cabbage.
  • Carbohydrate: One breadstick (grissino) or one Melba toast. Research shows that refined carbs promote weight gain, so adding this isn’t a terribly good idea.
  • Fruit: Choose from—apple, orange, 10 strawberries, or one-half grapefruit.

Dinner: The same four options as lunch (above).3

The diet also advocates drinking lots of water, along with green tea, which has fat-burning qualities.

You’re supposed to follow these restrictions for three to six weeks. After that, dieters begin a six-week “maintenance” phase that’s less restrictive about calories (they can consume up to 2,000 a day) but still requires that they strictly avoid all grains, sugars, dairy, nuts, and fats for the first half of the phase.

Again, that’s a flawed strategy: Heart-healthy fats like monounsaturated and omega-3 fats are an important part of a wholesome diet, and research even suggests that consuming these fats promotes weight loss. Why would you avoid good fat when it improves satiety (makes you feel full), is anti-inflammatory, heart healthy, and helps you lose weight?

Though common sense arguments like these seem to stand in opposition, one might ask, “But what does the science say?”

Unfortunately, it isn’t any more promising.

The Research Doesn’t Support the Claims…

The HCG diet may have plenty of fans – but does it really work? Let’s take a look at the research.

One double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 40 obese women compared the effect of HCG injections versus placebo on weight loss. For six days a week over six weeks, the participants were given daily intramuscular injections of either HCG or saline solution, and placed on a diet of 1,200 calories per day – about what people eat during the maintenance phase of the diet.

The researchers found that injecting the participants with HCG showed no advantages over injecting them with saline, and considered that their weight loss was in line with what would be expected on a restricted calorie diet. Given this, they concluded that there was no rationale for the use of HCG injections as an aid to weight loss.6

In another double-blind, randomized trial, researchers assigned 13 overweight women ages 20 to 40 to either receive injections of HCG, while the other group received placebo injections six days a week for six weeks. Both groups consumed 500 calories a day.

At the end of the study period, the researchers found that both groups experienced identical weight loss and that there seemed to be no difference in mood, hunger, or body measurements. They concluded that, in the treatment of obesity, injections of HCG were no more effective than placebo.7

A larger study of 51 overweight women between the ages of 18 and 60 also found no significant difference in weight loss between those participants who had received the HCG over those who had received the placebo.8

And those are just the individual studies. According to a meta-analysis of eight uncontrolled and 16 controlled trials that measured the effect of HCG in the treatment of obesity, “There is no scientific evidence that HCG is effective in the treatment of obesity; it does not bring about weight-loss or fat-redistribution, nor does it reduce hunger or induce a feeling of well-being.”9

And other experts agree.

For example, Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, describes the HCG diet as “reckless, irresponsible, and completely irrational.” One of the problems he sees with the diet, along with inadequate caloric intake, is that, even if you do lose weight on the diet, the weight does not stay off. He also considers it unsafe, due to the number of side effects that are associated with the HCG.

Ineffective AND Unsafe…

Proponents say that they’ve had success with the HCG diet, even though the research doesn’t bear it out. So what’s the harm in just trying it?

Well, the diet isn’t just ineffective. It also appears to be unsafe.

First, people following the HCG diet system report a laundry list of troubling side effects, including headaches, fatigue, constipation, hair loss, nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, agitation, depression, breast tenderness, ovarian cysts, thromboembolism, and testicular tumors and hypergonadism in men.

In women, HCG can cause hyper-stimulation of the ovaries. This leads to pelvic aching, accompanied by swelling of the hands and the lower limbs, stomach ache, weight gain, breathing difficulties, diarrhea, nausea, and decreased urination.

It is important to note that these side effects are more commonly seen when patients take the injections as opposed to the sublingual drops or homeopathic preparations.10

The HCG diet could also cause problems for those with a genetic pre-disposition to gallbladder disease. The diet itself could aggravate this problem because of the small amount of fat allowed in the second phase. Gout symptoms may also increase in severity in rare cases.11

There could even be a cancer danger. Human chorionic gonadotropin stimulates production of the hormone androgen, which can exacerbate prostate and other androgen-mediated cancers.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control has been called to investigate over a dozen deaths caused by this diet, dating back to the 1970s. Based on this both the American College of Bariatric Physicians and the FDA advises patients and consumers alike to avoid HCG weight loss products.

This Diet Loses Big…

No matter how many people say they have lost weight with the HCG diet, the fact remains that there’s no good research to support these claims. It just doesn’t work – and it’s too extreme to result in long-term weight loss, anyway.

That would be reason enough to pass on this fad. Now, consider that HCG has been linked to a slew of dangerous side effects and potential risks. Not to mention possible deaths…

Why on earth would you want to take that chance – especially when there’s not even a weight-loss pay off or other health benefits to be had?

The truth is, many people have lost weight and kept it off through good old-fashioned diet and exercise: Steer clear of sugar and refined starches. Ditch the processed and convenience foods in favor of eggs, lean pastured meat, and fish, accompanied by generous servings of vegetables, and lower-glycemic fresh fruits. And always drink plenty of good quality water and green tea when dieting, as this speeds weight loss.

You should also make time for exercise most days. Try some form of high-intensity exercises 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes at a time, such as sprints, rowing, circuit training or something similar.

It’s not sexy, new, or trendy. But it works – safely. And isn’t that the most important part of any diet?

Remember to keep an open mind to new ideas, but ALWAYS do your own homework…and combine that with common sense to figure out what’s best for YOU.

References

1Coleman, E. Recommended Calorie Intake for a Female. 2011 Jul 22.

2Billian, S. Recommended Caloric Intake for a Male. 2011 Jan 16.

3Simeons, ATW. The Original hCG Diet.

4Edmond, A and Flaherty, E. The Controversial Diet That Really Works. Marie Claire magazine. 2011 Jan 27.

5Minkoff, D. HCG Weight-Loss Package Launched By BodyHealth.

6Bosch B, et al. Human chorionic gonadotropin and weight loss. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. S Afr Med J. 1990 Feb 17;77(4):185-9.

7Greenway FL, Bray GA. Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in the treatment of obesity: a critical assessment of the Simeons method. West J Med. 1977 Dec;127(6):461-3.

8Stein MR, et al. Ineffectiveness of human chorionic gonadotropin in weight reduction: a double-blind study. Am J Clin Nutr. 1976 Sep;29(9):940-8.

9Lijesen GK, et al. The effect of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in the treatment of obesity by means of the Simeons therapy: a criteria-based meta-analysis. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1995 Sep;40(3):237-43.

10Scritchfield, R. Thinking about HCG Diet? Look Elsewhere for Weight Loss. 2009 Sep 16.

11Bird, B. HCG Diet Contraindications. 2011 Jul 14.

12Mercola, J. Use This Superfood to Help Remove Mercury from your Tissues in Weeks. 2012 Feb 1.

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  • Cpollio

    Sad that you are spreading these myths as fact. My holistic MD recommended this diet for me after I recovered from a medical issue that left me 60 pounds overweight. I did not do injections, but sublingual and it was simple. I was not hungry or malnourished, I was full, happy, and pain free (in fact, after one round I got shingles on my face and felt no pain). It was a miracle for me and for many of my friends, that have lost significant weight and kept it off. If you actually read Dr. Simeons’ manuscript you would ‘get’ that – you would understand that the fat being lost is burned as energy – meaning on this diet you are burning about 3000 calories a day (which is why you can eat 500 and feel good). I hold a Ph.D. in science, by the way, so I recognize ‘junk science’ – most of your citations were not properly conducted experiments or tested something other than the HCG diet as prescribed. Had it not been for this diet, I would still be obese and likely much more ill, today. I will unsubscribe from your emails today. Clearly you would rather jump on the bandwagon than help people with their health.

  • Cheryl

    You obviously have not done your research on the program nor have you read the information on the theory and science behind the diet.  I am a qualified practitioner and have successfully used the program on over 200 patients and not one has had a problem, their health has improved and with ongoing support and education they have all been able to change their lifestyle and eating habits to keep the weight off. 

  • Guest

    And another anecdotal response–I did the HCG diet with a slightly less restrictive diet–about 1000 calories a day–and lost 60 lbs in about 3 months. I did not feel hungry, nor did I have any of the side effects you list. The amount of hcg given is remarkably small in comparison to fertility treatment, but that is an “approved FDA” procedure. And the cancer claim is spurious–hcg mimics luteinizing hormone in men, spurring the testicles to produce more testosterone…but in the very small doses given the increase is marginal–and testosterone production (within normal range) is no longer considered to be a cancer antagonist.

  • Gumbypoole

    I enjoy and appreciate your articles and insight into medical and health issues. I do have a massive problem with a statement in this post. One paragraph states:

    “Think about it. Sure, you could shed pounds if you consumed just 500 calories in
    the form of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein. But swap those healthy choices
    for cookies, chips, and other “empty”, low-nutrient calories, and you’re not
    going to lose weight. In fact, you might even gain some pounds!”

    That is ridiculous! If a normal adult consumed just 500 calories of anything, they would lose weight! You could eat 500 calories of table sugar and lose weight. Taking in less calories than you burn = weight loss – period. Yes I know about the glycemic index, carbs vs proteins, etc. But the statement is still true. Be careful with hyperbole.

  • yellowhummingbird

    I was skeptical about this diet , but after watching 4 of my friends loose a lot of weight and keeping it off for over a year  I decided i would try it. I was a healthy eater before the diet ,went on an hour bike ride every day but could not loose my 15 pounds around my waist and chest. So I finally I started the HCG diet and I lost 20 Pounds in 26 days. I was never hungry felt a lot of energy and had no symptoms that you have mentioned. I am now on a 6 week maintenance, feel great have no sugar cravings and this is the first diet i have ever attempted to do. I also like to mention that I had Granuloma Annulare before i started the diet and no doctor had any cure for it. It has completely
    disappeared. I am now at the weight i was 20 years ago and feel so good.

  • Anonymous

    I read the paper by that started the “craze”.  I found it to be excellent and had great insights.  The research you have quoted here is flawed at best and totally misleading.  There are going to be differences in results becauses human beings are different. Results could be skewed by age, sex, phyical condition, other medical conditions and the like. The results of the studies sited were laughable and experiement poorly constructed…and I venture a guess were construsted to fail. The drug industry only needs to report two successful studies to have a drug approved and nobody cares that they may have run 10-20 trials. That success rate is dreadful and nothing to high five about. Flawed is flawed

    The amount of HCG is small as it should be with a hormone.  I tried this “diet” after not being able to lose fat with good eating habits and exercise (running, biking, and weights).  What was most amazing to me was not being hungry at all even with mounds of food around during the holdiays.  I was looking to reduce fat body and weight loss was a side benefit. It did the job and I was pleased.  I asked my doctor (alternative) and he was fine with it.  I had none of the side effects listed.  I did regain a little bit of weight, but highly satisfied with my results and recommended to family and friends.

  • Segaih

    Guest,
    It is wounderful, I have used it and lost 16 Pounds in a month even I am eating brown bread with lunch and dinner.I would beleive you could lose more if you do not ear bread at all.I have never felt hungrey at all.I recommend it to any body who wants to loose weight.

  • Janie

    I felt your article was biased!  I have used HCG 3 times.  The first time I lost 30 lbs!  I have been on the yoyo diet circuit for many years!  Most of those diets have worked one way or the other.  I am 65, trained/studied in fitness and healthy eating. Having all that knowledge does not necessary give you the energy, commitment, patience, motivation. . in a busy life. . .to follow every day.  Emotional issues come in to play for many people.  Stress is a big “de-motivator”.  So it is easy to say “just cut calories, eat healthy and exercise” when many people (women in particular) have much more in their way of success.  That being said, I got through menapause and starting adding weight, I stopped my massage practice (thinking it was time for me) and put on more weight.  When you get to the point were the weight is a struggle, dieting is a struggle, even thinking/planning is a struggle, to turn to other options.  I am a woman who does not take medication, only drinks water all day and eats moderately healthy so for me to turn to HCG was a big decision.  I was 197 April 2011.  I got down to 164.  I used the nasal inhaler.  The second time it didn’t work but I used a sublingual.  I was starving. I never felt hungary on the nasal spray. The third time is because I put on 12 lbs.  I lost 15.  Not alot for 3 weeks and I could still afford to go to 150.  BUT I have NEVER been able (what ever my “excuses” are) to succeed this quickly, NOT feel starved.  I have the energy now to start to excercise, the motivation because I feel better about me, the clarity of mind to make better choices, I have alot less aches and pains from carrying 33 extra lbs. and I look pretty good for a 65 yr old great grandmother!! 
    I know me, my inner being and my body. . .it worked. . it was not because I “just wanted it to work”. Especially when I tried a different form and could tell the difference in how I felt.
    Down side: yes, I lost hair. .twice. ..grew back twice.  yes. .I had some detoxing at first, but who wants the toxins in their body anyway?  If you understand what is happening, you can deal with it.  Look at “fat” women. . .most of them look younger because they don’t need collagen. So, yes, my skin is wrinkly and sags some, it is slowly tightening back up.
    HCG gave me the opportunity to take back my life! Now I have the energy to live in a way that I can maintain this weight and eventually let go of more. I know it is ALL up to me.  I know everyone of us has it in us to be whomever we want. . .yet. . it always feels good to have a helping hand to remind us of who we are when we get stuck in the belief that we are only human.  Thanks HCG for that helping hand!

  • David Michael

    This is my experience with HCG. I was a 60 year old male when I first tried it. The homeopathic spray was what I used. I followed the protocol to a “T”, 6 weeks on, 6 weeks off for a total of 4 rounds. My average weight loss was 0.85 lb/day. I can report high energy and no hunger; in fact I had to force myself to eat the meals. The only problem was you do get bored with the food. So far so good. But after each round I got hit with a nasty gout attack and the weight started coming back. Today I have gained all the weight back despite excellent eating habits. My body just wants to be at this weight. The best I can tell my weight problem began when I had my appendix out as a youth. None of my siblings have any kind of weight problem, only me.

  • Shamankaloo

    I used a plan called Shape ReClaimed, a homeopathic glycoprotein formulation created by my chiropractor, combined with an HCG-type diet. I was able to add foods—an extra serving of fruit, extra protein—if I felt too hungry. I lost about 20 pounds, and I’ve kept it off. The emphasis was on avoiding inflammatory foods, like sugars and bad fats, and to adopt these good eating habits as a lifestyle. I’m so grateful my chiropractor explained HOW bad sugar is.

  • Eileen

    Bullshit!! I used the drops last August, lost 18 lbs in the first 30 days and DID NOT adhere to the strict 500 calorie plan. As a 54 year old female my metabolism needed a kick start and the HCG drops provided it. I felt amazing and never hungry!!  I exercise regularly (yoga, kick box, and free weights). My eating habits have always been healthy as I am an avid gardener and we practically live off the garden when in season. Almost 1 yr. later the weight has stayed off and I do not feel my “age”. I highly recommend the drops for women my age w/ metabolic “slow down”.

  • Julia

    I’m not sure some of the commenters are being completely honest with themselves about the effects of being on this diet.  This craze has swept through my large circle of friend and it seems that most lost weight (quite a few gained it back).  It all started with a friend who lost 75+lbs on it.  She recommended the the brand to use and gave people the info to research the diet as she said that not all hcg preparations are effective. So I know all these people used the same prepartion when they went on the diet.  I did not want to be around any of these people when they were on the diet.  They were crabby, crabby, crabby!  I could tell when people were doing their weight loss cycle as they were moody and low energy and some freely admited it. I kid you not, I have had no less then 10 friends on this diet.  One of my friends(in her early 30s) put her mother(in her early 60s) on the diet and to support her she did the diet to lose 10lbs (which I did not see the point, she has a great figure).  This woman was already a very healthy eater who avoided sugar and ate lots of veggies,fruits, lean meats etc and was a regular exerciser.  She was the same as the others – low energy, moody….  Not her normal personality trait!  She confided in me that she felt terrible while she was on the diet and didn’t feel it was a healthy way to lose weight.  I have struggled with my weight most of my adult life and have done some pretty extreme diets.  About 5 years ago I got fed up with feeling hungry and unsatisfied and said “Enough”!  Regular exercise and eating plenty of veggies and fruits, avoid convenience foods and eating out as much as possible.  You’d be better off investing that money you spent on HCG ona good juicer & book on juicing.  Most of us are nutrient starved and that is why we are hungry.  The reason most people crave carbs is protein deficiency.  Get a high quality whey protien shake or a non-soy alt. if you can’t tolerate dairy.  Most people crave high fat foods because they are low in essential fatty acids.  Fish oil, evening primrose oil and borage oil are all good supplements to combat this and are all available in gel caps.

  • Loftymind

    Actually, your “trial” was completely wrong, because you didn’t have the people do the diet.  I’ve done that diet and lost 50 pounds and it worked great and because of the hCG, I WAS NOT HUNGRY, even only eating 500 calories a day — a HUGE factor that your article conveniently forgot to mention!!!!!!  

  • Sweetiepie

    Your people don’t know what they’re talking about.  They supposedly did a trial of the diet, but they had the people on 1,200 calories, not the 500 calories.  Also, the whole point is that because of the  hCG, you don’t feel hunger!!!!!  That’s huge!!!!  That’s why you can stick to a 500 calorie diet.  Your people should do better research before putting out such a biased and inaccurate article.  It’s wrong.  I lost about 45 pounds and felt good the whole time; not something you could possibly say when you’re hungry and uncomfortable, as on most diets.

  • Ann

    This kind of biased “research” really angers me. Here’s another, more accurate picture:  HCG injections were the ONLY way I was able to go from 180 lbs to 145, size 8. Despite running marathons and being a gym rat for 2 1/2 years, my body SIZE NEVER CHANGED. I apparently have very low metabolism and eating less only slows my body down more. 
    On an MD supervised plan of the 500 cal and daily tiny shots- I felt fabulous—some days I did not want to eat at all. I had plenty of energy. The key is to follow the instructions EXACTLY–I have many friends who also used various forms of HCG and lost weight- and yes, some ate enough bad stuff to put their weight back on- but the HCG took it off for them initially. I think your researchers made up the side effects because the only ones I ever heard were the transient hair loss from the low fat diet and loose skin from loosing so much weight. But my heart is really happy now and it is much easier to run! The hard part for me is breaking habits of eating for comfort rather than nourishment and not rewarding myself with a beer or wine after a long hard day!! We need MORE education for young people and healthy school food so people can develop healthy habits while they are young!!!    

  • Nik

    Wow, I had respect for this site and information for a couple of years now but this article was ridiculous and biased! So sad and disappointing. 

    I have been successful on the HCG diet and long term keeping weight off. I used RX HCG on my most recent round (much better than the homeopathic drops which do not have the proper amount of HCG) and was never hungry and felt healthy and strong.  You should be more worried about people using poor quality HCG, homeopathic “HCG” and not prescription HCG more than anything.  People will do this diet but they need to use RX FDA approved HCG so they do not starve themselves on the 500 calorie phase of the diet. 

    Dr Simeons protocol works.

  • Deb

    Can you share which drops you used?  I am the same age/lifestyle and experiencing the “slowdown”.

  • Shytlerj

    I disagree with this assessment of HCG.  Very low calorie diets are unsucessful but a low carb, high protien, adequate fat diet combined with HCG was very effective for me.  I tried everything and could not get the weight off after giving birth to my second child.  I cheated, drank Etoh, (no beer, only liquor), drank diet soda and still lost weight.  I am down to my high school weight and have sustained the weight loss after 2 years.  I did a round of HCG for 6 weeks in 2010 and lost 10lbs, another in 2011 and lost another 10 lbs.  Since my high school reunion I lost another 10lbs without HCG or a strict diet. (156lbs-126lbs).  I work out doing mixed martial arts.  HCG seems to reset your baseline BMI.  Maybe this reviewer needs to look at practitioners that provide HCG and advocate a HEALTHY diet before demonizing HCG as an unhealthy practice.  It worked for me and as a healthcare provider that’s as evidenced based as it gets. 

  • http://naturalhealthsherpa.com Natural Health Sherpa

    Thank you for your passionate comments! There are a couple of things I want to clear up here.
    First, let’s be clear that the Sherpa does not run any trials. We review existing gold-standard (double-blind, placebo controlled) scientific studies on natural therapies. The point of the trial you both seem to be referencing is to tease apart the effects of HCG versus the effects of diet. The reality is, this diet requires that you make substantial dietary changes IN ADDITION to taking HCG. Changing your diet (particularly in the ways prescribed by the diet—i.e. very low carbs with a focus on lean protein and low-glycemic fruits and vegetables) can impact hunger (not to mention weight loss) on its own. So the question to ask is: What’s influencing the hunger and weight loss: The HCG, the diet, or both? The trial you are referring to shows that the HCG has no impact. By comparing two groups eating the same diet and giving only one HCG scientists are able to illustrate that it is not the HCG injections that have an effect on weight loss. Rather the effect comes from dietary change.

  • http://naturalhealthsherpa.com Natural Health Sherpa

    Thanks so much for your comments Julia. It’s interesting to hear that your friends were crabby on the diet—makes sense when you’re only consuming 500 calories. But the point you bring up here that I really wanted to comment on was regarding nutrient deficiency—this is an absolutely critical issue. Most Americans are nutrient-starved. The result? They are hungry all the time because their bodies are crying for the nourishment they need. Hunger hormones like grhelin are released in response to nutrient deprivation. So even if HCG did work (and the research shows it doesn’t), you’d still have a choice: Replete your nutrient levels and eliminate hunger that way or inject hormones—which really aren’t natural except to pregnant women—to achieve the same effect. Altering your diet and overcoming nutrient deprivation seems the superior way go to me. Kudos for making that choice!

  • http://naturalhealthsherpa.com Natural Health Sherpa

    Awesome comment Eileen. Love how frank you are! But I beg to differ on this particular topic. I’ve seen several comments saying people “never felt hungry” and that this is a good thing—it actually isn’t. You SHOULD feel hungry sometimes, specifically when you’re body needs nourishment. If you’re experience of hunger was mitigated to such a degree that you never even had the feeling, that seems pretty unhealthy to me.
    I’d love to hear more about how closely you stuck to the diet and what (if any lifestyle changes) you made during this time. I have no doubt that you (or any of the other folks who commented on this blog) lost weight, but I would bet that it’s an outcome of dietary and lifestyle refinement and not the hormone. At least that’s what the science to date shows.

  • http://naturalhealthsherpa.com Natural Health Sherpa

    Congratulations on losing the weight. The focus on anti-inflammatory foods, good fats, and elimination of sugar is right on. I’d love to know what would have happened if you’d just followed the diet and not taken the HCG formulation …

  • http://naturalhealthsherpa.com Natural Health Sherpa

    While I appreciate your weight loss and your comments, I have to say at this stage I stand by the research. Can you say more about how you think the studies were flawed and designed to fail? Your comment on the drug industry doesn’t exactly make sense to me—it seems to me drug companies would be more invested in seeing HCG on the market as that would give them one more product to sell. The reality is you don’t need drugs or other inputs to lose weight. You just need to change your diet. No doubt individual differences make a difference in the efficacy of any natural therapy. What we are talking about here is the effectiveness of the HCG diet versus the effectiveness of a low-carb, medium protein, relatively high-fat diet for the general population. The research shows the later works better in almost every population.

  • http://naturalhealthsherpa.com Natural Health Sherpa

    Thanks so much for your response. As you are no doubt aware there is a tremendous amount of debate about caloric consumption and its impact on health and weight. Certainly 500 calories is considered a starvation diet by any standard. Perhaps it would have been more accurate for me to say, “There is no way you would remain healthy on a 500 calorie diet.” That said, the point I was trying to illustrate here is that the quantity of calories is not nearly so important as the quality of calories. 500 calories of chocolate chip cookies and 500 calories of grass-fed ground beef are two very different things metabolically—and they influence health and weight in different ways. True, it’s not very likely you’ll gain weight even if you’re eating 500 calories of table sugar, but you’re sure not going to be healthy or improve long-term health outcomes. And that’s the ultimate point, isn’t it?

  • http://naturalhealthsherpa.com Natural Health Sherpa

    Since you haven’t identified in any way how we misinterpreted the science behind the diet, it’s a little hard to swallow such a brazen accusation. Our medical board (which includes two medical doctors) did double duty on this research and vetted the article itself for facts. I have no doubt people are seeing success on this diet. But the question is whether this is due to HCG or the underlying dietary change. I maintain it’s the later and that HCG itself doesn’t have any impact. After a thorough vetting the scientific research on this subject, we believe the research supports this. If you can produce research to the contrary I’d be more than happy to review it.

  • http://naturalhealthsherpa.com Natural Health Sherpa

    Thanks for your comment. It’s unfortunate that you feel I am jumping on the bandwagon here. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, I see HCG as a bandwagon a lot of folks are jumping on without any scientific validation. I don’t see how much more factual you can get than multiple, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies on a topic. And if you have reviewed the citations and feel the studies were flawed, please illustrate why and how.
    Many people create many different kinds of diets and say they are “scientifically-valid.” That Simeons says this about his can be no surprise. But that doesn’t make it fact. Only autonomous testing of natural medical therapies prove their validity and to date there are none that I know of that bear out HCG being a reasonable or safe weight loss method.

  • http://naturalhealthsherpa.com Natural Health Sherpa

    Thank you for your comment. First, allow me to apologize that it wasn’t posted sooner. It was trapped in a moderation cue, not deleted. It is, of course, your right to disagree with our recommendations/assessments. However, some of what you say here is simply inaccurate. It is true that we sell products. We have a large team of writers, researchers, editors, customer service reps, and more we support to keep this site going. We have to pay them somehow, and we do this through selling products we believe in that have some basis in science. The sugar substitute we most commonly sell is slimtevia–a stevia based product. And, as you may be aware, there is good data that suggests stevia may help moderate blood sugar and have other positive health effects. Feel free to review our article on stevia for more details. You say that alternative health is based on hearsay and not science. This is simply untrue as the hundreds of citations from respected medical journals like JAMA, NEJM, and others on this site and others attest. I invite you to review these citations at your leisure. Similarly, your assessment of meta-analyses is incorrect–they are actually considered one of the best and most scientifically accurate ways to make assessments on existing data–any scientist or medical researcher would concur with this statement. The Cochrane Collaboration is an extremely well respected institution in medical science, and they ONLY do meta-anlyses. On the other hand, a Google search on it’s own will not provide a scientifically valid overview of anything. I understand you feel strongly about the HCG diet, and I appreciate that. I’m also happy you have lost weight on the diet–though I would maintain this is more a matter of the dietary changes prescribed than taking HCG, as there is no scientific evidence to the efficacy of the later. You are, of course, welcome to your opinion, and I am more than open to healthy debate. But I would request that you refrain from impugning the character of our enterprise, particularly when you have not stated any evidence to support your claims.

  • Parminter

    Hello NHS
    Gosh, you have taken an enormous amount of flak over this. Being overweight in a world that requires one to be thin is a hugely emotional issue.
    I have been through the diet mill in my long life, during much of which there was endless erroneous information- the ‘calories in calories out’ nonsense, the ‘high carb’ nonsense, the ridiculous industry-driven food pyramid, grapefruit, one-food per day etcetera etcetera. On and on and on, much of it with a large profit for someone. And more and more nostrums and snake-oil appear on the shelves every day. Not to mention the industrial ‘diet’ foods.
    All the nostrums are associated with enormous anxiety and real obsession. One thinks of little but food all day, and life and thought become consumed with weighing-scales and refrigerators and food-purchases. Social life goes out the window. One bores people to death.
    Clearly, this HCG method has helped people lose weight (but at a terrifying rate), and it has improved their lives, but I wonder how long the treatment must go on, how many times it must be repeated, and how the hormonal tweaking will manifest in the long term. And we know hormones are massively powerful in tiny quantities.
    History tells us there are no quick-fixes, and this may be just another one.
    This looks like yet another example of the technologising of medicine, a quick-fix that rids the body of fat at a rate many times greater that it was acquired. And along with the fat-loss come all the toxins and hormones that have been stored in the fat, very fast, and this cannot be good.
    I googled this treatment in my own country in Africa – it is there, in the big cities, and it is clearly exclusively for the rich, the poor could not possibly afford it. Behind the medical practitioners there is undoubtedly a very happy multinational drug company, laughing all the way to the bank and pleasing its shareholders no end.
    Doctors, on the whole, really do wish to relieve the suffering of their patients. And we all know that the obesity epidemic threatens not only individuals but society. Doctors are pressured by lack of time, and by the ruthless pharmaceutical model into which they have been sucked.
    But this cannot be the way to go – the Industrial Food companies are still there and growing, BigPharma is still there and getting bigger, the world is filling with ‘skinny-fat’ people, and with overweight and dieting people who are severely malnourished despite appearances. Big Food, now that it is being questioned in the West, is moving aggressively into the East, and is entirely happy to make these once-lean people as fat as half of America.
    I am writing all this because I believe that the implications and ramifications of modern food and medical practice need deep questioning – something has gone horribly wrong. Once one is empowered with knowledge of the way the world works these days, as well as with self-awareness, the more one is able to tackle problems of poor eating and overweight, and change the things that caused them in the first place, from self-dislike to KFC. It is not easy, but it can be done.

  • Anonymous

    I eat a fairly healthy diet and exercise regulary. I was unable to break through and lose the excess fat (of which there was plenty) from years on not so great eating habits. While I generally stay away from doctors, I did contact him in regards to this plan. Sent him the protocal and research for his review. His response was that he saw no problems or red flags, but to be alert for how I felt and makes changes as necessary. Before taking HCG I tried a vareity of different food plans and exercised regularly (hiking, running, walking, biking for 30 minutes to 60 minutes at a time and some weight training).
    The original protocal, observations, and reasoning, I found sound. I was willing to try it. I took responsibility. I investigated, asked some questions and took action. It helped me. Will it help everyone? No! There is nothing that helps everyone except for water (that I am aware of). There are foods that I am sensitive too that others are not. If I had felt bad or unhealthy I would have stopped and said this isn’t for me. But even so, that doesn’t mean it might not help another individual. It did work for me. I was not hungry, did not even really want to eat, but followed the protocal laid out. My blood results stayed fairly steady and little change in liped proflies (choesterol 160, trig 48, hdl 89). Understand, I was not concerned about “weight”, I was concerned about level of “fat”. And HCG helped reduce it which is what I wanted. HCG targeted what I was conerned about and I felt great. The maintance part was harder, but doable.
    I have learned that part of my problem resides in my thryoid. Low body temperature and ridges on nails. I have found ways help my thyroid and detox or clean my system. Slowly fat is melting away.
    The drug industry is an approved racket. There double blind studies are a joke. Gee our drug makes upsets peoples stomachs, lets add something to the placebo that does the same so ours new drug doesn’t look so bad. Design of studies is generally where the flaws begin. Researchers want to prove some point and design to get those results, instead of designing to gather information and then analyze the data. How many succesful studies does the drug company have to submitt to FDA for approval ? (2) Do they have to present the ones that don’t support their drug? (No). So they can have 10, 15, 100 studies that fail and yet get a drug approved. It’s a bad joke.
    Drug companies don’t want a product that works for weight loss. That would cause a decrease in all the other drugs for all the other drugs for cholestrol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and the like.

  • Kat

    oh please!! This is such a biased article! I worked in the scientific community I KNOW about research, I KNOW how these things work. Did you bother to look at the research from Dr Simeon? Where you FAILED in your account is the research of the people who tried it and succeeded and the people who tried it and were unsuccessful, you never interviewed medical professionals AND naturopaths who work closely with their clients to ensure safe weight loss. Did you know that many countries are adopting a VLCD approach to the obesity epidemic? Yes VLCD! Did you know that when using HcG that you are not actually on a 500cal/day diet? You EAT 500cal/day but your body gets 2000cal/day. Your body thinks it ate a big fatty meal because your fat stores contain a lot more than just fat – vitamins, toxins etc. BUT if you attempt to eat only 500cal/day sans hormones you will have trouble because the hormones need to be in a very particular way and your body will think it is in starvation mode. You based your entire article on the research that proves it DIDN’T work yet CLEARLY there is evidence it DOES work. I am not saying to not include the research that you found, but do your job and balance it out to give the full story instead of pumping out half baked reviews. Your ignorance of this topic is so annoying. Give people the facts then let them make their own minds up. what takes the cake however is your responses to these comments – appalling! You make out like their experience is somehow of less value than your article yet their opinions is part of what is missing. Please do not bother responding to my post I do not want to have to spend days of effort campaigning against you, so just leave my comment there shall we?

  • Sherry Nash

    I did this diet 3 years ago for 3 weeks, I had to check in with my dr ever week or they would charge me double, so that we would be monitored by a dr. I have a chocolate and sweet addiction,and I am an emotional eater, no mater what the emotion, so this HCG diet allowed me to jump start my life style change plan, I used it sort of as a detox diet. I was hungry all the time which the drs said I should not have been. I was allowed to eat breakfast it was encouraged. I have talked with others who have done the HCG and all plans are a little different some are more strict than others. One of the things I have noticed with others who have done HCG is that they will do the diet several times, when they have gained a few pounds or if they want to lose 10 more pounds. I was beginning to think it may be come addictive. I realize that it gets a bad review and I understand the reasons why. HCG did for me what I needed it to do, I didn’t lose the 2 pounds per day but about 10 pounds in the 3 weeks. After a lot of research I discovered that people with hypothyroid don’t lose the weight as fast. I would hate to see HCG become illegal to get. It may just be all in my head, but I was able to start eating better after HCG and nothing before had worked for me. I have spent thousands of dollars on ways for me to start eating healthy, I know all the information out there, I have tried a lot of different programs also., but still couldn’t discipline myself to do it, with HCG I was able to start.

  • Jgirl

    My personal experience with HCG has been extremely positive and successful. I had hypothyroidism prior to starting a 40 day series of HCG injections. When I finished the injections, I had lost 20lbs and 21 combined inches in my fat zones. I am 5’4″ tall and so I consider this to be significant. I have always been in great physical condition until I reached my 40′s and then early menopause and hypothyroidism set in. I have kept this weight off and have continue to eat healthy (organic) and exercise regularly, which is what I had always been doing even when the weight starting packing on. My only symptoms were breast tenderness the first few weeks. Other than that, I felt great. I slept great and as a bonus, my hot flashes stopped completely! (they are however back since stopping the injections) but the best part is after having my blood work done 2 weeks after completing the 40 days of injections, my thyroid is functioning normally again, my cholesterol, blood pressure are all in the healthy zone! I never took any meds for my thyroid as I had attempted this several years back and the synthroid made no change in my daily energy levels or blood work and so I decided to not be hooked on a drug for the rest of my life, but instead try something different. I was skeptical, and after reading Dr. Simmeons protocol, which does not mention testing on young males, but on women and men of all shapes and sizes, and in my opinion can’t be called a fad since it has been used for over 50 years by hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, that is hardly a fad diet.
    My advice to anyone who is criticizing this treatment would be to try it for yourself first….
    I have always been in excellent physical shape, I eat healthy, organic food and exercise and dieting was not working for me to lose this excess body fat that was clinging to my body. The one thing I changed while on the hcg was I didn’t exercise at the level I normally would, no mtn biking or weight training as I simply did not have the stamina for it, and I know at only 500 calories a day I would be burning muscle over fat.
    I highly recommend hcg to my friends, but I also tell them to do their homework and make an informed decision for themselves.

  • DJ

    I am curious about your thoughts of AdvoCare products.

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