HCG Diet

[PamNY]

I know someone who's on this diet and she's done surprisingly well. I don't think it's a good idea, but I can see why it appeals to some people.

In her case, there was no prohibition of exercise. They told her to continue going to the gym because she was used to it, but that she shouldn't add new exercise during the 500-calorie phase.

She does get regular medical testing (I don't know details), and appears strong and reasonably active. From what I've seen, she's better off than people who do the low-carb thing.

I suspect what's really going on is power of suggestion, and some people need that. I'm less inclined to judge this kind of thing as I get older (unless it's truly dangerous).

[SadieKate]

I dunnoh, all the risks listed in that article and others, including pulmonary emboli, leg cramps, hair thining, depression, male breast enlargement, is more than enough for me. And the FDA has not approved it for use in weight loss.

As one article said, "Not every substance that keeps hunger under control is a good thing. Cigarettes for example – a known cause of lung cancer and other diseases, yet many claim that it helps keep their hunger in check."

http://health.howstuffworks.com/well.../hcg-diet3.htm

HCG can also cause a potentially life-threatening condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), in which ovaries over-stimulated by hormones can swell and leak fluid into the abdomen. This can cause abdominal pain and weight gain but can lead to blood clots, kidney failure, fluid build-up in the abdomen or chest, and electrolyte imbalances.

The injectable form apparently is even higher risk yet my co-worker is using them -- all for a few pounds of Christmas cookies. We're not talking a jump start for someone with severe obesity.

[PamNY]

Oh, I don't think this diet is a great idea. I'm just reporting that my friend seems, so far, okay with it.

[Biciclista]

I recommend the rotavirus diet! fast, cheap! easy purging!
guaranteed weight loss in 24 hours!

[7rider]

I recommend the rotavirus diet! fast, cheap! easy purging!
guaranteed weight loss in 24 hours!

Where's a good tapeworm when you need one?

[Blueberry]

Where's a good tapeworm when you need one?

Yeah - that's what I need - a tapeworm

(Just kidding! What I need is less stress, more focus. Am taking steps to accomplish both of these - but it will get worse before it gets better).

[withm]

Be careful what you wish for. I was channel surfing the other night and came across some medical show on TV. The disease of the week was seizures caused by tapeworms eventually settling into the patient's brain. The worms were too far into the brain to be surgically removed, and they were going to treat the seizures with drugs - anticonvulsants I imagine. How much of it was true vs enhanced/made for TV I don't know but even if only half of it is realistic, it sounds pretty gruesome.

[SadieKate]

I recommend the rotavirus diet! fast, cheap! easy purging!
guaranteed weight loss in 24 hours!

Yeah, that it would.

[OakLeaf]

I thought the flu was going to do that for me last year, until the day my fever broke, and I called up the guy who sells grass-finished beef at the farmers' market, and calmly informed my husband that I would have to eat his left arm unless he drove out to the guy's farm and got me a steak to replenish all my white blood cells.

[zoom-zoom]

I recommend the rotavirus diet! fast, cheap! easy purging!
guaranteed weight loss in 24 hours!

I dropped 8#s in 24 hours when I had it...wanted to die, though.