HCG Placebo Effect and Negative Side Effects of HCG

I read an article recently stating that hCG doesn’t work any better for weight loss than a placebo, and there are serious, even DEADLY negative side effects of HCG.  I won’t link to the article, but instead will quote the relevant portions:

“depending on what type of HCG you use, and how you use it, the chances of experiencing one of the negative effects (which obviously range in severity) vary from 30% to an insane 45%”

Here is HIS list of ‘documented negative side-effects’:

 

• Ovarian Hyper-stimulation Syndrome (OHSS) – which is a life-threatening condition
• Arterial Thromboembolism – another potentially life-threatening condition
• Blood clots
• Risk of multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc.)
• Abnormal enlargement of breasts in men (gynaecomastia)
• Over stimulation of the ovaries causing production of many ova (eggs) in women
• Acne
• Tiredness
• Changes in mood
• Irritation in area of use
• Excessive fluid retention in the body tissues, resulting in swelling (edema)
• Hair loss
• Prostate hypertrophy

If you are considering the hCG Diet for weight loss and read the above mentioned article stating that you could die from hCG, then certainly you should stop and take notice, right?

Well, that’s what I did.  A lengthy email correspondence ensued where the author repeated his claim that there are serious negative side-effects from hCG and it doesn’t work for weight loss and the hCG works only as well as a placebo (which he says has been proven by numerous studies and the FDA) so why take the risk to lose a little weight?

“If HCG didn’t work and had no negative effects, then there would be no big deal; you could use it for whatever placebo value it may offer without worry or risk. But HCG does have negative effects – some of which are potentially life-threatening”

So, when I read this article I posted a comment on the page which, incidentally, he never published and perpetually awaits ‘moderation’ by the author, and instead I received a lengthy email from the author.

I asked, REPEATEDLY, that he provide the documentation he claimed existed to back up these statements made in his article.  He couldn’t or wouldn’t (for whatever reason) provide any.  He simply repeated “All drugs have side-effects, so if there is any risk you shouldn’t take it for weight loss”.

Of all the people sharing their hCG experiences in forums, blogs, etc. around the internet, how come I have never see anything like what this author is claiming?

Out of tens of thousands of people taking hCG for weight loss, if 30-45% are experience negative side-effects, how come I don’t read about them?

OK, so some people have a little hair loss or get a headache, but this is a very small percentage and the benefits outweigh these effects in almost all cases according to the people reporting them.  Additionally, the quality and source of the hCG used is suspect, since a LOT of people are getting their HCG from overseas, or taking Oral hCG or hemeopathic HCG (which don’t work) or other factors that can explain these side-effects.  (Remember: unless your hCG comes from a US-based pharmacy and is certified pure, is refrigerated properly, and is injected, you are most likely experiencing a placebo effect anyway).

I get a headache if I don’t drink coffee every day, so does that mean I should live without coffee for the rest of my life?  I’ll take the coffee, thanks.  And I’ll take the 1/2 to 2 lbs. per day fat loss the hCG Diet gives me.

Regarding the Placebo Effect of hCG:

I pointed out to the author (and this was the point of my comment he never published) that double-blind studies conducted showing no difference in weight loss between placebo groups and the hCG groups had ALL altered Dr. Simeons’ original protocol (you can read my related post on this subject here:  HCG Info – Just the Facts Please)

So does the hCG Diet work or not?  Or is it simply a ‘placebo effect’ as this author claims?

From his article:

“HCG has been repeatedly shown to be ineffective for increasing weight-loss and is “largely rejected,” by authors of these studies, for administration for weight-loss.”

and…

“We all know that diets simply don’t work; and as soon as you stop starving yourself, your body will replace what it’s lost with a vengeance. In other words, your body will regain the lost weight and add even more weight to provide a buffer should you decide to starve yourself again.”

What is completely ignored by this author is the fact that people that have done the hCG Diet do NOT gain the weight back and that the diet DOES work virtually 100% of the time.  

This is what one person posted regarding this in one of the forums I visit frequently:

“For all those people that say eating 500 calories a day will make you lose weight you’re ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. Here’s the catch though, and I’m speaking from personal experience having gone a couple months as a 17 year old, having nothing but 1 bowl of chicken broth and about 4 crackers each day, this is what happens:       - NOTHING for the first 2 months, except dark circles under my eyes, light headiness, mood swings, massive hunger pains, super dry skin etc. Maybe if I held out for my 3rd month something would have happened. Oh yeah – I also did that with exercising twice a day. Not a pound lost.

Here’s what happens when you eat 500 calories a day and take HCG – 25 pounds off in one month, plus haven’t gained anything back in a year. No headaches, no hunger pains, no light heads, no dark circles under the eyes etc. etc. etc. “ 

Placebo, huh?  

Sorry, I’m not buying it.  If the author would provide documentation backing up his claims, fine.  Short of that, the evidence is OVERWHELMING that the hCG Diet works.

What are YOUR thoughts?

More HCG Before and After Pics

For another amazing set of HCG Body Transformation Before and After pics, check this out

The following hCG Before and After pics are simply AMAZING.

Remember, these results are after only 46 days.  That’s 46 days of doing the hCG Diet and transforming her body completely with rapid fat loss.

Anyway, a picture is worth 1000 words  (yes, it’s the same person)…

After – Jennifer at Day 46 Lost 25 lbs

Lost 9 inches total

Dropped two pant sizes

Weight Loss Secret Scooped!

Are  you STILL looking for that weight loss secret you are SURE all of those Fitness Models and Movie Stars know and you don’t?

Is there even such a thing?  

So many people out there that just want your money, but I’m going to tell you EVERYTHING there is to know about dieting and weight loss.  Forget about ‘colon cleansing’, ‘fat melting pills’, ‘hypnotherapy’, or any of that junk.

First off, your diet (what you eat) is 80% of the weight loss secret.  If you don’t get the food part right, all the exercise in the world isn’t going to help you, so let’s start with your diet:

1) Diets that don’t include a variety of foods aren’t going to work.  You can’t eat only grapefruit and lose weight.  Your body will not get the nutrients it needs (that it will get from a variety of foods) and you won’t get enough calories (which will cause your body to go into starvation mode).  

2) Very low calorie diets, even ones that contain a variety of foods, won’t work – your body will adapt to a reduction in calories, and you will lose muscle which causes the yo-yo effect of putting on more body fat than when you started dieting

3) Eating only protein or no carbs won’t work - your central nervous system runs on carbs and you will endanger your health if you eliminate carbs from your diet.  

What kind of diet works?  

You need to do 4 things to get the diet part of weight loss right:

1) Eat clean food – no processed, chemical-laden junk food or prepackaged garbage allowed.  Eat things like chicken breast, leafy green vegetables, oatmeal, brown rice, and a variety of these kinds of unprocessed grains, vegetables and lean meats.  Sorry, no cake or ice cream or other fat/sugar combos – those are the WORST thing you can eat if you want to succeed.

2) Drink plenty of water – your metabolism will not work properly if you aren’t well hydrated.  You cannot lose fat if you don’t stay hydrated.  Drink pure water, as much as you can stand, but don’t overdo it (too much of ANYTHING is no good).  This should probably be #1 because it is so important.  Lack of hydration is the main reason people fail to lose weight.

3) Cycle your calories – you need 10 calories per pound to maintain your weight, so eat 15-30% less than that amount for 3 days, then eat slightly more than that amount every 4th day.  For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, eat less than 1500 calories for 3 days (between 1050-1275 calories), then more than 1500 calories (but not much more) every 4th day.

4) Start out with a 30/50/20 ratio of protein/carbs/fat and adjust your protein up and carbs down depending on how much progress you make.

You can create healthy recipes and meal plans with the proper nutrient ratios for free at:  Eat for Fitness Meal Planning 

OK, Next: High Intensity Cardio

Now, you need to condition your body to burn fat.  This is done by creating an Oxygen Debt during your workout. Don’t worry, you don’t have to go on a treadmill for an hour.  You can get the best workout of your life and turn your body into a fat burning machine with the Tabata Protocol.

Finally: Strength Training

Lift some weights.  Maybe 2-3 times a week.  Don’t overdo it, and don’t waste your time either.  There are many, many weight lifting exercises you can do, so vary it up, and try to increase in the work performed from one workout to the next.  So if you lifted 100 pounds 10 times in 1 minute last workout, try to do either 110 pounds or 11 times or less than 1 minute on your next workout.  Your body will adapt, so if you just repeat the same workout each time, you won’t get anywhere.

Now, if all of the above doesn’t work for you, THAT’S BECAUSE  YOUR METABOLISM IS SCREWED UP!

And HERE’S the SECRET:  If your metabolism is screwed up (which, if you’ve been dieting for a long time or eating poorly your whole life) the above will not get you very far.  Sure, you’ll see some results, but you will not see the weight melt off quickly and you may get frustrated before reaching your goals and give up entirely.

People will tell you “You’re not exercising enough” or “You’re not eating right”, but if you’ve done the above, THAT ISN’T IT!!!

People will say “It isn’t healthy to lose more than 1-2 pounds per week” – POPPYCOCK!!!

You can lose 1/2 to 2 pounds PER DAY of PURE FAT and fix your metabolism at the same time.

HOW???

That’s where the HCG Diet comes in – this is the Weight Loss Secret that will fix your metabolism and end dieting forever.

You’ve tried the diet/exercise route outlined above already? Did you reach your goals?  

Maybe your metabolism is out of whack, so FIX IT!

HCG Video Contest at HCGDietFacts.com

Anyone that has had success with the HCG Diet can win $500.00 cash!

HCGDietFacts.com is holding a contest for the best testimonial video (and 3 other runners-up will will cash too!)

All the details are at:

HCG Video Contest

Weight Loss Clinics in Your State

With the success of medical weight loss clinics, especially hCG weight loss, in helping people lose weight, finding a weight loss clinic in one’s area is something more and more people need to do.

Fortunately, there is a weight loss clinic directory specifically for hCG that has listings organized by State with detailed information about each clinic along with Google Maps to help you locate the clinic.

So, if you are looking for a successful, medically supervised weight loss program that works, find an hCG diet provider by visiting the above link.

Is Oral hCG a Fraud?

From this excellent post at HCG Diet Facts, the question of whether Oral hCG is a fraud has been addressed:

Does Oral hCG or Sublingual hCG work? Or is it a Fraud?

So what’s the story?  Why is there conflicting info on this subject?

After having done my own research, the simple fact is that the BEST method of delivering hCG into the bloodstream for use in the hCG Diet is through injection – all other methods fall short.

This doesn’t mean a sublingual form of hCG is COMPLETELY ineffective, it means less than optimal results will be obtained. 

And to clarify:  You CANNOT simply swallow a liquid hCG formulation – the idea of Oral hCG is that it is placed under the tongue and absorbed into the bloodstream via the blood vessels under the tongue.  Oral hCG is really a misnomer – it is REALLY Sublingual hCG.

BUT, you have to take the sublingual hCG 2x daily, instead of one injection daily.

It doesn’t work as well, and therefore there is FUD being spread that it doesn’t work at all.  If taking injections is unsavory to you (as it is to most people) and you have the extra money laying around to TRY an Oral hCG formulation at the first go of the hCG Diet, it may work WELL ENOUGH for you.

If it doesn’t, then don’t give up – you were warned (you read it here) that it may not be as effective.  At this point, bite the bullet and switch to hCG injections, which have been shown to be 100% effective.

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