Suggested to use HCG diet. not sure I should I was told I need to lose about 20-25 lbs and since none of the diets I have been on the last three years have been working ( I followed them all with no cheating) that I should go on the HCG diet.
Very long story short as possible:
I have a medical condition called Sjorgren's/ Most cases of this condition are harmless, I just had the luck of getting a severe case. My joints are essentially deteriorating and I need a knee replacement. I was told I would not be approved to have the surgery until I achieved a "healthy weight". I was told HCG would be best for me because I could lose the weight fast and evenly and it would also help with my joint deterioration. Now, I am not sure if the doctor is just trying to get me on this diet to get money out of me. He would refer me to a "clinic" so maybe he would get a referral fee?
I am not much over weight. I am 5'4 and my BMI is 25.2 which I thought was not too bad. I looked up on the internet and most questions on google lead me to this site but no one had asked this question.
What are the risks of this diet? The way he worded it I could not understand. I am timid and do not want him to think I am trying to be difficult or that I am an idiot. Should I do it?
I am new here so I hope I put this is the right forum. If I did not please forgive me.
Also, I am 25. Just in case that is significant.
You should ask Grammy your questions. She has done this diet for multiple rounds and can answer your questions. I am on my second round and have not had any problems once I got my dose right. I would recommend this diet. It does work and you will probably do well.
Welcome. I'll try to answer and give my opinion, to the best of my ability. Since you've been on other diets and followed them with no cheating, but haven't lost weight, that makes me think you probably have a thyroid condition. Sjorgrens's is an autoimmune disease, isn't it? If you have one autoimmune disease, it increases your chance of having others. Have you had your Free T3, Free T4, TSH, TPO Antibodies, TgAb Antibodies and TSI Antibodies tested? The results of those tests will indicate whether or not you have autoimmune thyroid disease which may prevent you from losing weight.
Now, the hcg protocol works extremely well for those of us who can't lose weight any other way. In my case, hypothyroidism led to a large weight gain with the inability to lose weight by dieting. The hcg diet fixed that and I had no trouble losing weight. Your BMI is just into the "overweight" category, and you may be more comfortable, healthier and in less pain if you lose, as you said, 20-25 lbs.
Most doctors are very much opposed to this diet, so I'm surprised that yours recommended it. There's no need to go to a clinic. If your doctor is in favor of it, he can simply write you a prescription for the hcg and you can do this on your own (or with his guidance). Most (not all) clinics don't seem to be following this diet correctly and they charge an exorbitant amount of money. I order my hcg from overseas without a prescription and have been very happy with it.
I have not experienced many negative effects from this diet. My electrolytes tend to get unbalanced/low, so I make sure I eat plenty of sea salt, and I supplement potassium and magnesium. I also have constipation. The risks are pretty much the same as with any diet. You may experience some hair loss as with any diet. Your blood pressure may become normal so if you are on any meds for high blood pressure, you will need to monitor it. If you have diabetes and take insulin, you will need to monitor your blood sugar as lowering or stopping your meds is common. As there is with any weight loss, there is a risk of gallbladder problems. I do not know of any risks associated with this diet that aren't common with any other diet. And I rarely see any problems reported on this board that are related to hcg, except for constipation. The hcg itself does not have any risks associated with it that I know of. I'm editing this to add that a big side effect is your menstrual cycle may get messed up: you may skip your period or have it more frequently or have it shorter or longer or heavier or lighter. You may have cramps or if you normally have them, you may not have them on hcg. This does tend to mess up that cycle in one way or another.
If you choose to do the hcg diet, it is important that you read Pounds & Inches. That is the guide for the protocol. It is written by the doctor who invented this and the manuscript explains how it works, why it works, how to do this, and risks, etc. A copy can be found here: http://hcgdietinfo.com/HCG_Diet_Simeons_Manuscript.htm
I don't think you should do this just because your doctor pressures you into it. This diet is easy because you won't be hungry. But it is difficult because you have to follow it exactly as a medical protocol and you can't cheat. If you do it, do it for yourself, not for your doctor. It will take the commitment of knowing you want to do this. I think you should read P&I and see if this seems like something you want to do. I was hesitant to try this at first because it sounds weird, dangerous and too good to be true. But I'm so grateful that I tried it. I think this is a miracle protocol.
Last edited by jmmrr; August 20th, 2012 at 06:56 AM.
Thank you both for your help.
I do not have a thyroid condition but my ability to exercise and my mobility is limited. Yes, Sjorgren's is an autoimmune disorder. I will read his book here after I make this post. But does anyone know what a healthy BMI is? I am scared of this diet because of some of the google results saying it could be deadly. That your muscles will be wasted because the low amount of calories will make your body break down your muscles for endergy. Has anyone here had that issue?
If you do the diet without the hcg, you may experience your muscles weakening as your body uses them for energy. But if you take real hcg, the hormone allows your body to access the calories in your stored fat so you really aren't on a low calorie diet. Yes, there are plenty of scary hcg stories on the internet. I doubt any of them are true. You can find out about BMI numbers by googling. I tend to ignore BMI because it doesn't take into account how much muscle you have. A lot of athletes would be considered overweight or obese just because they are muscular.
I talked to my doctor (endocrinologist) and he said he would be willing to write me a prescription but that I should find a place online to buy it since it will be cheaper to buy and my insurance won't cover it. How would that work? would I email them a copy of the script? I have a hard time reading the writing but I think it says fenigyn 2000and a backwards n? his handwriting is very messy. Anyone buy from a place online where it has decent prices? He also gave me a prescription to take into my local pharmacy for needles and said I would have to inject myself twice a day! Is that normal? why isn't he making me go to his office for the injections? He made me practice in his office. I used salt water (the real word was bigger, he put it in simpler terms for me). He's usually a great doctor but I am feeling a but queasy about this whole thing... and to jmmrr he explained that to me. He said my body would be releasing anywhere fro 1500 to 3000 calories. ..
I am willing to try this but he also told me that he hasn't done this with many of his patients but he would do it with me when I told him I really did not want to go to a clinic. I am not sure but something about this whole situation doesn't seem right to me. Maybe it's because I am nervous? Does he sound legit?
Mori, wish I had your doctor.Originally Posted by mori
I'm about to start R3, and the only thing I would question about what your doc said is to inject twice a day. He didn't insist on you going to the clinic or to him for the injections, and I like that in a doctor. Sublingual is twice a day. Injections are once a day, which is the convenience of doing injections. I'm impressed that he made you practice the injections in his office. As for the formula, I have to review it myself, and hope grammy will weigh in here, as she's the one who gave me the injection formula. I bought the hcg kit on Amazon (syringes, etc.). I forget the name of the pharmacy, but think it was RXPharmacy for the hcg.
I think your doctor sounds too good to be true. He actually wrote you a prescription and taught you how to give injections?! He sounds like a dream!
You should inject 150 i.u. once a day, not twice. You should follow the protocol in P&I. If you find you are still hungry after a couple days, you may need to lower your dose, but 150 i.u. is the typical dose recommended to start if you are injecting subcutaneously (under the skin). You might want to call several different pharmacies to see how much they charge for hcg. Your prescription probably reads "Fertigyn". I purchased mine from India at reliablerxpharmacy.com where you don't need a prescription, but it takes a while to get and the shipping is expensive.
You sound really unsure and nervous about this. I recommend you read the message boards, read P&I, and ask as many questions as you need to before you make up your mind about this.
I go to him again next Monday (because I told him I wasn't sure and wanted to talk more about it first). I am going to follow jmmrr advice and going to have a thorough look in these forums.
You should really read "Pounds & Inches"; it will help you understand the protocol, & how it works. This isn't a simple "quick weight loss diet". Like you, I have in the last few years been unable to lose weight in other ways. This is the first thing I've done in years that allowed me to lose weight, feel good while doing it, & not be irritable + hungry. The most spectacular part of the whole thing for me is that now, in maintenance, I am actually able to eat without gaining the weight back.
Your joints are going to feel tremendous relief! You deserve to live a life without constant pain, & this will get you there faster than anything I know of. Best to you!
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