Hi Friends!  So today I have kind of a different topic that has been on my mind and I really feel the need to discuss for a moment.  I was recently approached, indirectly through another project I was involved in, regarding HCG weight loss.  To be honest, this was something I wasn’t very familiar with and even initially confused it with HGH.  HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin and is a hormone naturally product by the embryo during the embryo following implantation.  I was not told the people I was meeting with were proponents of using HCG for weight loss, so I walked in blind-sided.  As the program and system was presented to me I tried to keep an open mind, maybe this was like when I thought food sensitivities weren’t real, you never know what you will learn that will change your life.

The Presentation:

• A very moving and personal story by the founder who struggled with weight gain for many years and struggled to lose the weight.  The hCG containing drops were the ONLY thing that helped her.
• Clients will lose 30lbs in 30 days.
• The program catalyzes a healthy lifestyle change.
• This promotes buy in with my clients that will make them stick to me like glue, they will love me so much they will do whatever I say.
• The product may even prevent cancer.
• I won’t believe it till I do it myself.
• If clients make no lifestyle changes they will regain the weight much slower than if they just restrict calories alone.
• Because it “resets” their metabolism it is safe to do multiple times a year.  If someone isn’t ready to make lifestyle changes it’s okay to keep using the program until they are.
• the pamphlet does not say anything about hCG because it freaks clients out

The Program:

• 2 Days of fat loading – gain 5 lbs
• 30 Days of taking drops along with a 500 calorie diet restriction
• a few days of weaning off the drops while you up your calorie intake
• maintain by eating suggested calorie level for 6-8 weeks
• repeat cycle if necessary

The Research (I did on my own)

• Meta-analysis disproved hCG affect on weight loss or hunger levels, the weight loss simply comes from calorie restriction.
• hCG injections are approved to treat fertility and preserve fertility but not weight loss.
• The FDA has declared the homeopathic drops and pellets as fraudulent and illegal (so this is why the pamphlet says nothing about hCG)
• This product contains a bunch of herbs and amino acids also known as the placebo effect.
• hCG is higher in cancer, but the etiology of protection or escalation is not confirmed and unclear.
• Cases of DVT reported of women receiving hCG injections.
• The risks of very low calorie diets apply including muscle wasting (including the heart), slowed thyroid function, and gall stones.
• I couldn’t find research on the weight regain, but I’ve had clients that have dutifully followed hCG protocols and confirmed they regained just as fast if not faster.
• Links
  • Meta-analysis
  • Toxicity of Weight Loss
  • hCG diet products are illegal
  • homeopathic hCG weight loss 

My Thoughts

Like I said I tried to keep an open mind, but if it sounds to good to be true, it almost always is.  I went through a myriad of emotions, mostly anger but also sadness.  I believe the program “works.”  I believe the placebo effect is so strong that it will make people feel less hungry and they will feel like they have more will power to adhere to the 500 calorie protocol.  I do believe that for some people losing 30lbs in 30 days is the catalyst they need to get going and change their lifestyle.  However, I also know that if that same person has to wait 6-8 weeks before beginning another cycle, that’s 3 months.  In 3 months they could have lost the same amount of weight with less risk and potential damage to their metabolism.  Not to mention they would be less likely to regain the weight because they had actually made lasting lifestyle change instead of needing rely on a program every few months or every year.

Friends and loved ones, I have something really important to tell you.  STOP DIETING. STOP MAKING FOOD RULES. STOP PROGRAMMING. STOP SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON THE NEXT BEST THING BECAUSE SUZIE DID IT AND LOST 30LBS. The government is NOT HIDING the cure for obesity, locking it away from us to make everyone suffer, there just is no magic pill for weight loss.  There is no program that supersedes all of the rest of them and you just haven’t found it yet.  Drastically cutting calories will make your life miserable in the short term and long term.

Most of the time when I work with one on one nutrition counseling clients, it isn’t that you aren’t trying enough, it’s that you are trying too hard!  First, you need to address your relationship with food by rejecting all diets and food rules, learning to recognize and honoring your bodies signals through intuitive eating.  Then, you need a two part plan.  First, a plan that addresses your specific functional imbalances (hormones, blood sugar, inflammation).  Second, an eating style that is easy and appeals to you with lots of nurturing food AND treats.  Making small changes over time with lots of caring support can add up to big changes.  Sure you lose 30 lbs in 3 months instead of in 30 days and then struggling to maintain for two months.  Your results are slower, but they are continuous and sustainable. If you need help identifying and addressing functional imbalances such as hormone balance, blood sugar fluctuations and chronic inflammation then seek individualized help, stop trying to conform yourself into a pre-existing program that is written for the masses.  You are one beautiful amazing person, you are not the masses.

XO

Kelli 

More of my thoughts on “dieting”:

Skipping The Lite Menu

Why I Don’t Recommend Counting Calories 

An alternative to dieting:

52 Weeks to 52 Healthy Habits (series week 16)