Dr. David Katz, the director of Yale University’s Prevent Research Center thinks so.
He has researched all of the data regarding the recently resurrected HCG diet and found there to be no supporting evidence of it’s success. He describes HCG diet marketers as nothing more than “snake oil” salesmen.The HCG Diet has been around since the 60′s and Katz has this to say about its latest resurgence in popularity;
“I have done my best to search the world’s scientific literature objectively, and the below abstracts constitute the bulk of the yield. They constitute a clear, scientific indictment of an insidious exploitation of weight loss desperation that has waxed and waned with memory. When people forget that HCG diet claims are all false, its popularity rises again.”
However, there are dieters out there that swear HCG helped them drop significant amounts of weight.
Recently the FDA has banned the homeopathic HCG drops. These drops were available widely across the internet and were involved in many internet scams.
What do you think? Participate in the poll and comments below.
Gotta love how people publish what they have no idea about. It works, i’ve lost 10.5kg in 31 Days. I studied it in depth which you should do.
Nemo- how may people do you know who could survive on 500 calories a day alone? You have no idea what you are on about.
I’m using easy hcg, I’ve dropped 18 pounds this month, i started March 1st and I’ve cheated horribly a couple times which I don’t recommend! I think people are saying it doesn’t work because they’d prefer for people to stay obese, obesity is a billion dollar industry for the medical world, what would they line their pockets with if people started losing weight easily!!
I lost 80 pounds last year (2011) on the HCG injections. The drops are a scam, they do not work. The injections are taken 6 days a week for 21 days or 43 days depending on how much you need to lose. The HCG pulls the calories out of your stored fat (if you are skinny, you don’t need this). Therefore, with HCG pulling 2000 cals out of your own body fat, the 500 calorie diet per day is all you need. I did not feel hungry nor tired. I lost the 80 lbs from Feb to August…Not a scam, no lies here, just truth…I am the winner here.
If one is already eating only 500 calories/day and weighs 200 lbs., how can one lose weight by continuing to eat 500 calories/day?
i have been on this hcg diet for 23 days and lost 5.5 kg … i am leading a normal life ie kids work play which i dont believe i could do on 500c a day if i wasnt taking the hcg my body would b to tired and i think would go into starvation. its quite intensense but quick weight loss which i prefere rather than dragging it out for months.is the only diet that has worked for me since i had kids 16 years ago.i bought homapathic hgc give it a go trust me it works
Ann,
How is the diet going for you? Can you please let me know where you purchased your drops. I am located in Ontario, Canada. Thanks so much
I tried the diet for about a week. I had real issues with blood sugar. i would range between 40′s to 60″. When I contacted the company I bought HCG from they said keep a packet of sugar with me and space out my food. i tried both and could only get blood sugar into the 60′s. I do not recommend this diet even though it appears to work.
At the recommendation of my sister and her success I started on the HCG diet a year ago. I don’t have a huge appetite anyway so it really wasn’t hard for me to eat fewer calories. I lost 30 pounds in about 3 1/2 months. I lost inches all over and dropped at least 2-3 dress sizes. I learned that if I restrict breads, potatoes, rice and butter, I stay within 2 or 3 pounds up or down. It may sound strange but I have come up with a delicious “concotion” that I eat every day besides my other food. 1 large Granny Smith apple, 1 large orange and about 1 cup of fresh brocoli about 1 pkg Truvia sugar. I chop all of this up in my food processor. I eat half mid morning and half mid afternoon. Don’t knock it until you try it, it tastes great and supplies 3 of the 5 required fruits and vegetables. I make sure that I drink a lot of water and eat at least 7 Oz. of protein. When my skeptical husband tried it he loved it.
There is no magic to weight loss. It is still a matter of calories and you have to eat fewer to lose weight. A lot of us find it hard to eat few enough to lose weight. I finally found something that worked really well for me. I used the R&D Diet Cookie to help me lose weight. They are basically a protein/fiber bar that I snacked on to help me stay away from bad foods and I made good meal choices around them. I ended up losing 35 lbs using them last year and it was pretty easy. The cookies kept me full and satisfied.
Incorrect. If you ate 500 calories without HCG your body would burn muscle. Thhe hcg essentially tells your body to burn fat instead. Please do research before bashing something you know nothing about. 27 days in to the diet and I have lost 34 pounds using HCG drops.
It isn’t about “watching calories,” per se. Do some research on nutrition, but only read FREE information that doesn’t offer to sell you something. Buy most of your food from the produce/deli/dairy sections. Drink WATER (JUST water). It’s fine to have a gluttonous cheat meal occasionally (I love sweet & sour chicken). Elevate your heart rate for 20+ minutes a day. This can be as little as walking fast enough to where you are almost short of breath. If you do these two things, you WILL lose weight. I promise you that. Add a little resistance training (weights) to burn even more fat. Just a little muscle will burn more fat than you could possibly believe. Don’t do HCG. I lost 70 pounds in 4mo eating 2000-2500 cal/day. I NEVER had the “crash/starving” days that the HCG people speak about. It is about WHAT you eat, not HOW MUCH.
IT COST ME 47.00 WITH SHIPPING FOR A 2 OZ BOTTLE AND WHENEVER I STARVED MYSELF IN THE PAST…I HAVE STOPPED LOOSING WEIGHT BECAUSE YOUR BODY GOES INTO A STARVATION MODE AND THEN IT BEGINS TO STORE FAT AND NOT LOSE IT. HCG TARGETS YOUR FAT AND IF YOU DON’T TRY IT AND MEAN IT…THEN YES…YOU WILL INDEED LOSE OUT AND FAIL AND YOU KNOW WHAT…YOU’LL STAY FAT.
IT COST ME 47.00 WITH SHIPPING FOR A 2 OZ BOTTLE AND WHENEVER I STARVED MYSELF IN THE PAST…I STOPPED LOOSING WEIGHT BECAUSE YOUR BODY GOES INTO STARVATION MODE AND IT BEGINS TO STORE FAT AND NOT LOSE IT. HCG TARGETS YOUR FAT AND IT YOU DON’T TRY IT AND MEAN IT…THEN YES…YOU WILL INDEED LOSE OUT AND FAIL AND YOU KNOW WHAT…YOU’LL STAY FAT.
SERIOUSLY…IN THE LAST 17 DAYS I’VE DROPPED 16 LBS….I STARTED AT 151.6 AND THIS MORNING WAS 135.8. NOT REALLY HUNGRY FOR STARVING AND THE WEIGHT IS COMING OFF IN PLACES IT NEVER CAME OFF BEFORE. I AM USING THE HOMOPATHIC DROPS AND I AM NOT SERIOUSLY OVERWEIGHT AND IT IS WORKING. I AM TOTALLY STRICT AS THEY SAY AND DON’T WAIVER FOR A MOMENT AND I’M SORRY, BUT RESULTS IN MY BODY HAVE PROVEN THAT IT WORKS AND I AM MOTIVATED TO CONTINUE THIS CHANGE. I WAS 204 LBS SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND GOT STUCK AT THE 145-150 RANGE…NOW I’M BELOW IT AND THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING BABY. THIS IS MY FIRST ROUND WITH HCG, AS I JUST FOUND THESE MAGICAL DROPS BY ACCIDENT JUST RECENTLY. THEY WILL BE MY EVERLASTING AND LAST DIET I INTENT TO BE ON ONLY BECAUSE THEY ARE GETTING ME TO MY GOAL AND I HAVEN’T HAD A PROBLEM WITH MOTIVATION OR FALLING INTO TEMPTATION.
I’m reading all the comments on here but am conflicted. Some are saying it wirks and others are against it. What is the difference between the HCG (homeopathic and consitrated) which one really could have an impact? Please help!!! I’m so tired of taking diet pills and not loosing weight plus im already watching my calorie intake and i have to force myself to eat at time…
Hi
I am so confused about the pros and cons from all the HCG sites on the web. Each has a recommendation for which HCG diet “internet-seller” but I don’t know if they are endorsing something that they have tried AND now recommend or they are being paid to endorse the product by becoming an affiliate.
Since you became a distributor based on your experience, I would like to see your website to determine which product to use. I wanted to use the oral drops, not injections. How can I see what your website has to offer?
I’ve never taken the shots, only sublingual, and I lost about 25-30 pounds my first round of hcg, within 35 days.
It definitely works (I’ve tried it before, and actually have some with me now), the only issue I’ve had with it are the side effects. Your body goes into deep ketosis, and the result of that is really bad breath. For some people, it’s not that bad and they can hide it with gum, but mine was relentless. It was starting to do alot of damage at work (customers AND co-workers noticed) so I had to stop. The drops don’t make you lose weight the way you think. What the drops do is they allow you to eat 500-800 calories a day without feeling deprived or too hungry where you cave in. They are the best appetite supressant I’ve ever had.
I’m sure the doctor quoted in the article researched the diet and claims thoroughly and the so called “releasing fat” claim that you mentioned. He concluded that their was not supporting evidence that hCG did anything more than offering a placebo effect.
You don’t starve yourself. HCG releases over 2000 calories of your stored fat. Thats why people aren’t hungry and weak on the diet. On HCG you lose fat, on a starvation diet you lose fat and muscle and your hungry. Not to emanation your body is in starvation mode. If HCG was fake, people would ballon up soon as they went off but they don’t. People who haven’t researched it or done it shouldn’t even bother commenting on it because you don’t know what your talking about.
I can see how it would seem like a scam but I did alot of studying on it and found that the homeopathic drops actually resets the bar of your “average” weight so unlike most diets where you gain your weight right back… you actually keep it off and stay at an average weight of a lower number. I did it and ate alot after my diet and have maintained my new weight now for over a year with the same eating habits I had before the diet. Its a price to pay at first but good for the long haul. I started the diet and found it to be a total success once I researched it fully. I am now a distributor of it because I completely believe in it. I have a link to my website with all info on the “science” of how it works on my profile if anyone wants any information on it. Hope that helps!
I have a friend who lost loads of weight on the HCG shots and swears by it, but also warns that the drops are a scam. She said she went through torture to lose weight, but has been able to keep it off and avoided surgery.
I have to agree, though. If you’re able to find a way to eat only 500 calories a day, nothing else would be needed … except water!
Yep, it’s a scam. If you eat 500 calories a day, you’ll lose weight regardless of whether or not you’re taking HCG. But they want you to buy into the necessity of it, so you have to pay big $$ to take the supplements so you’ll supposedly lose weight faster. Major, major ripoff.
Same game plan as most other scams.
You starve yourself on 500-calories a day and inject pregnancy hormone (hCG) to convince yourself that the shots are the reason you’re losing weight, not the starvation level calories.
how dose it work?