HCG Diet

I have one friend that I am open with my eating disorder about in real life. If and when I do move to Oregon she'll be one of the people going on the adventure with me. Lately she has been giving the "HCG diet" a shot. She lost 18lbs in two weeks with it already so I have high hopes. There are really mixed reviews about it but I've seen what it can do.

You may eat whatever you like as long as it is on the approved food list and you stay under 500 calories for the day. (You are supposed to supplement the diet with daily injections or oral doses of HCG, but I find this to be unnecessary. Even without the HCG it is still a great way to restrict calories and get results.)

Breakfast: Tea or coffee with up to a tablespoon of milk but no sugar. Sugar substitutes are okay: truvia, sweet n' low, stevia, etc. You can drink as much of this as you want throughout the day.

Snack: Pick one - a medium sized apple, large orange, 1 cup strawberries, or 1/2 a grapefruit.

Lunch: A very small serving of meat, fish, or egg (100 grams / 3.5 ounces) and 1 cup of one of the following vegetables - spinach, cabbage, beets, tomatoes, celery, onions, radish, cucumber, or asparagus.

Snack: Pick one - a medium sized apple, large orange, 1 cup strawberries, or 1/2 a grapefruit.

Dinner: A very small serving of meat, fish, or egg (100 grams / 3.5 ounces); 1 cup of one of the following vegetables - spinach, cabbage, beets, tomatoes, celery, onions, radish, cucumber, or asparagus; 1 piece of plain toast or 1/2 slice of plain toast with 1 teaspoon fruit jam.

Spices that are allowed: lemon juice, salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard, garlic, basil, parsley, and thyme.

Drinks that are allowed: water, tea, coffee, and mineral water.

HCG is a hormone that exists in men and women but increases dramatically in women during pregnancy. It is part of what is detected in urine when using a pregnancy test that causes the test to show as positive. It tells your body to start using extra fat stores to help give extra nutrients to the baby.

I have high hopes for this one! I really don't think that the HCG drops are important. My friend was using a homeopathic version which is basically a VERY diluted form of the prescription strength HCG. A lot of sites that promote the HCG diet say that it won't work right if you're not using a strong dose of HCG. My friend accidentally proved that wrong when she thought that the homeopathic HCG was just as strong as what you would get from a doctor's office.

You're eating 500 calories or less per day and that's obviously what caused the weight loss for her. If you can afford legitimate prescription HCG (about $90 for a 26 day supply... homeopathic versions are as cheap as $10 for a 26 day supply) I don't think that it would hurt. I'm interested in getting some to see if it really does help the process along.