The 61.5 Fat-free Wheat Thins Diet (aka the HCG Diet)

April 22nd, 2011. By AbiK

That caught your eye, huh?

And it’s not all that far off, except it is carbs. Not far off, that is, from the much-in-the-media HCG diet. See, along with the so-called weight-loss miracle HCG injections comes a 500-calorie per day, uh, diet. To those of you who’ve picked up a pack of Suzy-Q’s lately (880 calories per pack) that 500 may seem a tad bit miniscule—though it is the equivalent of 61.5 fat-free Wheat Thins. Your average apple weighs in at about 72 calories.

You’re getting the picture—500 calories is paltry. I’m sure if I decided to only ingest 500 calories per day and not even exercise—hell, who’d have the strength?—I’d probably lose a few extra pounds. Enough to have “waif” attached to my name. To put this in further perspective, most references to the average daily caloric intake per capita in the Congo seem to hover in the 1,300 -1,400/day range. Now envision consuming about a third of that. You betcha you’d lose some serious weight—if you could hold yourself back from desperately grabbing the Doritos—or just some plain lettuce!— first.

So what’s the big deal with this HCG diet?

Most folks—paticularly women going through IVF—know HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, as the “trigger shot” administered just before retrieval to stimulate ovulation (aka, the “butt shot”). But HCG has become increasingly popular for weight loss—off label. How’s that happen? An article over at Discovery Health provides some background:

“It was during research in the 1950s when one doctor, A.T.W. Simeons, noticed that boys being treated with hCG for underdeveloped gonads were also able to lose excess weight by eating much less without any accompanying hunger pangs. His interest in hCG soon shifted to its potential as a diet aid, and he published a paper touting its effects, as well as developing a dietary regimen for use of the drug as a weight-loss tool.”

Weight loss? Without hunger pangs? Sounds like a Jenny Craig-Weight Watchers-Lean Cuisine-heading toward gastric bypass addict’s answered prayer, no? And for some, it apparently has been. For a commenter, Toni, at Discovery Health, the HCG diet resulted in this:

“I did the hcg diet with great results. I did it 3 times and I lost 80 lbs. My husband lost 120 lbs. I use to be a size 16 now I am a size 8. My husband was a size 46 now he wears a size 34. I have many friends who did this after me and all of them had similar results. It did teach me how to eat better and I am keeping it off. Like any diet you must change your eating habits and exercise to keep your weight off. This diet gave me quick results which made me have more energy to keep it off. Hcg diet has changed my life and many others that I know.”

Kudos to Toni, however, note that she includes that you have to change your eating habits and exercise. This is no “quick fix” in that if you don’t change your lifestyle and your calorie intake in general, well don’t be racing to Kohl’s or Macy’s for slimmer-sized jeans—and don’t throw out your old ones. You may jump-start your new slimmer self by using HCG off label, but then you’re on your own babe.

Ok so self-control and discipline are a given—what’s the problem then with the HCG diet?

While the FDA has not approved HCG for weight loss, the drug can be prescribed legally off-label for it. Of course, as with any drug, there are potential side effects, some worse than others. The FDA has reported one case of pulmonary embolism related to the HCG diet.

Additionally, the litany of possible HCG side effects includes severe pelvic pain, swelling of the hands or legs, stomach pain and swelling, shortness of breath, weight gain (egads!!), diarrhea (well, the alli diet gives you gas…), nausea or vomiting, urinating less than normal, headache, feeling restless or irritable (500 calories’ll do it to you, too), mild swelling or water weight gain, depression (just when you’re trying to feel good about yourself), breast tenderness or swelling (it is a fertility drug), and pain, swelling or irritation at the injection site.

Now let’s factor in that insurance won’t cover it. So you’ve got doctor’s office visits, the HCG injections—and sometimes additional appetite suppressants (what? HCG doesn’t work on its own??) to pay for out of pocket. And, unlike that one “trigger shot” you may have taken for IVF, the HCG diet can take quite a few injections—reportedly from 23 to as many as 40.

And finally—and here’s the kicker—Discover Health refers to a study that showed no difference in patients taking HCG or a placebo…

For my money, I’d rather fast…

Tags: diet drugs, HCG, HCG Diet, weight loss

This was posted on Friday, April 22nd, 2011 at 9:45 am and is filed under Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.