Has anyone tried the HCG weight loss?

I agree with what you're saying, I don't think I am overweight. I just felt more comfortable and healthy when I weighed about 140 pounds. I am living with my family at home and I go to college. At the school they have a student union where there is food but it is all unhealthy and expensive: Papa John's, Chick-fil-a, Taco Bell, Burger King, Quizno's, Chinese Food, Extreme Pita.... I could pack my lunch, but I don't know what to make that will stay good until I get to eat at lunch time. I agree, I need some standby ingredients where I can make something healthy for myself. What sort of things should I buy?

Brooke,
You're so welcome! Thanks for getting back to me.

We are the same height! And I have been both your weights, so I feel like I know the same territory. If you simply feel that you look better, feel better and your clothes fit better at 140, then that's terrific. But if you're thinking you're overweight, you're really not.

I calculated your BMI, or your body mass index. For your height and at 157, your BMI is 22.8 (if i use 5-9 1/2) or 23.2 (if i use 5-9). Here's the scale of what BMI means:

BMI Categories:

* Underweight = <18.5
* Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
* Overweight = 25-29.9
* Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

So you are in the normal weight category at 157. To get into the overweight category at your height, you would have to weigh about 170 at 5-9.

One reason to know all this is this: Since you are not really OVERweight, your body doesn't have loads of extra fat to burn. You have to be careful or you will start to burn muscle, which will only hurt you in the long run.

Here's the BMI calculator I used:

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

I feel that if you were to try something like a 500-calorie diet, you would ultimately end up binging on bad foods anyway. That's because our bodies crave nutrition for everything from heart health to shiny hair. When we lose weight too fast, we can hurt our health, lose our skin tone and have our hair turn brittle and dull.

It sounds like you need a few standby ingredients at home so that you can always prepare something quick but good for yourself. Are you living with your family or on your own? And are you going to high school or college? (Is lunchtime at the cafeteria?)

Hi Diane, thank you so much for replying! I am about 5'9"-5"9.5" and currently I weight 157. Last summer I was about 140, so that is why I have it in my mind that I want to lose about 20 pounds; to get back to where I was before. I heard that the HCG works because your body is in starvation mode that the HCG works to use the fat stored in your body. I have joined self.com and sparkpeople.com. I did pretty well on the self challenge with counting calories and recording a food diary, until school started and it is so hard to prepare all my meals and make it to the gym on the way home. I need simple meals to get a balanced diet. Thank you for all your help and information!

Hi, Brooke, and welcome to EmpowHer. Thanks so much for your question.

Can I ask how tall you are and what you weigh? Have you calculated your BMI to see what it is for you?

The HCG treatments, according to the Mayo Clinic web site, is something that was researched years ago for possible weight loss. Studies found that it just wasn't that successful; people who were given placebos lost as much weight as those given the HCG. Today, HCG is mostly used for people undergoing fertility treatment.

The recent trend has come from a popular book and infomercial, so there are lots of new websites springing up that promise all sorts of weight-loss miracles. It's really hard to read them and resist, but I want you to remember this: if they sound too good to be true, they probably are.

And in answer to your second question, Brooke, 500 calories is WAY too low. At that calorie level, what will happen is that your body will go into starvation mode and you actually will NOT lose weight. In starvation mode, your body decides that it is not going to get fed, so it holds on to everything it already has.

The problem with any quick weight loss is that it doesn't help you change your habits. Since you say that the reason you don't lose weight is that you always end up eating out or eating unhealthy at home, that's got to change for you to see any results. I know how hard it is, believe me. But it can work.

There are some online sights where you can keep a food diary, count your calories and add in your activity while seeing your progress. Are you interested in anything like that?