2008-03-06

Pregnancy Hormones

I was just speaking with a friend and she told me of a woman that she knows that is on a diet using pregnancy hormones. WTF? Well, apparently she injects herself daily for three weeks and eats a 500 calorie/day diet. Then for three weeks she eats a normal diet, then goes back to the 500 calorie pregnancy hormone routine for another three weeks.

So far she has lost 25 pounds in just the first three week cycle. It is supposed to reset your metabolism. The hormones have to be imported from India and men can do this as well although 1 in 20 could develop breasts.

Does this strike anyone else as a bit nuts? Injecting yourself with someone else's pregnancy hormones? 500 calories a day?

This woman is not overweight by more than 10 or 15 pounds and plays squash on a regular basis. She is also a NURSE.

Well, now I have to see if I can find any information on-line, 'cause this is too weird, the number of bad things that could happen from this. Just the gross factor itself, how well screened is this, what about hormone positive cancers, if you are not menopausal, what does it do to your cycle, if you are what does it do to that? I could go on, but I am pretty sure you can all come up with your own questions.

I googled "pregnancy hormone diet" and was led to this page.

It seems this Dr. Simeons discovered that "a very tiny amount of the human pregnancy hormone hCG 'disconnects' the mobile fat and assists to burning it and discharging it through the kidneys." The 'mobile' fat is the stuff that keeps us from starving when food runs out. It goes on to say "the placenta-hormone hCG Human Chorionic Gonadotropin should act through the hypothalamus on mobile fat stored as spare fuel in still active adipose-cells under the skin."

In a nutshell then, you tell your body it is preggers and you are living through a famine. It opens the fat vaults so you can produce a child and not starve. The website does admit that this method failed double blind studies, but they have continued to do it anyway, they started in the 50's or so. They also claim that you must be supervised by trained personnel and the diet is very specific. Very long FAQ page on the site which I was glad to see. Still, not something I am going to run off to have done to me though. Just because a Dr discovered this doesn't make it a good idea. Although it sounds better than what I was imagining from what I was told by my friend.


While searching though, I did find here that there might be hope for MS sufferers by using pregnancy hormones. If I had to give money to one or the other, my money would be on improving quality of life rather than losing weight.


Thoughts anyone? Am I out to lunch or is losing weight really worth all that?

Good night.

15 comments:

Hilary said...

Yikes.. wrong on so many levels.

Though IF effective, it may turn out to be a safer alternative to surgery for the morbidly obese.

If this woman was only 15 lbs overweight, then she's already underweight now.. and who wouldn't lose 5 lbs a week on a 500 calorie diet.. regardless of the resistant fat.

But wait.. you say that it may cause breast development? I've been waiting for that since puberty.. sign me up! ;)

Leah J. Utas said...

This is a perverse twist on the starvation diet. It's been proven in double-blind studies to not work, must be followed in the absolute to work (that contradiction alone bothers me no end),has dog-knows-what for side effects beyond breasts in men and just seems so irresponsible.

As for a doctor inventing it, well, you know what they call the guy who graduated at the bottom of his class in medical school?

"Doctor."

the Bag Lady said...

What next?! Some people will go to any extreme to lose weight, and they are usually the ones who aren't really that overweight to start with! Our society has turned a few extra pounds into yet another reason to punish ourselves. Sheesh.
500 calories a day? Crikey.

Tink said...

That just can't be OK. Although the side effect of growing boobs is appealing in a small way. I mean, I could use a size up or two. ;)

Crabby McSlacker said...

I'm with you, this is just NUTS!

It's amazing the risks some people will take with their bodies just to lose a few pounds--particularly stupid when it's mainly for cosmetic and not health reasons.

Reb said...

Hilary, I didn't read far enough into the article (it was really long) to find out if it was effective for the morbidly obese, but yes, it MAY be safer than surgery in those cases. About the larger size, weights, there are lots of exercises for pectorals.

Leah, it could in fact be the same diet.

Sis, yeah, sick isn't it? I forgot to add that this woman's husband is now going to try it.

Tink, weights with exercise, much safer way to increase your size.

Crabby,I couldn't agree more.

Jo said...

I think it's completely nutters, & real overkill for someone who has 15 lbs to lose. It also seems weird b/c reducing to a mere 500 cals a day triggers starvation mode, which messes with your metabolism & body chemistry. Then adding HCG to the mix--who wants to have the equivalent of severe PMS while dieting???

Plus once she reaches her goal, what does she do to maintain it?

Dawn said...

I would think she'll have a hell of a time coming of this sort of crazy regime and stabilising her metabolism. Sort of depresses me because it makes me think "old lady" kind of thoughts like "what is the world coming to."

As I zoom through my fifties (yikes, did any of the other decades go this fast?) I don't like to be pushed into "old lady" thoughts!

Speaking of such things - people spend 23 seconds reading my About Me page on my Probiotics website. Now THAT is depressing!

Sorry - I seem to have gone completely off thread. See what "old lady" thought do to me!

Reb said...

Jo, I agree, I think she is nuts. Sad thing is she is somewhere around 40 yrs old. One would think she would know better.

Dawn, word is that it "resets" your metabolism. I can't see anything but bad coming from this sort of thing though.

You can go off topic anytime you want.

Geosomin said...

HOly crap. I don't even want to begin saying how wrong that is.
And to readjust your hypothalamus?
That's outright stupid...add in the 500 calories a day and seriously...wouldn't your kidneys and liver freak right out? And what about after?

I...jeez...why would you do that to your body? Crazy.
The lengths people will go to avoid exercise :)

Terrie Farley Moran said...

Hi Reb,

This is just totally wacky! I don't trust actual medicines the doctors give me for illnesses. How could I ever trust someone else's pregnancy hormones and how come I didn't lose a bunch of weight when I was pregnant?

All questions are rhetorical!

Terrie

Penelope said...

I don't care what anyone says, this just sounds bad.

I like to eat. I don't want to cut back to 500 calories.

What about morning sickness??? Is that part of the game as well???

Karen

Reb said...

Geosomin, crazy is the right word for it that's for sure.

Terrie, and just the yecch factor of someone else's hormones!

Penelope, I like to eat too. Morning sickness, well, they wouldn't mention that now would they?

Anonymous said...

All the processed food we've eaten since the fifties, and the chemicals therein have destroyed our hypothalamus. This procedure allows the hypothalamus o be reset. Everyone I have met who has done this is stronger, healthier and happier. They eat whatever they want, no more binging, dieting or weight fluctuations.

Maybe if you weren't so hung up on the (potential) boob factor you would take the time to really investigate the subject. Good thing you're not running a country! J

Reb said...

Anon J, maybe if you took the time to actually read the post...?