I've observed over one thousand hCG protocols and personally assisted over 500 people through multiple rounds. From what I've observed with patients, daily administering 125 iu of hCG with Dr. Simeons' very low calorie protocol, only 4 people have brought to my attention their hair loss. The first was a trans-gendered woman (male to female). The second was a woman who lost hair during pregnancy and wasn't worried as she knew her hair would grow back. The third patient had a sensitivity to dry climate (after adding back conditioner her hair stopped falling out). And the fourth, started her second round of the protocol while experiencing debilitating stress and depression, she eliminated both proteins from her diet, and she cheated consistently each week with sugar. Needless to say, if we had known the mental state of this fourth patient, we would not have prescribed her a second round of the hCG protocol.
The question I'd like to ask is why are there so many people on the Internet discussing fear of hair loss during the very low calorie protocol? I'm not saying that it doesn't happen, especially when people don't have the appropriate dosage of hCG, when they don't take adequate breaks between rounds, if they don't use nutritional supplementation, if they cheat with sugar type foods, or if they reduce or restrict protein intake to what is less than prescribed. There are great risks for hair loss with such drastic reductions in food intake. However, it is NOT caused by the caloric value of food, but rather abrupt hormonal shifts that may occur, especially when they eat the very low calorie diet without adequate hCG, or if the patient cheats.
There are a couple of issues I will assume happens when someone cheats during the protocol, specifically with a sugar based foods. First, the abrupt rise and fall in leptin would cause a similar reaction to the thyroid and thyroid hormones. This will not help a hair loss matter. Second, the rapid rise in insulin with leptin, creating an increase in testosterone. This might cause androgenic alopecia. Over time, and repeated bouts of cheating during the hCG protocol, the polar shifts in leptin and resulting hormonal dysregulation and inflammation could increase the risk of hair loss for both reasons. On the other side, if hunger is tolerated and persists, sustained drops in leptin causes a rise in cortisol, which would increase the risk for the most aggressive form of hair loss: telogen effluvium.
Because 98% of my observations have been with prescription hCG protocols, I haven't been able to compare the prevalence of hair loss to homeopathic hCG protocols. But one thing I know for sure, because most skeptics of the hCG protocol have no idea how hCG prevents starvation, they assume the typical symptoms of starvation are the risks. However, if hCG stimulates adequate leptin to reduce the risk of starvation, and the very low calorie protocol reduces the risk of problems caused from excess leptin, we could safely assume (when combined with a good multi-vitamin) hair loss associated to hormonal extremes of binging and starving would be minimized.
I've come to believe that in my opinion, people are sensationalizing the risk of hair loss to scare people out of doing the hCG protocol, or they want to manipulate the consumer to do the protocol differently than Simeons suggested. But, I'd like to know what others have observed. Dr. Simeons discussed the small risk he observed in Pounds & Inches, but I agree with his point of view. The hormonal ramifications of keeping fat are far worse then the risk of keeping hair.
Until we have proper laboratory research we are all speculating, including myself. However, what I do have to use as a reference point are the 4 people who have lost hair, compared to the thousands who haven't.
WHAT HAVE YOU OBSERVED? IF YOU HAVE LOST HAIR, DID YOU CHEAT? DID YOU EXPERIENCE SEVERE HUNGER? DID YOU LOAD PROPERLY? DID YOU ELIMINATE PROTEIN INTAKE? DID YOU TAKE A MULTI-VITAMIN?
Please comment if you've experienced hair loss and what was your experience.
The question I'd like to ask is why are there so many people on the Internet discussing fear of hair loss during the very low calorie protocol? I'm not saying that it doesn't happen, especially when people don't have the appropriate dosage of hCG, when they don't take adequate breaks between rounds, if they don't use nutritional supplementation, if they cheat with sugar type foods, or if they reduce or restrict protein intake to what is less than prescribed. There are great risks for hair loss with such drastic reductions in food intake. However, it is NOT caused by the caloric value of food, but rather abrupt hormonal shifts that may occur, especially when they eat the very low calorie diet without adequate hCG, or if the patient cheats.
There are a couple of issues I will assume happens when someone cheats during the protocol, specifically with a sugar based foods. First, the abrupt rise and fall in leptin would cause a similar reaction to the thyroid and thyroid hormones. This will not help a hair loss matter. Second, the rapid rise in insulin with leptin, creating an increase in testosterone. This might cause androgenic alopecia. Over time, and repeated bouts of cheating during the hCG protocol, the polar shifts in leptin and resulting hormonal dysregulation and inflammation could increase the risk of hair loss for both reasons. On the other side, if hunger is tolerated and persists, sustained drops in leptin causes a rise in cortisol, which would increase the risk for the most aggressive form of hair loss: telogen effluvium.
Because 98% of my observations have been with prescription hCG protocols, I haven't been able to compare the prevalence of hair loss to homeopathic hCG protocols. But one thing I know for sure, because most skeptics of the hCG protocol have no idea how hCG prevents starvation, they assume the typical symptoms of starvation are the risks. However, if hCG stimulates adequate leptin to reduce the risk of starvation, and the very low calorie protocol reduces the risk of problems caused from excess leptin, we could safely assume (when combined with a good multi-vitamin) hair loss associated to hormonal extremes of binging and starving would be minimized.
I've come to believe that in my opinion, people are sensationalizing the risk of hair loss to scare people out of doing the hCG protocol, or they want to manipulate the consumer to do the protocol differently than Simeons suggested. But, I'd like to know what others have observed. Dr. Simeons discussed the small risk he observed in Pounds & Inches, but I agree with his point of view. The hormonal ramifications of keeping fat are far worse then the risk of keeping hair.
Until we have proper laboratory research we are all speculating, including myself. However, what I do have to use as a reference point are the 4 people who have lost hair, compared to the thousands who haven't.
WHAT HAVE YOU OBSERVED? IF YOU HAVE LOST HAIR, DID YOU CHEAT? DID YOU EXPERIENCE SEVERE HUNGER? DID YOU LOAD PROPERLY? DID YOU ELIMINATE PROTEIN INTAKE? DID YOU TAKE A MULTI-VITAMIN?
Please comment if you've experienced hair loss and what was your experience.
I have done 4 rounds of hCG with at least 3 months inbetween rounds. I have not cheated. I don't believe that it is the hCG that has caused hair loss for me each time , and each time more. I do believe that getting enough proper sleep and exercise is important to reduce stress levels while on this low calorie intake. I believe my hair loss was from too much coffee (strong) each day, broken sleep pattern due to my job, as well as no exercise to release the stresses of the day. THe first 3 times I did not take any supplements. This last time I took a good multi vitamin, a probiotic supplement, coral calcium and vit C. I have to admit I am a yoyo dieter and keep going back to an ill combined diet and alcohol consumption once the diet is done. I am 43 5'4" 138lbs with an apple shape. Each time I do the diet I go down to 123lbs with intentions of holding at 125 with some muscle tone weight lifting. I have read about people taking silica . Before I try this once again....I am getting some blood work done and a saliva test with my naturopathic Dr. Then if the hormone levels and such show imbalances I will have to work on that first. I suggest no coffee. (Yerba mate instead) Lifestyle changes need to be understood and applied to maintaine the new body transformation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. It's funny that I haven't really noticed a whole lot of people complaining about hair loss. I did experience it though, and when people ask me about side effects, I have told them about it.
DeleteMy hairloss is more attributed to low quality hair color (dye) when I used better chemicals, the hairloss was minimal. I have done 4 rounds of hcg, 3 were Rx, one was hhcg (homeopathic) my dosing was 125-170 iu, depending on adjustment and time in the round. I would increase dose slightly after day 27 or so, as needed.
ReplyDeleteLeslie Sourpusscandy
It's funny that I haven't really noticed a whole lot of people complaining about hair loss. I did experience it though, and when people ask me about side effects, I have told them about it. I was like the second person you mentioned. I lost the hair in exactly the same place that I lost it in each of my four pregnancies, at my temples, and I knew it would grow back.
ReplyDeleteI didn't cheat on my rounds, but I was really lax about supplements--you read so much about multivitamins and how many brands are worthless. Plus the large size of the ones I had were gagging me. I have since switched to liquid versions, but don't think I should take those during P2 protocol. Any suggestions?
I am on my 3rd round , since the first one , I notice my hair falling and is getting worse every time , I cutted very short so people wont notice it , I don't cheat , I take multivitamins,I did the recomended time on P3 and P4 , I don't know what is wrong with me and started to worry , is my hair ever growing back ??? how can I stop my hair from falling? NEED HELP
ReplyDeleteI have the same thing. I'm terrified. I have large amounts of hair falling out
DeleteI experienced no hair loss in round 1, but round 2 it was bad. I didn't do a long, or even sufficient, p3/p4 because I was just barely in the 190's and my fear of seeing 200 again was more than I could emotionally bear. I did not load properly for R2, either and as a result had a super crummy round (as far as feeling well, not weight loss). I did take adequate time off in between R2/R3 and noticed that the hair loss seems to have slowed considerably.
ReplyDeleteAgain, no cheating on any round. I don't take any supplements so I'm sure the hair loss will continue. I don't take them because I am extremely sensitive to synthetics, so I try to vary my fruit and veg options during p2. I'm also perimenopausal and I know the hormones can cause hair loss in many women. I'm really not worried about it.
Hmmm interesting!!!
ReplyDeleteyes i lost hair. lots of it . did 2 rounds. my hypotheses is that the hair goes into a resting state (hairs that normally would shed- rest) and that all of these come out at once when the hCG is finished. this is what happens in pregnancy as well. if you do long rounds as i did =all the more hair to go from resting to shedding in the telegenic cycle. i also had this in pregnancy. i agree that supplements are necessary. i did not take them due to a swallowing issue with pills. i could not find a good multi vit/min in liquid at the time. i think this also was a factor.
ReplyDeleteI have been on medications in the past that have resulted in hair loss so I was very concerned about this side effect. I did not notice any. Although, I did notice that my hair did not grow either. I usually get my eyebrows waxed regularly and did not need to during P2. I have noticed, now in my 2nd week of P3, my eyebrows are definitely needing some attention! I also noticed that my fingernails didn't grow.. strange. I did a 35 day run and lost 20 pounds.. maintaining so far. Read your book and it makes total sense to me.. I am most definitely an emotional eater and will always have to ask myself the question "are you really hungry?". Thanks for taking the time to write it! Just finished the book Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes.. also a really good read - I love the science of it all.
ReplyDeleteI have been using extenso hair straightener on my hair earlier this year and then applied it weeks before starting the protocol. Mind you the second time around I felt my hair was severely weakened and not properly applied at the salaon, so I was not suprised by my hair loss or thinning. The mass of hair coming out happened before as well after moving to a place where there is a high sodium content in the water, this means basically that I WASNT' SURPRISED and I am sure it will be fine!!
ReplyDeleteLost alot of hair after my second round - alot! Never cheated, not once!(ocd on the protocol - lol!) but only did 5 weeks between rounds one and two. I also lost hair similarly after my 3 pregnancies, so I wasn't worried. Third round I had a longer break - like 5 months, took a few supplements (I am not good at consistent supplementation!), and made sure I ate more protein. I was also eating better in my regular life - more paleo, no sugar - before I did round 3, so maybe my body had better resources/reserves? I lost 46 pounds in my first 40 day round on hHCG supervised by my naturopath, so I think that might have been the reason, or my body's response to hcg like when I was pregnant.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info Robin! Watching your vlogs here in round 4 P2 and LOVING it! :-)
I don't believe your analysis is complete. And by your own admission you said you're only speculating here. Let me tell you the tale of my family.
ReplyDeletePre-HCG
Me - 30, male, mild AGA (andro genetic alopecia)
Dad - 57, male, moderate AGA.
Mom - 52, female, lush hair.
Sister - 32, female, average hair.
Friend 1 - 33, Male, No AGA (none in his family either).
Friend 2 - 27, female, good hair density.
All 6 of us started HCG within a week of each other, supported each other. All 6 experienced hair loss that started between 6 weeks to 10 weeks AFTER ROUND TWO. This onset time frame was consistent with people writing on forums too, as we'd discover much later.
23 months post HCG - here is the status:
Me - male, extreme hairloss led to severe baldness - Norwood 6 with diffuse top. Hair loss has ceased, but never regrew. Going in for transplant next year.
Dad - male, Now Norwood 7. Profuse hairloss ensued, then slowed and then stopped, but nary a hair grew back after approx 20 months.
Mom - female, lush hair still. Experienced moderate hairloss, and all grew back.
Sister - female, Experienced severe hairloss and has seen absolutely no regrowth.
Friend 1 - Male, Severe hairloss and saw no regrowth.
Friend 2 - female. Severe hairloss and experienced only partial regrowth. She's the daughter of a trichologist and had hair per square centimeter counted. Only partial regrowth confirmed.
I come from a family of MDs. I don't think anyone quite understand the correlation - but it is very much there. The onset timeframe is too consistent to just be a co-incidence. What is causing it - HCG or the calorie restriction or the weight shed, is anybody's guess. But your hairloss rate of 0.4% is grossly incorrect. I'm sorry, I don't question your honesty, perhaps just your math. I do apologize but your observation has no remote resemblance to any empirical observations we made.
I had lush hair and experienced loss in the same timeframe that your group described (both overall and one 2" patch at the crown). All regrew (that I can tell), I didn't think to have a trichologist count square centimeter hair! Post pregnancy I experienced this same thing.
DeleteMy mother's hair did not. Her experience was all over thinning (previous to hcg her hair was thinning) and it has not regrown.
I didn't cheat. I waited the recommended time between rounds. I took supplements including biotin and silica.
This was a side affect I was aware of and accept. Nothing is free.
Post pregnancy when I also lost hair, I was also shedding weight rapidly (following a 1700 calorie/day diet while nursing). I am leaning toward the hormone shift as the culprit.
I wonder if the hormone then, is exacerbating those predisposed to Androgenic Aloepecia. Can you tell me how long before you experienced regrowth? Also if you know whether your mother is Post-menopausal?
DeleteThanks
Friedmann
Oh no, my fear exactly. Very large amounts of hair is coming out. Has been for a month. I also am on thyroid medication. Doctor told me it's my thyroid, but I think it's the hcg. I hope I don't loose any more. Can anyone help
DeleteFor the benefit of readers reading - Norwood 6 and Norwood 7 are male pattern baldness scales and they are considered the most extreme baldness one can progress to.
ReplyDeleteRobin,
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Leptin, insulin and testosterone spikes you mention: It is generally believed in the medical community that for any stress, dietary or hormonal changes to cause telogen effluvium, the causative factor needs to be acute and prolonged. I.e. a day a week - if that's how often someone's cheating in phase 2, of insulin spikes and testosterone surges are unlikely to cause full fledged effluvium.
If there are any other factors you can think of, please let us know. At least you're spending thought and energy trying to analyse this, unlike many who don't.
I have monitored over a thousand protocols and still have less than 10 fingers to count of people expressing concern over hair loss. I'm thinking there are far more, however they are not concerned and don't feel it is important to bring up. We do warn all patients it could be a potential side effect.
DeleteI'm wondering if hCG dosage has any part. If you inject more iu's, (250 ) that testosterone levels increase further? The other thought I have considered is if there is a correlation to the loading days and sugar intake. I'd certainly love to see some laboratory testing witht his protocol sooner than later!
Thank you for all of your observations and insight!! I'm always very excited to see more doctor's implimenting the protocol on themselves and with patients. We need more medical experts and less diet crap with this hormonal therapy.
-Robin
Robin,
DeleteYes, more laboratory testing would clarify what's happening to the endocrine.
Do you remember, off the top of your head if you had AGA patients you treated? Do you recall what their experience was vis-a-vis baldness progression?
You mention higher IUs - and I wonder if even the recommended 125-175 IUs might cause higher than average androgen increase for susceptible people. Of course we won't know until laboratory tests are carried out.
Yes. We had one patient (one of my trainers at my gym) who had AGA. It got much worse after doing 4 rounds (of which round 2-4 she repeatedly cheated with large amounts of sugar). It has taken her 3 years to rehabilitate her hair growth. She is now a certified integrative nutritionist and it took a complete change in diet for her hair to grow back. She has since done the protocol (perfectly without cheating) without hair loss.
DeleteFrom what I've read, men who are taking testoserone for body building inject 600 iu's of hCG to stimulate thier leydig cells to offset the testosterone injections. Not to say that the lower dosage doesn't also stimulate testosterone. I'm assuming that with negative feedback loops there are different amounts that cycle like a wave- like ratios. 1/3 is the same as 2/6, 3/9, etc. This would change as you've said for people who have higher than average androgen levels. Similar to changes for a woman during menstrual cycles ( ie. the luteal phase). This makes me wonder if there is a way to test men and adjust hCG dosaging relative to Androgen hormones...but this would require there is an understood optimal ratio???? and let's not forget compliance to the protocol as food directly influences the gonadotropin releasing hormones from the brain (via hypothalamic leptin). I'm probably overthinking this.... What are your thoughts?
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ReplyDeleteI personally find merit in your suggestion, Robin, but how does one find out?
ReplyDeleteI'm considering doing a round myself, and measuring androgens, epinephrine, cortisol and thyroid during and after.
You've probably already seen this forum - http://hcgdietinfo.com/hcgvanillaforum/discussion/2123/
It's largely women on this forum though, and not sure how many of them would know if they had any AGA leanings prior to starting.
Interestingly though, a significant percentage report after round 2 (or "R2" as seems to be the norm on that forum).
I'm not surprised. Especially since more people cheat during their second rounds. And if they cheat with sugar, they will cause an abnormal increase in leptin and insulin, which combined changes the FSH/LH ration to favor an increase in testosterone.
DeleteIf you could test leptin levels that would be awesome, however, I know it is more costly.
One of the major differences in our program is that we suggest people eat only when they are hungry and only eat enough for hunger to go away. This way they are never over eat (again this is relative to my hypotheis on leptin). So most of our patients don't eat all of the food ( but they are told to prioritize their protein). Patients who do injectables get B12 mixed with the hCG. We rarely get complaints of hair loss. I'm wondering why???? I'd really like to know how your next round goes!
Also, many people who are geting "on-line" help don't necessarily wait long enough begtween rounds. This might also attribute to a more chronic situation.
DeleteHmm.. interesting. Let me see if anyone on the forum will tell me how long they waited between rounds. I agree it might trigger a more chronic effluvium if done back to back.
ReplyDeleteI know people are cautioned against altering the diet, but do you make any deviation from the Simeon protocol at all?
Say get fully lean fat protein source from egg whites for example (vs chicken breast which likely has 2-3 gms of fat) and then adding a gram or two of Fish Oil or Primrose Oil?
I'll try adding leptin to the tests.
Wondering about B-12 too - wonder if it affects Cytochrome P450 levels thereby influencing detoxification of excess androgens.
Yes. We don't encourage or teach the apple day or any correction days. We've added some foods to the list, but very little. The main difference is eating to hunger rather than force feeding or under eating. Patients adjust intake to match hunger rhythms. Most people eat less than 500 kcals.
ReplyDeleteRobin, hope you're well.
ReplyDeleteI've gotten tested for Androgens/Thyroid Panel/CBC to baseline them.
We'll be repeating tests about 2-3 weeks into the course, which I start tomorrow. And then around 4 weeks after ceasing administration.
This will be accompanied by B-12 500-1000 mcg daily.
I chatted yesterday with an endocrinologist about anti-aging treatments and the like, when she made an off the cuff remark. She said "Oh and that HCG will spike your HGH too". I ask if she'd got lab reports I could see - IGF1 or whatever indicator she'd use. She said she hadn't . She'd constructed this academically, from the endocrine pathways.
Her honesty and the utter futility of her belief were both impressive. From talking to several MDs last few days, I've come to believe there isn't very much credible information to go off. Think its partly because serious MDs would shirk from something that isn't encouraged, by the FDA, for better or for worse.
Also, here's a study concerning cultured ovarian cells, but nevertheless assuming similar beta-adrenergic activity on leydig.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3971933
I do know from neurotransmitter analysis that I have elevated epinephrine and norepinephrine. I also know that a lot of my friends and family who started HCG drank a lot more coffee than they otherwise would, when on the diet.
More later
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DeleteWondering how things are going???
DeleteFriedmann thank you for the post.
DeleteWhen I discovered the HCG diet I approached my endocrinologist since he was "trying to help" me to loose the excess amount of weight I gained after my
4th child ( 60 Lb)He run lots of tests and could not find any abnormalities, however he offered me to start on either Metformin ( I am not a diabetic)or Meridia (pulled from the market due severe side effects).
When I showed him Dr. Simmeons research and asked to prescribe HCG injections he point blank told me it's not going to work. I got my injections anyway, lost about 65 lb as well my faith in Medical doctors. When I met him after my weight loss at the hospital where I work as a Registered Nurse, he was unpleasantly surprised.
I never went back to him, did not need anymore!
I am 7 months post my first round. My hair loss has been great! I take biotin daily, eat alot of protein, sleep well, exercise and STILL my hair is so thin now since doing HCG. If I had known I would of lost all my hair, I would of never did HCG
ReplyDeleteI have not noticed a lot of people complai ing of experiencing hair loss. In fact, when I started noticing my own hair loss, I asked some of my friends who were also doing the HCG Diet. None of them had the problem. I already had a problem with thinning hair, due to menopause and HRT. But it DID get worse when I was on homeopathic HCG.
ReplyDeleteOne person told me that her coach had recommended Biotin while on the protocol to help prevent hair loss. I bought some in May 2012 and am still taking it every day. Not sure that it is really accomplishing anything, but I figure it can't hurt to take it.
I did 4 X 21-day rounds and waited the prescribed number of weeks between each round. I finished round 4 on July 23 and reached my goal a day later. I lost a total of 57 lbs between Aug 19, 2011 and July 24, 2012. I am not seeing any significant regrowth of hair yet. But I am hopeful that it is not permanent hair loss.
Another friend who also did homeopathic HCG, did not experience hair loss during the rounds, but has hair coming out by the handful now. She did 2 X 42 day rounds and lost 35 lbs. She did not take any supplements during the rounds. And she took only the recommended dosage, whereas I found I needed to take extra drops each time in order to avoid severre hunger between meals.
I am going to re-read this entire thread and see if i can gain any comfort about it growing back. Thanks for listening to my story.
homeopathic anything is statistically insignificant doses. In that case it is non-somatic
DeleteOh, I forgot to say this - I did not cheat on any of the 4 rounds. I was very strict about sticking toit - mainly because I was determined, but also because I found I liked that style of eating. Same with my friend. She just rolls her eyes at people who say they cheated. Neither of us understand why you would do that, why you would sabotage yourself that way. But that might be just her and me.
ReplyDeleteI am in R3P3D18. I did not lose any hair in Round 1, but started losing a significant amount of hair in Rounds 2 and 3. I have lost a total of 53.2 pounds using RX hCG drops, took quality multivitamins and DID NOT cheat! I made sure I got plenty of sleep, minimized the stressors in my life and ate to hunger. I have to also say that I felt WONDERFUL the whole time I used hCG. I slept well and my general feeling of "well-being" was tremendous. But, my hair is now so thin that I am going to a hair stylist on Tuesday to try to get a style to "help" it not look so terrible. I have never had a pregnancy so I do not know what my experience would have been with that, but I can only attribute my severe hair loss to my hCG use. That being said, I am thrilled to be at my new weight and figure that the trade off has been worth it. I will buy a wig if the new hair-do doesn't do the trick! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI had 7 rounds of HCG and helped many friends with weight issues. Although some of us did loose some hair, It mostly grew back . Was it worth it,we would all do it again in a heart bit!
DeleteExperienced hairloss after 45 cycle of hcg, 34 male, no one in my family has hairloss, my hair was thick, now I can see my skin and count my hair line, with wide spreaded hairloss, if i knew this would happen i would of saved my money and go to they gym and workout vs loosing myhair, this started 3 months after the diet. Also mood swings, cloudy thinking, it apears it might have affected my testosterone levels, Now i have to go to a doctor and find out wtf hcg injections did to me. This is a bad diet, lot's of grey areas in responses, and very little information online for the negative side effets, Be warned do not try this easy way out~!
ReplyDeleteI am starting my 3rd round ever, but first round after losing all the weight I wanted and keeping it off for more than 3 years. I did experience some "shedding" during my second round so I never lost the last 5 lbs I really wanted to lose. I personally love the diet, have tried everything else, and know it is the only thing that works. I personally know the corruption of the AMA and the fact that the government institutions of AMA and FDA disapprove only tells me it's worth.
ReplyDeleteI am starting round three but so long after rounds 1 & 2 3 years ago-- I am wondering about those who experienced hair loss in R 2 -- what happened in R3, especially if it was years later?
I was spooked by all the hair loss horror stories too, but willing to risk it to try hcg out of a much more dire need to lose weight. I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis that started about 5 years ago. Up to age 37 I was a size 4-6, very athletic, fit and always ate a well balanced sugar free, low carb plan for most my adult life. Spent 10 years in the Air Force and was a runner, horseback rider and gym rat. Then Hashimoto's disease hit me hard and fast. 80 lbs in less than a year while eating as I always had and still doing plenty of exercise. The fatigue was mind numbing. 2/3 of my once obscenely thick wavy hair fell out and became brittle, gummy and straight. I've since stabilized most symptoms on Armour Thyroid, but still could not get the weight to come off. First round of Rx hcg was amazing. I was used to eating practically nothing anyways and the food selections were things I liked, so I followed protocol to the letter and felt like I had just won the lottery. 27lbs in 35 days was nothing short of a miracle for this type of autoimmune disease patient. I found that my hair condition actually dramatically IMPRPOVED while on hcg. The hypothyroid hair loss slowed significantly while on hcg, and it bacame much more shiny and I started to get the body/wave back into it. I have to wonder if I am an anomoly because I had such a significant hormone/autoimmune problem with hair loss going into it.
ReplyDeleteForgot to say I am now 2 weeks into round 2 and experiencing the same improveent in my hair condition as round 1. I actually started quite a bit of hair regrowth on P3/P4 inbetween round, and within days of being on R2P2, the shine and body are returning likeR1, and hair loss is almost completely halted.
ReplyDeleteInteresting how many choose to ignore the fact that SO MANY lose hair as a result of the HCG diet. I was a male in my 40s when I first did this diet. Lost great weight. 30-40 lbs. Had hair loss.... major thinning on the crown. Never cheated. Got depressed. the weight back. Did the protocol 2 other times. Same results. The hair seemed fallout a few months after ending the protocol, and lasted a few months. Grew back, but never as this as it was initially.
ReplyDeleteHCG works incredibly well. If there was a proven way to eliminate the hair loss afterwords... I would do it again. Until then.... IT IS NOT WORTH THE HAIR LOSS.
Please know... regardless of whether it is the HCG... or the fact that you lose so much weight so fast.... HAIR LOSS IS A FACT WITH MANY MANY MANY!!!!!!
Believe the hair loss stories. They are for real.
I was on the diet for three months. I did loose sixteen pounds. If I could turn back the clock l would. I have experienced extreme hair loss. I am so scared that I will not get regrowth. I have been off the diet for five months and continue to have hair loss daily.i was not concerned about loosing hair as long as I was skinny. I was wrong..have lost almost fifty percent of my hair. Just don't know what to do to get my hair back. I have had blood work done and all my tests came back normal...HELP!!!
DeleteI have had severe hair loss as well. As many others, it didn't start until 3-4 months after my round finished. Both times I did not cheat once and did long rounds. The first time I thought maybe it was due to stress because I was going thru a lot at that time and it was so many months after the HCG, I didn't associate the two. I did a second round about a year later and sure enough, same thing. The hair I lost from the first round did not grow back and now it is falling out again and I am really freaked out. I have been taking Biotin and Biosil but haven't noticed a difference. When I wash my hair it comes out in chunks from the root. Now that I know it is associated with HCG, I will never do another round. I am worried my hair may never grow back.
ReplyDeleteSix people I know did this diet at the same time. We all experienced hair loss to one degree or another. We followed protocol to a tee. My sister and I both lost a SIGNIFICANT percentage of hair at the beginning of round two. We did a 40 day first round and started losing our hair around 6 weeks later. The loss continued through round two and then increased again about 6 weeks after round two (21 day round). The loss was profound. I would say around 50 percent for both of us. I had never felt the shower on my scalp in my life until this hair loss, it was a wierd and disconcerting feeling. Before the diet, a pony tail holder could wrap my hair three to four times max, by the time I was done, I could wrap it SEVEN times. We are now two years post diet. We both lost around 40 pounds. The weight loss was great, but we are still suffering the effects of the hair loss. I have noticed my hair is getting thicker. Before the diet, I had a mane of long lush hair, by the time I was done losing it, my hair was thin, brittle, and fly away. I even noticed the marked thinness of the shaft of the hair. As it has started to grow back the crown just keeps breaking. I have this little stubble of hair constantly. I notice significant all-over breakage like never before in my life. All that said, It IS growing back, but I think it's going to take years to see our beautiful healthy hair again. Quick synopsis, sad about the hair loss, elated about the weight loss. Would we do it again?? Five of us definitely would, but as for me, the jury is still out.
ReplyDeletethis is exaclt what is happening to me, it did not start falling out until i finished, prob like 2 months later... glad to hear its growing back
Deletewhat about male subQ injecting HGC?
ReplyDeleteaddition of 5a RI blocks DHT creation in part or completely, dose dependent
Crash diets cause hair loss.They also cause your body to store fat around your vital organs, which is dangerous. HCG diet is a bullshit, dangerous crash diet. There is no magic. Double blind tests with HCG and placebo have shown same results. It is the lack of calories that makes you lose weight. Wake up people.
ReplyDeleteAre you guys doing the Kevin Trudau HCG diet? or other diets with HCG? I think the diet is bad kevin doesnt do the calories and stuff like that.. I want to start HCG im 180 KG but im scared after reading this!!!
ReplyDeleteWow...I just today took my first shot and spent $300 between Dr. consultation and product and now I am scared to death. I don't want to loose my hair....it is like one of my worse nightmares. Someone please tellme what to do....just how high is the risk? I am miserable with a extra 59 lbs., but can't decide it it is worth it.
ReplyDeleteMany patients have hair growth that is clearly visible within 4-6 months of the hair transplant but again, the results vary from person to person. You must be prepared for that.
ReplyDeleteI had severe hair loss which started a month or 2 after finishing the final phase. I did HCG injections. The protocol is fantastic and I averaged 1.5 - 2 lbs weight loss a day. I am a healthy 45 yo male.
ReplyDeleteMy head hair loss was significant, traumatic, and in my opinion... DEFINITELY NOT WORTH IT!!!
I would do the protocol again if there were a guarantee of no hair loss.... that said...
Stay away from the HCG protocol if you value your hair.
No hair loss for me. My hair is not as curly though. Is that normal? I've done about 6 rounds the past 3 years. I had to redo a few rounds because of emotional eating. I have read your book, and am working on that.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely brilliant post. Thanks for sharing with us.Hair Replacement In India
ReplyDeletemale 56 yrs old...lossed a lot of weight on diet...and hair loss.....Doctor told me that there are 3 phases of hair growth.....(1) growth (2) dyes/fall out about 80 to 120 hairs a day (3) regrows During the diet because of the HCG or the low calorie the hair still dyes but does NOT fall out and during that process there is NO regrowth because the body is trying to conserve energy because of the restricted calories..that's why after the diet...about 1-3 months after "normal" calorie intake with increased potiens and natural vitamins the body feels things are "back to normal" and will alow the hair that has died over that period to finally fall out which seems like a lot and to start regrowing which take about 6-8 months to show....It happen to me and my wife.....its been 6months and you can see little "spouts" popping up.....but hair is thinner and I don't know if it will ever be what it was....
ReplyDeleteHair systems is good for people.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion here is that maybe the hair loss is caused by the stress brought by the 500 calories that we eat.Therefore,the body releases high cortisol levels to deal with it,which explains why we feel all that energy and sometimes so much so, that its hard to wind down which might also explain why some of us were struggling with insomnia as well.So maybe the trick is to take a product that lowers cortisol levels and see if this will resolve the hairloss and insomnia situation.
ReplyDeleteI also think that its easier for the younger crowd to grow their hair back than it is for the older ones.My hair never came back as before.
ReplyDeleteI have tremendous amount of hair loss. I have been off the diet for five months and I am so angry. So embarrassed by my bald spots. Have had blood work done and all my tests came back normal. When will my hair stop falling out and will it grow back????
ReplyDeleteOne of my patients, also an MD did two rounds fairly close together. The second time she got her hCG injectable off the internet. She ate yogurt (fat free) as her protein some of the time. The first round she lost hair. For the second round she used B12 as her dilutant for the hCG and did not lose hair. She thinks the B12 injection with the injectable hCG made a difference.
ReplyDeleteI also do not hear of a lot of people with hair loss but maybe they are not telling me?