Overview
The HCG diet plan draws dieters who want to lose weight fast with claims that they could lose 20 or more lbs. per month. The hCG diet requires significant restrictions in caloric intake and a special supplement to boost weight loss. Because the hCG diet is not recommended by most health professionals, you should talk to a doctor before beginning the diet.
Features
People following the diet plan take hCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, a type of hormone found in pregnant women. Dieters can choose to receive hCG injections or take hCG oral supplements. During the hCG diet, you must restrict your daily caloric intake to 500 calories. Suggested foods include fresh fruits and vegetables, which contain relatively few calories. The website Simply hCG recommends that dieters eat oranges, grapefruit, apples, strawberries, leafy greens, cabbage, asparagus or tomatoes. You may eat no more than100 gof lean protein each day.
Claims
Pregnant women produce hCG, a hormone that promotes proper placenta development. Proponents of the hCG diet claim that the hormone stimulates your hypothalamus, causing your body to use stored fat as energy. The diet claims to reduce loss of lean muscle mass and improve your metabolism, promoting healthy weight loss.
Evidence
Anecdotal evidence from A.T.W. Simeons, a British endocrinologist practicing medicine in the 1950s, suggests that taking hCG redistributes weight from your arms, stomach, buttocks and thighs without decreasing lean muscle mass. However, no scientific evidence suggests that taking hCG boosts your metabolism or helps you lose weight, according to Jennifer Nelson, a nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic. Many people do lose weight while following the hCG diet, but this is likely because of the severe calorie restriction, rather than beneficial properties of hCG.
Warning
After completing an hCG diet regimen, many dieters regain the weight they lost during the diet, making this plan an ineffective long-term weight loss strategy. The plan may also be dangerous for some people. Restricting your caloric intake to 500 calories per day may cause nutritional deficiencies, weakness, headaches, fatigue and irritability. Discuss the diet with a physician before taking hCG and severely cutting calories to lose weight.
From Diet Plan, post Simple HCG Diet
