HCG Diet Info

What You Should Know About the HCG Diet

Have you heard about the HCG Diet? It seems like a new diet fad emerges every year. In the past decades, the public has been introduced to the South Beach Diet (a diet that promotes food low in carbohydrates), the Atkins Diet (a diet that radically reduces carb intake), the Baby Food Diet (a diet that replaces certain meals with food designed for babies), and the Master Cleanse Diet (a liquid diet the mainly comprises of lime or lemon juice). Today, it’s the HCG Diet.

Aside from these diets, there are also countless products and services marketed as weight loss solutions. These include fat-burning belts, fat-burning spa treatments, and diet pills, which are the most popular of all.

It’s hard to keep up with all these fads. What’s even harder—and dangerous—is finding out which truly works. Now, another fad in the form of the HCG Diet resurfaces. Before believing anything the ads say, it’s best to sit down and find out what this diet is really all about.

So, what is the HCG Diet?

The HCG Diet is the newest diet trend that has caught the attention of the West. It promises to help those struggling with obesity to shed off a pound—or more—per day.

Who developed the HCG Diet?

The HCG Diet was developed by Dr. Simeons, a specialist who believed that a hormone found in pregnant women has the ability to help overweight people lose weight and keep the weight off even after returning to their normal routine.

Today, you can come across different versions of the HCG Diet. While some of them have explored other possibilities and played with the ingredients or elements included, most have retained the original idea and formula that Dr. Simeons came up with.

What does the HCG Diet entail?

Every round of treatment lasts at least 26 days, during which time you need to be given 23 injections. The treatment using HCGs can go on for 43 days, which require 40 injections, save when you manage to lose around 15 to 18 kilograms or 34 to 40 pounds before the allotted time passes. You won’t be getting any more injections on the last three days of the HCG Diet; this is so the injections can complete their cycle and prepare your body for you when you go back to your normal diet. The HCG Diet also needs three whole days to really take effect.

Why do you need to stop the HCG Diet after 40 days?

As mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the treatment can last for a maximum of 43 days only, with the last three days completely bereft of HCG injections. This limitation is based on Dr. Simeons’ findings that dieters seem to develop a sort of immunity to or shield against HCG after 40 days. Furthermore, he discovered that a six-week break from the HCG Diet is needed so dieters can fully achieve “resensitization.” Dr. Simeons has recommended undergoing a total of only four treatments that must be separated by breaks.

What does the HCG Diet forbid?

Of course, it’s not a diet if it doesn’t ban certain foods. The HCG Diet also has its list of don’ts. Once you’re on the HCG Diet, you will be asked, after the third shot, to cut your daily calorie intake to just 500 per day. Once the HCG works actively in your body, it will release stored fat, providing your body with the calories you need to burn throughout the day without exercise.

According to Dr. Simeons, as long as the HCG gives your body fat deposits, the 500-calorie diet will prove enough to keep you going—and you won’t feel hunger pangs, binge, or go crazy. To avoid going over the 500-calorie mark, you are advised to refrain from consuming alcohol and foods that are high in carbohydrates and fat.

It’s important that you stop the treatment once you drop the excess weight because the hormones used in the HCG Diet only affect stored fat. When that’s gone, your body won’t be able to survive on just 500 calories.

Is the HCG Diet FDA-approved?

There is no diet, including the HCG Diet, which is FDA-approved. The FDA maintains its stands that all foods can be consumed without compromising one’s health and going obese. The key is moderation. The FDA, however, has given its stamp of approval on HCG, but as a fertility drug. Remember that HCG is a hormone that has long been marketed as an aid in fertility among women. Its value in the achievement of weight loss has yet to be fully established given the fact that the HCG Diet is still very new to the weight loss industry.

With many people already attesting to what the HCG Diet has done for them (i.e. given them the body they’ve always wanted), the HCG Diet remains promising. It is crucial, however, to ask your doctor for his or her expert opinion on the matter. There may be something in your medical history that would prevent you from going on the HCG Diet due to health reasons, so it’s best to stay on the safe path by getting professional advice.