Heard something about the HCG Diet? If you’re looking for some ways to get into a weight-loss plan, this diet may help (or may not) you in dealing with your issues. But what makes this diet very controversial, especially for experts? EC Medical Group is open to addressing your queries. Let’s discover more about the HCG diet in this post.
What is the HCG Diet?
HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is the pregnancy hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy. However, the HCG diet has little to do with pregnancy. A controversial weight loss plan combines a highly low-calorie diet with illicit HCG pills or hormone injections.
The FDA has only authorized prescriptions for HCG medicines to treat female infertility. Usually, in the United States, it is illegal to sell HCG supplements for weight loss, and the FDA has posted a warning about their safety and false weight-loss promises.
HCG & Weight Loss
The HCG diet results in rapid, severe weight loss, which may appeal to those who wish to reduce weight rapidly. In the 1950s, British endocrinologist Albert T.W. Simeons got interested in using the HCG pregnancy hormone as a weight-loss aid, and so the HCG diet was born.
After watching malnourished pregnant women in India give birth to healthy children, experts hypothesized that the HCG hormone converted the women’s fat reserves into energy for their offspring. Therefore, it is claimed that anyone could utilize the hormone to encourage weight loss.
HCG Calorie Restriction
Extreme calorie restriction is combined with synthetic HCG supplements or injections of the HCG hormone in the current HCG diet. The diet is a three-phase, short-term eating plan designed to help people lose significant weight between three to six weeks. Many proponents of the HCG diet assert that it can result in weight loss of up to two pounds each day.
While the HCG diet may result in rapid weight loss, health professionals do not consider it safe. The FDA states that there is “no substantial evidence” of its effectiveness. Most specialists concur that the HCG diet’s weight loss results are related to calorie restriction rather than the HCG hormone itself.
The HCG diet is hazardous, harmful, and unlawful. Still, there are other safer alternatives to consider for weight loss.
What To Eat in the HCG Diet?
Some supplement-based diets are said to increase metabolism. However, the HCG diet is based on modifying the body’s hormones to convert fat into fuel. The three phases of a standard HCG diet plan are as follows:
The loading phase is intended to prepare the body for the calorie restriction experienced during the weight reduction phase. During this brief two-day “primer,” persons scheduled to begin the HCG diet are encouraged to consume as much fat and calories as possible. You are encouraged to consume up to 250 grams of fat per day.
This is equivalent to 2,250 calories per day from fat alone. At this point, daily HCG hormone supplements or injections also commence. Theoretically, this phase “stocks” the desired normal fat cells and prepares the body to burn “abnormal” fat.
Next, dieters continue to take their HCG tablets while consuming either 500 or 800 calories per day throughout two meals. Depending on a person’s weight loss goals, the loss phase may take three and six weeks.
Once a person on this diet has lost pounds, they gradually discontinue HCG supplementation while increasing progressively caloric intake. Although HCG diet guides do not define the number of calories you will eventually consume to maintain weight loss, and some indicate that 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day is a reasonable goal.
Advantages
If you’re still willing to try HCG Diet, here’s what you can expect:
Rapid Weight Reduction
At least initially, the HCG diet will likely result in quick weight loss. However, the research indicates that HCG hormone injections have little effect on the number of weight people lose. 5
Easy to Follow
The HCG diet is structurally simple to adhere to. Its three phases and calorie goals are pretty definite. The number of calories or units of hormone injections does not vary from individual to individual.
Disadvantages
Considering these disadvantages can help you identify whether the HCG Diet is right for you or not.
HCGs are Illegal
HCG injections and supplements may only be lawfully administered to treat female infertility in the United States. The FDA has prohibited all over-the-counter HCG products, making it illegal to sell HCG as a weight-loss treatment.
Expensive Program
Although decreasing your caloric intake on the HCG diet may save you money on groceries, the needed hormone injections are not inexpensive.
It Can Cause Extreme Hunger
Short-term abstinence from food leads to severe hunger. However, prolonged calorie restriction and extreme calorie restriction (such as a VLCD) can cause unpleasant side effects such as headaches, brain fog, exhaustion, dizziness, and hunger.
HCG Health Risk
Long-term insufficiency in daily caloric intake might result in a strict sense of hunger. This may drive some individuals to binge or become trapped in a cycle of disordered eating, alternating between times of restriction and overindulgence. Some persons may become underweight and acquire shortages in essential vitamins and minerals if they do not consume enough food. This can result in malnutrition and other health issues.
In addition, some medical professionals are concerned that the “starvation mode” generated by the HCG diet causes the heart to lose protein. This risky process irritates the heart muscle, resulting in ventricular tachycardia, characterized by dangerous erratic contractions. Men who take HCG supplements or receive injections may also grow breast tissue.
Key Takeaway
The promises of speedy and significant weight loss made by the HCG diet have attracted many individuals. But the paucity of proof supporting its efficacy and the risks associated with its high-calorie restriction and prohibited supplements make it a risky endeavor.
Remember that a long-term or short-term diet may not be essential for you and that many diets simply do not work. While we do not support unsustainable weight-loss approaches, we give the facts so that you may make an informed choice based on your nutritional needs, genetic make-up, budget, and goals.
If weight loss is your objective, keep in mind that losing weight is not always synonymous with being your healthiest self. There are numerous other methods to achieve health. You can give us a call, and our staff here at EC Medical Group can help you address your concern.
Don’t take an easy route with higher risk only to achieve your goal. Take care of yourself in the best way that you can! We’re open for consultations. Book or call us at any time!
