HCG Diet: Facts About Dr Simeons hCG Diet for Weight Loss
HCG stands for Human chorionic gonadotropin or human chorionic gonadotrophin, and it’s a hormone produced during pregnancy by the developing embryo and later by the placenta.
Since the mid-20th century, hCG has been heavily promoted as a weight-loss supplement, and it has been getting lots of press, even though there is no supporting scientific evidence that it is effective or safe.
hCG Diet
The weight-loss roots of hCG go back to the 1950s, when British endocrinologist A.T.W. Simeons, while studying pregnant women in India on a calorie-deficient diet, and “fat boys” with pituitary problems (Frölich’s syndrome) treated with low-dose hCG, claimed that both lost fat rather than lean (muscle) tissue.
He reasoned that hCG must be programming the hypothalamus to do this in order to protect the developing fetus by promoting mobilization and consumption of abnormal, excessive adipose deposits. Simeons later published a book entitled Pounds and Inches, designed to combat obesity. Simeons, recommended low-dose daily hCG injections (125 IU) in combination with a customized ultra-low-calorie (500 cal/day, high-protein, low-carbohydrate/fat) diet. And he claimed the hormone could blast fat in key trouble spots like the upper arms, stomach, thighs, and buttocks, while preserving muscle. After Simeons’ death, the diet started to spread to specialized centers and via popularization by individuals, such as the controversial author Kevin Trudeau, famous for promotion of alternative therapies and treatments. Source: Wikipedia
Kevin Trudeau brought Dr. Simeons’ Pounds and Inches to the forefront in 2007 with his book, The Weight Loss Cure. Kevin Trudeau hCG diet, in addition to the hCG hormone and low-calorie protocol, recommends colon cleansing or high enema prior to and during the hcg diet protocol.
How the hCG Diet Works
The proponents claim that the diet works because the hCG hormone suppresses hunger and triggers the body’s use of fat for fuel.
When on the diet, you will need to take the daily hCG injections or serum drops under the tongue (note: The oral hCG may contain little, if any, hCG).
The diet only works when coupled with extremely restrictive eating plan of only 500 calories per day of mostly organic, unprocessed foods. This regime needs to be followed for 45 days. To ensure your body is getting all the necessary nutrients, vitamin supplementation is recommended, including Vitamin B-12. As a result this regime, you will fix your metabolism, and lose several pounds a day – or so the marketers claim. Needless to say, the diet raises many questions, including whether the actual weight loss is the result of starvation diet, and not the hCG.
Although it may sound like a plausible weight loss plan, the scientific evidence for using hCG is lacking.
In 1995, the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published an analysis of research showing no benefit of hCG in promoting weight loss. A December 2009 position paper of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians concluded they did not recommend hCG as a weight loss aid.
Quack Watch.org director Stephen Barrett, MD tells WebMD that “scientific studies have demonstrated that hCG injections do not cause weight loss.”
He describes the protocol as extreme, nearly impossible to adhere to, and senseless, especially because the clinical trials have demonstrated that hCG is ineffective as a weight loss aid.
Since 1975, the FDA has said that hCG is not a weight loss drug. Keep in mind that the FDA doesn’t regulate web sites selling hCG and doesn’t oversee whether the hCG product you order is safe, free of contaminants, and in the correct concentration.
Source: Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, is director of nutrition for WebMD. WebMd
What is the hCG Diet Plan
Here is what you will be eating on the hCG diet:
Breakfast: Tea or coffee in any quantity without sugar. Only one tablespoonful of milk is allowed in 24 hours. Saccharin or Stevia may be used.
Lunch:
1. ANIMAL PROTEIN: 100 grams of meat, such as beef, chicken breast, turkey, white fish, lobster, shrimp, etc..
2. VEGETABLE: choose one of the following- spinach, asparagus, cabbage, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions (all kinds), chicory, beet-greens, red radishes, cucumbers or chard.
3. One bread-stick or a toast.
4. An APPLE or a handful (6-9) of STRAWBERRIES or one-half GRAPEFRUIT, ORANGE * (you may have your fruit with your breakfast or as a snack) you get 2 a day and can eat them when you want to.
Dinner: The same choices as lunch.
Dairy, carbs, alcohol, and sugar are all off limits. Drinks such as unsweetened tea, coffee, or water are permitted. The juice of one lemon daily is allowed for all purposes. Salt (minimal), pepper, vinegar, mustard powder, garlic, sweet basil, parsley, thyme, marjoram, etc., may be used for seasoning. NO OIL, BUTTER or DRESSING are permitted.
As you see, the caloric intake is minimal – around 500 calories, which is almost a starvation level for most people. If dieters slip up, they’re instructed to compensate by drinking only water and eating nothing but six apples for 24 hours.
HCG diet vs the Biggest Loser: there are no shortcuts to weight loss
Potential Health Risks
I’ll be blunt – don’t waste your money and don’t endanger your health. Potential health risks include adverse consequences — from side effects of the product and self-injections to nutritional deficiencies.
It is virtually impossible to meet your nutritional needs for carbohydrates, protein, fats, and fiber with less than 500 calories per day and the diet will most likely result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Minimum calorie levels are closer to 1200-1500 daily to satisfy hunger, fuel daily activities, and provide all the nutrients you need for good health each day.
When you consume so few calories, that’s basically close to starvation level, your body not only burns fat, but also starts to use muscle mass as fuel. This is not a good thing, because muscle helps maintain your metabolism at its best. Not only will you lose fat and muscle, odds are the weight lost will return and when it does, it usually returns as all fat.
I will say it again and again, until my fingers hurt from typing: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
If weight loss were as easy as promised by the hCG diet proponents, why is there still so many overweight people in the US and worldwide?
The best diet is the diet that you can stick with long term. And noone can survive on this type of diet long term. You need to change your eating habits and increase your physical activity – there is no way around it. Save your money, and skip the expensive and worthless hCG.
Seriously, there are much better ways to lose weight, and much more effective. Resist the lure of quick and easy solutions. What counts is a healthy lifestyle. Enjoy healthier foods and include physical activity in your daily routine.
Questions? Comments? Weight Loss Tips?
Why not add to the conversation in the comment section below! Are you trying to lose weight? What type of diet are you following? What are you struggling with? Have you tried hCG diet for weight loss?
Want to share some weight loss tips with fellow readers? I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you!
Thanks!
