The HCG Diet - What you need to know, Part 2

The HCG Diet is being touted as one of the best ways to lose weight and reset the body's weight to a healthier level.  In this series I will talk about what hCG is and how it works.  This week we'll be looking at how the hCG actually works.

How The hCG Diet Works


The program I administer is the protocol developed by Dr. Simeons.  Over the course of 23 days, patients take hCG injections, follow a strict 500 calorie diet plan and experience an average weight loss of one to two pounds per day – without hunger, decreased energy or other symptoms typical of extreme calorie restriction.  Yes, you heard that right – one to two pounds per DAY!  While the dieter is only consuming 500 calories, the hypothalamus and pituitary are signaling the body to  releasing stored body fat, because of this, the body is actually operating on thousands of calories a day. 

Though a pregnant woman can produce as much as one million units of hCG per day, an injection of only 175 units per day is ample to reduce weight at the rate of roughly one to two pounds per day, even in someone who is grossly overweight, when associated with a 500 calorie diet. While shedding weight this rapidly without the use of hCG shots would be unhealthy, the hCG changes this.  The weight targeted comes from adipose tissue(fat), rather than muscle.  In other words, the weight loss seems to come directly from this fat loss and does not show signs of stripping the body of much needed muscle, vitamins, or minerals essential to maintain good health.  

Almost all hCG dieters report a feeling and appearance of great health and marvel at the correction of negative health problems (high blood pressure, high blood sugar, throid regulation, etc.) they had as an overweight individual.  Most importantly, hCG may reset  the hypothalamus/pituitary and thus restart the dieter’s metabolism.  For this reason, dieters continue to lose excess body fat after cessation of the injections and will not regain the weight – so long as a healthy diet and lifestyle is continued. In fact several of my patient’s while following my instructions for AFTER the injections tend to continue losses up to another 20-25 pounds.  In addition, dieters experience a reduction in size from their problem areas and do not exhibit a sunken and sickly face typical of extreme dieting; hCG reshapes the body and only allows for healthy weight loss – not excessive loss to the detriment of the individual’s health.    

*Next week I'll talk about proper monitoring.