hCG Diet
A controversial diet that calls for hormone injections.
QUICK FACTS
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- Established: 1950s
- Founder: Dr. A.T.W. Simeons
- Accessibility: Injections and drops
- Diet Type: Extremely low calorie along with hCG drops or injections
- Gender: Male and female
- Celebrity Endorsements: Snookie (Jersey Shore), Jenni Farley, Britney Spears
BACKGROUND
See our interview: hCG Diet Reviewed by FullBar's Dr. Michael Snyder
A potential diet supplement administered through injections or oral drops, the hCG Diet is a very controversial weight loss method. HCG stands for the hormone Human Choriogonadotropin, which is the same hormone that is produced by women in their early stages of pregnancy.
During pregnancy, the surge of this hormone signals the hypothalamus in the brain to start moving nutrients and fat into the placenta. When used as part of a weight loss program, it is the fat-mobilization aspects of the hormone that has garnered attention for its seeming ability to help facilitate weight loss.
Even though the FDA has approved hCG shots for fertility reasons, there is no scientific evidence that shows the hCG Diet can significantly promote weight loss. Although it is used in conjunction with a very low calorie diet, any weight loss that occurs is likely to be due to the reduced caloric intake rather than the hCG shots or drops themselves.
Many side effects have been shown in those who take hCG shots for weight loss. Blood clots, depression, headaches and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in women have all been cited as common, and even deadly, side effects associated with hCG use. HCG drops avoid the inconveniences of a daily injection, but no clinical studies have been conducted to determine if hCG drops have any change in side effects.
Typically, the hCG Diet lasts for three weeks and is monitored by a health professional.
PRO
- May promote weight loss when used in combination with a reduced calorie diet
CON
- Not considered safe
- Weight loss is more likely to due to extremely restricted caloric intake rather than injections or drops
- Weight loss is temporary
- Side effects can be very serious. According to the Mayo Clinic, side affects associated with hCG include fatigue, irritability, headache and male breast enlargement.
INGREDIENTS
hCG injections and drops contain the hormone Human Choriogonadotropin.
ADMINISTRATION
An injection of 125 iu of hCG is administered daily or a daily dose of oral drops.
DIET and EXERCISE
Those who use hCG injections to lose weight must also follow a very strict diet that amounts to no more than 500 calories a day.
For the first two days of the injection you are allowed to eat excessively. Following the third injection, you must adhere to the 500-calorie diet until 72 hours following the last injection given. Sugars, very sweet fruits, processed foods and heavy starches are not allowed.
An hCG Diet protocol outlined by advocate Dr. A.T.W. Simeons looks like this:
- Breakfast: Coffee or tea with artificial sweetener and one tablespoon of milk. Lunch is 100 grams of lean meat, poultry or fish in addition to one low-glycemic vegetable like spinach, celery, cucumbers or cabbage. One Melba toast and one fruit like half of a grapefruit or an apple is also allowed.
- Dinner is the same as lunch.
In addition, shots of apple cider vinegar can be taken as a daily supplement. Products and make-up that contain any fatty substances like mineral oil or almond oil cannot be used.
Websites dedicated to promoting the hCG Diet contain recipes and additional protocol information and tips.
CONCLUSION
The hCG Diet is highly regimented and a very controversial weight loss program that involves the administration of either hormone injections or oral drops coupled with a very low-calorie diet. Popular amongst steroid users and those daring and desperate to lose weight quickly, the hCG Diet is not a weight loss program that is readily endorsed by health and medical professionals for its obvious flaws and real risks for dangerous side effects.
Common Misspellings
HCG, hgc diet, hormone diet, pregnancy hormone diet, hcg injection diet, Human Choriogonadotropin diet
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User Feedback
(Page 9 of 24, 470 total comments)Lauryn Ray
i love the hcg diet!!! ive heard that i shouldnt work out but i also heard i could so i have been lol i love 7 lbs. in 7 days..and ive been eating super healthy. ive kinda been cheating too but im a woman i cant help it i need to eat!! lol im doing the diet and everything with a friend which is a big help. its only been one week and ive had some clients tell me i look skinnier in the face and stomach :) ive been having some cramps but nothing too serious! so overall i love it :)
posted Apr 10th, 2011 9:08 pmJaclyn Floyd
I'm losing weight faster for sure, but this is miserable with the dictated vegetable & fruit. I could lose weight and not be so awrfully hungry like i was by doing 1000 calories a day and walking on my treadmill for 30 minutes. This is like being a prsioner at Auschwitz.
posted Apr 10th, 2011 11:32 amKarla
How important are loading days? Hello, I was wondering how important the loading days are? I just hate to add to the weight I need to lose. Thanks, Karla
meme3
This is my 10th day and I have lost 11 lbs. I will be on the diet for 45 days but I was wondering what is the next stage?
posted Apr 5th, 2011 12:48 pmmal
I started this diet March 28th .. I gained 4 pounds on the 2 "loading days" But after my first 500 calorie day, i lost it all! Its now april 5th and i'm down a total of 9 pounds. I started at 164 and after the loading days got to 168. I'm now at 158.9. But as much as i love this diet i hate it! The first 4 days of the 500 calorie diet were so hard. I woke up in the middle of the night with stomach cramps because i was so hungry. I then decided i couldnt take anymore and had some carbs to help settle my stomach. I have cheated a few days meaning ( a couple bites of rice or a couple crackers, i even had a chocolate chip cookie the other day) Each day i have continued to loose! After the first couple days i was motivated to keep going. I havent been under 160 in 2 years so i am so excited to see the scale keep droping!
posted Apr 5th, 2011 12:10 pmI'm also not following the protocol to key. I have 2 proteins a day and usually one fruit and one veggie. I find myself not hungry sometimes and am i so sick of the plain food already. I cant wait until i can eat carbs again! I'm doing this for 23 days because i have already lost almost 10 , i hope to loose about 10-15 more. I am planning to not cheat the rest of the time. The only side effect i have noticed is i am EXTREMELY emotional. Everything upsets me and there have been days where I just want to stay home and cry. Besides that I am loving this diet and cant wait to see final results.
Bobbi Martin
Has anyone with hormone receptive breast cancer gone on this diet?
posted Apr 5th, 2011 11:46 amnkeisha
i would like to try this prooduct
posted Apr 4th, 2011 11:49 amawelch77
I am doing the Owl Diet HCG injections prescribed by Dr. Abbott @ Omaha Med spa. It is the easiest diet i have ever been on and believe me..i have tried everything! The first week i lost 8 lbs and continue to lose a pound every two days. It allows 600-700 calories per day. Sounds crazy but the food seems to be satisfying and i have not needed to cheat!
posted Apr 3rd, 2011 2:01 pmJule
I am considering this diet. I play a lot of tennis...will I be able to do that while on the 500 calories?
posted Apr 3rd, 2011 11:18 amBecki11
Just starting this diet for the second time.. Fist round I only did it for a week and lost 10 lbs.. Since them I worked at culver and well their ice-cream was to die for.litterly i gained 30 lbs in a short time. I am in this for the long haul and will update after 1 week.. and will be continuing it no matter what
posted Apr 2nd, 2011 10:43 pmKC
LocalHCG dot com is the best place to get the hcg drops or pellets.
posted Apr 1st, 2011 12:01 amKC
Once you do this diet you can't go back and pig out you need to maintain good eating habits or the weight will come right back on. I have lost 38 pounds in 26 days and feel great. Low energy at times but that's ok with me because I had that before I started this diet.
posted Mar 31st, 2011 11:54 pmI say give it a try get the wieght off and continue keeping the weight off by not going back to your old bad habits. I would do this program and listen to all of the daily audio's so you can dig around and find out why you were overeating so you don't go back to the same problem.
Good luck
Audrey Lynn P
Not workingI have the same problem I started it 2 days ago and I'm just starving,And I have been almost dazed feeling. I only have about 10-15 pounds to lose, I'm wondering why everyone has such luck on it,Also I gained 2 pounds the first day of 500 calories and I followed it very strictly i don't really want to quit cause I paid a lot for it, but I can't handle this. Any helpful hints would be great thanks
rebokah
I started the diet on Saturday. Today is Wednesday and all along I thought it would trigger my hypothalumus to thinking I'm not hungry, but I have been more hungry then I normally am. I only have about 5-7 pounds to lose. I stopped working out when I started, but has anyone else gotten hungrier with the diet? I don't know if it is just a mental thing with me or I just need to give it some more time. I have always been healthy and watched my weight, just wondering why every one else is having such luck with not eating, and all of a sudden my appetite has increased! Thanks,
posted Mar 30th, 2011 10:43 pmMartina
I bought it 3 months ago from scalar energy wonders.com and I am very satisfied with the results. I call the number Om the website and I had a discount on the bottles so dont order directly but call and ask a out discount and you will get it as 2 friends of mine did it. Follow the diet and you will lose weight but continue to' be healthy even after the diet or else you will be fat again in no time!
posted Mar 30th, 2011 6:36 pmlisa
Help on what to look for in a bottle of hcg. I need some suggestions on what brand to buy or what to look for when I go to purchase hcg. Any help would be great. Thanks!
Audrey Lynn P
question, i just got the drops yesterday and will be starting tomorrow, i got them from nutrishop and they said that i didnt neccasarily have to follow the 500 calorie diet, I work out a lot and i've hit a huge plateau, i am not very big to begin with but i would like to lose about another 10-15 pounds, in the next month ( my husbands coming back from afghanistan) and i was just wondering, A. if anyone was able to workout on this, and B. has anyone in the smaller range done this and what were your results.. im 5'1 about 137 now
posted Mar 29th, 2011 4:57 pmkiddos
How do you handle being hungry in the afternoons? In between lunch and dinner ? This is day 17 ... P2 ,I've lo
Hotbysummer50
hape2beeme- you can eat whatever you want, doesn't have to be anything fatty or starchy, you can what fills you up personally, just stay full all the two days.
posted Mar 27th, 2011 5:21 pmI myself just snacked on chips and carrots in between meals so i would stay full.
Good luck!
Bridgeview007
There are so many choices of brands of hCG, from what site are you purchasing the drops from???