Day 31- HCG Diet

New diets are always popping up, which makes it hard to know which one will actually work and which one isn't worth the money or effort. From the Atkins diet to the tapeworm diet, we are constantly hearing about the "new magic weight loss" scheme that is all the rage.

The newest diet that has been making the headlines lately is the HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) diet. Not only does the diet sound too good to be true, but it has also received a lot of negative media attention as well. Regardless, I have seen it in action and I have to admit that it works. Although I agree that the diet works, this doesn't mean that I condone the diet or think that anyone should go on it. I'm just here to give you some facts so that if you choose to, you can make your own informed decision.

HCG is a hormone that is produced in a pregnant woman. The HCG hormone is the reason that a pregnancy stick changes to pregnant or shows a smiley face, since the hormone is only made during pregnancy and is released in the urine when a women is pregnant. The purpose of the HCG hormone during pregnancy is to guarantee that a fetus receives the calories and nutrients that it needs to grow regardless of the woman's caloric intake. If a woman doesn't consume the nutrients needed for fetal growth, HCG will release storages of fat from her body to use as fuel for the fetus. HCG is only present in the body during the first part of pregnancy and will slowly taper off after the 14th week.

The HCG hormone was discovered to reduce excess weight in the 1950's by Dr. A.T.W Simeons. When Dr. Simeons started treating boys with underdeveloped gonads with the hormone and noticed that they were loosing excess weight with out any hunger pangs.

How Does the Diet Work?:

The diet is broken into 3 stages:

• Loading
• Burning
• Maintenance

There are several forms of the HCG hormone going around right now. Originally in order to receive the hormone it had to be prescribed by a doctor and they would give you injections of the hormone. HCG is now offered online in a homeopathic version; which is warned to be a placebo and that it does not actually contain any of the HCG hormone (although this is the form that I have known people to use and have see work). The diet lasts no more than 40 days and no shorter than 23 days. The reason for the strict time frame is that any less than 23 days the greater the risk for gaining the weight back and any longer than 40 days is thought to be ineffective because the body develops immunity to the effects of the hormone. The diet can be done several times, but the individual must take a six-week break after the 40 days.

Along with taking the HCG hormone you must reduce you daily caloric intake to 500 calories per day. The belief behind the effects of this hormone is that when eating so few calories HCG will trigger you body to release stored fat that will sustain the dieter. So whereas if you or I were to reduce our caloric intake to 500 calories per day, most likely we would feel like we were starving ourselves. The HCG hormone supposedly eliminates the feeling of hunger when on such a restricted diet. The diet begins first with 2-3 days of gorging; eating everything and anything that you want or see; this is called the loading phase. This is done so that your body will begin to adapt to the effects of the HCG hormone.

People on the diet have been said to loose 1/2 - 1 pound a day. With an average total weight loss of 35-40 pounds. Another appeal of the HCG diet is that it is said to burn the fat from unwanted areas, such as stomach, thighs, and butt. Once excess fat has been used up the diet must be stopped since it only works when there is excess fat to burn.

The HCG diet consists mainly of protein, vegetables, and some fruit. Carbohydrates, sugar and fat need to be severally reduced and alcohol is forbidden. Make-up, perfume and moisturizers are also discouraged. Since you are only consuming 500 calories, exercise should be very minimal.

Once the 40 days have been completed the maintenance phase must be done. During this phase HCG is stopped, calories are increased, but restriction of carbohydrates and fats should remain.

There are several arguments with the HCG diet, one being that anyone eating only 500 calories a day will loose weight. The difference that advocators of the HCG diet point out is that when the hormone is used along with the diet there are no hunger pangs. It is also suggested that many of the HCG products out there are only placebos and provide no added benefit for dieters. This statement might also be true, but science for years have shown that placebos work when it comes to mind over matter.

HCG has not yet been approved by the FDA as a weight loss supplement, but has been approved as a fertility drug. This should be considered for any women on the hormone, since the chances of becoming pregnant are increased when on the hormone.

My thoughts on the HCG diet?

I have always been an advocate for eating right and exercising and am always skeptical about the "new magic" weight loss rage. I also am weary about the side effects that may occur from messing with the body's natural hormones. Giving men a hormone that is only present during pregnancy, seems too unnatural for me. But still I can't discredit the results that I have seen through my peers that have chosen to partake in the HCG diet. Through a restricted diet hopefully it can teach people about portion control and heathy eating habits. I also believe that many people will not learn anything through this diet and will once again adopt their unhealthy eating habits, thus regaining much of the weight that they lost.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog where several of my friends and I begin our "Drop it like its Hot" exercise/diet plan just in time for summer.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

PS. If you are interested in learning more about the diet, I found a great blog that provides recipes and answers to all kinds of questions: www.hcg411.info