The Hcg Diet - Is It The Miracle Weight Loss Cure?

Current media interest has a lot of people asking, 'What is the HCG diet?' Some see it as a miracle cure for obesity and others as just another weight loss fad. The regime combines a daily hormone treatment with very low calorie diet. Many people who abide by the protocol lose weight rapidly while experiencing no hunger pains and none of the side effects usually associated with crash diets.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) is a hormone naturally produced by pregnant women. In the 1950s the endocrinologist Albert Simeons theorized that this hormone freed up excess body fat to make it available as fuel for the developing fetus. He successfully used the hormone, combined with a strict diet, to help obese patients lose weight.

In the past few years, the diet has regained popularity and doctors in many weight-loss clinics are assisting their patients with an HCG regime. The hormone is typically administered in 125 iu daily injections. Recently a homeopathic sublingual form of HCG has become available for oral use. Several drops are taken under the tongue up to three times a day.

For the first two days of taking the hormone, people on the diet are encouraged to eat all they want. Once the HCG is actively releasing stored fat deposits, dieters are limited to a 500 calorie eating regime. Since the remaining calories needed to go about ordinary daily activities are provided by excess body fat, there is no hunger or deprivation involved. In fact, some people say they experience a constant feeling of fullness.

People following the diet consume a lunch and dinner containing 250 calories each. The protein component is made up of 100 grams of lean meat, fish or seafood prepared without oil or fat. Important vitamins come in the form of two cups of low calorie vegetables such as spinach or celery and a potion of fruit. One breadstick or a slice of melba toast rounds off the meal. With such low calorie consumption combined with a high rate of fat burning, people can expect to lose about a pound a day.

One interesting aspect of the diet is that it is self-limiting. The hunger suppressing effects of HCG only seem to work when the body is carrying unhealthy deposits of excess fat. When a dieter reaches a statistically normal weight, their appetite will return, even if they continue to use the hormone.

After achieving their weight loss goals and discontinuing HCG hormone treatments, successful dieters move on to a six-week maintenance plan. For the first three weeks they eat around 1500 calories a day with no high carbohydrate foods allowed. Over the next three weeks starches and sugars are gradually reintroduced into the diet. Dieters say that this helps them to develop a healthy relationship with food and permanently modify their eating behavior.