Many people have asked me about the hCG diet. The hCG diet combines a bio-identical hormone, Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), with a very strict and specific food consumption plan. The hormone, hCG, is the same one the female body makes during pregnancy (but it’s also perfectly safe in men too, so read on). This hormone helps regulate and maintain blood sugar levels even when food intake is low. In other words, the hCG keeps your metabolism going even when you’re dieting. Traditional diets fail because when you reduce your food intake, your body responds by slowing down metabolism. Fat stores are carefully guarded, blood sugar levels drop, and you’re left feeling hungry, exhausted, weak, and irritable. Even worse – once you start eating again, that slowed-down metabolism will cause you to GAIN weight. The hCG diet is different because the hormone gets your fat stores moving. The fat is broken down and the released calories keep you from feeling hungry and tired. Stubborn fat stores come off and stay off as metabolism is maintained throughout the diet. Your body is reshaped and your metabolism is reset. Men often lose fat and gain muscle too, because hCG has the added benefit of boosting testosterone levels. In fact, men on the hCG diet lose even more weight, on average, then women do.
The hCG Diet is a very strict, very low calorie diet. The amount of food consumed is approximately 500 calories (consisting of two servings of 100 grams of lean protein, two servings of fruit, two servings of vegetables, a single breadstick, and plenty of leafy greens every day). Most people stay on the diet for 20-40 days and lose ½-1 pound a day on average. Because the diet is strict, the weight loss is rapid, and the hCG is a prescription medication, it is very important that the diet is only undertaken under a physician’s supervision. The hCG diet is a safe and effective way to lose stubborn weight and keep it off – when done correctly. The rapid fat breakdown means toxins are released into the bloodstream during dieting. That can be a great added benefit as a detox program, but medical monitoring is necessary to assure a safe detox.
