Is the hCG Diet a Wise Choice for You?

The hCG diet is all over the place in the news right now, from the New York Times to ubiquitous internet advertisements. But what exactly does it entail? And is it the diet for you?

Where does the hCG Diet Come From?

The hCG in the hCG diet is human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone produced in pregnant women and stored in the placenta. And for over fifty years, this hormone has been promoted as a weight loss supplement. British physician Dr. A.T.W. Simeons discovered in the 1950s that patients treated with hCG experienced lower appetites and high levels of fat loss. What’s more, the fat loss was focused in areas where fat loss would improve the figure, and was not associated with muscle loss.

Seeing such results, Dr. Simeons experimented with treating obese patients with the hCG hormone. He finally honed a system of hormone injections in rotating series: three weeks of injections, and then three weeks off.
The injections were coupled with a severe diet regiment. In injection weeks, patients would be restricted to 500 calories a day. In “stabilization” weeks, patients could eat 1,500 calories per day, but no non-vegetation carbohydrates or sugars.

Does it Work?

The hCG diet is subject to quite a bit of controversy. There are many success stories available in the media, with users contending that they lost 1-2 pounds per day on the hCG diet. However, skepticism stems from the fact that the diet requires such a restricted calorie intake. Skeptics say that a 500-calorie-a-day diet will lead to extreme weight loss, even without injections or supplements of any kind.

Proponents of the diet say that while this may be true, hCG helps keep appetite low, which makes eating 500 calories a day more realistic and comfortable for dieters. What’s more, they say that fat loss on the hCG diet will be distributed in places where they want fat loss, like the stomach and arms, and not in places where they want fat retained, like the breasts.

The FDA currently mandates that prescriptions for hCG be labeled with a warning that hCG “has not been shown to increase weight loss, to cause a more ‘attractive’ distribution of fat or to ‘decrease hunger and discomfort.’” What’s more, numerous studies have shown that placebo injections have the same effect as hCG injections, causing some concern as to whether the diet has any non-psychosomatic effect. There is yet no proof in a clinical trial setting that hCG is effective for weight loss.

hCG Injections or Supplements?

There are plenty of sites online from which you can order hCG in the form of liquid drops or tablets that dissolve under the tongue. Costs vary from around $50 to upwards of $250 depending on the size of the package purchased. Many of the sites tout that the product is actually “free” because of the food savings stemming from eating a 500-calorie-per-day diet.

Alternatively, the hCG diet is available in injection form. Injections would be administered by a doctor once a day for a period of three to six weeks, depending on your desired weight loss. Then, for a “stabilization” period of the same length as the injection period, you increase your diet to 1,500 calories a day and stop receiving injections. The cycle can be repeated.

A minimal series of injections is priced around $500, with longer treatments costing more. Doctors generally contend that eating 500 calories a day is safe for a short period of time during which your body has excess fat stores off which to fuel itself. There is also medical support for the fact that your metabolism can sustain a high level on a low caloric intake if fat stores are available.

The obvious benefits of oral supplements over injections are that they are cheaper, available from the comfort of your own home, and do not involve the hassle of finding a doctor and making daily appointments. Some sources, primarily those selling hCG drops and tablets, contend that oral supplements are just as effective as the injections.

However, the FDA has reported that oral supplement versions of hCG are “fraudulent and illegal”. These homeopathic drugs are not FDA approved for weight loss purposes. Thus, those looking for FDA approval would lean toward injections over oral supplements.

The injections are FDA approved, but are considered off-label for weight loss use. This means that the no FDA studies have shown the injections effective for weight loss, but the drug is approved for other purposes and its use is safe. Therefore, it is not sold as a weight loss drug, but is often used to achieve those results. Many OB-GYNs and other doctors offer the injection series for weight loss purposes.

What is the Typical Menu on the hCG Diet?

During the 500-calorie induction phase, the hCG diet plan is very strict. Many of the online product stores tout colon cleansing products along with their hCG products, but this is not an essential part of the hCG diet.

The food list is rather short. Generally, it includes fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts, unsaturated fats and oils, eggs, seeds, and fat-heavy dairy products. The acceptable foods list also includes a few incredibly low-calorie “treat” products such as sugar-free gelatin dessert, flavored low-sodium broths, and special diet breads and noodles.

The diet follows three phases. For the first two days, “loading days”, the diet prescribes that you eat as much fat as you can. Cheesecake, bacon, mayonnaise… all those things and many other high-fat products until you are satiated. This is just one of the many oddities of the hCG diet, including the prescription that if you make a mistake and eat foods off the list, you eat only apples the next day.

Phase 1 of the diet touts a list of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and healthy fats that you can consume. The list is small. For example, the only fruits included are apples, oranges, strawberries, and grapefruits. What’s more, most of the vegetables that are included are leafy greens with very few calories.

This phase continues while you are getting injections or taking supplemental drops or tablets, so can continue for up to six weeks. It is unsurprising that weight loss is incurred on a 3- to 6-week diet of 500 calories per day of vegetables, fruits, and lean meats.

Phases 2 and 3 are a more balanced diet that begins incorporating meats and carbohydrates. This diet varies depending on which model you follow, but generally mirrors other low-sugar diets such at the South Beach Diet. It restricts starches, sugars, and alcohol, but allows caffeine.

Where can I find recipes?

With such a small list of foods that can be eaten during phase 1 of the hCG diet, it may seem like meals will be boring or repetitive. They certainly can be. But fortunately many online forums or recipe pages collect recipes for phase 1.
For phase 2, many more recipes are available online since there are many more food options. The flexibility of phase 2 allows for more interesting combinations and more recipes that are similar to “normal” healthy recipes one might be familiar with cooking.

One good site with a number of recipes available is http://hcgrecipes.blogspot.com/. The recipes are short, easy to understand and execute, and in line with the hCG diet protocols.

Another good recipe site is http://www.hcgcompletediet.com/. The recipes on this site are sorted by category into things like beverages, desserts, soups, and vegetable dishes.

http://thehcgrecipes.com/hcg-diet-recipes-phase-1 offers a free ebook download with recipes for phase 1, which can be helpful for breaking up monotony in the first 3 to 6 weeks of the program.

What else should I consider?

You should of course talk with your doctor before beginning any weight loss plan, especially one that has such an extremely low calorie intake per day for weeks at a time.

If you choose to administer hCG by injection, you should understand the risks of self-administering injections. Many online retailers make injections available to order, but injections can be dangerous and bring complications when administered by someone without experience. Injections should be supervised or administered by a medical professional and with a prescription.

However, ordering oral supplements online can also carry side effects. Look for a trusted vendor with positive customer feedback before making any supplement purchases online.

Overall, the hCG diet is a strenuous commitment to a very strict series of rules. Although the foods on the option list are widely available, the list is small and the choices are minimal. An extreme low-calorie diet such as this one makes strenuous exercise almost impossible. Other rules, such as large water intake, prohibitions on lotions and creams, suggestions for shower filters, and numerous other restrictions and suggestions make the hCG diet a big commitment.

Since many followers of the hCG diet have found success, it is worth considering, especially in comparison to more extreme diet alternatives such as weight loss surgeries. Generally, the diet promotes the eating of healthy foods in small amounts, which is likely to promote weight loss.