Does the HCG diet work? I'll get right down to it and I'm not going to exercise any diplomacy in my choice of words: I'm calling the HCG diet yet another. Effective management of diabetes cannot be achieved without an appropriate diet. People with diabetes represent a large subsection of society and there. Diet Delivery: Comprehensive Directory of Weight Loss Meal Delivery Services for 2017. HCG Diet Review 2. Nevertheless, it is still being sold on the internet despite the preponderance of scientific evidence showing that it has no effect on fat loss beyond that which can be accomplished by a healthy lifestyle. What is the HCG diet? HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin and is the hormone produced by women during pregnancy. In the 1. 95. 0s, British physician Dr. Simeons used HCG injections for the treatment of obesity. He suggested that the addition of HCG to a reduced- calorie diet might help dieters stay on track (adherence), reduce hunger cravings during food restriction, and promote fat loss. The Simeons HCG protocol entailed daily injections of 1. IU) six times per week for a total of 4. I note that this advert refers to the HCG drops and not the injections which would need to be administered by a medical professional.“No prescription required” capitalises on the notion that it’s not a “poisonous pharmaceutical”The claim of “natural weight loss” doesn’t really mean much but it plays on consumer fears of “chemicals”The claim you can lose 1- 2 pounds (~0. It is not physiologically possible to lose this much fat in 2.
Crash diets are unhealthy and can set you back in the long- term. The claim that homeopathic HCG is safe is likely due to the fact that it has no effect in the body, but the claim that it’s effective is false.“Same results as in an HCG clinic” is competition bashing meant to lower your guard and make you think it’s easy to lose weight without the hassle of going to a clinic.“Proven to increase your energy levels” is a false claim. No scientific evidence supports this.“HCG converts fat into nutrients without loss of muscle” is a false claim. Converts fat into what nutrients? Misleading HCG diet advertisement. Click to enlarge. Legal action against HCG marketers. In 2. 01. 3, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) came down on several HCG marketers for making false claims exactly like those in the above image. Even more disturbing is that they sold their products through major retail outlets like GNC, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. This is particularly concerning since consumers might assume the products are safe and effective since they are sold in reputable pharmacies. The FTC maintains that Kevin Write and his companies, HCG Platinum and Right Way Nutrition, LLC, promise consumers that HCG Platinum liquid drops will cause fast and significant weight loss similar to that of the endorsers in their advertisements. Dr Oz HCG diet stamp of approval. The HCG diet even made the rounds on the Dr Oz show. This might sound like the stamp of approval you’re looking for, but before you get too excited, let’s not forget Dr Oz has copped a lot of heat in recent years for peddling bogus weight loss remedies. Many high ranking doctors and academics have even called for his resignation from Columbia University for his promotion of quackery. In one of his segments, he gave airtime to a woman who is pushing her own rebranded version of the HCG diet. The only “evidence” she has for her diet is that she was on the Dr Oz show, and that’s no evidence at all. HCG diet research. In the early to mid 1. HCG diet studies started surfacing in peer- reviewed medical journals. A 1. 97. 3 study by Asher and Harper showed positive results but was later slammed for poor methodology, with subsequent studies consistently debunking its use as ineffective for weight loss. HCG review article. A 1. 98. 3 report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal reviewed all evidence up to that point and concluded that: “HCG has no known effect on fat mobilization, appetite, or sense of hunger, or body fat distribution. HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective adjunctive therapy for obesity. There is no evidence that it increases weight loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction. There is no evidence that it causes a more attractive or “normal” distribution of fat. There is no evidence that it decreases the hunger and discomfort associated with calorie- restricted diets. Adverse effects may include headache, irritability, restlessness, depression, fatigue, edema, precocious puberty, gynecomastia, pain at injection site. HCG meta- analysis. A 1. 99. 5 meta- analysis (a combined statistical analysis) published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology evaluated 8 uncontrolled and 1. The authors concluded: Most studies were of poor methodological quality (scores ranged from 1. Higher points meant better quality)Of the 1. HCG was useful. There is no scientific evidence that HCG is effective in the treatment of obesity. HCG does not bring about weight loss or fat redistribution. HCG does not reduce hunger or induce a feeling of well- being. For a more detailed breakdown of the evidence, you can read Joe Cannon’s HCG research review here. HCG injections vs. Simeons and conveniently neglect to mention that all early research was based upon HCG injections. As of this writing, there is absolutely no credible evidence to suggest that sublingual HCG (under the tongue) has any effect on fat loss and preservation of muscle. In the image below, the advertiser falsely claims that HCG drops are “clinically proven” (which means nothing) and are effective for inducing ridiculously large amounts of daily weight loss (not fat loss). They also take liberties by making it look like it has been approved by the FDA. Deceptive HCG drops advertisement. Click to enlarge. A promotional website for oral HCG has links for additional “research and information” but when I visited the page and examined the references, it was obvious that nearly all the studies were just general obesity papers that had little or no bearing whatsoever on the usefulness of sublingual HCG drops. HCG diet. Though HCG diet advertisers spout off the benefits of their sublingual drops, they neglect to mention that this is simply a very low 5. There is no question that weight loss will occur on such an irresponsibly low and unsupervised regimen, but I would question the extent to which HCG diet drops play a role in this weight loss. This tactic is nothing new. Other questionable products such as Calorad have banked on this technique by duping consumers into eating a low- calorie diet and then hoodwinking them into thinking the weight loss was a result of the product. Is the HCG diet easy? At 5. 00 calories per day, the HCG diet is anything but easy. At such a low energy intake, you are likely to find it difficult to comply with the diet. You are also unlikely to meet your basic nutrition needs (i. There are, however, extreme cases where a doctor might put a morbidly obese person on a strictly- supervised very low calorie diet (VLCD). But these are extreme cases where the goal is to shed weight as quickly as possible to reduce disease risk. How much does the HCG diet cost? The HCG diet isn’t cheap. Because it’s not covered by insurance, you’d be personally liable for all doctor’s visits and injections. In initial consultation could set you back between $1. HCG injection. Depending on how much weight you lose (or don’t lose), you may incur additional costs for ongoing office visits and injections. HCG diet limitations and warnings. Muscle loss. A VERY important drawback to low- calorie regimens like the HCG diet is the fact that not only will you lose fat, but your body will break down valuable muscle necessary to stoke the flames of your metabolism. Such a low calorie regimen cannot be realistically maintained for an extended period of time and, when you go back to eating normally, your reduced muscle mass (lower metabolism) will leave you more susceptible to weight regain (yo- yo dieting). Safety. A 5. 00 calorie diet is very low energy and ideally should be supervised by a responsible bariatric physician or university- qualified dietitian (not a self- styled “nutritionist”). Generally speaking, a diet of less than 1. I see that the HCG promoters include a B- complex vitamin, but this is like brining a band- aid to a train crash. This should not lull you into a false sense of safety. If you have underlying health issues such as poorly controlled diabetes or other metabolic conditions, you should first visit your doctor for guidance. Unrealistic weight loss. Promotional materials for the HCG diet tout that you can expect to lose 1- 2 pounds (1/2 to 1 kg) per day. There is no such thing as both “fast” and “safe” weight loss. As I stated above, healthy weight loss should fall in the range of 1- 2 pounds (1/2 to 1 kg) of fat per week. See my article on 1. The claim that HCG will help you “keep it off” is completely misguided. After coming off a 5. Doctor recommended. This is one of the oldest tricks in the book when it comes to selling hokey diets and nostrums. Federal action has been taken against HCG sellers for such false claims. I recommend avoiding HCG diet, as it is yet another unsubstantiated quick- fix diet which is unlikely to result in long- term weight loss and weight loss maintenance. References. Asher WL, Harper HW. Am J Clin Nutr. 1. Feb; 2. 6(2): 2. 11- 8. Effect of human chorionic gonadotrophin on weight loss, hunger, and feeling of well- being. Ballin JC, White PL. JAMA. 1. 97. 4 Nov 4; 2. Fallacy and hazard. Human chorionic gonadotropin- 5. Young RL, Fuchs RJ, Woltjen MJ. JAMA. 1. 97. 6 Nov 2. Chorionic gonadotropin in weight control. A double- blind crossover study. Birmingham CL, Smith KC. Can Med Assoc J. 1. May 1. 5; 1. 28(1. Human chorionic gonadotropin is of no value in the management of obesity. G K Lijesen, I Theeuwen, W J Assendelft, and G Van Der Wal. Br J Clin Pharmacol. September; 4. 0(3): 2. The effect of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in the treatment of obesity by means of the Simeons therapy: a criteria- based meta- analysis. Harvard Womens Health Watch. What Do You Know About the HCG Diet? Information To Help You Be Successful On The HCG Diet Plan. The HCG diet plan is fairly simple once you understand it. It works and millions of people have used it to lose a lot of weight. But if you do it wrong you wont get the results you were hoping for so lets go over the diet. HCG Diet Plan. First lets go over how the HCG diet works and why you take HCG. So the HCG diet consists of two parts that are equally as important. The first part of the HCG diet plan is the HCG product you take. HCG is taken because anecdotal evidence suggest that it helps keep your hunger down while targeting your storage’s of fat on your body. The second is the low calorie diet. Many people refer to it as the “5. DO NOT count calories at all. Counting calories is a pain and really doesn’t work too well. The “low calorie diet” which I’ll just call the LCD from now on is simply a choice of foods that you weigh out in the proper amounts so you know you are eating the right amount. So for each meal you choose from a list of foods. You get a protein of 1. You also drink 2 liters of water per day. You can have tea or coffee sweetened with stevia, and you can drink as much of that as you like. So that’s the basics of what the diet consists of. Before you start the diet however you need your HCG product. There are 2 kinds. But if you prefer injections you can use those too. It’s just a lot harder to use them because you have to get a prescription and there’s all sorts of red tape to get through. So I stick with a good oral HCG product. There are however a lot of bad ones out there. They are usually cheap and they are just out to make a sale. You can login and get help from coaches whenever you like which is a big help. But you can use whom you want. I just make a recommendation because I get that question about 1. So there you go. Moving on. So the HCG diet plan is done in “rounds”. You can do short or long rounds. The most common round is the 2. It just depends on your weight loss goals. After a round you do what’s called the “maintenance phase” which is 3 weeks of no starches or sugars but you can eat any amount you’d like. After that you can do another round. So although you are limited to 4. I’ve seen people lose 2. You just can’t go past 4. HCG diet and it will cease to be effective. So at the start of any round you do 2 “gorge” or “loading days”. You start your oral HCG or other method on those days as well. On the loading days you “load” by eating as much as you can and whatever you’d like. This tells your body that you have enough fat to lose and it’s OK to start to unlock the storage of fat that you have, so on the LCD days you will lose fat and not muscle. On the start of the third day you begin the LCD. For breakfast you can have coffee or tea. Or you can also spread out your meals and have your fruit from lunch or whatever. You can spread out your meals just make sure not to eat more food than is allowed. Then for lunch you have your typical LCD diet and then do the same for dinner. If you want snacks you can always save something from a meal. I would usually save my fruit from dinner and have it a little later. You also should be drinking 2 liters of water per day. This will help you detox and keep you hydrated. It’s important so don’t skip it. And while on this diet you don’t need to exercise. In fact it usually works better if you don’t. You can do light stuff like walking or jogging about a mile or two per day, but beyond that it’s really not needed. I know many who don’t even do that and they do great. This plan really doesn’t need exercise to be successful. Then once you hit your goal weight or your end day (remember not to go past day 4. HCG product and do 3 more days on the HCG diet. You do this to make sure all the oral HCG product is out of your system before moving to maintenance phase. Then after those 3 days you start maintenance which is no sugar or starches. That’s pretty much it. Sounds a little tricky but really it’s the easiest diet ever. Repeat the HCG diet plan with another round if necessary. So I hope this helps and clears up any confusion. Please leave me a comment below if you have questions!
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