hCG Diet?

So I have had a lot of people asking me about all the hype around the hCG diet so I decided that it was about time to do some much needed research. Here's what I found out, the pros, the cons and where I found it so you can take a look for yourself.
hCG stands for Human Choriogonadotropin, the hormone produced by pregnant women in the early stages of pregnancy. Research suggests a small, daily hCG injection (approx. 125 IU to 200 IU) results in a weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs per day, and often more, when accompanied by a VLCD (very low calorie diet of apprx 500 calories).

Ok first of all before I get into anything about the Human Choriogonadotropin hormone I want to emphasize one key element "accompanied by a VLCD (very low calorie diet of apprx 500 calories)" That sends up a red flag for me that screams "HOLD ON A SECOND!" the average middle aged American burns approximately 1600 a day just to stay alive so if you are only taking in 500 calories and moving about, burning another 400 calories, lets say you have a caloric deficit of 1500 calories. I know math is not our strong point but stay with me. 3500 calories = 1 lb of Fat and 7 days of a caloric deficit of 1500 calories is equivalent to 3 lbs a week just from the VLCD!! All this is assuming that you are doing no sort of exercising... which we'll get to later.


Continuing on...
hCG is produced in great amounts in pregnant females. During pregnancy, the substance almost completely controls the woman's metabolic functions. In non-pregnant persons, research suggests hCG similarly increases the metabolism similar to a pregnant female. Thousands of calories in stored fat are released, and are used by the body or expelled. To keep the fat cells from immediately taking in more fat, the very low fat VLCD is necessary and personal care products such as lotion, are prohibited.

Ok so the part about "...increased metabolism...thousands of calories in stored fat are release, and are used by the body or expelled..." sounds promising. I know that we all struggle with the spare tire, 2 liter bottle, baby fat that we can never seem to get rid of so this counts as a pro for me. I know I still struggle to loose that last bit of baby fat around my mid section and that a simple injection of metabolism-boosting-prego-juice would make life a lot easier.

Why are personal care products (moisturizers, chapstick, etc.)prohibited?

I called one of the clinics that offers the hCG treatment and the nurse informed me that the oils stunt the hCG hormone process. So they recommended that vitamin E be taken in order to maintain healthy moisturized skin. I've never heard of pregnant women having to avoid moisturizers...oh well lets keep going.

There is a large list of supplements that should be taken during the weight loss process.

Supplement List

And here is the short version of the Diet

Dr. Simeons Original hCG Diet Menu
The following overview is taken from the manuscript, “Pounds and Inches”
The complete manuscript can be found here:
http://www.hcgdietinfo.com/Dr-ATW-Simeons-Pounds-and-Inches.htm

The hCG Diet Overview
Breakfast:
Tea or coffee in any quantity without sugar. Only one tablespoonful of milk allowed in 24 hours. Saccharin or Stevia may be used.
Lunch:
1. 100 grams of veal, beef, chicken breast, fresh white fish, lobster, crab, or shrimp. All visible fat must be carefully removed before cooking, and the meat must be weighed raw. It must be boiled or grilled without additional fat. Salmon, eel, tuna, herring, dried or pickled fish are not allowed. The chicken breast must be removed from the bird.
2. One type of vegetable only to be chosen from the following: spinach, chard, chicory, beet-greens, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, cabbage.
3. One breadstick (grissino) or one Melba toast.
4. An apple, orange, or a handful of strawberries or one-half grapefruit.
Dinner :
The same four choices as lunch (above.)

I'm sorry but I enjoy food, healthy food, sometimes sugary, but COME ON! This would put me into a coma! I also like how for breakfast they advocate coffee "in any quantity" even more stimulants to increase your heart rate.

After the injections there is a maintenance program that they suggest that is summed up as follows.

"Walking...Continued exercising in the correct way will bring you desired results"

And one of the diets they recommend is the "Cookie Diet"... enough said.

So here is my take on the hCG Diet.

Pros

1. Burns Fat
2. Requires Minimal Exercise
3. Fast Results

Cons

1. 
   
   Possible Side Effects Include:
   Ovarian Hyper-stimulation Syndrome (OHSS) – which is a life-threatening condition
   Arterial Thromboembolism - another potentially life-threatening condition
   Blood clots
   Risk of multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc.)
   Abnormal enlargement of breasts in men (gynaecomastia)
   Over stimulation of the ovaries causing production of many ova (eggs) in women
   Acne
   Tiredness
   Changes in mood
   Irritation in area of use
   Excessive fluid retention in the body tissues, resulting in swelling (edema)
   Hair loss
   Prostate hypertrophy
   
2. 
   
   Is not a sustainable way of Life
3. 
   
   Do you really need me to list another one...

I can see the possible benefits to this treatment but I worry what the FDA will think of these treatments. I can't say that I could ever whole heartily support this treatment because I believe that you should not take on any diet/change in eating habit unless it is something that you can maintain for life. If you are a person who has been working out for years, hitting the weights and the pavement day in and day out then........this may be something to get you on your way to where you want to be BUT THIS IS NOT A SOLUTION it is a step towards one. I would only ever suggest this to someone who has been working their butts off to get success for months/years and hasn't seen the results, even then I would have my reservations. I'm not here to tell you what to do or not do I just want everyone to be informed before we start to believe that the "MAGIC BULLET" has arrived.

-If you have any further questions send me an email and I'll find you the answer.-

Websites consulted
HCG Diet
Anti-HCG Diet
I didn't include the clinic I spoke with for obvious reasons but I can recommend one that will answer your questions