HCG Diet: What are the Pros and Cons?

The HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) diet is a highly effective weight loss plan. It does this by limiting daily calories consumed to 500 calories. Calories are a unit used to determine the amount of energy in beverages and food items. HCG is a hormone derived from a protein produced in huge amounts in the initial three weeks of pregnancy. If a woman who is not pregnant takes HCG, the HCG will help in weight loss but without the usual side effects of a diet low in calories, including hunger, weakness, headache, and irritability.

What is an HCG Diet?

The HCG diet is a program for weight loss that combines daily injections of human chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) and severe restrictions on calories — just 500 calories a day. The hormone HCG can be that is released in large amounts during pregnancy. It can be taken from the urine of women who are pregnant. It was initially used as a weight loss treatment in the 1950s by British doctor Dr Albert T. Simeons, who believed that the HCG regimen made the body more efficiently burn stored fat, particularly in the stomach, hips and thighs. Simeons also stated that HCG people who exercise would lose more fat than muscle and not be as hungry and annoyed as he had hoped. The year was 1954. Simeons stated that he treated 500 patients and discovered that those who followed the HCG diet over 40 days shed between 20 and 30 pounds without feeling tired or overly hungry.

Certain supplement-based diets claim to boost metabolism; however, the HCG plan is founded upon altering the body’s hormones to convert fats into energy. A typical HCG diet program is broken down into three distinct phases. These comprise the loading phase as well as losing weight, as well as the phase of maintenance.

Loading Phase

The loading phase is believed to prepare your body for the restriction in the caloric intake it will encounter in the weight loss phase. In this two-day brief primer, those preparing to start the HCG diet consume extremely high-fat and high-calorie meals, as much as 250 grams of fat daily and are encouraged to consume as much fat and as many calories as possible. Every-day HCG hormone injections or supplements are also available at this point. In theory, this stage stores healthy fat cells you wish to preserve and prepares the body for burning abnormal fat.

Weight Loss Phase

Those who adhere to their HCG while eating 500 calories daily are divided into two meals. The weight loss phase can be between three and six weeks, depending on the person’s goal to lose weight.

Maintenance Phase

When a person following the diet has shed the desired weight, they gradually stop taking supplements with the HCG hormone while gradually increasing calories. While HCG diet guides don’t provide a specific number of calories, you can maintain your weight loss; some say that 1200 to 1,500 is the ideal goal.

What are the Pros of an HCG Diet?

• HCG is extracted from humans; therefore, it is natural and safe for human consumption. In other words, HCG cannot trigger harmful implications after consumption, unlike other weight loss supplements.
• It is a very fast way to lose weight.
• Most people who are overweight have a problem controlling their appetite. It makes it hard for them to lose weight by exercising or staying off their favourite foods. This problem can be solved by taking the HCG diet. HCG helps in reducing appetite, and this helps you achieve great weight loss.
• Fewer lifestyle changes
• HCG stops the formation of fat in your body by hindering the enzymes that catalyze the formation of fat.
• It is not too expensive.
• HCG helps detoxify the body

What are the Cons of the HCG Diet?

• HCG causes allergic reactions. If you notice swelling in any part of your body after taking HCG or difficulty breathing, see your doctor.
• HCG promotes the development of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.
• HCG diet does not guarantee weight loss in the long run.
• Headache
• Tiredness
• When you are taking HCG, you need to visit your doctor frequently.
• It can easily cause early puberty in young boys.