HCG is a protein-based hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy.It is present at high levels during the early pregnancy. This hormone is in fact used in the hormone pregnancy tests. HCG hormone was first used as a weight loss remedy. It was noted by several physicians that women who are overweight lost weight when they got pregnant. Moreover, dozens of medical studies have shown that HCG hormone, when combined with a low-calorie diet and exercise increases can boost metabolism and helps lose a large amount of fats without feeling hungry.
HCG hormone is FDA approved for the treatments fertility issues but not as a weight loss tool. Only FDA drugs are allowed to use as an alternative drug. HCG is an “Off-label Usage” that common among medical professions.
HCG is used in a very low dose for weight loss alongside a super-low-cal diet. The diet limits you to at 500 calories a day for 8 weeks while taking the hormone. You can get the hormone either by shot or by taking it as drops, pellets or sprays. The recommended weekly injection for weight loss is 20 units. HCG hormone is used in a much higher dose for fertility issues. A low dose of this hormone does not increase fertility. Some other benefits that you can get from using HCG include:
HCG Diet can offer you a safe and rapid weight loss.
The HCG diet focuses on losing weight and to maintain the weight through the combination of the HCG injections and the very low calorie diet. In the very low calorie diet, one has to maintain only 500 calories per day while having the daily injections of the HCG hormone. This combination help resets the brain’s hypothalamus allowing one’s body to use the abnormal fats and converts these fats into energy. The combination also ensures a long-term weight loss.
It was Dr. A.T.W Simeons, a British endocrinologist, who developed the HCG diet. It aidshis obese patients in losing weight in order to avoid any deadly health conditions. His years of research and thousands of cases have led to the concept of the HCG Diet. Unlike other over-hyped and cosmetic diets of today, the HCG Diet is a healthier interpretation and implementation of losing weight.
The HCG Diet focuses one’s attention on eating smaller portions of foods that are low in fats, carbohydrates and calories. This promotes a more long-term weight loss. The HCG Diet is not solely a diet for the purpose of losing weight but it’s a diet that is meant to promote a healthier lifestyle by making a careful choice of using foods that are low in fats.
There are several protocols and variations of the original version of the HCG Diet. However, all the different variations have common limitations when it comes to food consumption. Those who are on the HCG Diet should either limit or omit foods such as starches, sweet fruits, milk and eggs when on the protocol. The use of products that contain a fatty substance such as lotion, conditioner and make-ups should be omitted.
Mental Preparations:
Losing weight can be a very difficult task if you are not mentally prepared. Without a full understanding as to why you are doing the diet, you wouldn’t likely to succeed. Likewise, it would be very hard to stay committed and focused throughout the entire HCG diet protocol if you will not set your goals. Physical Preparations:
The HCG Diet Protocol
The 23 Day Cycle | PHASE 1 – Days 1- 2 | ·Gorging Days with ·hCG Injections |
PHASE 2 – Days 3-23 | ·hCG Injections ·500 Calorie Diet |
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PHASE 3 – Days 24-26 | ·500 Calorie Diet only ·No injections |
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The 40 Day Cycle | PHASE 1 – Days 1- 2 | ·Gorging Days with ·hCG Injections |
PHASE 2 – Days 3-40 | ·hCG Injections ·500 Calorie Diet |
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PHASE 3 – Days 41-43 | ·500 Calorie Diet only ·No injections |
The HCG diet “Gorging days” and why?
Gorging days or commonly known as loading days is phase 1 of the HCG diet.It includes a two day stretch where you consume calorie dense foods to satisfaction. This phase is very important because this phase will set your hypothalamus gland in balance. But do not worry because whatever you’ve gained during the gorging days will be lost very quickly!Check this blog out to know more about the what and how’s of the HCG diet “Gorging days”.
You may also use our quick list of allowable foods on the HCG diet when you shop and prepare for your meals.
Here is a sample meal plan on phase 2 of the HCG diet.
For breakfast: Coffee or tea. Other option includes water with lemon juice sweetened with Stevia
For lunch: 100 grams or 3.5 oz of protein serving, 100 grams of vegetable choice, one fruit and one Melba toast or a Grissini stick
Snack: Fruit, low carb choice
For dinner: 100 grams or 3.5 oz of protein serving, 100 grams of vegetable choice, one fruit and one Melba toast or a Grissini stick
The HCG diet Phase 2: Day 3-23 or 46 day
The phase 2 of the HCG diet is the most challenging yet exciting part of the diet. This phase is also known as the very low calorie diet phase where you will only consume 500 calories a day. During this phase, your body will get used with using those stored abnormal fats as a source of energy. The foods are specific. You can only consume the approved HCG diet foods. No bread, sugars and fatty foods allowed.Apples, oranges, lemons strawberries and lime are just some of the most common fruit you’ll turn into when you’re hungry. Your protein components will mostly be white fish and chicken. Vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce, and spinach will give you fibers and vitamins. You can also have beef for your protein choice as long as it is extra lean.
The HCG diet Phase 3: The Maintenance Phase
Just like the gorging days and phase 2 of the HCG diet, this phase is very vital. The main goal of this phase is for your body to maintain a metabolic balance with your new weight. Phase 3 of the HCG diet lasts for 3 weeks right after your last day of the very low calorie diet.
During the Phase 3 of the HCG diet, you will increase your calorie intake to 1500 calories per day. You may now begin to eat any meats, fruits and vegetables. You can now consume milk, cheese and low sugar dairy products as long as they are healthy foods. However, you should avoid consuming a significant amount of starches like potatoes and corn.
Exercise is encouraged at this phase. You may begin to do some regular workout routine of both aerobic and anaerobic exercises. Try doing light weight exercises with higher repetitions and at least 30 minutes of cardio a day. If you wish to do vigorous activities, you must consult first with your physician. You can start reintroducing back healthy oils into your body like extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and flaxseed oil. Avoid using unhealthy oils like shortening and vegetable oils. You may also consume butter lightly.During this phase, you are allowed to use make-up, moisturizers and lotions.
Once this phase is complete, you may start consuming back foods with sugar, starches and carbs but in moderation.We recommend oats, grains and wheat bread. Avoid heavy sugar and starches like potatoes, yams and rice. Avoid hydrogenated oils too which are usually found in pastries and canned goods. As much as possible stay away from processed foods and high fructose syrup such as those found in soda, fruit drinks and canned fruits.
Continue to weigh yourself daily. During and after this phase you should not gain weight. You can at least gain about 2 pounds within Phase 3. However, once you will gain more than 2 pounds, observed a “steak day” the day you’ll notice a weight gain. Check this blog out for the steak day.
The HCG diet Phase 4
Phase 4 of the HCG diet is a lifetime maintenance program. Introduce starches back into your diet slowly and remember to keep sugar to a minimum. Continue consuming protein but stay away from fast foods and processed foods. Continue to weight yourself every day and if you have gained weight beyond your set baseline weight, use the steak day.
The rest of the “skinny” on the hCG diet…
HCG diet actually starts after the 2nd day of injecting the hormone. This is the phase where you will consume only 500 calories per day.
The HCG diet history begins with Dr. A.T.W Simeons of Rome, Italy. He graduated at the University of Heidelberg and settled in Rome at the Salvatore Mundi International Hospital. Dr. Simeon is an author, a scientist and a researcher who developed the HCG Diet. His research on HCG hormone as weight loss component covered forty years of grappling with the central problem of being overweight. He investigated every theory, method and promising lead. Dr. Simeon carefully experiments and evaluated each theory.
Upon his death in 1970 he stated:
“The protocol [the hCG diet] was everything that I hoped it would be — no hunger, no food cravings, no grumpiness, no feeling of deprivation, no fatigue, a dramatic reshaping of the body with the burning of the secure problem area fat deposits.”
He then wrote his findings in his book “Pounds and Inches”. His book can give readers a thorough understanding of how the diet came to be and what HCG diet is all about.
As Dr. Simeons writes in the Foreword of his book:
“This book discusses a new interpretation of the nature of obesity and while it does not advocate yet another fancy slimming diet it does describe a method of treatment which has grown out of theoretical considerations based on clinical observation.”
He came up with a conclusion that all cases of weight loss measures like using a laxative, dieting, exercises, appetite-reducing drugs, baths, massage are all temporary. None of the measures corrects the basic disorder. Through the HCG diet, the basic disorder is addressed, targeted and finally controlled.
Fats are the enemy of everyone trying to lose weight. Fats are not just fats. There are actually three kinds of fats and the HCG diet deals with these three.
Abnormal fat is not available to the body duringa nutritional emergency like Normal Fat. The body cannot access abnormal fat easily that is why it is so difficult to lose this kind of fat even with exercise. When one goes on a diet by starving, they will lose their normal fat first. When this fat is exhausted, the body starts to burn the structural fat next. Then as a last resort, the body will yield the abnormal fat.
When this happens, the dieter feels weak, tired, famished, haggard and hungry. But their hips, belly, thigh and upper arm only shows little improvement because they lose only the normal fat. The abnormal fat remains the same. Their skin becomes wrinkled and they look miserable. Dr. Simeons believed that this experience is one of the most depressing and frustrating experiences.
Being overweight too has psychological effects. Those who are overweight can only feel physically well if they are not gaining any weight at all. They may, however, feel horrified by the appearances of their body when on a tight-fitting clothes or when they are nude.
Being overweight is a vicious cycle. When you are overweight, you need more food to keep your body warm. But when you are just lean, you only need a small amount of food to keep your body at a certain temperature. That means to say if an overweight person eats only the foods that his body requires then he’ll be able to keep the weight stationary. However, this wasn’t through at all. Many physicians have studied overweight patients under controlled conditions found out that overweight patients actually gain weight on a diet. At this, Dr. Simeons concluded that there was something missing. “There must be some other mechanism at work”.
In an effort to unravel the mystery of the “other condition”, several studies have been conducted but were later abandoned. There were also a lot of theories regarding why someone is overweight but it was not the missing piece of the puzzle that Dr. Simeons was looking for.
He then traveled to India. There he found doctors giving hCG to overweight patients with large hips, thigh and buttocks. He became curious and begin his first study of hCG.He observed that the Indian doctors were giving their patients small daily doses of the hormone. The result showed that their ravenous appetite disappeared and their hips also change. The abnormal fat deposit from their hips disappeared. Their body was slowly using the abnormal fats as fuel.
For Dr. Simeons, HCG was the “other mechanism”. It’s the secret to the diet’s success story. Medically defined, HCG or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a naturally occurring hormone produced in the placenta of pregnant women.Dr. Simeons found out that by restricting the diet to 500 calories combined with a small dose of hormone, patients can achieve the best results. In fact, patients can lose an average of 1 pound a day. They have reduced appetite and could go comfortably with their normal routines. It was also perfectly evident that only the abnormal fats were consumed. There were no signs of normal fat depletion. Their figures became entirely normal and their skin does not sag.
Dr. Simeons also explained that women who are pregnant do not become obese. This is because their bodies are under the influence of an enormous amount of hCG that circulates around their bodies. Therefore, abnormal fat deposit does not form. Right after giving birth, the body becomes deprived of hCG and abnormal fats start to deposit.
HCG was initially used to diagnose an early pregnancy by testing the urine. It has now been medically used for more than eighty years. It has no effects on normal sex glands of male and female. It’s not a sex hormone.
Pregnant women produce HCG hormone for more than one million IUs (International unit) a day. On the HCG diet, dieters use only around 125 IU to 200 IU a day. This dosage does not change whether you weigh more or less than 150 pounds. Patients who weigh more or less than 150 pounds also follow the same very low calorie diet intake per day.
Now the toughest and the most essential part to your success- the strict adherence to the 500 calorie diet. Here, only approved HCG diet foods are allowed to eat. But what’s good with this diet, you will NOT be hungry! The HCG hormone will reduce your food craving.
The minimum HCG diet treatment is 26 days even if you need to lose just 5 pounds. Here, you will receive 23 injections followed by 3 days of diet but without injections. If you have more pounds to lose, you may continue the diet up to 43 days until you lose 34 pounds.
You can do another cycle of 23 or 43 days but you need to rest for 6 weeks before you can start. Just follow the protocol exactly as instructed and you will be more than satisfied with the result.
The needle used in injecting the hormone is so small that it does not reach the muscle. It can only penetrate the skin and into the fats. There are several areas that you can inject yourself. These are:
How to inject?
Week 1 to 3 after the HCG Diet
This is the maintenance phase. After completing the 23-day or the 43-day diet plan, you can eat all foods except sugars and starches because your body needs to adjust to your Abnormal Fat Loss. While on this phase, continue weighing yourself every morning.
Week 4 to 6 after the HCG Diet
Continue with the maintenance phase but start introducing back sugar and starches. However, they should be in a small quantity only. Continue weighing yourself in the morning.
6 weeks after the HCG Diet
If you were not able to reach your weight loss goal after the 1st cycle of the HCG diet you can continue with the 2nd cycle. This is just the same with the 1st cycle. You can continue with another cycle until you reach your weight loss goal. Just make sure that you have your HCG diet break of 6 weeks in between each cycle.
Very Lean Beef (average of 52 calories)
93/7 Lean Ground Beef (3.5 oz) – 150 calories
Sirloin Tip Side Steaks (3.5 oz) – 130 calories
Bison (3 oz) – 98 calories
Cube Steak (3.5 oz) – 160 calories
Top Round Steak (3.5 oz) – 166 calories
Veal (avg 114 calories)
Tri-Tip Steak (3.5 oz) – 154 calories
Veal, loin chop (3.5 oz) – 117 calories
Veal, sirloin (3.5 oz) – 110 calories
Seafoods (average of 98 calories)
Cod (3.5 oz) – 83 calories
Flounder (3.5 oz) – 90 calories
Crab Meat (3.5 oz) – 100 calories
Haddock (3.5 oz) – 88 calories
Lobster (3.5 oz) – 98 calories
Halibut (3.5 oz) – 110 calories
Red Snapper (3.5 oz) – 110 calories
Tilapia (3.5 oz) – 94 calories
Shrimp (3.5 oz) – 110 calories
Chicken (average of 87 calories)
Chicken Breast (3.5 oz) – 87 calories
Vegetables (average of 18.8 calories)
Asparagus (3.5 oz) – 20 calories
Asparagus (2” tip) – 1 calories
Asparagus (small spear) – 2 calories
Asparagus (medium spear) – 3 calories
Asparagus (large spear) – 4 calories
Beet Greens (1 cup raw)-8 calories
Broccoli- 34 calories
Cauliflower- 22 calories
Celery (3.5 oz) – 15 calories
Celery (medium stalk) – 6 calories
Cabbage (3.5 oz) – 24 calories
Cabbage (1 cup shredded) – 17 calories
Chard, Swiss raw (1 cup)-7 calories
Chicory (1 head)- 9 calories
Cucumber (3.5 oz) – 12 calories
Cucumber (small) – 19 calories
Cucumber (medium) – 24 calories
Cucumber (large) – 34 calories
Cucumber (English long) – 60 calories
Fennel (1 cup,sliced)- 27 calories
Green beans (3/4 cup, cut)- 20 calories
Green onions- 25 calories
Green sweet pepper- 20 calories
Lettuce, all varieties (3.5 oz) – 10 cal.
Lettuce, all varieties (1 cup) – 8 cal.
Lettuce, all varieties (small head) – 32 calories
Onions (medium yellow, raw)- 64 calories
Red Radishes (3.5 oz) – 12 calories
Red Radishes (one medium) – 1 cal.
Spinach, raw (3.5 oz) – 20 calories
Spinach, raw (1 cup) – 7 calories
Spinach, frozen (3.5 oz) – 23 calories
Spinach, frozen (1 cup) – 41 calories
Spinach, cooked (3.5 oz) – 31 calories
Spinach, cooked (1 cup) – 48 calories
Tomato (3.5 oz) – 20 calories
Tomato (cherry) – 3 calories
Tomato (plumb) – 11 calories
Tomato (small) – 16 calories
Tomato (medium) – 22 calories
Tomato (large) – 33 calories
Fruit
Apple (small) – 55 calories
Apple (medium) – 72 calories
Apple (large) – 110 calories
Blackberries (1 cup)- 62 calorie
Blue Berries (1 cup)- 83 calories
Grapefruit (1/2 cup)- 40 calories
Lemon- 24 calories
Lime- 20 calories
Orange (navel) – 69 calories
Orange (Florida) – 65 calories
Orange (California) – 59 calories
Strawberries, 12 large – 72 calories
Strawberries, 20 medium – 80 calories
Pink Grapefruit (1/2 large) – 53 calories
Pink Grapefruit (1/2 med.) -41 calories
Pink Grapefruit (Florida) – 74 calories
Bread
Grissini Breadstick (3 g) – 12 calories
Melba Toast (3 gram) – 12 calories
Melba Toast (5 gram) – 20 calories