24-May / lifestyle / 0 COMMENTS

There have been quite a few success stories regarding the HCG diet so I decided to take a closer look at what this was all about. I attended a talk a while back on this specific topic and right from the get-go I have to say I was surprised, the presentation was being held by a naturopathic doctor which was a bit of a shock to me. I didn’t think someone who had gone to school to earn a designation on healing others through natural means would back this approach up but I sat there listening to what they had to say.

I’ll go into the concept behind the diet for all of you who are unaware of what this diet is all about.

HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin which is a hormone produced during pregnancy by the embryo during conception, reason for which this diet is also referred to as the hormone diet. The diet itself does not use the hormone from a pregnant woman or ape though, it is synthetically produced.

The main purpose is it targets the release of fat from the body but in return of what?

See, there are 3 types of fats:
- Structural: protects our internal organs and is the padding on the bones of our feet that allows us to walk comfortably.
- Normal Reserve: helps keep our body warm and is the type of fat our body draws upon for muscular activity. Stocked all around our body but never will it reach a point of obesity.
- Abnormal: this is the fat that causes problems. It’s locked away in a deposit that cannot be reached unless the first two fats are exhausted which is why people who are suffering from obesity have such a hard time because by the time the body is ready to reach into this deposit, they are already feeling weak and tired from the body taking up the good fats.

The diet manages to target the abnormal fat by having you follow an extremely rigid diet plan which, in my opinion, just by following the meal plan without the hormones would get you to shed those pounds anyway.

The 3 phases of the plan are:

1- Loading Phase: this is the phase where you eat whatever you want, anything for two days straight. Anything that packs the calories between 3000 – 4000 per day. You’re basically loading your body with extra fat and packing up for the days to come.

2 – Maintenance Phase: between 21 – 40 days you are only able to consume 500 calories, nothing more. This is the phase where the injections begin and will continue for the length of the plan. So if the plan is for 40 days, you will need to get an injection every single day for the next 40 days. You are given a week’s supply so you can administer the injection on your own right in the stomach, away from the liver.

3- Stabilization Phase: begin increasing calorie intake between 800 – 1000 for the next 21 days but you must follow only the foods listed or you run the risk of the weight coming back.

An example meal plan would look something like this:
Breakfast: tea or coffee with 1 tablespoon of milk, nothing solid
Lunch: 100g of meat or fish (which must be weighed raw) but no fatty fish such as salmon, plus 1 type of vegetable
Dinner: an apple, 1 stick of bread or melba toast
1 litre of water is allowed

Things to keep in mind:
- you must be off “the pill” 3 months prior
- those with type 1 diabetes, insulin dependent, cannot go on this diet
- there is a blood sample that should be done first
- smokers must quit prior to starting as smoking already suppresses hunger

This doctor in particular mentioned that they only recommend this diet to people who are overly obese to help them kick start their weight loss but it’s a matter of a lifestyle change. If they are unable to commit to changing their way of living, it will not work.

I find this process to be very extreme, not only are you putting a synthetic “hormone” into your body but you are tricking your body into believing you are in fact starving. If you are willing to commit to such a rigid plan, why not commit to a plan much more nourishing to your overall health without the rigidness? Personally, I’d encourage a more natural approach to weight loss and lifestyle changes.

*This post is for informational purposes and features my personal point of view. I do not sell or support this approach.

diet