Are you
one of the millions of individuals who want to lose weight and get healthier?
Have you jumped from diet after fad diet only to end up in disappointment? We
all know that obesity has become a widespread epidemic and the accompanying
medical complications caused by being overweight or obese is just as prevalent.
Being overweight and obese can lead to many serious diseases such as diabetes,
heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer. So losing that weight is very
crucial to your health.
One
diet that has gained much attention in the recent years is the hCG diet. The
diet has been around since the 1950s when it was developed by Dr. ATW Simeons.
It works on the premise that hCG or Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin makes use of
stored fat for energy. How exactly does it do this ?
The hCG
is normally present at elevated levels in pregnant women during the early
stages of pregnancy then drops as the pregnancy progresses. The timing of these
increased levels occurs during the time when a woman still does not know that
she is pregnant and is unlikely to be consciously “eating for two.” In the presence
of hCG, a pregnant woman’s fat stores are mobilized to be used to nourish the
fetus. This ensures that the fetus receives the necessary amount of calories
and nutrients it needs for proper growth and development regardless of the
pregnant woman’s caloric intake. Dr. Simeons also discovered that boys being
treated for underdeveloped gonads with hCG ate less and as a result lost
weight. This prompted him to explore hCG as a diet aid.
Both
men and women can benefit from the hCG diet. The hormone increases your ability
to burn fat allowing your body to use this stored fat as energy. At the same
time, it curbs your appetite so you eat less. This translates to 1 to 2 pounds
lost per day.
The hCG
diet requires you to take daily shots or oral drops of hCG for at least 23
days. Depending on your response, you may undergo another round of treatment.
Aside from the shots or drops, you are only allowed a very restricted caloric
diet of 500 calories per day. You may think how can you possibly survive on
just 500 calories a day? Won’t you go hungry? The 500 calories a day is the
only amount you will need because the fat that is mobilized by the hCG is what
you will be essentially using for energy. As long as stored fat is continuously
released in the body, 500 calories is all you need to sustain you throughout
the day. It is important that you consume a diet high in protein and low in
carbohydrates and fat content.
Once
you have lost the weight after the round of treatment, you will have to adopt a
healthy lifestyle and way of eating. The whole purpose of the hCG diet is to
correct poor eating habits and break any food addictions. The one month or so
of treatment will allow you to achieve this. You lose a significant amount of
weight in a short span of time and learn to keep it off.
If you
have tried every fad diet there is and have been unsuccessful, then maybe it’s
time you try another alternative. The hCG diet is safe and effective and may be
the solution to your weight loss struggles.