When it comes to weight loss diets, there is no shortage of names these days, but the HCG diet has been around for a while now and its efficacy in bringing about weight loss has made it quite popular. In case you are thinking about trying the HCG diet, here’s everything you need to know about it.
What is It?
HCG stands for the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone, which is found particularly in the placenta and in the mother during pregnancy. Home pregnancy tests rely on this hormone’s presence and percentage in the body to determine the result. It is to be noted that while an elevated HCG level in the blood may at times be indicative of certain types of cancer, the elevated HCG levels themselves are never a cause of cancer because they have been proven to have zero carcinogenic effects inside the body. The hormone is used as a common form of treatment by doctors to address infertility in male and female patients. The HCG diet for weight loss was brought into existence by Dr. Albert Simeons back in 1954, and while the diet has been modified in many ways since then, it continues to be popular for its efficiency.
How is it Administered?
In the early days, the HCG diet consisted of a very low-calorie diet (500-calorie/day) and human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (HCG) injections. Thankfully, you don’t need to puncture yourself with needles to follow the HCG diet anymore because the hormone is now available for direct consumption via drops, pellets, and sprays. The oral drops are the best way to take your daily dose of HCG, but there are so many fraudulent sources out there that it’s a good idea to check with hcgdietreview.com first before you buy anything.
How Does It Work?
In a pregnant woman, HCG informs the body of the pregnancy and helps in maintaining healthy levels of progesterone and estrogen, which become particularly important for the developing embryo. When used as a way to lose weight, HCG accelerates your metabolism, which then contributes towards weight loss. One of its main goals is to help the individual control his/her hunger while following the accompanying super low-calorie diet, which starts at 500-calories but differs a lot depending on various factors such as age, weight, medical conditions, physical condition, etc.
Now, the most obvious question is, does it work? The answer is not that easy to state. Some studies claim that it works, but more because of the ultra-low-calorie diet than the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone intake. Then there are a lot of other sources which seek to explain the efficiency of the diet program and the role of the HCG in it. It’s hard to tell for sure really without trying it by yourself. Besides, if you are going to go through the tough task of surviving only on 500-calories per day, you might as well make sure that you are doing it right by adding the recommended daily dosage of HCG.
