Anyone who has ever been on a diet knows there are sensible ways to lose weight, including eating a balanced diet and exercising.
HCG is a hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy.
Take a “natural” hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and lose a lot of weight, as much as a pound a day without feeling hungry or weak. That’s the promise.
The diet lets you have two meals a day, lunch and dinner.
Each meal has to include one protein, one vegetable, one bread, and one fruit, and limits you to 500 calories a day for 8 weeks.
Vegetable choices include spinach, chard, chicory, beet greens, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, and cabbage.
Broil or grill veal, beef, chicken breast, fresh white fish, lobster, crab, or shrimp as long you don’t eat any visible fat. No salmon, eel, tuna, herring, or dried or pickled fish are allowed.
You can also have up to 1 tablespoon of milk per day, use sugar substitutes but not sugar to sweeten drinks. Butter and oils aren’t allowed.
People who follow diets so low in calories are likely to lose weight, at least in the short term, but with risks:
▪ Gallstone formation.
▪ Irregular heartbeat.
▪ Limited intake of vitamins and minerals.
▪ Imbalance of electrolytes.
Furthermore, HCG might encourage the production of androgen cells, which could result in the growth of certain types of cancers.
Side effects include:
▪ Fatigue.
▪ Irritability.
▪ Restlessness.
▪ Depression.
▪ Fluid buildup (edema).
▪ Blood clots forming.
▪ Swelling of the breasts in boys and men (gynecomastia).
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers to avoid HCG weight loss products.
HCG products are typically sold in the form of oral drops, pellets and sprays, and can be found online, at weight loss clinics and in some retail stores.
As a prescription medication, HCG is used mainly to treat fertility issues. HCG is not approved for over-the-counter use, nor has it been proved to work for weight loss.
The FDA has sent warning letters to several companies that market homeopathic hCG products.
There are safer ways to lose weight, and a realistic goal is vital to successful dieting.
Very-low-calorie diet, under 1,000 calories per day, is usually recommended for someone who is obese and has a medical condition such as high blood pressure, but such diet must be carefully supervised by a doctor.
Once the diet is over, you have a body that burns calories more slowly, and you usually regain the weight.
Skipping breakfast seems like a simple way to cut calories, but studies show people who eat breakfast every morning are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.
Not drinking enough water? Water is essential for burning calories. If you let yourself get dehydrated, your metabolism drags, and that means slower weight loss.
Food cravings have little to do with nutrients and plenty to do with the brain chemistry of pleasure and reward. Therefore, keep in mind that overindulging can sabotage your diet.
An hour of exercise typically uses 350 to 500 calories. However, running, swimming or kickboxing may be closer to 600, while an easy stroll burns around 200 calories.
To rid yourself of 10 pounds, you’d need a deficit of 35,000 calories. Remain active and move as much as possible throughout the day to see better results, because sitting or being inactive can actually negate the benefits of exercise as well as impact metabolism and your body’s ability to burn fat.
Sometimes, medical conditions and genetics complicate what might otherwise be a straightforward process. That’s when diet and exercise are not enough.
