Why You Should Avoid the HCG Diet

Jan 16, 2012 by admin

If you’re trying to lose weight, chances are you’ve heard of the HCG Diet. While it may seem like a fad diet, the plan has actually been around several decades. However, it should have remained a fad diet. The risks involved with this plan far outweigh the good. Don’t believe it? Let’s take a closer look at why you should avoid the HCG Diet.

Background

The HCG Diet began in the 1950s as a way for people to not only lose weight, but to redistribute fat to other parts of the body. The London physician that developed the plan based the diet on taking a hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and a massive restriction in calories. The hormone and diet remains popular to this day despite available information that frowns upon extreme low-calorie diets.

Instructions

The diet is based on three phases. Phase 1 is the Loading Phase and takes place on day 1 and 2. In this phase the worry doesn’t fall on changing your eating plans, but getting the hormone into your body. You should take drops in the morning and evening as instructed and eat as much as you want. Phase 2 is the Calorie Restriction Phase and takes place days 3 – 28. This is the phase where you’re get your eating plan in order. The last phase is the Maintenance Phase and continues for three weeks. This phase is also used so that you can take a break from the diet.

The Science

It’s plain to see why this diet works. Restricting calorie intake to 500-800 calories per day will result in a rapid weight loss in the beginning, but it was thought that adding HCG, which is produced during pregnancy, would cause the results to continue and also cause the weight to move from the buttocks and thighs to other parts of the body. Recent studies have shown that HCG does not offer the results that the physician thought it would. However, the job of the hormone, in theory, is to release stores of fat. Whether or not this is really true remains under speculation.

The Risks

No diet that requires such a calorie restriction is without risks. Reducing calories to extreme levels leads to muscle loss, nutrient deficiencies, brain function impairment and possibly death. The hormone isn’t without risks either. Dieters may experience headaches, leg cramps, blood clots, hair thinning and breast tenderness.

No diet is worth your health. Yes, being obese is unhealthy, but there are much healthier ways to lose weight.

About the Author: Erin Profit is an avid fan of all things health and wellness and she hates seeing people opt for quick-solution fad diets instead of healthy lifestyle changes. She loves researching medical careers and reads sites like ekgtechniciantraining.net and others for information on potential opportunities.