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The HCG Diet is becoming increasingly popular these days due to its claim of faster weight loss while keeping your body satiated throughout the process. However, the FDA has claimed that this diet is fraudulent, dangerous, and illegal.
Proponents of this diet claim that it is highly beneficial for weight loss by boosting your body's metabolism and restricting your calorie intake.
In this article, we will discuss the meaning of the HCG diet plan along with what this diet plan consists of and its side effects.
What Is the HCG Diet Plan?
HCG or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin tend to be hormones that are present in high amounts in the early stages of pregnancy. The HCG hormone is used to treat fertility issues in both men and women along with it as a marker for home pregnancy tests. However, elevated levels of this hormone might also be the type of cancer.
The HCG diet plan was proposed by Albert Simeons for weight loss. This diet plan consists of two important components, including HCG hormone injection and an ultra-low calorie diet, consuming about 500 calories throughout the day.
These HCG products are available on the market in various forms, including pellets, sprays, and oral drops. HCG diet drops are also available in the retail market as well as on countless websites.
HCG Diet Plan
The HCG diet plan tends to be very low in calories and fat and is usually divided into three phases. They include:
1. Loading Phase
In this phase of the diet plan, you should start consuming HCG along with eating foods that are high in calories and fat for two days.
2. Weight Loss Phase
In the weight loss phase of the diet plan, you should continue to take HCG along with consuming about 500 calories per day for at least three to six weeks. For people who want to lose significant body weight, it is recommended to follow this phase for six weeks.
In this phase, you should also just eat two meals throughout the day, including lunch and dinner.
3. Maintenance Phase
In the maintenance phase of the HCG diet plan, you should stop consuming any more HCG along with gradually increasing your food intake. You can also gradually increase your food consumption, however, by avoiding starch and sugar for about three weeks.
Your HCG meal should usually consist of one lean protein portion, a vegetable, a serving of fruit, and a piece of bread. You are encouraged to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water along with avoiding ingredients such as sugar, oil, and butter.
Benefits of HCG plan
This diet will help in boosting your metabolism by allowing you to lose large amounts of fat without feeling hungry. However, scientific studies have claimed that this weight loss is achieved only because of an ultra-low calorie intake with a restricted diet. Proponents of the diet claim that this diet only results in fat loss and not muscle loss.
Critics of this diet plan claim that this low-calorie and restricted diet only helps in rapid short-term weight loss, but they are not sustainable in the long run. In this restricted-calorie diet, your body also gets used to slowing energy expenditures and increasing hunger hormones over a period of time.
Side Effects of HCG Diet Plan
The FDA has not approved the HCG diet plan and considers it dangerous and illegal. They tend to be unregulated with unknown ingredients and therefore should be avoided.
The side effects associated with this diet plan include headaches, fatigue, and depression. These side effects may be due to low-calorie intake, which makes people miserable with starvation. Decreased muscle mass is also one of the common side effects of this diet plan.
Overall, the HCG diet plan restricts your calorie intake to about 500 calories per day for a few weeks at a time, which makes extreme weight loss possible. If any of your diet plans are this restricted in calories, it will enable you to lose weight. If you seriously want to lose weight, it is recommended that you follow a safer and more sustainable diet.
