The full diet is a 500 calorie per day plan plus daily injections of the pregnancy hormone hCG. Obviously, you’re going to lose weight eating only 500 calories a day. The hormone was included because it was thought that it would help people on the diet reduce their hunger. It was also believed that the hormone would help mobilize fat from areas where it’s typically hard to lose.
Research has shown over and over again that the weight loss results seen from the diet are due to starvation and have nothing to do with the hormone. The hormone is found to work no better than a placebo. So, you won’t lose weight if you take hCG without starving yourself.
Not only is hCG ineffective, it is also being sold illegally. Don’t buy products labeled as homeopathic hCG or hCG as a dietary supplement. HCG is not recognized by the FDA as a legal dietary ingredient and it is not approved for weight loss. It is also completely ineffective orally because your stomach will break the hormone apart.
If you take the injectable form, you are putting your body at risk for many adverse effects. There are no studies that show hCG is safe for long term use. Injectable hCG can cause:
- excessive stimulation of the ovaries
- hormone imbalances
- increased risk of blood clots
- headache, irritability and fatigue
- generation of antibodies that put future pregnancies at risk
Also, think about this: you may lose weight by starving yourself, but you can’t keep it up forever. This diet is not sustainable. How will you maintain your weight loss when you go back to your normal lifestyle?
Sources:
Hellmich, Naci. “HCG weight-loss products are fraudulent, FDA says” USA Today, January 31, 2011.
Deardorff, Julie. “Long-discredited hCG diet makes a comback” Chicago Tribune, August 14, 2011.
