NYC Blog

The HCG diet is an aggressive diet intended to induce a very rapid weight loss of up to 1–2 pounds (0.45–1 kg) per day.

Its supporters contend that it improves metabolism and loss of weight without causing appetite.

HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a high-level hormone in early pregnancy. It informs the woman's body that she is pregnant and retains the release of hormones that are necessary for fetal growth. It has also been used to cure fertility disorders.

How it works

The diet is separated into three stages. You start taking HCG supplements in the first process.

In the second step, an ultra-low-calorie diet of just 500 calories a day is followed, along with HCG supplement drops, pellets, injections, or sprays. The weight loss process is recommended for 3-6 weeks at a time.

In the third step, you avoid taking HCG and slowly increase the consumption of food.

Weight loss

The HCG diet causes weight loss, but some studies suggest that the weight loss is due to the ultra-low-calorie diet alone—not to the HCG hormone.

Furthermore, HCG has not been shown to alleviate hunger.

Other advantages

Aside from weight loss, there are no known benefits of the HCG diet.

The downside

Like most other ultra-low-calorie diets, the HCG diet can cause muscle weakness, resulting in a decreased ability to burn calories.

This extreme calorie restriction further limits the number of calories your body burns. This is because the body feels it is hungry, so it's trying to save calories.

In comparison, the bulk of HCG items on the market are scams which do not contain HCG. Only injections can increase the blood levels of this hormone.

In addition, the diet has many side effects, including headaches, fatigue, and depression. There is also one account of a woman contracting blood clots, most likely due to diet.

The FDA disapproves of this diet and marks it as unhealthy, unethical, and deceptive.

SUMMARY

The HCG diet is a fast weight loss diet. It is not based on the empirical evidence and can lower the metabolic rate and cause muscle weakness, headache, exhaustion, and depression.