HCG diet
5 years ago I heard about HCG weight loss from a colleague in the USA. He had experienced amazing results in his clinic treating people for weight loss using HCG combined with a very low calorie(500 Cal/day) diet. In August 2103, I attended a conference in Melbourne run by the Australian Academy of anti ageing medicine on HCG where experts from around the world shared their experiences with HCG and weight loss.
My daughter Claire who is a qualified Exercise physiologist and nutritionist has a special interest in this area and will be running the clinic which I will be medically supervising. We will be using medical grade,prescription only, HCG in the form of a sublingual lozenge(similar to the troches we use for bio identical hormones).
HCG works in conjunction with a 500 calorie diet for weight by mobilising visceral fat . By doing this it provides extra calories on the diet so most people are able to function with minimal effects from the low calorie diet. HCG is actually the hormone produced during pregnancy and its role is to protect the foetus from malnutrition and provide calories if the mother’s diet becomes inadequate during pregnancy. The dose we use is a fraction of that produced in pregnancy and appears to be very safe with minimal reported side effects.
What is the HCG Diet? Done properly, it is a medical program with medical supervision that uses calorie restriction and a natural prescription hormone (HCG) to help men and women shed body fat while maintaining lean muscle mass. The result is a loss of significant body fat in a short time.
Typically,clients can lose between 5-10Kg in 4-6 weeks – of FAT. Like all diets, results will vary but most clients do well on the diet. Significantly, clients tend to continue the lifestyle changes learned as part of the diet and continue to lose and / or maintain their weight loss.
Other benefits in addition to loss of fat. Other benefits include reduced cholesterol, reduced blood pressure and a reversal of type 2 diabetes, as a measured by a decline in HbA1c. Most clients report feeling great while on the HCG Diet with no side effects. Most report that they are continuing their new healthy lifestyle and maintaining their weight loss. The HCG Diet is a motivating diet that gives you confidence in reducing calories and in eliminating most sugars and “bad” carbohydrates from the diet.
The HCG Protocol. The HCG protocol consists of a restricted calorie diet, 500 – 600 calories per day (this may vary somewhat), along with regular treatments of HCG, which we will prescribe as a microlozenge to be taken sublingually twice a day. Initial diets involving HCG traditionally involved injecting the HCG. Several clinics around the world are getting similar results with sublingual drops or lozenges which are easier for the client. The combination of the restricted calorie diet and the prescription HCG is what makes the HCG diet so successful as a form of weight loss.
Further, the client is burning fat which provides calories up to 2000 per day and more. Therefore, dieters are typically not hungry even though the amount of food they are eating is small. They are in a state of ketosis state made popular with the Atkins diet. It is noteworthy that restricting calories for a period of time is not only healthy for the body and the brain but it is the only scientifically proven method for extending life span.
Who can benefit from the HCG Diet? The HCG diet can be used to help those who have struggled with their weight for years; for those who excess body fat has become a more recent problem. It can help those with high blood pressure and those with high cholesterol. It is a great way to begin a LIFESTYLE CHANGE.
General Information About HCG
The hCG diet was originally developed by Dr. A.T.W. Simeons–a British endocrinologist who established a clinic in Italy in the 1950s, specialising in the treatment of clinically obese patients. Dr Simeons spent 40 years of his life in research and clinical observation of thousands of cases, leading to the concept of the hCG diet, which he documented in his manuscript Pounds and Inches.
In this manuscript Dr Simeons outlines his clinical observations–amongst them the discovery that hCG is effective in the treatment of fat loss when combined with a VLCD (very low calorie diet) as the body gets all of the nutrition it needs from stored fat reserves. Acting in this way, whilst undergoing an hCG diet weight loss cycle your appetite reduces, with no experience of hunger; such as would be certain without its effect in your system. It was further observed that hCG seemed to work to reset the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a master gland that regulates most of your body’s hormones, including metabolism and fat storage.
Controversy.
There remains a fair amount of controversy regarding the HCG diet. Searching the internet will reveal many opinions regarding the whether the HCG diet is a scam and whether it is safe. We do know there are many people out there promoting HCG who are not medically trained and selling products which are not medical grade HCG. After attending a medical conference in Melbourne last year run by the Australian Academy of anti aging medicine where many doctors from around the world shared their experiences of being involved with HCG weight loss diets, I am convinced this is a legitimate diet, which if used under medical supervision, will achieve weight loss and beneficial health benefits for overweight and obese patients.
Frequently asked Questions for HCG diet
Is hCG safe?
hCG is very safe. Men and women naturally produce a derivative of the hormone in their bodies. The amount of hCG that is used for the hCG program is a small fraction of the amount produced during pregnancy. To date, there are no known clinical side effects of hCG or interactions with medications. However, as with any diet, we strongly recommend that you consult with a doctor before starting the hCG program. If you have any side effects what-so-ever, consult a doctor or medical professional immediately.
Is hCG safe for men?
hCG is very safe for men. As a matter of fact, hCG is often used to stimulate the natural production of testosterone, which is the dominant sex hormone in men. Men often do better on the hCG diet program than women, often losing as much as 50 pounds in a 6 week session.
Why don’t pregnant women lose weight?
hCG works to mobilize abnormal fat only when there is a restricted calorie intake. During pregnancy, women are encouraged to keep their caloric intake at normal levels. Therefore, without the calorie restrictions, hCG does not mobilize the abnormal fat and weight is retained.
Will my metabolism slow down if I am on a very low calorie diet?
If you were to restrict your calorie intake to 500 calories without hCG, your brain would sense this and reduce your metabolism level to a “starvation level.” However, when hCG is used, the brain mobilizes abnormal fat and keeps the metabolic rate at a normal, non-starvation level. As a result, you still burn the necessary number of calories that your body needs. However, this level is typically lower than overweight people normally consume. As a result, when you go into maintenance mode, your calorie intake is less than you historically have eaten prior to the hCG program. Furthermore, the types of food you eat are often healthier than before the hCG program.
I am on hormone replacement therapy. Will hCG affect these treatments?
There have been no indications of hCG interfering with hormone replacement therapies. In fact, a number of physicians actually prescribe hormone replacement therapy along with the hCG diet program. If you are on hormone replacement therapy, it is recommended that you consult with your physician prior to starting the hCG diet.
Wouldn’t I lose the same amount of weight if I were to go on a 500 calorie diet without hCG?
No you would not. When you restrict your caloric intake to 500 calories without hCG, your brain sends your metabolism into starvation mode. As a result, it conserves all the fat and energy it can, thus preventing you from losing weight. Furthermore, it will often convert muscle tissue to a usable energy source instead of utilizing abnormal fat as with the hCG diets.
Will I get hungry on the diet?
Because your body actually burns abnormal fat in addition to the 500 calories, your brain does not trigger your hunger mechanisms as significantly because you are actually getting all the calories that it needs. Therefore, most people experience very little hunger with the hCG diet.
Why should I take supplements on the diet?
Just because you have enough stored calories in your abnormal fat, it does not mean that you have adequate vitamins and minerals. Although the 500 calorie diet is high in nutrition, many people have depleted vitamin and mineral levels from eating poorly for extended periods of time prior to the hCG diet. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you take a PHARMACEUTICAL GRADE MULTIVITAMIN during and after the hCG program. Anything less than a pharmaceutical grade multivitamin may prevent your brain and body from functioning at its optimum level and may reduce your disease fighting capabilities. In collaboration with the chief pharmacist at Tugun Compounding, we have put together a special multivitamin, mineral, anti oxidant supplement for use with the HCG diet.
Will I experience any changes to my menstrual cycle when on hCG?
Since the amount of hCG is very small, there should be no changes to your menstrual cycle. It will not effect your ability to become pregnant or increase your chances of becoming pregnant. Dr. Simeons recommends that you avoid starting the hCG diet within 5-6 days of your period. Once on the hCG diet, you can stay on the diet through your periods.
Do I need to exercise while I am on the hCG diet?
You do not need to do extensive exercise while on the hCG program. In fact, it is discouraged. This is because strenuous exercise induces peaks and valleys in your caloric intake, thus inhibiting your brain from resetting to a normal metabolic rate. Light exercise is fine, but heavy exercise including long distance running and strenuous weight lifting are discouraged.
For more information on the programme or to book an appointment
please call 07 5534 1544
Legal notice and Disclaimer: The TGA has not approved Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) for use in weight loss treatment.The use of HCG for weight loss is an “off label” use, which means it is considered safe when prescribed by and under the guidance of a physician experienced in this field.
HCG is approved by TGA to treat health conditions other than weight loss and has been in existence to do so for over 45 years. Individual weight loss depends on a number of different factors and hormoneclinic.com.au DOES NOT guarantee any specific weight loss result.