- The HCG diet has become repopularized in recent years due to media attention.
- The HCG diet works through a combination of regular HCG injections and a severely restricted caloric intake.
- Although attractive due to its promises of quick weight loss, studies show the HCG diet is not sustainable and may cause dangerous side effects.
The easy-to-read HCG diet plan graphic below outlines the HCG diet protocol, common HCG diet side effects — including what to expect from injections and drops — whether or not the HCG diet is worth the risk, and more!
The Mayo Clinic advises that even if you lose weight with the HCG diet, you are likely to gain the weight right back after you stop if you are not maintaining a healthy lifestyle. To lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way, go PRO today for access to workout routines, nutrition trackers, and more.
HCG Diet
The US has a fascination with weight loss programs, and most are trotted out with the word “diet” in them. While diet is a huge factor in losing weight and maintaining overall fitness, exercise and other lifestyle changes are also extremely important.
One “diet” plan that is based on how much you eat (not what you eat, or when) and doesn’t include much consideration for exercise is the HCG diet. HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin.
It’s a naturally-occurring substance both men and women of all ages produce, but it is especially present in women during the early stages of pregnancy.
The HCG Diet Protocol
The HCG diet basically boils down to doing two things:
- Severely restricted caloric intake (People on the HCG diet consume roughly only 500 calories/day)
- Regular injections of HCG
For a physician’s breakdown on what the HCG diet protocol looks like, please watch the video below:
How the HCG Diet Is Supposed to Work
The severe caloric deficit obviously leads to weight loss. At 500 calories a day, some people can lose as many as five pounds per week! But while this massive weight loss is taking place, the HCG injections preserve muscle and prompts the body to burn fat.
The HCG also suppresses the appetite and soothes the body, creating feelings of wellbeing.
HCG Diet Side Effects and Health Risks
As you might expect, with such extreme changes being forced on the body, side effects will occur, and some of them could be potentially dangerous:
- Blood Clots
- Leg Cramps
- Breast Tenderness (in women)
- Hunger
- Possible Muscle Loss
- Hair Loss
- Constipation (due to lack of bulk to pass through bowel)
- Gallstones
- Irritability (possibly due to artificially-influenced hormone levels or lack of eating — or both)
- Lightheadedness (almost definitely due to lack of eating)
Such a sustained low caloric intake shocks the body and the user enters “starvation mode” where the body burns muscle instead of fat.
When the user stops the diet, they will likely gain back weight as fat.
The overall result could be lower muscle mass and higher fat concentrations.
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Largest HCG Studies and Study Results
Despite some success in the media which has made it popular in recent years, the HCG diet therapy was developed more than 50 years ago by endocrinologist Albert T.W. Simeon. Originally working with special patients with glandular problems in India, he claimed that the treatment resulted in massive fat loss.
No study since then has ever proven that the HCG diet/therapy is effective at all.
In a double-blind six-week study — which is the highest testing standard, where neither researchers nor participants know if they are in the placebo or intervention group — where all participants on the same diet plan were given regular injections of an unknown substance (either HCG or harmless saline), HCG subjects showed no advantage over the placebo group
“Homeopathic” HCG Diet Drops
What about the homeopathic option?
Homeopathic medicine is a contentious issue in modern medicine. It usually consists of users taking severely diluted concoctions of various “remedies.”
Homeopathic HCG drops are extremely diluted to the point where it is uncertain if any HCG still remains in the mixture, and it is unknown if the amount of HCG is enough to have any effect.
Many of these homeopathic HCG solutions contain no HCG at all but are fortified with vitamins like B12.
Many also claim to be FDA approved, but this only means the product meets minimum standards issued by the FDA for homeopathic medications.
Homeopathic HCG solutions may be “FDA approved,” but that just means the FDA has determined that they probably won’t kill you (probably). It does not mean they are approved as effective for weight loss.
Disclaimer on HCG Website
Since the language surrounding weight-loss claims and other medical issues is extremely risky and can subject someone to a lot of liability, the HCG website sports a hefty disclaimer, saying things like:
- The FDA has not approved HCG Therapy for weight loss
- HCG has not been proven as an effective therapy for the treatment of obesity
- Substantial evidence that HCG supports weight loss beyond caloric restriction does not exist
- Substantial evidence that HCG changes fat distribution does not exist
- Substantial evidence that HCG suppresses appetite/hunger does not exist
In light of all this evidence, the HCG diet doesn’t sound very compelling. There are many different warnings about possible HCG diet dangers from sources like WebMD, Consumerist, USA Today, and US News & World Report.
Random HCG Facts
Here are some more facts about HCG for you!
- The FDA originally ruled that HCG is not a weight loss drug in 1975
- HCG injections can cost up to $1,500/month
- There have been 12 studies of the HCG diet since 1954, none of which have proven the “therapy” effective
- 11 of the 12 studies have shown HCG “therapy” to be harmful
- In 1976, the FDA ordered Simeon Management Corporation and several other weight loss clinics and companies to stop marketing HCG as a weight-loss treatment, and that they could no longer advertise the substance as “safe, effective, and/or approved by the FDA for weight control.”
Should You Buy HCG Diet Supplements?
The choice is yours if you want to buy HCG diet drops or HCG injections, but the tried-and-true way of losing weight is simple: eat healthily, work out, and stay active.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many calories should I eat?
How many calories you should eat depends on a number of factors. To get a rough estimate, check out this article.
What is bulking? What is cutting?
Bulking and cutting are techniques used by bodybuilders to grow muscle and shed fat. Bulking requires eating in a surplus while weight training in order to build muscle. Cutting requires eating in a caloric deficit to shed body fat in order to “expose” the muscle built during the bulking phase.
Do I have to bulk? Do I have to cut?
No. Unless you are a professional bodybuilder, you do not have to bulk or cut to lead a healthy, happy lifestyle.
You don’t need a risky gimmick, you just need a little motivation. Why not browse through our workout plans and then consider going PRO for access to workout routines, certified personal trainers, and more? You can do it — get started today!