As a registered dietitian, fad diets are one of my pet peeves. But thankfully, most of them come and go so quickly that they are but a distant memory. However, the hCG diet just doesn’t seem to disappear. I first found out about the hCG diet in April of 2008, when I was asked to speak about it on the Fox Morning Show with Mike and Juliet. Three years later, I was on the Dr. Oz Show once again speaking about this, in my opinion, crazy diet.
So what is the hCG Diet? HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone found in the urine of pregnant women that supposedly works as an appetite suppressant. There HCG can be taken in two forms, HCG can either be injected, typically into the thigh, or it can be taken as a drop under the tongue, if you’re considering starting an HCG diet but are unsure in which form you would like to take it you can compare them here. Along with a daily dose of this hormone, individuals are also placed on a 500-calorie diet, or more recently, 800 calories per day.
The hormone as a weight loss tool has not been substantiated by any conclusive scientific research. In my view, and that of many other health experts, the reason for weight loss is simply because of the diet’s restrictiveness. Almost anyone who eats fewer than 1,200 calories per day will lose weight. But at what cost—physically, mentally, and financially?
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