HCG Programs

What is the HCG-Assisted Diet?

Dr. A.T.W. Simeons, a specialist on obesity and weight regulation, introduced a program that has helped many people overcome weight loss resistance. The program utilizes a natural hormone that is produced during pregnancy called Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG). Dr. Simeons’ theory is that HCG causes the hypothalamus area of the brain to trigger a release of abnormal fat stores. When administered in relatively small doses and coupled with a very low calorie diet, people routinely lose 20 pounds in 30 days.

HCG has helped thousands of people lose those stubborn pounds. In addition to weight loss, many patients who have completed the HCG program also experienced many other health benefits, including a drop in cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar.

Does HCG work for everyone?

Although HCG is naturally produced only in pregnant women, as a diet aid it works the same for men and women. Most people on this program report losing between 0.5 to 1 pound per day, and claim it is the only program where they have been able to keep the weight off afterward. However, as with any drug or medication, or even with food (e.g., allergies), there is individual variation in its efficacy. Everyone is familiar with the fact that doctors often have to change people’s medications because they don’t respond as expected. So although HCG is effective for the great majority of people who try it, there is logically no promise that it will work for everyone, every time..

How does HCG help me lose weight?

HCG appears to act on the hypothalamus, signaling the body to release stored fat into the bloodstream where it is then available to be used by the cells for nourishment. This alone will not cause weight loss, though, unless you reduce your food intake. This forces the body to use the mobilized fat from the bloodstream. HCG causes the release of abnormal fat without affecting structural fat and muscle tissue. Which means you lose in those stubborn areas–hips, thighs, buttocks and upper arms! In addition HCG acts on the hypothalamus to decrease the feelings of hunger.

Do I have to follow a special diet while I take the HCG?

Yes. You must follow the  HCG Diet Protocol as described in Dr. Simeons’ manuscript, “Pounds and Inches: A New Approach to Obesity”, where he outlines a special low calorie-per-day diet that was tested on thousands of patients. HCG is only effective for weight loss if it is taken while strictly following Dr. Simeons’ HCG Diet Protocol, including the restricted calorie diet. Taking HCG alone (without the diet) will not cause you to lose weight. HCG takes effect when you reduce your food intake so that the mobilized fat will be used for your body’s energy needs. If you fail to follow the diet you will fail to lose weight. If you only follow the diet without taking HCG, you are simply starving yourself because there is no fat in the bloodstream to burn. Simply put, both are required.

Why can’t I just go on a low calorie diet without the HCG?

In order to answer this question you need to understand how the body stores and uses fat. Dr. Simeons identified three separate fat stores:

• Normal fat: This type of fat can be likened to a checking account from which the body can easily draw energy or deposit it as needed. Normal fat doesn’t take a lot of effort to lose.
• Structural fat: Pads the various organs, protects the arteries and cushions the bony prominences. You don’t ever want to lose this fat. It is vital to your health and well being. Yet, on the typical “starvation” diet, this is the fat you lose when the normal fat is depleted.
• Abnormal fat: This is much like a bank safe deposit box, where fat is stored and basically locked away. This fat is very difficult to lose via exercise and calorie restriction, but with the help of HCG the body readily pulls fat from these “last resort” fat stores. These fat stores are located typically in the belly, hips and thighs.

Bottom line: If you go on a low calorie diet without the HCG, the body uses the normal fat and then starts to use the structural fat and muscle. Losing your structural fat and muscle tissue can adversely affect your health and well-being. In addition, “starvation” diets without HCG can cause you to be excessively hungry, which is typically not true for those using HCG on Dr. Simeons’ special-calorie schedule. This is not just a VLCD (very-low-calorie-diet).

Do I have to exercise while on the HCG diet?

No. Exercise is not a mandatory part of the program. While vigorous exercise may increase the amount of weight you lose while on this plan, it is not a significant increase and is not recommended, because on a low calorie diet you can easily become too exhausted. That leads to discouragement and frustration. However, we do recommend moderate activity for all of the other benefits you receive, including stress relief and cardiovascular health. Our suggestion for those who want to exercise is that you walk for 20 to 30 minutes daily. Walking is great exercise and contributes to your health in a variety of ways. It helps relieve stress, keeps the bowels moving, conditions your cardiovascular system, and encourages better blood/oxygen circulation. When you are finished with the HCG diet regimen and are back on a regular diet you can then pick up the intensity of your exercise routines.

Is HCG Legal for Specific FDA Approved Medical Treatments?

HCG is legal and FDA approved to treat many various reproductive and metabolic health issues and has been in existence to do so for over 45 years by the medical community. It is considered safe and has few side effects.

HCG is used to cause ovulation and to treat infertility in women, and to increase sperm count in men.

So, generally speaking, as long as a drug is safe to use then it is up to the discretion of the medical doctor to prescribe it for various conditions that they are medically “trained to understand and know the application for”.

The doses used for weight loss are minuscule compared to doses used for the other medical conditions (already mentioned) that it is approved for. It has been used “off label” (meaning not strictly in accordance with the use for which it was approved) in the U.S. for weight loss since the 1970s when it was introduced from Europe, where it was, and still is, in wider use today than it is in the USA.

HCG-Assisted diet and you:

When the hypothalamus gland does not work properly, patients have an intense, physical hunger and crave and eat when they are not hungry, which creates an abnormal storage of fat.

HCG positively affects the hypothalamus by decreasing hunger. After administrating  HCG to patients, patients report decrease in cravings and begin to lose abnormal fat storage that would otherwise never be released or burned off. This is the KEY to this diet and why it is so effective.

*Warning…Don’t be Fooled by what you can buy on the Internet:
Because of the success of prescription grade HCG, non-doctor prescribed versions of HCG are being sold through online ordering web sites and even Walmart. If you check the labels, it’s mostly water and will not deliver the same effective results that only a doctor can prescribe.

Weight Loss Results That Stay

Clinical studies have reported that 85% of HCG patients do not gain the weight back one year later. No other diet releases secured fat reserves the way that HCG is believed to do.