Weight Loss, HCG And The New Year
By Tracey Thatcher
With every new year comes promises of losing extra pounds, quitting smoking, working harder, joining gyms, drinking less and a myriad of other promises people make to themselves to make sure the coming year is better than the one before. The New Year is a good time to start fresh, wipe the slate clean and have another go at doing things right and it does happen that sometimes people actually stick to those resolutions.
This year, 2011, is truly the year of the "HCG Diet". Many people are doing it; some are getting better results than others. On researching this subject there doesn't seem to be any middle ground - mostly people using and talking about HCG love it and those sorry souls who dare to say anything negative in online forums get blown away by the defenders of HCG. When typing "HCG" into the Google search engine the first three pages are dedicated to pro-HCG weight loss sites.
What are the facts about HCG? Why the sudden interest in a supplement that was last popular as a weight loss aide in the 1950's? What are other uses of HCG?
HCG is human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone produced during pregnancy. It is usually extracted from the urine of pregnant women and its major medical use is in the treatment of fertility problems. It is HCG levels that are measured in pregnancy tests to indicate the presence or absence of an implanted embryo.
British endocrinologist, ATW Simeons introduced the use of HCG for weight loss after studying pregnant women in India on a calorie deficient diet. He claimed HCG caused loss of fat tissue rather than lean tissue (muscle and organs). He later practiced in Rome in the 1950s, recommending low-dose daily HCG injections in combination with a very low-calorie (500 calorie high protein, low fat and low carbohydrate) diet. His manuscript, Pounds and Inches, details his research and findings at that time. Probably his most important work, though, (certainly his most medically recognized work) was his research into malaria, a deadly tropical disease caused by parasites and spread via mosquitoes.
Among such groups as the Mayo Clinic and the American Society of Bariatric (dealing with the treatment of obesity) Physicians, HCG is viewed as ineffective in promoting weight loss. Weight loss on this diet, according to the above-named groups, is attributed to severe calorie restriction and not HCG. It is also true that HCG has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for obesity or weight control at this time.
In April, 2007, Kevin Trudeau released the book, The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About in which is described Dr. Simeon's HCG diet and from there many other doctors, chiropractors and weight-loss clinics adopted its use.
A controversial use of HCG is amongst male athletes who also use anabolic (muscle-building) steroids. HCG restores the body's ability to produce testosterone naturally while anabolic steroids inhibit testosterone production. HCG is a banned substance for sporting organizations such as the International Olympic Committee and Major League Baseball. In 2009 Manny Ramirez of the LA Dodgers was issued a 50-game suspension for testing positive to HCG.
Something to consider with any very low calorie diet (500 to 800 calories per day) including the HCG diet is to ensure you get the necessary vitamins, minerals as well as a good ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats so the body gets the nutrition it needs to survive well, especially if you are physically active.
Does the HCG diet work? Many people are reporting substantial weight loss but it's difficult to determine whether the HCG is causing weight loss or whether it's the deep reduction in calorie consumption (which would cause weight loss on its own) that is also part of the diet. The big question at this point is whether people who are losing weight on this diet will be able to maintain that weight loss (in other words, keep off the weight and not revert back to their former size). Time will tell.
Our recommendation for getting into shape long-term is eating unprocessed, fresh, healthy food (but not too much of it), drinking lots of water, staying away from sugar and artificial sweeteners, getting enough rest and exercising daily (exercise should include a balance of flexibility work, strength training and aerobic fitness exercise). Sports scientists and doctors agree that the body can only lose one to two pounds of fat per week, anything more than that could be water loss or lean tissue. Losing weight isn't a "quick fix", it's something that takes time and often large changes in lifestyle from here on out.
We are very interested in hearing from you with your successes and failures with HCG use to lose weight both in the short term and long term as well as other experiences you've had dieting in general. There is no doubt obesity is a big problem, is HCG the best solution?
Tracey Thatcher writes for http://gofitnow.com/ with the purpose of helping people make the most of their lives by providing up-to-date information and tips on health and fitness. Health and fitness is an industry filled with scams, false information and confusion and it's time to get the truth back in to make sure as many people as possible start exercising properly and eating properly.
With over 25 years of personal training experience behind him, her husband and partner, Rudi knows what works and what doesn't. He's helped thousands of people and is currently writing a series of books sharing his knowledge on a broad scale.
You can contact Tracey and Rudi and get more information from their website http://gofitnow.com/
