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One of the more trendy diet plans right now is the HCG diet. It’s a type of restriction diet that only allows dieters to consume 500 calories per day — as long as you take daily supplements of HCG hormone injects or oral HCG drops.
What’s HCG?
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin or HCG is a type of hormone that occurs naturally in the body. The hormone is released from the pituitary glands. HCG level increases in pregnant women because the body requires more fuel to energize both the mother and the fetus.
Taking that concept, an HCG diet, in theory, helps burn off stored fat in the body by taking HCG hormones.
HCG Protocols
There are different variations of HCG diet protocols. One of the most common is a four-step HCG protocol wherein you lose weight and maintain your weight.
Phase 1
The first step in an HCG diet is to prep your body. This means detoxing your system to flush out toxins so you start the diet clean on the inside. You can take detox teas, colon cleanses, or even consume more vegetables and fruits before dieting.
Phase 2
Load up on as many fatty foods as possible in 2 days. This helps build the fat reserves in the body. On the third day, start the 500-calorie diet. Dieters have to drink tea, coffee, and the recommended 2 liters of water daily. Start taking the recommended dosage of HCG hormone. Don’t be surprised if you start spending a lot of time in the bathroom, your body is slowly cleansing away all its excess fat. The maximum time you should be in phase 2 is around 40 doses or until you’ve lost 34 pounds.
Phase 3
Phase 3 is all about maintenance, not weight loss. You want to take steps to ensure you remain on the right track and keep yourself at your ideal weight. Eliminate starches and sugar from your diet for at least 3 weeks. The key here is to maintain within 2 pounds of our last dosage weight. This means you have to weigh yourself daily to check if you’re on the right track. If you didn’t go over the 2 pounds limit, take a “steak day” on that day.
Steak day is when you consume nothing but liquids all day and then eat a large steak at dinner time plus a whole tomato or apple.
Phase 4
Phase 4 is when you start loosening the grip on your very strict diet. At this point, your hunger pangs should be manageable—if not eliminated altogether—as the body adjusts to your diet. You will notice that you no longer crave for junk food and that you feel satisfied with smaller meals.
Start adding starches back to your diet very slowly. Determine which types of food help you keep your current weight. Track your weight daily and do the “steak” day if you are starting to go over the 2 pound limit. At this point, you have the choice to continue to take your HCG dose if you want to lose more weight.
HCG Diet Weight Loss Results
The HCG diet claims that dieters will lose one pound each day. However, because you only consume 500 calories each day, you will lose weight with or without taking the HCG hormone. In addition, this extreme diet may be dangerous to some dieters. It’s always important to talk to your doctor prior to changing your diet. Or better yet, turn to exercise and a healthy diet to lose weight.