Health & Fitness

What Are HCG Diets?

Though HCG dietary supplement remains controversial, many still find the prospect of losing one pound a day wildly appealing. For that reason, people can not stop talking about it. Its popularity has spread from the USA and Canada to the UK. Many online shops in the USA claim to offer the real hcg drops houston. The supplement combines a strict diet plan with HCG drugs to promote rapid weight loss. We explore some facts about HCG diets in this blog.

HCG Diet

What HCG diets are

HCG diets combine HCG supplements with a strict diet plan, requiring only 500 – 800 calories per day. The combination supposedly promotes weight loss by resetting the metabolism. This metabolism reset causes the user to crave less food and burn excess fat without feeling weak. 

HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) is a hormone in a man’s or woman’s body. It is specially produced in women during pregnancy and ovulation. The FDA approves the drug to treat several conditions in males and females, including:

  • Female infertility 
  • Low testosterone 
  • Low sexual function in men
  • Male infertility caused by steroids 

However, the FDA does not approve its supplement for treating weight loss. The reported side effects of using it for weight loss are:

  • Tiredness
  • Depression
  • Restlessness 
  • Feeling irritable
  • Gynecomastia (man boob or swelling of the breasts in men)

How do HCG diets work?

The supporters claim that the supplement can access that part of the brain that controls metabolism and hunger. It then readjusts the metabolism and rapidly causes the user to lose body fat. This is why there is such a craze around HCG dietary supplements. 

The theory behind the diet plan is that the HCG supplement lessens hunger, and the user loses the excess fat, not the muscles. At the same time, low food intake aids weight loss.

Though this sounds logical to many, there is no scientific proof to back it up. The FDA has stated that there is no relationship between the supplement itself and weight loss in this diet plan.

How much weight can I lose from an HCG diet?

According to supporters, you can lose up to one pound a day with this diet fad. However, scientists claim that this weight loss has nothing to do with the HCG drugs. Instead, the strict diet is what leads to the loss of much weight in such a short time. (The strict diet is also said to be harmful and reckless. According to the health community, no one should go on such a strict diet without medical supervision.)

Many online stores promoting the supplement warn users to adhere strictly to the plan for favorable results. But other non-supporters claimed that sticking to such a diet without the drugs for 43 days would produce the same result.

If you are considering a diet plan for weight loss, it is better to speak to your doctor about recommendations. If you choose the HCG diet plan, ensure it is legal in your province. Or check this with the appropriate authorities.