The medical acronym hCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin which is a hormone that is made by expectant mothers during pregnancy. hCG also has a long history of use for weight loss in conjunction with a low calorie diet. This is traditionally referred to as ‘The hCG Diet’ but is also often called the ‘pregnancy hormone diet’ and the ‘500 calorie diet’. Despite the fact that hCG is largely considered a ‘female hormone’, the hCG diet is also safe and effective for men.
The reason that this diet is often called the ‘500 calorie diet’ is because typically participants are encouraged to consume only 500 calories per day. In most cases, consuming so few calories would result in loss of muscle tissue as well as fat as the body, starved for nutrients, turned to the muscles for energy. It has been found that this is not the case with the hCG diet and this is due to daily administration of the hCG hormone.
It must be emphasized that the hCG hormone itself does not stimulate the weight loss experienced while on the hCG diet. It is in fact, the severe calorie restriction that results in weight loss. What hCG does is stimulate muscle growth in the person utilizing the hormone. This means that while fat is being lost due to the calorie restrictions, muscle is being preserved and even enhanced. Because muscle is a metabolic tissue, this actually helps to support metabolism making maintaining the weight loss achieved an easier task.
People who have used the hCG diet for weight loss also report that another advantage of using hCG whilst consuming a low calorie is that is helps to control the hunger that would normally be crippling when consuming so few calories. This makes sticking to the diet much easier than it would be otherwise.
Traditionally hCG has been administered to dieters via means of daily injections into the abdomen and many argue that injection is still the only effective way of using hCG. Despite the fact that the hCG injections are relatively painless, many people still prefer to use an oral form of hCG. For this reason, hCG is now available in drops, pills, injections, nasal sprays and even as topical cream!
It is advisable to seek the advice and supervision of a doctor if you are planning on ordering HCG and commencing the hCG diet. As few as 500 calories will not be suitable for every individual and many doctors now recommend up to as many as 1500 calories depending on your age, weight, gender and activity level. Because of the popularity of this diet, you can now access hCG diet doctors over the internet and phone and once they have approved you for the program, you can also buy hCG online and start the diet without having to actually visit a doctors office.