After the Diet

Posted in town, there's a large banner which promises pretty impressive and rapid weight loss to the potential clients of this particular program. Now, I have only heard about this banner, so I can't say what sort of diet method this place is advocating. However, it sounds a lot like the claims proponents of the hCG diet have been making.

Until today, I didn't know much about the hCG diet, save for the fact that it can involve shots and a very low calorie diet. I also know that, at our clinic, we sometimes get calls from disgruntled dieters who have lost much and gained back much more through this diet. So, today I decided to do a little research to see what I could learn about the newest rage. Here's what I found out (as quoted from hcgdietinfo.com):

• hCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, a hormone naturally produced by the placenta in pregnant women and almost completely controls the metabolic function through the hypothalamus throughout the pregnancy.

• The hCG used in the Hcg diet protocols is a variation of the hCG form used for fertility treatments, and in a much smaller dose.

• Most hCG dieters report a loss of 1 to 2 lbs a day. At the very least, .5 pound a day, and at the most, 3 + lbs a day.

• A 500 calorie a day diet also known as the VLCD (very low calorie diet), is combined with a minimal intake of hCG.

• Possible side effects: ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome; early puberty in young boys; multiple births in pregnancy; headache; feeling restless or irritable; mild swelling or water weight gain; depression; breast tenderness and swelling; and or injection site inflammation and pain.

When addressing possible weight gain after use, the website says, " Will you gain the weight back after hCG? There is no reason you should, so long as you have replaced any former negative eating and inactive lifestyle habits with new, healthy perspectives on food and exercise." My thoughts (since you asked)? The second half of that sentence is pretty huge. Unless there's a magic perspective-changing potion in those shots, how are these dieters to go about replacing "negative eating and inactive lifestyle habits" with healthier ones? Though the hCG diet may be helpful in getting a large amount of weight off fast (despite potential side effects), it would seem that in order to enjoy that state for a long period of time, you still have to accept the reality of changing your lifestyle.