Is HCG Diet a Long-Term Solution for Obesity?

Is HCG Diet a Long-Term Solution for Obesity?

For decades, obesity has been regarded as a physical flaw with behavioral implications but the mindset has changed. With the passage of time, obesity has emerged as a lifestyle-generated disease as more and more people are falling prey to it because of unhealthy habits and a generally poor lifestyle. People who are genetically susceptible to it tend to gain weight faster and have accumulated fat deposits. The worst thing is that obesity brings a host of health issues and risks that can affect the quality of life.

People who are overweight are at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, stroke and musculoskeletal diseases, to name just a few. Excessive weight is associated with infertility in both, men and women. Additionally, it has emotional and psychological impacts, with obese people being prone to low self-esteem and even depression. Considering the adverse health implications of obesity, it becomes important to understand its causes and implications of the problem and look for the right weight loss measures as well.

Body Fat: The culprit that is responsible for obesity

Obesity is attributed to the accumulation of fats in the body. A certain amount of healthy fat is essential to keep the body functioning properly. However, the extra consumed can deposit itself as accumulated fat and result in obesity in the long run. Body fat, therefore, is the true culprit that causes you to become obese if not checked and controlled. If you consume too many calories and use up only a part of them, the extra ones get locked and deposited in the form of fat, which manifests itself in the form of extra flab on the body and extra pounds on the weighing scales. Here are the types of body fats that get accumulated in the body:

Structural Fats: These are the natural fats that fill the gaps between the various body organs and act as a protective cushion. They are also responsible for some key functions such as providing bedding for the kidneys, protecting the arteries and keeping the skin smooth and taut.

Normal Fats: These refer to the fats that provide energy to the body for its day-to-day activities. They act as the fuel for the body so that it can perform daily activities. Normal fats regulate the body temperature, maintain the physical functions and facilitate the muscular activity.

Abnormal Fats: While structural and normal fats are of key significance for proper body functions, abnormal fats are the extra fats that cause harm rather than good. These are seen as accumulation of flab around the waistline, hips, and thighs and are the ones that make you obese and cause associated diseases. Abnormal fats get deposited in the body when you take a diet high in starch and sugar. Without following relevant weight loss measures, they stay in the body and cause problems in the long run.

The aim of any diet plan is to get rid of the abnormal fat, which automatically restores normal weight and resolves obesity and the related health issues. Over the years, various kinds of diet plans have been devised and tried for helping obese people to lose weight effectively and sustain the weight loss over a period of time. One of these protocols is HCG diet, which was introduced in 1954 by a British doctor, Dr A.T.W. Simeons. All these years, people across the globe have been using this diet protocol to shed weight and still stay healthy and lean for the years to come. Let us know more about the efficacy and safety of HCG diet as a long-term solution for obesity.

Basics of HCG diet

HCG diet comprises of two components:

  • A low calorie diet restricted to 500 calories in a day. The 500 calorie limit is for the Phase 2 of the protocol, which is the longest and the core phase. The dieter has to eat healthy and avoid high-fat foods. There are plenty of HCG weight loss recipes available online to help you make the diet more interesting. It is increased to 800-1000 calories a day during Phase 3 or maintenance phase; when the body is given time to adapt to continued weight loss even after the discontinuation of the HCG hormones.

  • The other component of the HCG diet is administration of HCG hormone, which is available in the form of injections, drops, pills and nasal sprays. Earlier, HCG injections were the most popular form while drops have emerged as the widely used option today. A daily dosage of 8-10 drops is to be taken thrice a day during the second phase of the diet. They are sublingual, which means that you have to take them under the tongue so that they reach the bloodstream rapidly and start acting.

Together, these two components of the HCG diet protocol act to promote rapid weight loss. The low-calorie diet means that you have fewer calories to burn, while the drops accelerate the metabolic rate to speed up the calorie consumption process. With a faster metabolism, your calorie burning capacity increases greatly and the extra fat accumulated in the body are used up to cover this deficit (the difference between calories to be burnt and the calories consumed). HCG diet, therefore, promotes the fat burning process, which results in rapid weight loss and helps to curb obesity

HCG Diet: A long-term solution for obesity

Now that the concept and action of HCG diet are explained, there is a need to find out whether it is effective as a long-term solution for obesity. The protocol definitely works for obese people as it leads to loss of fat rather than muscle and lean tissue, which happens with some other diet protocols. This diet increases your metabolism and does not make you feel starved as you need not stay hungry for the entire day. It allows two meals a day, comprising a single serving each of a protein, bread, a vegetable and a fruit. Even though you need to restrict your intake to 500 calories a day during the second phase, the first phase lets you eat lavishly while the third phase increases the calorie limit to 800-1000 calories a day.

Moreover, you can follow this protocol multiple times if you need to shed a lot of weight. It is absolutely safe to do it more than once so that you can get rid of all the fat you want to and reach the target weight level. HCG is considered completely safe and has no side effects as it promotes weight loss by increasing metabolism and suppressing the appetite. Overall, you can easily shed around 1-2 pounds a day and keep it off too provided that you are able to maintain a healthy diet and regular exercise routine after the protocol is done. This means that HCG diet is an effective weight loss solution for obesity and it works in the long run.

Seeing the safety and efficacy of HCG diet, it has become a widely followed diet plan for people suffering from chronic obesity. You must ensure that you follow the diet stringently as well as get high-quality HCG drops from a trusted seller. Consult your doctor before taking the diet if you are suffering from a chronic health condition and using a prescription medication for the same. The drops and injections can be brought from a pharmacy or online sellers. Also, HCG diet is not recommended for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers though the ones who have stopped lactating can go ahead with the diet.

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