You can lose 1 lb. or more a day if you inject yourself with hormones, follow a near-starvation diet and avoid the use of cosmetics. Or so claim proponents of the HCG diet, an extreme weight-loss strategy that poses hazards to your health. The Food and Drug Administration does not approve the use of fertility treatment hormones for weight loss.
History
The HCG diet, designed by the late British physician Dr. A.T.W. Simeons more than 50 years ago, includes no breakfast and no starch or sugar -- including those found in fruit -- for three weeks. After that, you can add a piece of fruit and a piece of melba toast or a breadstick to your daily menu, limited to a strict list of grilled or broiled meat and a short list of vegetables. You take a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin -- HCG -- daily by injection or in tablet form. The use of medicines and cosmetics could interfere with weight loss, according to Simeons.
Dangers
The diet, which should not be undertaken without the advice and guidance of a physician, limits your intake of calories to 500 per day. Consuming fewer than 800 calories a day for an extended period could prove fatal. The diet provides too few calories to meet your nutritional needs and may lead to gallstones, according to Jennifer Nelson, a registered dietitian. Less serious side effects include headaches, irritability and fatigue.
Metabolism
Supporters of the diet, including some medical professionals, say the diet includes few side effects because HCG is a natural-occurring hormone. No clinical evidence supports the use of HCG for weight loss, however, and anyone who consumes 500 calories a day can expect to shed pounds. But low-calorie diets harm your metabolism, eventually slowing weight loss and making it more likely that you will regain weight after you resume normal eating patterns, according to Dr. David Katz, director and founder of Yale University's Prevention Research Center.
Additional Risks
The HCG diet can pose increased risks to those who are pregnant, nursing or under the age of 18. You can also experience pain and swelling if you use HCG infection. Some risk of infection to the injection site also exists. However, the recommended use of HCG is 125 to 200 IU of the substance per day, which is 10 times less than that given to women during fertility treatment.
