The HCG diet is based on the principle that the hormone called human chorionic gonadotrophin, or HCG, plays an integral role in weight loss. HCG is a hormone that is typically produced by women during pregnancy, but is also produced in small amounts in both men and women in the anterior pituitary gland in the brain. The HCG diet involves very low calories plus daily injections of HCG to stimulate weight loss and hormone production, which should be done under the supervision of a qualified professional. Consult your physician before beginning the HCG diet.
Preparatory Phase
The first phase of the HCG diet is called the preparatory phase and is designed to prepare your body for the HCG injections by cleansing and detoxifying your system. Kevin Trudeau, an authority on the HCG diet, added the preparatory phase to the diet to remove toxins from your body for at least one month before you start the HCG injections. This can be done through the ingestion of plants and herbs that are meant to cleanse your liver of toxins, as well as ingesting large amounts of fiber to cleanse your colon.
Reduction Phase
The reduction phase, or the HCG phase, involves consuming a very low calorie diet and taking either HCG injections or sublingual drops. In this phase, your daily calorie intake is not to exceed 500, which is well below what is normally recommended by the American Council on Exercise, which states that any calorie intake below 900 is dangerous. The reduction phase typically lasts between 20 and 40 days, depending on your specific weight loss goals, and sometimes results in dramatic weight loss.
Intermittent Maintenance Phase
The intermittent maintenance phase, or the stabilization phase, immediately follows the reduction phase after you have completed your HCG supplementation and lasts about three weeks to one month. In this phase, you will begin to re-introduce foods, particularly carbohydrates, back into your diet that were restricted during the reduction phase. The goal of the intermittent maintenance phase is to reset your hypothalamus gland, which is responsible for anabolic hormone production and metabolism by re-introducing starches and sugars into your diet.
Final Maintenance Phase
Phase four, or the final maintenance phase, marks the completion of the diet protocol. The goal of the HCG diet by phase four is to have severely restricted your diet for an extended time in an effort for you to lose weight and develop new eating habits so you can maintain a healthy body weight for the rest of your life. In the final maintenance phase, you are expected to maintain your body weight and continue eating healthy, balanced meals that include protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats without eating excess calories, starches or sugars.
References
- HCG Diet; About the HCG Diet
- "The Super Simple HCG Diet"; Kathleen Barnes; 2011
- "American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer Manual"; Richard T. Cotton; 1997
Member Comments