What is hCG?
hCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin
The use of hCG for weight loss was pioneered by British endocrinologist (1900 in London – 1970 in Rome) was the leading exponent of a weight-loss protocol based on human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). In 1954, he published a book called "Pounds and Inches", and a paper in the Lancet on his theories.
While studying pregnant women on an extremely low-calorie diet in India in the 1950’s. He thought it was a “medical oxymoron” that pregnant women in a 3rd world country would walk everywhere, work, and eat just a handful of calories and still produce normal sized babies. His medical logic determined that these babies should be malnourished. This led him to discover that when a woman is pregnant, her body produces hCG. Also while in India, Dr. Simeons treated “fat boys” with pituitary problems with low doses of hCG. He observed both lost fat rather than lean muscle tissue.
What is hCG and how does it work?
How the hCG diet works. hCG or human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone that is naturally found in pregnant women. During pregnancy, women produce the hCG hormone in order to assist in the development of the fetus as well as help ensure a successful pregnancy resulting in a healthy child. hCG has two primary functions, the first one being to develop the sexual organs of the fetus. Both male and female fetuses require hCG in order to develop sexually. Without this hormone, the human race itself would not exist as there would be no way to procreate. The second function hCG provides is in helping to ensure that there are adequate nutrients and calories available for both the mother and child-to-be during pregnancy.
hCG does this by stimulating the hypothalamus to produce chemicals that release stores of fat into the bloodstream to be burned as energy. During this process, nutrients that are normally stored in fat are also released into the bloodstream, helping to provide sustenance to the mother and growing fetus. When pregnancy is not present, hCG still causes the release of fat stores into the bloodstream, and this is where it is important for those on the hCG protocol.
In conjunction with a 500 calorie a day limit, hCG will elicit rapid weight loss. Eating 500 calories a day might seem like a difficult task, and for many, but for most, they never feel hungry. The 500 calorie portion (Phase 2) only lasts a few weeks. After that, daily caloric content is increased back to normal levels. It’s important to note, though, that these “normal calorie levels” are not what you were eating prior to beginning the hCG protocol. If you find yourself wanting or needing to lose weight, then it goes without saying that your daily caloric intake was too high, causing you to store excess calories as fat. In order to keep the weight off after completing the hCG protocol, it’s imperative that you move forward eating a healthy, balanced diet.
How does hCG Help with Reducing Weight?
hCG helps to lose weight by metabolizing the body’s stored fat during the dieting process. This not only keeps you energized while on a very low-calorie it also helps you lose inches faster than with diet and exercise alone.
There are two types of fat in your body. The first type is visceral fat, which provides short-term energy storage. When you engage in short bursts of activity, you burn visceral fat. The second type is subcutaneous fat, which your body uses for long-term energy storage. Visceral fat is located in the abdomen, situated around your vital organs. Subcutaneous fat is located all over your body.
Generally, about 90% of the fat in the human body is subcutaneous. Additionally, women typically have a higher percentage of subcutaneous fat as opposed to men, who typically carry more visceral fat. Regardless of sex, however, this subcutaneous fat is the “stubborn” fat that is hard to lose with diet and exercise. Subcutaneous fat is the same “stored fat” that hCG metabolizes.
hCG metabolizes your subcutaneous fat by communicating with your hypothalamus, a very important part of your brain that regulates most of your metabolic functions such as hunger, thirst, body temperature, fatigue and more. In the case that you are undernourished – that is, you are consuming fewer calories than you are burning – hCG will tell your hypothalamus to metabolize your subcutaneous fat for adequate nourishment. hCG allows your body to retrieve your stored energy by burning that stubborn fat.