hCG Hormone Therapy Diet

HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) is a hormone found in cells that make up the placenta in a pregnant woman as early as eleven days after conception. After 11 days, the hCG hormone can also be found in a pregnant woman's urine. This hormone has the important job of providing nutrients to the fetus, helping it grow into a healthy baby.

Even men have the hCG hormone in their bodies, but the hormone resides in cells that are normally not active. The synthetic form of the hormone is now being used along with a diet plan to help people successfully lose weight and keep it off.

Author and outspoken advocate of holistic methods for weight loss, Kevin Trudeau, introduced the concept of the hCG Diet in his highly touted book, "The Weight Loss Cure," citing the findings based on the original research of the late British doctor, A.T.W. Simeons. Dr. Simeons dedicated many years to studying weight loss brought about by injections of hCG, and his success with the plan spanned a period of over 50 years.

The hCG Diet works on the premise of "resetting" the hypothalamus gland - a gland that helps the neurotransmitters in the brain to receive messages correctly. These neurotransmitters are necessary for the functioning of the brain's most potent hormones - Norepinephrine, Serotonin, Acetylcholine and Dopamine - which, in turn, affect the imbalances in our bodies.

Some crucial imbalances that can prevent weight loss when the hypothalamus gland isn't working properly are metabolism, hunger, salt cravings and energy levels. There is also an important link of the hypothalamus to the organization of our mood levels. A certain type of mood could make us ravenously hungry so that we reach for every food in sight just to stop the cravings that our brain is making us think is real.

Injections or oral consumption of the hCG hormone regulates and resets the hypothalamus gland so that it's working for you rather than against you in weight loss realizations. Injections can be performed by your doctor easily and quickly, while oral alternatives are becoming more available, thanks to Dr. Daniel Beluccio, who created the protocol.

#1 Detox: In the first phase of the hCG diet plan, you'll be going through a detoxifying process designed to get your body - and your mind - ready for what's to come. You'll be drinking lots of water and eating very few calories.

#2 Calorie Binge: The second hCG phase is the fun one! You'll "pig-out" and binge on calories - eating the foods you've been dreaming about during the first phase. But, alas, this phase only lasts for a couple of days. This phase probably sounds like the strangest one, but it's specifically designed to reset your metabolism and get your body ready for the third phase.

#3 hCG Supplements: The third phase is when you begin taking hCG hormone injections or sublingual drops. As you progress, your hunger pains and cravings will subside and you'll notice that your body is actually beginning to reshape itself.

#4 Maintenance: After the third phase, the pounds you wanted to lose are a distant memory and you're ready for the final hCG phase. The maintenance phase of the hCG diet plan guarantees that you'll maintain your new and ideal weight, even though you've reached the end of the hCG doses.

Trudeau's protocol includes a cleansing procedure at the beginning of Phase 1, but Dr. Simeons' original protocol didn't call for that measure. Both protocols call for a couple of days of high caloric and fat intake, followed by an extremely low calorie diet plan - only 500 calories per day. Despite their differences, both protocols if followed religiously, are successful with similar results. Which you choose is up to you.

While you're taking the hCG hormone, whether injections, oral drops or pills, you're limited to a strict, 500 calorie per day diet plan. The highly restrictive diet is planned so that while you're only pulling in 500 calories, your body is actually burning around 2,000 calories from stored fat cells - resulting in rapid and sure-fire loss of pounds.

Basically, the hCG diet consists of very low calorie meals that might look something like this:

Breakfast: Beverages are limited to coffee or a selection from several kinds of tea including Wu Long, Yerba Mate and organic green tea. You're only allowed one tablespoon of milk per day and you can use it for your breakfast drink, if desired. Water is also allowed, but it should be pure and not tap water.

Lunch and Dinner: Certain proteins and limited vegetables are about all you get for a typical lunch or dinner meal. These proteins include beef or veal, skinless chicken breasts and a few types of fish that tend to carry a low mercury count. Be sure that you choose a different protein allotment for lunch and dinner

All meats should be organically-fed. You should only eat one type of vegetable - and be sure to avoid cooking them in oil or fats. You can boil, steam or grill the vegetables. Vegetables allowed on the hCG diet plan include tomatoes, cabbage, celery, cucumbers and spinach.

Fruits are also included in the hCG diet, what to eat includes organic grapefruit, apples and strawberries in the proper proportions. You may include the fruit with a lunch or dinner meal. You should also vary the vegetable and fruit allowances for lunch and dinner.

When looking at the hCG diet, what to eat may present a problem if you're used to a rich variety of foods. The hCG diet plan may not look very appealing, but if you're serious about losing those unwanted pounds, this is the diet that will take them off and keep them off.

As the popularity of the hCG weight loss plan increases, so are hCG clinics. If you do a google search for an hCG clinic, you may find one in your own city. If you don't, it's simply a matter of time before one appears. In fact, they're popping up faster than google can keep track of them, so check in your local directory before you give up.

Why go to an hCG clinic? hCG clinics offer supervised weight loss using the hCG protocol developed by the late Dr. A.T.W. Simeons. Most clinics offer injections or use of the synthetic form of the hCG hormone in oral drops. At an hCG clinic you should receive personalized supervision that tracks your weight and diet plan and can alert you if there are problems involving your health.

The hCG weight loss plan involves injections, pills or the oral drops of the hCG hormone while following a highly restrictive (500 calorie) diet plan. You can purchase injection "kits" online, but, unless you know how to give injections, you might suffer from bruising and pain that can be avoided if administered from a professional. You can easily take the hCG pills or insert the oral drops sublingually, but you may need guidance about the dosage you should take.

The main advantage to seeking out an hCG clinic is the supervision aspect. You should receive counseling from beginning to end of the weight loss plan. A highly professional staff should also provide diet education and consultation sessions that will keep you on target for the weight you need to lose.

As with any weight loss plan, supervision is preferred over going it alone. But, if you see your regular physician and he or she pronounces you fit for the plan, you may want to proceed on your own. You can purchase injections, pills or oral drops online and go for the DIY route, or opt for the hCG clinic. Either way, you should be carefully monitored for the duration of the diet and taking the hCG hormone.

Most hCG clinics follow Dr. Simeons' hCG diet plan protocol, but may also offer hints and tips about how to make the diet's bland food more interesting. They'll also offer recipes or tell you how to purchase pre-packaged foods if you hate shopping for and putting together the recipes yourself.

You may be the type of personality that has to have guidance for your weight loss journey or it may not work. A plethora of guidance books, hCG forums and blogs and just about anything else you would need to go it alone exists on the Internet, but if you can and are willing to pay for the extra attention you'd receive at a clinic, it might be worthwhile.

Just as there are online scams about everything on the Internet, there may be fly-by-night hCG clinics that are here today and gone tomorrow. That means you should carefully research the credentials of the hCG clinic before paying a fee or entrusting your weight loss goals and overall health.