Patients and others who struggle with their weight have been asking me about the very popular, trendy “HCG Diet.” Is it safe? Does it work? And is it a good option for rapid weight loss?
The answer to all of these questions is a resounding “yes,” but there are some conditions of which you need to be aware before you decide if this is the path for you.
Any program that limits you with a strict caloric intake will cause eventual weight loss. No one came out of the concentration camps fat. But there are extenuating circumstances, and it is important to carefully (and prayerfully, I might add), evaluate the information I’ll share with you, and other sources of information, and then make your decision.
I do NOT recommend that you jump to HCG as your first choice for treatment and weight loss. Other factors involved in basic, overall health, are important — in fact, critical — to have in place first. I’ll share some of the requirements that I have before recommending HCG a little later in this article. For now, it’s informative to learn a little bit about the history. So, let’s start with the history.
Albert Simeons, MD, discovered HCG prior to 1950, while living in India. In 1950, he moved to Italy and perfected the diet portion of the HCG + diet and, in 1954, he wrote his treatise Pounds and Inches: A new Approach to Obesity. Although his program needs further research to more clearly delineate the mechanisms of action, it is clearly a safe and effective way to lose abnormal fat.
Structural vs. Abnormal Fat
We all need a certain amount of structural fat in our body. This provides cushioning for our feet and hands, fills the gaps between our organs, and keeps our skin smooth and taut. We also need a certain amount of fat as an energy reserve when the intestinal tract is not immediately meeting the need for energy.
Different Types of Fat
The obese typically have a disorder of certain regulatory mechanisms. This disorder permits the deposition of abnormal fat in the belly, hips, thighs, and upper arms. This fat often does not disappear with traditional dieting.
To the detriment of faithful, perpetual dieters who diet repeatedly, the structural and energy reserves of fat — so important to our overall health — diminish in a state of constant dieting. With the regulatory mechanism dysfunction, the abnormal fat will get stored, whether you eat too much or too little (which explains why dieting is so frustrating for so many).
Those who do not have this disorder can eat as much as they want and will not become obese (which is another reason why dieting is so frustrating).
The regulatory mechanism disorder is housed within the hypothalamus, as are a number of other automatic functions. This “fat-center bank” functions well until there is a sudden marked increase in the amount of food ingested. A similar dysfunction could also manifest if the demand for food decreases, while the intake stays the same, such as in an athlete who becomes suddenly bedridden, or a person moves from a cold climate to a warm climate and continues the same caloric intake. This phenomenon was observed when underfed refugees after World War II were given ample food suddenly, and 85% of them became obese within three months.
HCG’s Effects on the Body
Dr. Simeons made several observations regarding his discovery of HCG and its effect on the body.
- He described specific signs and symptoms that are part of obesity. These include:
- Large size of two upper front teeth or the first incisor, or a dimple on both sides of the sacral bone just above the buttocks.
- Upper and lower extremities that angle outward at the elbow and knees (knock-kneed)
- Abnormal fat pads below nape of neck (Duchess’ Hump), front of armpit, insides of knees
- Stretch marks on breasts, hips and shoulders.
- A fold of skin over pubic area and around both sides of chest, where rolls of fat can be lifted upward.
- Excessive fat deposition on abdomen, hips, thighs, upper arms, chin and shoulders, breasts.
- Common symptoms, although not specific to this condition, often include frequent headaches, rheumatic pains, feeling lazy or lethargic, cravings for sweets or carbohydrates, constipation, irritable colon, menstrual disorders.
- Obese women typically lose abnormal fat during pregnancy, even though they may actually gain weight overall.
- “Fat boys” identified in India with underdeveloped genitals could be treated by injection with a substance extracted from pregnant women. Treated in this manner, their genitalia developed normally, they lost their ravenous appetite, and their shape changed (fat moved away from their hips).
- The substance was then identified and given the name Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG). Dr. Simeons additionally discovered that by restricting the diet and eliminating the feeling of hunger, he could burn greater amounts of the abnormal fat effectively. This took place without any change in the structural fat or energy reserve fat.
The Diet Dr. Simeons Developed
In his research, Dr. Simeons also found that a very specific list of dietary foods could be ingested, and any deviation would not produce the same quick abnormal fat loss. He documented other details in his diet protocol, such as Initial overloading of forbidden foods for the first few days, and continuing the diet for 2 days after stopping the HCG, and changes with menstruation, that require careful supervision to get the best results.
From Injections to Homeopathic Solutions
Initially, Dr. Simeon’s protocol required a rather tedious and painful treatment regimen that involved daily injections. Recently, however, the frequency of HCG has been placed into a homeopathic solution, so the same effect can be accomplished without the use of daily injections.
When the treatment protocol — either 23 or 40 days, depending upon the program — is completed, there is a maintenance period with slow introduction of a more regular diet, while carefully avoiding sugar and processed foods.
Because HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin) is bio-identical to what the body makes, and is now available in a homeopathic solution that is very effective, I have decided to include this among the products that I make available to my patients, but only after certain good habits are established that will help keep the abnormal fat from accumulating once again. The long-term effectiveness of any weight-balance program includes habits that are easy to do, healthy food that tastes good, and attention to all aspects of health — sleep, thoughts, exercise, toxin removal, nutrients.
If this is something you have contemplated, and you would be interested in pursuing HCG in your own weight loss efforts, below are the criteria I have people review prior to going on an HCG protocol:
Criteria for Participation in the HCG-Diet program
HCG is not for everyone. It can, however, jump start weight loss for overweight individuals that have tried traditional weight loss programs and been frustrated with their outcomes. This program is designed after Dr. Simeon’s program of the 1950s. For maximal benefit, which means losing between 1/2 to 1 pound of abnormal fat per day, you will need to maintain strict compliance to the protocol. If you are on a poor diet and lousy exercise program before starting the program, you will likely resume those habits after the program, so there will be no long term benefit, and no reason to use this program.
My particular proprietary HCG formula is homeopathic, so it does not require injections, and it includes 22 amino acids, the “building blocks” of protein.
This program works best on those people whose fat has congregated around their hips, thighs, abdomen, front of armpit, inside of knees, breasts.
1. Strict compliance with the prescribed diet.
2. Eating ‘real’ food, and no sugar and processed food.
3. Regular exercise program (ideally with bursts [high intensity interval training]).
4. Commitment to stopping each course at the prescribed end, and not resuming until at least the prescribed time has elapsed.
For those who have faithfully and diligently made the effort to get their weight under control, with no positive response, HCG is a safe, quick, and very effective way to lose weight.
If you would like more information, please visit my website, www.stangardnermd.com. If you have further questions, you can call my office, Keys to Healing Medical Center, at 801-302-5397. Please allow a little time for us to get all your questions answered.
