HCG, it's just all the rage right now. But does it work? Drops, injections, what is the deal? Since I have been working my way back down from baby number three, I am giving it a shot. All the info on this diet was interesting and believable, but a little too good to be true. Yes, I am going into this one with a little skepticism.
So HCG is the hormone we produce in early pregnancy. In early pregnancy, we vomit our lungs out. The baby still needs nutrition, and this is where HCG is supposed to come in and release our fat stores to feed the baby. The theory behind the HCG diet, is that the HCG combined with a very low calorie diet (VLCD), causes us to burn fat. Well, a VLCD would burn fat anyway. Eating 500 calories a day would cause fat loss on its own. The HCG is supposed to decrease appetite and protect muscle loss. Don't ask me how, I am not the doctor!
HCG Injections - This is supposedly the ideal method, injected by a physician or
eeek, by yourself at home. Let me just say, if you are thinking about putting a needle in your own stomach everyday, it is time to seek some professional help.
HCG Drops - These are not real HCG, but a homeopathic clone of some sort. You take them under the tongue 2, 3, or 6 times per day. You can choose your schedule on the dosing chart. This is what I am trying. The kind I am using have a slight alcohol burn. I will try to update every week.
Here it is, day 4 of this diet, and I do not see any difference from Atkins or severe calorie restriction. I will give it two weeks before I start calling for my refund though. I have lost about 2 1/2 pounds, but I am eating 500 calories a day or less, so I feel like that would have happened anyway. Last night I totally broke down and ate a handful of peanut M&M's, but it did not seem to have a negative impact. Oh, I am also using ketostix. They test for ketones in your urine. The test strip turns pink to purple-ish when ketones are present. This indicates that you are in ketosis and that your body is burning fat. This is not to be confused with ketoacidosis, which is a dangerous condition for diabetics. I have been negative for ketones until this afternoon. The strips are getting progressively darker. So I am burning fat, but it would appear to be from the calorie restriction, not the HCG. The hunger for the last two days was pretty strong, but today I have no appetite. Is it the HCG, or starvation mode? I'll reserve my judgement until week 2, but it is not looking good for HCG drops.
**This diet was popular in the 70's, but quickly discarded due to the lack of proof that it worked. There are phases to this diet as well; a 2 day fat loading phase, the 21-34 fat loss phase, the 3 days to taper off of the drops, and a 21 day stabilization phase. Phase 4 seems to be stage 2 of Atkins. The only novel idea to me is the fact that you should stabilize your weight and food intake before trying to lose more weight or returning to normal eating. I never really thought about that before. By normal eating I mean healthy carbs like fruits, Larabars, whole wheat bread and pasta. Not drive through meals or deep fat fried things. I reserve my extra calories for treats like chocolate or Mexican food!
