With the HCG diet, the hormone hCG is injected or absorbed in another way. Also, only 500 calories are eaten daily. But can that be healthy?
HCG Diet: What Is It?
HCG stands for "human chorionic gonadotropin" and is a pregnancy hormone. The hormone has the interesting property of tapping into fat cells in pregnant women when the unborn child is not adequately supplied by the woman's diet. British doctor Dr. Albert Simeons made use of this effect for the HCG diet, by giving HCG in the form of injections to women who want to lose weight. The aim is to use the hormone to stimulate the metabolism and to give the body the signal to tap into fat cells even without a child in the stomach.
How did the HCG diet come about?
In 1954, Simeons observed that pregnant Indian women performed well despite their very low energy intake. In addition, the women lost more fat than muscle. The doctor blamed an increased concentration of the hormone hCG in pregnant women as the reason for this. So he carried out studies on his own patients and found that they lost more weight when they were given hCG injections in addition to a greatly reduced caloric intake (a maximum of 500 calories per day). Meanwhile, depending on the provider, the HCG diet allows between 500 and 800 calories per day.
HCG diet – a metabolic cure
The HCG diet is therefore a special metabolic cure and as such is quite controversial. By the way, HCG no longer has to be injected, but can also be consumed in the form of drops or globules. According to advocates of the diet, women should start on the first day of their period so that the hormone can be optimally incorporated into the cycle.
How does the HCG diet work?
The diet is divided into different phases. You do not take the hormone hCG all the time (e.g. as a drop). While you still have to build up reserves at the start of the diet, in the so-called loading phase, and consume food containing calories and fat, Almost only protein and vegetables are allowed during the diet phase.
What can you eat on the HCG diet?
This is how you start the first two days (loading phase) in the diet:
- Consume fatty food (build up reserves)
- Consume up to 4000 calories per day
- No alcohol
- Drink plenty of water (three to four liters)
- Twelve drops or globules three times a day (before and afterwards, do not eat anything for at least 15 minutes)
HCG Diet: The Diet Phase
Now it's time to get down to business. For 21 days (metabolism cure 21), i.e. for three weeks, protein and vegetables are on the nutritional list.
The following foodscan you eat:
- fish
- Lean meat
- tofu
- Eggs
- vegetables
- Low-sugar fruit (e.g. apples)
- As snacks, omelette, scrambled eggs or protein shakes (for breakfast)
The protein should have a satiating effect and the muscle mass should be largely preserved. In total, there are only 500 to 800 calories a day for three weeks in the loading phase, so that the diet is very low-calorie. You continue to take the hCG drops or globules every day. You should definitely avoid the following foods in the diet phase:
- Dairy products
- Pasta, rice, potatoes, bread (carbohydrates)
- Oils and fats
- alcohol
- sugar
HCG diet: stabilization phase
The stabilization phase of metabolism regimen 21 lasts three weeks again. This phase is about avoiding the frowned upon yo-yo effect with an appropriate diet. From now on you will increase your calories by around 100 every day. This gives the body time to get used to the adapted diet and not to save everything immediately. The goal is to achieve a healthy calorie level at the end of the phase while reducing weight.
Dr. Simeons recommends To avoid fat and sugar in large quantities during the stabilization phase. Otherwise, however, you still have a free hand in your diet.
How Dangerous is the HCG Diet?
The effects of hCG on weight loss cannot be scientifically proven, as the German Nutrition Society (DGE) found in a meta-analysis of all available studies in 1995. In fact, the concept is criticized by many experts. As early as 1976, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated that hCG injections were neither safe nor effective for losing weight. There is no evidence that the hormone actually improves weight loss or even prevents hunger on a heavily energy-reduced diet.
The weight loss in the diet phase is completely logical due to the low calorie intake (500 to 800 calories). If you hardly eat anything, you can of course also lose weight, regardless of the intake of the hCG hormone. Due to the strong calorie deficit, the yo-yo effect is likely and side effects can also occur due to the use of hCG.
Potential side effects of metabolism cure 21 are:
- a headache
- Menstrual irregularities
- Contraception no longer really effective
- Chest pain and thrombosis in men
Conclusion of the HCG diet
We cannot recommend the HCG diet for health reasons. In the diet phase in particular, there is a nutritional deficiency that is difficult to compensate for with many dietary supplements. A diet that takes place with the use of external hormones is also designed for a very short period of time and the yo-yo effect sends its regards. Especially since there is no scientific evidence about the effectiveness of the hCG drops.
If you want to lose weight, opt for a healthy, balanced diet with a slight calorie deficit. You can find out how to create a nutrition plan here. Do you like crazy diets? Then check out the New York Diet.
Would you like to talk to others about your diet? Then take a look at our BRIGITTE Community.
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Hild, Anne: The hCG Diet: The Secret Knowledge of the Rich, Beautiful & Celebrities. Aurum Verlag, 2012.
Rabe, T., et al. Risk-benefit analysis of a hCG 500 kcal reduction diet (Cura romana) in women. Obstetrics and Gynecology 47.05 (1987): 297-307.
DGE: hCG diet