***The HCG Solution: Fad Starvation Diet or True Weight Loss Revolution?

The HCG Diet is viewed by many as a controversial weight loss plan because of its severe restriction of calories, but participants report huge losses and little to no hunger.

Known for producing weight loss results of 20-30 lbs in about a month, the HCG Diet consists of taking HCG, a supplement, and eating the specific Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) as outlined by HCG Diet creator, Dr. A. T. W. Simeons. After the month of weight loss, dieters follow Dr. Simeons’ HCG Maintenance Phase to train their body to sustain their new weight. So, most participants keep the weight off.

Some nutritionists believe the HCG Diet to be too extreme claiming that restricting calories to this extent is a health risk and may lead to malnutrition. However, HCG Diet experts believe this is mostly due to a lack of education and practical experience.

Dr. Simeons explains why eating only 500 calories is safe in his manuscript, Pounds and Inches Away: A New Approach to Obesity. He states, “1 lb [of abnormal fat] furnishes the body with more than 2,000 calories. As this is roughly the amount lost every day, a patient under HCG is never short of fuel.” So, in actuality, a participant may have 2,500 calories or more feeding them each day between the food they are eating and the calories being released from their abnormal fat stores.

Many HCG Dieters say they do not experience hunger and have plenty of energy. Recently, a fan of online HCG retailer Do-It-Yourself HCG (DIY HCG) wrote on the company’s Facebook page “…I have tried EVERY diet known to mankind and I am currently on the cusp of having lost 30 lbs, with NO hunger and looking the best I've looked in 20 years (I'm 38 years old). It's not ‘starving yourself’ if you actually take the time to learn the science behind how HCG works with your body!” Similar sentiments can be found on many HCG Facebook pages and HCG forums around the web.

So, starvation diet or weight loss revolution? It depends on who you ask. But, for anyone who wants to potentially lose 20-30 lbs in about a month and reshape their body, CEO of DIY HCG and HCG Diet author Tiffany Prinster has this advice, “Just make sure to do your research to make sure that the HCG Diet is right for you. I know that the HCG Diet is a safe and healthy choice, but everyone needs to decide that for themselves before embarking on their HCG weight loss journey.”