What You Should Know About The Pregnancy Hormone Diet

Admin | December 7, 2011 - 8:32 pm

The pregnancy hormone diet, aka the HCG diet is a VERY controversial way to lose weight. Some people say it works while others say it’s very dangerous. The following article is from SnackGirl’s website and she talks about what she thinks about this bizarre fad diet.

Yes, I was one of those lucky ones that had two truly sickening pregnancies that resulted in two beautiful children.

What if you could harness those vomitous impulses and help people lose weight?

Doesn’t that sound like fun?

One of my readers, April, sent me this question:

What are your thoughts on the latest fad pregnancy hormone diet? It sounds so very extreme and unhealthy to me.

I just wonder how smart/not smart is it to pump yourself full of hormones shots for weight loss? (even men are doing this apparently, which seems really contrary to nature – lol)

This diet makes me want to puke all over the person who invented it.

On the HCG or pregnancy hormone diet, you eat 500 calories a day and take hCG, human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone taken from pregnant women’s urine. No, I am not making this up.

You will lose weight because the pregnancy hormone diet is a starvation diet, and then you get to dose yourself with a hormone that has never been proven to help anyone lose weight. Most studies have concluded that if dieters lose weight on HCG it is from the diet (reduction in calories) and the hormones to lose weight are simply a placebo.

This gives me an idea! I will make a pill of freeze-dried broccoli and create my own weight loss pill. Take a few of these magical pills every day as you reduce your calorie input by 3/4 and you will lose weight. True, no?

The Chicago Tribune recently featured an article on a woman who had success with this diet see: The hCG diet: One woman’s weight loss journey.

She has lost 100 pounds, but many of those pounds could be attributed to changes in eating and living strategies. For example, she started golf lessons, dancing, making better food choices, and seeing a therapist. The initial calorie reduction was like a “shock therapy” mode for her to get an idea of what she should be eating.

There ARE side effects to taking hCG, which include hair loss, increase potential for blood clots, headaches, irritability, and fatigue. So, you become skinny, bald, grumpy, and tired. Sound attractive?

Here on Snack Girl, I advocate for making life style changes and spending your money on better things than “magical” weight loss therapies. How about spending that $80 per month on a fancy gym membership, personal trainer, or a visit to a Registered Dietician?

I have interviewed a bunch of people who have lost significant amounts of weight, and they always talk about the lifestyle change they needed to make to get healthier.

Even if the pregnancy hormone diet was a magic bullet of weight loss, you would have to make better choices to keep the weight off after you end the hormone therapy.

You just can’t get around the hard work of getting healthy.

Pregnancy Hormone Diet Source

HCG ‘Pregnancy Hormone Diet’ Raises Cautions

HCG ‘Pregnancy Diet’ Raises Cautions

Posted in HCG | Tagged hcg diet, hormones shots for weight loss, hormones to lose weight, pregnancy hormone diet | Leave a comment

Does hCG Really Work For Weight Loss?

Admin | March 30, 2011 - 8:25 pm

For a diet to be effective it doesn’t always have to be common or traditional. The only problem is, when a diet recommends that you do something like inject a hormone found in the urine of pregnant women into your body (HCG) you may want to reconsider.

With the amount of people in this country (and others) who are overweight, it’s no surprise that the weight loss industry is a 30 billion dollar a year industry. And what fuels this industry are quick and easy solutions to a problem that really requires a re-adjustment of day-by-day activities (diet and exercise). The main problem is that people are short on time and want quick solutions to problems. They don’t want to have to wait months and months to see results. And I understand that. I suffer from the same “need to have instant gratification” that everyone else suffers from. But with weight loss it’s different. This is your HEALTH we’re talking about here.

How Does hCG Work For Weight Loss?

So, does hCG really work? Well, the theory behind hCG is that it works to suppress you cravings and then forces your body to use more fat for fuel. The diet requires that you eat only 500 calories per day of foods that are all-natural, organic, and unprocessed. In addition to the foods you’re supposed to take an injection of hCG or drops under your tounge (some of the hCG liquids that you find on the market may not contain ANY hCG). You’re supposed to follow this plan for a month and a half (45 days) and at the end of the diet supposedly your metabolism will be fixed and you will have lost several pounds a day.

How Does hCG Diet Work According To Nutritionists And Diet Experts

Most, if not all, nutritionists and diet experts say that this diet works only in that you’ll lose weight because it’s a starvation diet, not because of the hCG. If you only eat 500 calories a day you’re going to lose weight regardless of whether or not you take the drops or injections.

There is no scientific evidence that can support that hCG helps with weight loss. Two studies, one in 1995 by the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and another in 2009 by the American Society of Bariatric Physicians came to the conclusion that hCG should not be used for weight loss.

Most experts agree that it’s not going to help you lose weight and that the overall protocols of the diet are very extreme and almost impossible to stick to. Think about it, do you think you could only eat 500 calories a day for 45 days? I know I couldn’t.

Also, the FDA has not classified hCG as a weight loss drug and does not oversee websites that sell it. So if you buy it you are open to receiving products that not be free of contaminants.

Discover HCG Recipes For Phase 1

The Potential Side-Effects and Health Risks

There are many problems associated with this diet not least of which is malnourishment. It’s all but impossible to get all the nutrients you need to be healthy with only 500 calories per day. You need fiber, good fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. With this diet, more than likely, you won’t get the supply of vitamins and minerals you need to function properly.

The minimum number of calories you need to function properly and not enter “starvation mode” is 1,200 calories per day if you’re a woman and 1,500 calories a day if you’re a man.

Bottom line: This diet may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

Posted in HCG | Tagged does hcg really work, does hcg work for weight loss, how does hcg diet work, how does hcg work for weight loss | 2 Comments

HCG Diet Recipes Phase 1

Admin | March 10, 2011 - 11:28 pm

Below you’ll find some delicious HCG Diet Recipes Phase 1. Remember with this diet you need to make sure that your meals are up to 500 calories.

Here are the HCG Recipes Phase 1:

Rockin’ Radish Salad

4 fresh, sliced radishes
1 Tbsp. minced onion
1/2 oz lemon juice
1-2 tsps aminos
Salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a plastic bag and mix well

Simple Strawberry Smoothie:

About a handful of chopped, fresh strawberries
1 or 2 single packs of Stevia sweetener
1 cup of ice
water (enough to dilute)

Blend in blender to desired consistency.

Delicious Fajita Chicken Soup:

100 gm grilled chicken
1 fresh, chopped tomato
1/4 pack of SUGAR-FREE fajita seasoning
1 tbsp. parsley, dry
1 tbsp. minced garlic, dry
1 tbsp. minced onions, dry

Take your tomatoes and add them to water. Then stew. Take a fork and mush the tomatoes to force out the “meat” and juice of the tomatoes. Mix your dry ingredients into the water. Allow to boil for 2-5 minutes. Next add the chicken and allow it to boil for 2-5 more minutes. For extra flavor turn down the heat and let it simmer for an additional 2-5 minutes.

Raw Spinach Salad:

4 oz of WASHED raw spinach
Juice from 1/2 of a fresh lemon
1-2 tbs. minced red onion and garlic
salt and pepper (to taste)

Serve as is

Chicken Or Steak Chili:

100 grams of chicken or steak
1 medium sized tomato
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 pinch of onion powder
1 tsp minced garlic
to taste add salt and pepper

Peel the skin from the tomato. Remove all of the seeds from the tomato and then finely chop it. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the meat and the seasonings. Once the meat is cooked add your tomato and cook until done. If you want it spicier you can add a pinch of Cayenne pepper.

Chop Steak

100 gm of thinly sliced steak
1/2 onion, sliced
Braggs Liquid Aminos
salt and pepper to taste

Use the Braggs Liquid Aminos to season the raw meat. Add salt and pepper. Heat a pan and then brown the meat in it. Add the onions and a few more sprays of the Liquid Aminos. Cook over low heat until meat is finished. Make sure you check that the meat is cooked thoroughly before you eat it. If need be use a meat thermometer.

Tasty Garlic Spinach Chicken

100 gm of thinly sliced chicken
2 cups of fresh, rinsed spinach
2 tsp of minced garlic
Braggs Liquid Aminos
salt and pepper to taste

Season the meat with salt, pepper, and Braggs Liquid Aminos. Add the spinach and cover the dish until the spinach has cooked down.

Zesty Lemon And Herb Fish

100 gm of white fish
Half of a lemon
1 tsp dried rosemarry
salt and pepper to taste

Season your fish with the rosemary, salt and pepper. Take a medium frying pan and put it over medium heat. Squeeze a bit of the lemon juice into the pan and place the fish in it. Cook the fish halfway and then lift it out of the pan. Squeeze the rest of the juice into the pan and place the fish back into it, uncooked side down. Cook that side until it’s done.

Another Delicious Lunch Smoothie

3 -4 cups organic, baby spinach
1 cup fresh organic blueberries
1/2 cup pure and organic (not diluted) aloe juice
1 cup filtered spring water
1 packet Stevia sweetener
1 scoop organic hemp protien powder
1 scoop of organic wheat grass powder
1 serving of organic liquid vitamins

For this recipe you want to add the liquids and approximately half of the spinach before anything else, and then blend it. Then add the remaining spinich and blueberries and blend. Finally, add your protein powder, wheat grass, and stevia.

Sizzlin’ Steak Fajitas

1/2 teaspoon cumin (ground)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
3 ½ flat iron steak (you can substitute top round steak).
1 green bell pepper sliced into strips (remove the core and seeds)
1 onion (medium sized and thinly sliced)
2 tbs of fresh lime juice

Find out Does HCG Really Work For Weight Loss?

Get a plastic bag that you can seal and in it combine the garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, chile powder, steak, green bell pepper, and sliced onion. Gently knead the meat and make sure it’s coated with the spices. Put it in the refrigerator for at least fifteen minutes.

Get a large nonstick skillet and heat it to a medium heat. Dump the contents of the bag into the skillet. Cook for about 6-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but crisp and the steak is thoroughly cooked. Once the steak is cooked remove the pan from the heat and serve.

These HCG recipes for Phase 1 are tasty and filling. They are perfect for those people who have grown tired of yo-yo dieting and want something a little more substantial in their diet. Remember before you take on any new diet or exercise program that you consult your doctor beforehand.