READ THIS before continuing: https://icaro.med.br/hcg-aspectos-basicos-necessario/
More and more patients are asking me about the famous “HCG diet” for fast, effective and “healthy” weight loss. What do I think? Do I have experience with it? Is it bad? Does it produce results?
MY preliminary answers are:
- I think it's physiologically sound.
- I don't have any experience with it yet.
- It can do harm if it's handled badly.
- Yes, it gives results, but if it's applied incorrectly or accompanied, it can have a negative impact on the body and metabolism.
Watch my two videos on the subject to get a better idea:
That's why I've decided to write this text to try to enlighten you on the subject. However, before I go any further, I would ask you to take a few minutes to read the contents of the following links. This will help you better understand what I intend to explain later, as these first links cover the basics of the method in a clear and satisfactory way:
IN ENGLISH: https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/diets/hcg-diet.htm#pt3
If you've been paying attention, you'll have noticed that I've mentioned above both links that present favorable and unfavorable perspectives on the method. Each of these links has its own justifications, with different levels of quality and scientific adequacy, to support its analysis. I did this because I believe that we all need to know the different points of view in order to form our own opinion, preferably based on solid information. I would also like to point out that the HCG method is not new, it has been around for over 50 years, and it is still considered controversial even though it is widely used around the world. It's important to mention that this is just a small sample, as there are thousands of texts, websites and opinions available on the internet on the subject.
Before proceeding with this text, I suggest you read the content of the links mentioned above carefully.
I will then supplement this text with my opinions and comments on the subject. After all, I started the protocol myself so that I could test it, I've made various adaptations and I'm already recording a lot of information about it so that we can discuss it.
My “first-hand” experience and general comments about it
As I mentioned earlier, I decided to test HCG together with the usual recommended diet, following the specific guidelines for this combination. Below, I share my considerations based on the study I carried out on the subject, as well as my personal experience with the protocol:
- It cannot be used by anyone without the advice and supervision of a competent doctor and functional nutritionist (remember that only a doctor can prescribe HCG, as it is a hormone).
- The origin of the HCG and how it was prepared for consumption are very important aspects. For example, if it is used sublingually, it should always be kept refrigerated and never heated before being filled (it is also available in injectable form, imported as far as I know). In the case of sublingual administration, it is essential to note that it must be left for 5 to 10 minutes under the tongue for good absorption.
- The diets I've seen recommended to accompany the method are almost all completely restricted in carbohydrates and fats, something I don't agree with, as they don't seem to be in line with physiology. I even tried this approach for two days, but I noticed that my mental performance dropped considerably. For this reason, I chose to restrict carbohydrates as much as possible and only included complex carbohydrates in small quantities in the main meals. In between meals, I usually just eat an apple or pear, no problem. It's important to always remember that the brain and heart are very sensitive to hypoglycemia, which can become dangerous at extreme levels.
- So far, I've lost 2 kg of fat mass and practically nothing of lean mass. However, contrary to what they say, I haven't stopped going to the gym and I haven't experienced a significant loss of physical performance. This can be attributed to my incomplete restriction of carbohydrates.
- By definition, HCG would be used to improve metabolism (for example, by regulating testosterone levels) and to reduce the loss of lean mass caused by a sharp drop in blood glucose (after all, in conditions of hypoglycemia, hormonal mechanisms also work to break down amino acids from proteins, especially muscle proteins, to generate glucose and energy), since the diets most commonly recommended to accompany HCG are 500 to 800 calories, but without carbohydrates or fats, i.e. quite strict.
- One of the great fears of anyone who goes on any diet (and/or uses medication/supplements) is the rebound/snore effect: regaining all the weight afterwards (by returning to the usual diet or lack of the substances used in the body). But I spoke to 2 nutritionists who have undergone the HCG protocol (for less than 20 days) and both denied that this had happened, and even the opposite: they reported that for weeks their metabolism seemed to have been even better than before. I don't know how mine will be, but I can let you know later...
- Regarding metabolism, an endocrinologist colleague assured me that the doses of HCG prescribed (which vary from 125 to 500 U/day, from what I've studied) are not large enough to unbalance a person's hormones, but it does seem that testosterone levels improve. In addition, it is well known that high levels of HCG and progesterone during a normal pregnancy usually balance the mother's hormonal axis. In other words, I assume that if HCG, when properly and consciously indicated to a patient, is to have a measurable effect on their hormones, it has everything to be positive...
- Proponents of the method comment that it can be repeated after each cycle of HCG use, lasting a maximum of 40 days (after which time it seems that the brain finally “discovers” that there is no pregnancy and therefore no longer needs to spare the user's proteins and consume their fat deposits as a priority in the event of hypoglycemia). An interval of 6 to 8 weeks between cycles is recommended. To be on the safe side, I'll wait 8 weeks before repeating...
- I only used 125U in the morning for the first two days and I have to say that from mid-afternoon onwards I felt uncomfortable due to hunger and tiredness. I then decided to use 125U when I woke up and another 125U in the middle of the afternoon, which gave me good appetite control and an apparently healthy metabolism, with a good mood.
For all these reasons:
I believe that HCG can be a good ally of an effective diet to maximize its effects (as long as the diet restricts carbohydrates as much as possible and recommends total fat restriction). The hormone does seem to optimize metabolism and thermogenesis, using fats as a substrate while helping to preserve muscle mass (serial bioimpedances showed that my muscles were spared). However, it's important to note that not everyone can use the hormone, and its use requires discipline with good lifestyle habits and excellent professional monitoring.
Cheers
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