HCG diet: lose weight with hormone injections?
The HCG diet is one of many weight loss trends that originated in Hollywood. The diet was developed in the 1950s by the doctor Albert Simeons and has already experienced a comeback several times. She is particularly popular with acting mothers – after all, thanks to an HCG diet plan, they can allegedly be in front of the camera again with top model dimensions just a few weeks after giving birth. But the HCG diet also promises men quick, easy weight loss without side effects and yo-yo effects. This propagated success also has its price: The costs of an HCG diet vary greatly, but you should refrain from cheap offers on the Internet. In addition to the monetary effects, there are also possible health side effects to consider, because the diet is highly controversial.
HCG diet: losing weight through hormones
The principle of the HCG diet is simple and, at first glance, resembles many conventional diets . In addition to extreme calorie reduction, the focus is on a low-fat diet, drinking a lot and exercising. This makes the HCG diet sound just as tedious as other fasting cures.
However , there is one crucial difference to the HCG diet plan: the pregnancy hormone human chlorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is injected under the skin over a period of several weeks . This hormone is formed in the placenta during pregnancy and is intended to maintain the pregnancy by ensuring that the body uses its fat reserves during times of need during pregnancy, i.e. malnutrition. This is to ensure adequate care for mother and child.
The HCG diet is said to have a targeted effect on fat deposits on the hips, legs and arms. Medical practices and clinics that offer the HCG diet in different countries also praise other positive effects that the hormone provides during pregnancy: These include a mood-enhancing effect and an improvement in the complexion and elasticity, which thus leads to tightening of the skin affected areas and should help against cellulite.
HCG Diet Plan: How Does It Work?
The HCG diet plan is primarily based on low calorie intake. You can only eat 500 kilocalories a day – depending on the provider, the limit can also be 800 kilocalories. This is combined with at least two liters of water – otherwise the HCG diet will not achieve the desired success, they say. The advertised results are impressive: the scales should show between seven and 15 kilos less after eight weeks at the latest.
In addition, there are regular hormone injections (sometimes drops, sprays or tablets are used instead). This is to prevent blood sugar levels from dropping, which would otherwise occur with such a low calorie intake. Weight reduction occurs through reduced food intake, while the hormone is only intended to suppress hunger. This should prevent cravings , exhaustion and depressive  moods.
Supposedly, even people who work hard physically should still be fully operational. Sport is recommended to accompany the HCG diet.
There is no universal HCG diet plan – some providers work out an individual HCG diet plan for those who want to lose weight, others recommend HCG diet recipes, others allow you to eat anything that tastes good – as long as the 500 calories per day are not exceeded .
The phases of the HCG diet
The diet plan of the HCG diet usually looks  like this:
- Gourmet days (preparation phase):  During these two days, you can eat anything that tastes good. You can really get a hold of it again. This is supposed  to boost your metabolism .
- Diet phase:  During these three weeks, a maximum of 500 calories per day is allowed. Carbohydrates , fat, sugar and alcohol are usually avoided in accordance with the respective nutrition plan .
- Stabilization phase:Â This phase also lasts 21 days and serves to maintain the new body weight. The calorie intake is increased again and more food is allowed.
- Maintenance phase: Â After the actual diet, the focus is on long-term weight maintenance. This is about eating healthily and low in calories in the long term.
Recipes: What is on the nutrition plan?
In general, the recommendation is issued to avoid sugar, sweets and fatty foods during the HCG diet. At least after the end of the HCG diet, these foods must be removed from the menu anyway. Recommended foods include lean meat and fish (maximum 100 grams per meal) and fruits and vegetables. In general, protein-rich  foods are on the menu.
It is important that the HCG diet recipes offer as much variety as possible as well as nutrients  and minerals. Sometimes dietary supplements are also  recommended to avoid deficiencies. The recipes must not be prepared with butter or oils. After the HCG diet, the first three weeks are largely refrained from eating carbohydrates and fats.
A return to normal calorie intake is gradual, with diet changes to ensure lasting success.
Cost: How much does the HCG diet cost?
With the HCG diet, HCG injections should be made daily or HCG drops should be taken. Many doctors also carry out a hormone test and nutritional advice at the end of an HCG diet. That finally explains the prices of several hundred or thousand euros that cures with HCG can cost.
HCG diet: side effects and criticism
The HCG diet plan and losing weight with hormones are very controversial. The HCG diet lures with buyer successes in the genetically determined problem areas, where neither other diets nor sport are effective. Providers assure that side effects are excluded with the HCG diet and cite as “proof” that no side effects or long-term consequences have occurred since the development of this diet in the 1950s. While proponents claim that the diet reduces the risk of breast cancer, other voices point to a possible increased risk of tumor formation and other side effects.
Extreme malnutrition (500 calories a day is about a third of what women normally need and a quarter of what men need) is not without its dangers. Possible side effects can be a lack of nutrients and minerals. Due to the low food intake, headaches are sometimes counted among the side effects at the beginning of the HCG diet  . Malnutrition can also lead to kidney problems and cardiac arrhythmia or metabolic disorders. In addition, such radical diets promote the yo-yo effect, i.e. rapid weight gain after the end of the diet.
Other possible side effects of HCG include:
- an increased risk of thrombosis
- menstrual disorders
- a reduced effect of the contraceptive pill
- restlessness and irritability
- fatigue  and depression
- edema  and cysts
- Pain at the injection site
Scientific evidence is lacking
The effect of the HCG diet has been examined in several scientific studies. The result is sobering: no effectiveness of HCG in relation to weight loss has been confirmed. Positive experiences and success with the diet can only be attributed to the radically reduced calorie intake. The studies also found no positive effect on the feeling of hunger or other benefits.
HCG is not approved for weight loss  and its use as a slimming aid is therefore illegal. Experts strongly advise against implementing an HCG diet. Under no circumstances should you carry out an HCG diet yourself and order appropriate preparations on the Internet.
Metabolic cure as a further development of the HCG diet
A further development of the HCG diet is the so-called 21-day metabolic cure . In this case, HCG is not injected, but taken in the form of globules  or drops  . Here, too, the calorie intake is radically limited to 500 kilocalories a day.
Advocates of the diet argue that the homeopathic use of HCG eliminates its side effects. However, the metabolic cure is just as criticized as the HCG diet, because its effect is just as little proven, while the side effects as a result of the radical calorie reduction can occur here as well as with the HCG diet.