hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) and Weight Loss: How hCG Injections Plus a Low-Calorie Diet Could Help You Lose Weight

While I was creating my 12-Step Healthy Weight Loss Program, I talked to a relative of mine who had lost 80 lbs. on a weight loss treatment that I had previously rejected. She was using human chorionic gonadotropin, which is abbreviated as hCG. This is a hormone produced in women during pregnancy. Its standard function is to help maintain the lining of the uterus so that it can support the growing fetus. Doctors have raised hCG levels in women for decades to treat infertility and other hormonal problems. It's also used in men to (ironically) help increase testosterone production.

Over 50 years ago, a British physician named A.T.W. Simeons conducted a study that showed how hCG injections helped men and women lose weight rapidly - as long as the participants in the study followed a very specific 500-calorie diet. The general theory behind how hCG works for weight loss is that it stimulates a certain part of the brain that tells your body to release stored fat. This stored fat then becomes energy that your body can use. Because of this, your body doesn't actually need very many calories from food because you're living on your own fat reserves. Simeons somehow figured out that 500 calories was the maximum number of calories you can eat without nullifying the effects of the hCG.

As I said, hCG is responsible for maintaining a viable pregnancy. But textbooks only talk about the fact that it maintains the uterine lining. Simeons proposed that it maintains the pregnancy by making all of the pregnant mother's fat stores available to be put into circulation to feed the fetus in case the mother doesn't eat enough. This concept is further supported by the fact that most women experience a lot of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, yet they still deliver full-term healthy babies. We tell pregnant women to eat for two, but in fact, an obese person shouldn't need to increase her food intake during pregnancy. Nature takes care of it. I've had several women tell me they lost weight during their pregnancy and still had full-term healthy babies.

I actually experienced this myself. All through college I tried everything to lose the 10 lbs. that I had put on during my freshman year. But the more I dieted, the more weight I gained - until I got to where I was 30 lbs. overweight. It wasn't until I got pregnant with my first child that I started losing weight. Sure I gained some weight during the pregnancy, but after I delivered, I weighed 5 lbs. less than my pre-pregnancy weight. When I had my second child, I lost another 5 lbs. without trying. The reason most women have the opposite problem is because they justify overeating during the pregnancy, and they really overdo it.

Anyway, right after Simeon's report was published, doctors started prescribing hCG along with a very low calorie diet (usually 500 calories) and this became very popular - until they did more studies on it. Many of these studies showed that human chorionic gonadotropin for weight loss was no better than placebo. If you look at all the studies on hCG and weight loss, you'll find about the same number of studies showing that it does work as those that show it doesn't. Some studies showed that it was no better than placebo.

HOWEVER, the interesting thing is that of the studies I have read, none of them seemed to follow the original protocol outlined by Dr. Simeon. There was always some slight variation here and there. If you read Dr. Simeon's protocol, it is very rigid. In fact, he states that:

The protocol must be followed implicitly! Even seemingly insignificant deviations, particularly those that at first sight seem to be an improvement, are very liable to produce most disappointing results and even annul the effect completely.

Given such strict guidelines, it's not surprising that some studies show a benefit, wheras others do not.

Nonetheless, because the research findings are so inconsistent, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) have issued statements claiming that there is no substantial evidence that hCG increases weight loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction, or that it causes a more attractive or "normal" distribution of fat, or that it decreases the hunger and discomfort associated with calorie-restricted diets. Having read these statements from the FDA and the AMA, as I said, I previously rejected hCG as a valid weight loss tool.

That is, until I saw that aforementioned relative of mine at Christmas. The last time I saw her, she weighed almost 200 lbs. This time, she was 113 lbs., and she was wearing a skin-tight mini skirt. And she looked great! I grilled her about how she did it, and she told me her secret was contained in an hCG injection plus a low-calorie diet. She said she turned a bunch of other people onto it, and they all had success as well. That's when I decided I needed to take a second look at using hCG for weightloss.

I've actually started a few people on it already, including myself. I like to try things myself before recommending anything to my patients - even if I don't have that much fat to lose. This includes any food or meal replacements or even general advice. I don't like to take anyone else's word for it, and I'll never expect you to do something I wouldn't do. You can trust that what I teach and promote comes from scientific literature, but it also comes from personal experience.

So what's involved in this hCG weight loss treatment? The hCG is given by injections, which are administered daily. How many? For people who have 15 lbs. or less to lose, they would get 23 injections. No more, no less - even if you only have 5 lbs. to lose. For people who need to lose more than 15 lbs, you need to do at least one series of 40 injections - with a break between series if you need to initiate a second series of injections. With each series of 40 injections, you can expect to lose up to 30-40 lbs. But, you have to wait at least 6 weeks before you go through another series or you will eventually build up an immunity to the drug, and thus it stops working. So, you have to give it a break for the immunity to go away and the hormone to become effective again.

As for the diet, like I said, you only get to eat 500 calories a day. You get two servings from each of 4 categories: lean meat, green leafy vegetables, specific fruits, and specific types of crackers. You can do this by eating just two meals a day and having one item from each of those 4 categories, or you can eat 4 times a day and have something from only two of the categories. It doesn't really matter how you do it, as long as you have no more than 2 servings from each category throughout the course of the day, and you don't eat two from the same category at any given time.

But here's the best part. For the first two days of your injections, you not only get to eat whatever you want, but you're actually encouraged to pig out on your favorite foods. The reason for this is that it takes a couple of days for the hCG to unlock the stored fat. You want to have readily available calories from your diet during this time in order to keep you from feeling miserable.

The other reason for this is to give yourself a "last hurrah," and hopefully you won't miss your favorite foods so much. There are a few other specifics with regards to the protocol, and I will provide more details to those who are interested.

There are certain medical conditions that require closer monitoring while on this protocol. For anyone with a history of any of the following medical conditions, especially if you're currently on medication for them, I (or your local doctor) would need to evaluate you carefully and decide whether you can safely do this treatment. The conditions are:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Gout
• Uterine fibroids
• Gallstones
• Peptic ulcers
• Thyroid conditions
• Peri-menopause

Even for those without any of the above medical conditions, certain side effects are always associated with any medication or treatment. Some of the hCG side effects are relatively minor, but others can be life-threatening. Here are potential side effects, though they are fairly rare:

• Allergic reaction
• Blood clots
• Depression
• Ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS)
• Precocious puberty (in young boys)
• Pregnancy
• Multiple pregnancy (twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc)
• Birth defects
• Cancer

All that said, you must understand that if you undertake the hCG + low-calorie diet protocol, this period of intensive weight loss still needs to be staggered with periods of more gradual weight loss. Why? Well, the behavioral changes described in my 12-step Healthy Weight Loss Program are the most important steps you can take to achieve and maintain your ultimate weight loss goal, which should be to KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF! I can help you achieve these behavioral changes with my 12-step program. It's like having 12 coaching sessions with me, but much cheaper than I'd have to charge you in person.