What does the hcg diet consist of?

The hcg diet has become popular of late, along with a number of other highly specialised dieting regimes. A regular HCG diet consists of taking the HCG hormone along with a very low calorie diet. HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin or human chorionic gonadotrophin, and is a glycoprotein hormone produced during pregnancy. Because it controls the metabolic function through the hypothalamus throughout the pregnancy, it was discovered that it could also affect weight loss in other situations.

However, it is important to note that there is a lot of controversy about this form of dieting, and it is not recommended by some national and international healthcare bodies. Along with this prescription medicine for weight loss, people who do this diet also need to have a very low calorie dietary intake that is strict and effective.

A standard hCG diet consists of 500 calories per day, with a strict intake of protein, vegetables, and drinks. While there are a number of variations on the HCG diet, most of them are based on the original diet plan from the HCG diet founder Dr. Simeons. The original Dr. Simeons manuscript, "Pounds and Inches", showed the original 500 calorie a day VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) that he invented. Breakfast consisted of tea or coffee without sugar. No food is eaten at all for breakfast, and only one tablespoon of milk is allowed in a 24 hour period.

For lunch, there are a few different options, with 100 grams of protein recommended. The original diet listed veal, beef, chicken breast, fresh white fish, lobster, crab, or shrimp as the protein choices. It is important to note that all visible fat must be removed before cooking, and that any meat eaten must be weighed when it is raw. No excess fat is also allowed during the boiling or grilling of the meat. Some protein choices were explicitly not allowed, including salmon, eel, tuna, herring, dried or pickled fish. One type of vegetable can be added to the protein, from the list of spinach, chard, beet-greens, salad, tomatoes, celery, onions, red radishes, fennel, cucumbers, asparagus, and cabbage. One bread stick is also allowed, as is fruit such as an apple, orange, or handful of strawberries. The dinner menu is the same as the lunch menu, although obviously different variations from these choices can be used.