There are a lot of possible dangers to consider when going on a HCG diet. We hope we can help educate you on the options available and the possible dangers of an HCG diet. We’ve seen people lose weight on the HCG diet however that doesn’t meant that it is safe and effective.
The Function of HCG
The first thing we should consider is what exactly HCG does. HCG or human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone that is produced during pregnancy at first by the embryo and the placenta. HCG is necessary for proper development of the fetus. HCG’s simulation causes the mother to secret progesterone which allows the uterus to become thick and full of blood vessels. This allows the placenta to attach to the uterine walls to and extract nourishment for the fetus.
Besides production by the placenta and fetus HCG is also produced in both males and females by the pituitary gland. HCG can stimulate the ovaries to ovulate. It is often times used as a fertility drug because it does stimulate ovulation.
HCG levels are linked to morning sickness which could possibly explain some of the reason it is claimed to reduce appetite.
HCG can also stimulate the testicles to produce testosterone and HCG is a commonly banned substance in sports. It is also thought to help cover up other banned steroids. Most famously Manny Ramirez tested positive for HCG in 2009.
HCG and the Beginning of the Simeons HCG Diet
The HCG diet was started by an endocrinologist form England named Albert T. W. Simeons. While living in India Dr. Simeons found a group of young boys that had not only delayed puberty but also were very obese. By treating the boys with HCG and putting them on a low calorie diet he noted that they began to lose weight.
From India Dr. Simeons moved to Italy and in his practice focus on using HCG for weight loss. His protocol went on to attract famous people to his practice. Even though the rich and famous went to his clinic Dr. Simeons would only treat obese people with his diet as he claimed the diet was only effective for those suffering from obesity. Dr. Simeons published on book on the protocol called, Pounds and Inches, A New Approach to Obesity.
Difficulties with the Simeons Diet
One of the difficulties with the Dr. Simeons diet is the lack of daily calories at 500 calories a day. This restricting of calories can cause a number of problems or dangers.
- Metabolism can slow down and can cause you to gain more weight when back off diet
- Catabolism of body’s own protein and loss of muscle tissue
- Not enough nutrition
- Ketosis
- Depression
- Not enough nutrition so development of osteoporosis
- Anemia from lack of nutrients
- A variety of other problems
Restricts that are this severe shouldn’t be long term and only done under medical supervision.
To truly lose weight and keep it off takes a lifestyle change and a complete change of eating patterns. One of the biggest dangers of the HCG diet is the belief that this is a long term successful way to lose weight and keep it off. Yoyo dieting is dangerous to your health and any diet program should be geared to losing weight in the long term and keeping it off.
What is a Healthy Diet?
A healthy weight loss program shouldn’t target a pound a day but a realistic goal is 1 lb. a week. Let’s take a close look at the mechanism of weight loss. There are 3500 calories in a lb. of fat. So to lose one lb. you need to eat 3500 less calories.
What is a BMI?
To move on from here we need to look at your body mass index (BMI). You can get an approximate BMI here. Your BMI shows the percentage of your body that is made up of fat. Below 18.5% and you are underweight, normal weight is form 18.5-24.9%, overweight is 25-29.9% and above 30% is morbidly obese.
Why Am I Dieting?
Now ask yourself this question. Why do I want to lose weight? If you are in the normal range a diet like the HCG diet would only serve to damage your health. If you do any type of dieting you should look to getting yourself on a healthy diet like a Mediterranean diet. Not only can the Mediterranean diet help to slim you but also is effective in reducing inflammation in the body and help keeping the heart healthy. If you are overweight only then should you consider the HCG diet. However is this really the best long term choice?
Will the HCG Diet Help with Lifestyle Change?
What you really need is a long term diet to get and keep the weight off. You’ll need to adopt a lifestyle change. Again we would recommend the Mediterranean diet as it is a healthy and complete diet. If you are morbidly obese it may be helpful to get a head start with a restricted diet such at the HCG diet, however this should be done under a physician’s watch and should not be done long term. Eventually you’ll need to make the lifestyle changed to keep the weight off and the Mediterranean diet is the safe and healthy choice.
What is a BMR?
So far we have discussed that there are 3500 calories in a pound of fat and what the BMI means. The next think you want to do is calculate your BMR or basal metabolic rate. This will tell you how many calories you burn in one day. Use the calculator to determine your BMR. We’ll show you the example of a 30 year old female named Sally, 5’3”tall and 120 pounds. Plugging that information into the calculator would give Sally a BMR of 1332 calories. So what does that mean? The BMR is the amount of calories burned with absolutely no activity during the day. Using our example, if Sally were to lie in bed all day she would burn 1332 calories.
Adjust your BMR for activity, The Harris Benedict Equation
Next we use the Harris Benedict Equation to calculate the actual amount of calories we burn a day given our activity level. The levels we have to choose are sedentary, light activity, moderate activity, very active and extra active. Each level comes with a multiplier that you would multiply by your BMR to determine the amount of calories you would burn on a daily basis.
At the end of each equation in the bold we will apply the equation to Sally’s BRM. This shows the actually caloric expenditure of Sally on a daily basis.
- Sedentary (Little to no exercise.) Multiply your BMR X 1.2. Sally’s 1332 X 1.2 = 1598 calories
- Light activity (Exercising 1-3 days a week.)Multiply your BMR X 1.375. Sally’s 1332 X 1.375 = 1832 calories
- Moderate activity (Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week.) Multiply your BMR X 1.55. Sally’s 1332 X 1.55 = 2065 calories
- Very Active (Heavy exercise 6-7 days a week.) Multiply your BMR X 1.725. Sally’s 1332 X 1.725 = 2298 calories
- Extra active (2 heavy workouts a day 6-7 days a week.) Multiply your BMR X 1.9. Sally’s 1332 X 1.9 = 2530 calories
Using the BMR to Determine Why the HCG Diet Can Be Harmful!
Using the above formula, we’ll say that Sally is working out twice a day for an hour each time trying to lose weight. She heard from her friends that the HCG diet was going to let her lose 1 lb. a day.
So using the Formula BMR X Activity = Calories burned per day. Sally is 1332 X 1.9 = 2530 calories burned per day. However she is on the HCG diet so she has an intake of 500 calories a day. Her net caloric burn is actually 2030 calories a day.
That means she could only possibly lose .58 lbs. of fat in one day on a 500 calorie diet and that is exercising hard 2 times a day.
Now what is interesting is that while a lb of fat contains 3500 calories a lb. of muscle contains only 2500 calories. It is much easier to takeoff weight burning through muscle that it is burning off fat. The sad part is this is what often happens with low calorie diets. When you burn muscle you have lowered your ability to lose calories because muscles are the furnace of body. So when we hear about someone losing 1 lb. a day they are often losing a combination of a little fat and lot of muscle and body fluid (water). This is the danger of a HCG diet.
Scientific Weight Loss
BMI and BMR calculators are helpful but they aren’t as good as a bioimpedance analysis (BIA). BIA’s are important because they are much more accurate than the chart at determining scientifically your BMI and BMR. With this analysis you can determine precisely your body fat percentage (BMR) and your daily caloric needs (BMI).
BIA show scientifically where exactly you are losing weight and if you are losing weight from fat, muscle or body fluids. BIA’s are often available in many health clinics and gyms. If you can find someone to test you then you will be able to monitor your weight loss and follow a successful program.
BIA Example and Why Thin Isn’t Always Healthy
Let’s look at an example of Tom who is 6 foot and weighs 155 pounds. Using the BMI calculator we show that Tom has a healthy body percentage of fat of 21%. However a BIA on Tom shows a body percentage of fat at 28%. Tom could be suffering from sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is a loss of muscle mass so Tom has an excess of body fat and very low muscle mass. In other words his body is skinny but he still is overweight and has elevated risk of heart disease.
You can see the exact opposite situation from the above example. We can have someone who is 6 foot tall and weighs 230 lbs. He is a linebacker but the chart shows his BMI shows him to have a 31% BMI or morbidly obese; however a BIA may show him to only have 5 body fat percentage as is common in to athletes.
BIAs are invaluable in successful weight loss to know how much fat you have and where you are losing it.
Successful Weight Loss Strategies
Any good weight loss program should target losing as much fat as possible and as little muscle as possible. That is why we suggest that you only focus on losing only one pound a week. The one pound a week is realistic and is achieved by using the BMR X Activity level – 500 calories. Using Sally as an example again – Extra active (2 heavy workouts a day 6-7 days a week.) Multiply your BMR X 1.9. Sally’s 1332 X 1.9 = 2530 calories- 500 = 2030 calories. So if Sally ate 2030 calories she can expect to lose one pound of fat in a week.
Diets with a greater calorie restriction make it harder to not lose weight from muscle and body fluids which exactly what we don’t want to happen in weight loss. Fat loss is the key to a successful weight loss program for long term results.
Use Medical Food to Lose Fat Not Muscle
We highly suggest using a Medical Food when trying to lose weight. A weight loss medical food is design to help you manage your weight loss and lose weight from fat and not from muscle. The protein and nutrition in the Medical Food helps your body nourishes the muscles so they don’t break down under a caloric restricted diet. Weight loss should put your body on the right track to complete health and not damage your muscle. It shouldn’t be a process of gaining and losing weight but rather a slow loss of body fat.
We have concerns with the HCG diet due to its caloric restriction and lack of good scientific evidence. If doing the diet we would suggest that it be done under a doctor’s supervision using a BIA to make sure you are losing fat not muscle. It should not be a long term diet.

Nice Blog with Excellent information
Wow! Thank you! I always wanted to write in my site something like that. Can I take part of your post to my blog?
I had to refresh the page times to view this page for some reason, however, the information here was worth the wait.
Really compeling information, thanks!
I was looking for this. Really refreshing take on the information. Thanks a lot.
I am happy that I discovered this web site, exactly the right information that I was looking for! . cpanel hosting free | free hosting |
I always appreciate a great article or piece of writing. Thanks for the contribution.
My blog is about Wedding ideas.
Watch for “hidden” sugar in processed foods like breads, ketchup, mayonnaise, canned fruit, applesauce, peanut butter, and soups. And be careful of “fat-free” products. Sugar is often used to replace the flavor that is lost when fats are removed.
This was precisely the answers I’d been searching for. Amazing blog. Incredibly inspirational! Your posts are so helpful and detailed. The links you feature are also very useful too. Thanks a lot
My site is on Fitness programs.
I just like the helpful information you supply on your articles. I?ll bookmark your blog and test once more right here regularly. I’m somewhat sure I will be told plenty of new stuff proper right here! Good luck for the next!
Fiber makes us feel satisfied sooner and stays in our stomach longer than other substances we eat, reducing our rate of digestion and keeping us feeling full longer. Due to its significantly larger fiber content, a single serving of wholegrain bread can be more filling than two servings of white bread. Fiber also moves fat through our digestive system faster so that less of it is absorbed.
well this is one way of doing it i suppose but nice work keep it up
You can definitely see your enthusiasm in the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to mention how they believe. At all times follow your heart.
Hello there, simply turned into aware of your blog thru Google, and found that it is really informative. I?m gonna watch out for brussels. I will appreciate if you continue this in future. A lot of other folks will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
My partner and i quite like everything you submit here. Very unusual and also brilliant. 1 problem though. I’m running Opera together with Debian and also pieces of one’s up-to-date web design parts certainly are a tiny wonky. My partner and i notice it’s not just a typical create. Yet it’s an issue to be able to keep in mind. My partner and i hope which it will aid and also continue to keep up the major top quality creating.
I liked your article is an interesting technology
thanks to google I found you
Thank you for another fantastic post. Where else may just anyone get that kind of info in such an ideal way of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I am at the look for such info.
Hello there, simply turned into aware of your blog thru Google, and found that it is really informative. I?m gonna watch out for brussels. I will appreciate if you continue this in future. A lot of other folks will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Wow, amazing blog structure! How lengthy have you ever been blogging for? you make blogging glance easy. The whole glance of your web site is wonderful, as neatly as the content!
This is precisely the important information I’d been searching for. Incredible blog. Very inspirational! Your posts are so good and also detailed. The links you come with are also very beneficial as well. Many thanks
Excellent goods from you, man. The HCG Diet Dangers I have understand your stuff previous to and you’re just extremely fantastic. I really like what you have acquired here, really like what you are stating and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still take care of to keep it sensible. I can not wait to read much more from you. This is actually a tremendous The HCG Diet Dangers informations.
I agree with your The HCG Diet Dangers, superb post.
I prefer your blog post and i respect your writing. I am a frequent visitor for certain! How does someone enroll in RSS?
Regards for sharing The HCG Diet Dangers with us keep update bro love your article about The HCG Diet Dangers .
Thanks for sharing The HCG Diet Dangers with us keep update bro love your article about The HCG Diet Dangers .
Great Share! Aw, this became an extremely good post. In idea I would like to put in writing like that additionally – taking time and actual effort to produce a really good article but so what can I have faith that I procrastinate alot and also no means find a way to go done.
I like Your Article about The HCG Diet Dangers Perfect just what I was looking for! .
I like Your Article about The HCG Diet Dangers Perfect just what I was looking for! .
Regards for sharing The HCG Diet Dangers with us keep update bro love your article about The HCG Diet Dangers .
Save your money. Plain and simple, the HCG diet pagorrm is a SCAM. It’s a 30X homeopathic product. That 30X means there is one part of HCG in 1 x 10^30 parts of water. Yes, that’s a 1 with 30 zeros after it. Some products are as dilute as 60X, a 1 with 60 zeros after it.You lose weight because of an anorexic diet, you’re limited to 500 calories a day. THAT’S how you lose the weight, not by taking drops of water mixed into a glass of water or under your tongue.Just so you know 10^30 drops of water equate to over 16 TRILLION cubic miles of water. In all those cubic miles of water, there would be just 1 drop of HCG. You have less than a 1 in 10MILLION chance of your 2oz bottle containing just 1 molecule of HCG.Before you write your short article, do the math.
If you read the article on this page you’ll see what I said. http://www.thehcgdietdangers.com/ There are different types of HCG diets and some people do use the acutual hormone.
Appreciate it for sharing The HCG Diet Dangers with us keep update bro love your article about The HCG Diet Dangers .
Very well written post. It will be valuable to anybody who utilizes it, as well as myself. Keep doing what you are doing – for sure i will check out more posts.
My site is Anxiety remedies.
I’m impressed, I must say. Actually hardly ever do I encounter a weblog that’s each educative and entertaining, and let me inform you, you may have hit the nail on the head. Your idea is excellent; the difficulty is one thing that not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I am very completely happy that I stumbled across this in my seek for something regarding this.
This will be a terrific web site, would you be involved in doing an interview regarding just how you created it? If so e-mail me!
Thanks for sharing The HCG Diet Dangers with us keep update bro love your article about The HCG Diet Dangers .
Many thanks for that useful review. Me along with my next door neighbor had been definitely getting ready to do lots of research about that. We have got a book from our public archives but I actually assume I have learned more because of this page. I am extremely delighted to find out this sort of magnificent resources being contributed openly out there.
Thank you, I have been searching for information about this subject for ages and yours is the best I have discovered so far.
I like what you guys are up also. Such clever work and reporting! Keep up the excellent works guys I have incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it will improve the value of my website
.
Wonderful stuff,Several thanks so considerably for this!This really is very useful post for me. This may completely going to Aid me in my projects .
Hey very cool site!! Man .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I’ll bookmark your website and take the feeds also…I am happy to find a lot of useful information here in the post, we need work out more techniques in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
Superb content out there. I practically never permit a day of the week stop withouth finding hottest important information through this internet site.
Great weblog here! Also your site quite a bit up fast! What host are you the use of? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my site loaded up as fast as yours lol.
I like Your Article about The HCG Diet Dangers Perfect just what I was looking for! .
cool i love these, good job! cool cool i love these, great work!
Hiya very nice site!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Superb .. I’ll bookmark your site and take the feeds additionally?I’m satisfied to find so many useful info here within the put up, we want work out more strategies on this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
Definitely, what a splendid site and illuminating posts, I surely will bookmark your site.Have an awsome day!
Found this on Google and I’m glad I did. Interesting article.
Really nice piece of information, thanks!
http://www.thehcgdietdangers.com is my TOP2 site!
iphone 5
Regards for sharing The HCG Diet Dangers with us keep update bro love your article about The HCG Diet Dangers .
Wonderful goods from you, man. The HCG Diet Dangers I have understand your stuff previous to and you are just too fantastic. I actually like what you have acquired here, certainly like what you’re saying and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it sensible. I can not wait to read far more from you. This is really a terrific The HCG Diet Dangers informations.
Excellent blog! I definitely love how it¡¯s easy on my eyes as well as the facts are well written. I am wondering how I might be notified whenever a new post has been made. I have subscribed to your rss feed which need to do the trick! Have a nice day!
I went over this website and I conceive you have a lot of wonderful info , bookmarked (:. ginecologie
I agree with your The HCG Diet Dangers, excellent post.
I regard something really interesting about your web blog so I bookmarked .
Appreciate it for sharing The HCG Diet Dangers with us keep update bro love your article about The HCG Diet Dangers .
I like Your Article about The HCG Diet Dangers Perfect just what I was looking for! .
Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive read anything this way before. So nice to discover somebody with many original just what it this subject. realy i appreciate you for starting this up. this website are some things that’s needed on-line, someone with a little originality. useful problem for bringing something totally new to the web!
Fantastic goods from you, man. The HCG Diet Dangers I have understand your stuff previous to and you are just too magnificent. I really like what you have acquired here, really like what you are saying and the way in which you say it. You make it enjoyable and you still take care of to keep it wise. I can’t wait to read far more from you. This is actually a terrific The HCG Diet Dangers informations.
Greeeeeeeeat Blog Love the Infomation you have provided me .
Thanks for sharing The HCG Diet Dangers with us keep update bro love your article about The HCG Diet Dangers .
Thanks for some other informative web site. The place else may just I get that kind of information written in such an ideal method? I’ve a undertaking that I’m just now operating on, and I’ve been at the glance out for such info.
It’s a new pity you actually don’t have a very give money switch! I’d surely give money for this superb web page! My spouse and i suppose that at this point i’ll be satisfied with book-marking along with placing your current Feed for you to our Yahoo and google bill. My spouse and i search forth for you to unique changes all of which will show this specific web log using our Zynga team:
Thanks for the points shared in your blog. Another thing I would like to say is that weight-loss is not exactly about going on a dietary fads and trying to get rid of as much weight that you can in a few days. The most effective way to shed pounds is by acquiring it slowly and using some basic points which can make it easier to make the most from your attempt to lose fat. You may learn and be following some tips, yet reinforcing awareness never hurts.
I really liked your blog! It helped me alot
I agree with your The HCG Diet Dangers, fantastic post.
Thanks for the suggestions shared on the blog. Yet another thing I would like to state is that fat loss is not all about going on a fad diet and trying to lose as much weight as possible in a set period of time. The most effective way to shed weight is by consuming it slowly and gradually and obeying some basic recommendations which can help you to make the most from a attempt to lose weight. You may be aware and be following a few of these tips, nevertheless reinforcing know-how never does any damage.
Nice post, I really like this post style.
This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your great post. Also, I have shared your web site in my social networks!
I just added this blog to my feed reader, excellent stuff. Can not get enough!
“The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost.” ~ ” Gilbert K. Chesterton
I thought it was going to be some boring old post, but it really compensated for my time. I will post a link to this page on my blog. I’m positive my visitors will come across that really useful
ROFL lmao is that real? I didnt knew that lol
I just added this blog site to my google reader, excellent stuff. Cannot get enough!
Can’t see your pictures… what’s wrong?
Any Rss Feed for this? Is it possible to read via rss feed?
http://www.thehcgdietdangers.com/feeds/ however there is nothing there yet.
Really nice post, thanks!
I just added this weblog to my rss reader, great stuff. Can not get enough!
I like Your Article about The HCG Diet Dangers Perfect just what I was looking for! .
I think this is among the most vital information for me. And i’m glad reading your article. But wanna remark on few general things, The website style is wonderful, the articles is really excellent : D. Good job, cheers
I just added this website to my google reader, great stuff. Cannot get enough!
Sweet blog! I identified it whilst browsing on Yahoo News. Do you’ve any ideas on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a even though but I never appear to get there! Thanks
Thankyou for sharing The HCG Diet Dangers with us keep update bro love your article about The HCG Diet Dangers .
Cool post, keep up the great work!
Thankyou for sharing The HCG Diet Dangers with us keep update bro love your article about The HCG Diet Dangers .
Thanks much! Subscribed via rss.
You should take part in a contest for one of the best blogs on the web. I will recommend this site!
Good write-up, I’m regular visitor of one’s site, maintain up the excellent operate, and It’s going to be a regular visitor for a long time.
An unputdownable discussion is worth note. I believe that you should write much on this topic, it power not be a taboo study but mostly fill are not enough to communicate on such topics. To the next. Cheers like your The HCG Diet Dangers.
I was very pleased to find this web-site.I wanted to thanks for your time for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.