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HCG Hormone vs The HCG Diet
HCG Weight loss : It's important we set the record straight on the difference between HCG the hormone and the HCG Diet. HCG is actually just a hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin. It is naturally secreted in high amounts during pregnancy. In fact the amounts that pregnant women are subjected to is much higher than any dose that most people use for weight loss (including in the HCG diet). HCG the hormone itself has some special properties (which we will discus below) that make it a valuable tool when and if you are trying to lose weight.
The problem that HCG turns into a bad name simply because the name itself is often from the HCG diet. Which is why we need to spend some time to separate these two ideas. The HCG diet is a combination of a sustained very low calorie diet which is in conjunction with HCG injections (or drops) throughout the weight loss phase. The problem with the HCG diet is the duration of the calorie restriction, NOT the HCG hormone itself.
The prolonged calorie restriction in the HCG diet often causes metabolic damage and thyroid changes which almost always contribute to regaining any weight that was lost throughout the diet.
Naturally known side effect many people still choose to adopt the HCG diet, presumably for the temporary weight loss that results.
At Virtue of Health now we have created our own weight loss protocol without you restricted to 500 calories daily, but on a diet that is specifically customized on your body type, weight, height, gender, age, BMR and BMI. This diet plan is also customized to your diet preferences whether you’re vegan, dairy free etc, we’ll make it work for YOU.
Positive benefits of using HCG
Can help regulate sex hormone levels such as estrogen and progesterone - Some ladies have excess quantities of sex hormones for instance estrogen and progesterone which can make weight loss difficult.
May help regulate appetite suppression - Normalizing appetite levels is important when considering caloric consumption. Eating a sufficient amount is required for proper metabolism however, many hormone disorders can cause excessive hunger and/or cravings for certain foods which may retard weight loss efforts.
May help increase testosterone (especially in men) - HCG may stimulate and promote normal testosterone levels that may become dysregulated by other hormone imbalances which include insulin resistance.
May support thyroid function - HCG can stimulate thyroid function in women who are pregnant and this effect might be part of the reason that HCG works as a dietary aid in some diets.
HCG for Women
HCG is often very helpful for certain women who are trying to lose weight.
Much of this benefit may come from HCG and how it can help regulate estrogen and progesterone levels.
The imbalance of estrogen to progesterone may very well be responsible, at the very least in part, for putting on weight in certain areas of the body (think breasts, butt, thighs and so on).
This distribution of fat is different from other hormone imbalances just like insulin resistance which tends to promote weight gain in the abdominal cavity or regarding the organs (so called visceral fat).
The condition with fat mediated by estrogen and progesterone could it be can be quite difficult to treat and typically doesn't respond to conventional exercise and diet routines.
Regardless of whether these women tend to lose weight, if they don't improve their estrogen/progesterone balance they may end up with an abnormal fat distribution such as very little fat on the abdomen but excess fat on the arms/thighs and so on.
Women who fit this category may benefit from the episodic use of HCG as a complementary therapy to other weight loss therapies.
I've included a list of potential patients who may benefit more than others from the use of HCG based on my own desire and based on various clinical studies.
Which women should consider using HCG?
Women who suffer from "stubborn" weight that is difficult to lose (especially fat in less common areas such as the upper arms, lower legs, etc.)
Women that has a large proportion of their weight in the hips/thighs/butt area
Patient who desire suppressing of your appetite or who need help in regulating their appetite because of other hormone imbalances such as leptin resistance
Women rich in baseline estrogen (estrogen dominance)
Women with low baseline progesterone (even if estrogen is normal)
Women that have 50+ pounds to lose or who have failed other weight loss medications
Note: If you fall into any of these groups then HCG is a lot more likely to augment your weight loss
HCG for Men
HCG also offers many benefits for men and may be the reason that men do so well on the conventional HCG diet when compared to women.
HCG looks similar to another hormone named LH or luteinizing hormone.
Because HCG looks a lot like LH (at least to cellular receptors) it may sit on and activate LH receptors and result in a normalization or natural boost to testosterone levels in men.
Because testosterone is so important (for both women and men, but especially in men) at promoting the male physique the use of HCG may stimulate weight loss in men through this mechanism alone.
HCG should be considered an integral part of normal testosterone replacement therapy which should include bio-identical testosterone, HCG to retard testicular atrophy and an estrogen blocker.
Because of this men tend to benefit greatly from the periodic usage of HCG especially during weight loss.
It ought to be noted, though, that HCG really should not be used in place of testosterone and for extended periods of time.