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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 challenge that HCG gets to be 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. Hcg is a combination of a sustained very low calorie diet which is as well as 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 nearly always cause regaining any weight that has been lost throughout the diet.
Regardless of this known side effect many people still choose to adopt the HCG diet, presumably for any temporary weight loss that results.
At Virtue of Health now we have created our own weight loss protocol that does not have you limited to 500 calories per day, but on a diet that is specifically customized for 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 you regulate sex hormone levels such as estrogen and progesterone - Some wHCG Weight lossomen have excess levels of sex hormones for example estrogen and progesterone that will make weight loss difficult.
Might help regulate appetite suppression - Normalizing appetite levels is important when considering caloric consumption. Eating a sufficient amount is essential for proper metabolism but some 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 which could become dysregulated by other hormone imbalances just like insulin resistance.
May support thyroid function - HCG can stimulate thyroid function in expectant women and this effect may be part of the reason that HCG works well as a dietary aid in some diets.
HCG for Women
HCG is often very helpful for certain women who are trying to lose weight.
Point about this benefit may stem from HCG and how it can help regulate estrogen and progesterone levels.
The imbalance of estrogen to progesterone may perhaps be responsible, at least in part, for an increase in weight in certain areas of the body (think breasts, butt, thighs and so on).
This distribution of fat differs from other hormone imbalances which include insulin resistance which has a tendency to promote weight gain in the abdominal cavity or around the organs (so called visceral fat).
The condition with fat mediated by estrogen and progesterone is that it is often very difficult to treat and frequently doesn't respond to conventional exercise and diet routines.
Whether or not 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 will manage to benefit with the episodic use of HCG as a complementary therapy to other weight loss therapies.
I've included a directory of potential patients who may benefit more than others in the use of HCG according to my own knowledge 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 using a large proportion of their weight in the hips/thighs/butt area
Patient who desire appetite suppression or who need help in regulating their appetite because of other hormone imbalances such as leptin resistance
Women wealthy 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 much more likely to augment your weight loss
HCG for Men
HCG also offers many benefits for men and may be the explanation why men do so well on the conventional HCG diet when compared to women.
HCG looks similar to another hormone often known as LH or luteinizing hormone.
Because HCG looks the same as LH (at least to cellular receptors) it may sit on and activate LH receptors and cause a normalization or natural boost to testosterone levels in men.
Because testosterone is so important (for both men and women, but especially in men) at promoting the male physique the use of HCG may stimulate weight loss in men through this mechanism alone.
HCG must also 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.
This is why men usually benefit greatly in the periodic by using HCG especially during weight loss.
It must be noted, though, that HCG shouldn't be used in place of testosterone or even for extended periods of time.