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HCG Hormone vs The HCG Diet
HCG Weight loss : It's important that individuals 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 trouble that HCG gets a bad name for the reason that name itself is often related to 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 nearly always cause regaining any weight that had been lost in the diet.
Despite this known side effect many people still choose to adopt the HCG diet, presumably for that temporary weight loss that results.
At Virtue of Health we've created our own weight loss protocol that does not have you tied to 500 calories daily, but on a diet that is specifically customized on your body type, weight, height, gender, age, BMR and BMI. Dieting 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 girls have excess levels of sex hormones which include estrogen and progesterone that makes weight loss difficult.
Will help regulate appetite suppression - Normalizing appetite levels is important when contemplating caloric consumption. Eating a sufficient amount is essential for proper metabolism however, 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 often can become dysregulated by other hormone imbalances including insulin resistance.
May support thyroid function - HCG might stimulate thyroid function in expecting mothers and this effect might 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.
Much of this benefit may stem from HCG and its ability to help regulate estrogen and progesterone levels.
The imbalance of estrogen to progesterone could possibly be responsible, as a minimum in part, for extra 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 surrounding the organs (so called visceral fat).
The matter with fat mediated by estrogen and progesterone could it be can be very difficult to treat and typically doesn't respond to conventional diet and exercise routines.
Even if they 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 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 your use of HCG determined by my own personal experience 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 appetite suppression or who need help in regulating their appetite on account of other hormone imbalances such as leptin resistance
Women with higher baseline estrogen (estrogen dominance)
Women with low baseline progesterone (even if estrogen is normal)
Women who have 50+ pounds to lose or who have failed other weight loss medications
Note: If you fall into any of these groups then HCG might be more likely to augment your weight loss
HCG for Men
HCG also offers many benefits for men and may be the debate that men do so well on the conventional HCG diet when compared to women.
HCG looks similar to another hormone generally known as 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 resulted in 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.
For this reason men have a tendency to benefit greatly through the periodic usage of HCG especially during weight loss.
It should be noted, though, that HCG should not be used in place of testosterone or even for extended periods of time.