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Absolutely depressing state of affairs. The fastest rising health query in 2010 according to the Google Zeitgeist is “hcg diet”. The HCG Diet is a controversial, fad diet that was popular a few years ago. Not only has it been called “ineffective,” it’s also been called “unsafe” and “dangerous.” So how did an obscure diet overshadow everything else? Turns out that the searches were limited to the US and Canada alone. There were more searches for this term from two countries than any other term from all the other countries combined. I hope this doesn’t sound prejudiced but my first thought was, “Some celebrity-driven push somewhere.” And sure enough, turns out the MTV show Jersey Shore pushed the benefits of the HCG diet enough to overshadow anything else from anywhere in the world.

What is the HCG Diet?
Human chorionic gonadotropin (or hCG) is a natural hormone produced during pregnancy. One of it’s functions is to ensure that the foetus absorbs nutrients from the mother. The HCG diet is based on research on pregnant women and “fat boys” in India in the 1950s by British endocrinologist A.T.W. Simeons that claimed that HCG decreased appetite, and made people lose fat around their hips, thighs, buttocks and stomachs. So he recommended small doses of HCG along with consuming only 500 calories per day (the equivalent of 1 meal) could help you lose 1-2 lbs a day (or how much you ought to lose in a month using normal, non-violent means). The diet became popular when convicted fraudster Kevin Trudeau wrote The Weight Loss Cure They Don’t Want You to Know About - infomercials and the book got him in trouble with the FCC over false claims that the diet works.

The HCG Recommended Sample Meal Plan

• Breakfast: Coffee, tea, water and a fruit
• Lunch: 100 grams of lean meat / Vegetable / Coffee, Tea, or water
• Afternoon snack: Fruit / Low carb low starch cracker
• Dinner: 100 grams of lean meat (remember no two same proteins in a day) / Vegetable / Coffee, Tea, or water

If the weight loss slows try the following::

• Increase water consumption and or green tea consumption
• Eliminate the fruits from two to one per day.

Truth About the HCG Diet

1. The FDA requires all communication to have the following disclaimer: The HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of obesity. There is no substantial evidence that it increases weight loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction, that it causes a more attractive or “normal” distribution of fat, or that it decreases the hunger and discomfort associated with calorie-restricted diets.
2. The Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition state that HCG is neither safe nor effective as a weight-loss aid.
3. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has listed HCG as a banned substance.

More of the same really… Despite all the information available, there are enough gullible people out there who believe the empty testimonies of “celebrities.” Even though weight loss is a difficult and slow process, there are enough people who continue to hope and believe that there is such a thing as a miracle cure. The single bright point: At least we learned something new today…