I hear that hCG is the new miracle for losing wieght. Is it safe and how do I sign up!

Thank you for the information on hCG. I have always had great results with Adkins since I hate being hungry but now that I am older and going through perimenopause, I feel I don't tolerate it as well. I will definitely look into the mediterranean diet.

Dear Tamalyn, I do not subscribe to any "miracle" solution for weight loss except:

1.Low caloric intake (based on age, weight, gender, activity level)
2.Balanced diet that includes low carbs (avoid refined flours, sugars),
3.Eat lots of raw fruits and veggies and
4.Alternate animal with plant derived protein
4.Daily exercise (to increase metobolism)
5.A positive mental attitude (relax, chew and breath when eating SLOWLY)
6.Stress reduction (avoid rushing through meals or eating for comfort)- high corticol produced by stress is linked to weight gain around the waistline)

A highly effective diet scientifically proven to work for weight loss and to reverse heart disease is the mediterranean diet along with lifestyle changes. There are NO quick fixes! When it comes to weight loss, the ball is in our individual court and each decision we make will determine the health outcome including healthy weight.

But to answer your question, here is what I know about the HCG diet:

It consists of a very low calorie diet (sounds familiar?) accompanied by treatments of hCG, rather oral or injected. The claim is that the average hCG dieter experiences rapid weight loss averaging 1 to 3 pounds per day and it is believed that the loss of unwanted fat using the hCG protocol is due to hCG's ability to help modify the dieter's relationship with food and eating. Since this is a hormone produced during pregnancy, I am not sure what long term effects it would have on those who are NOT pregnant and it does not say if someone needs to be on hCG forever to maintain the low weight despite the fact that they claim the weight loss is permanent, I am not sure we have enough data on that since it is so new.

But please noticed that lifestyle changes ARE required for this diet to be effective. Like any other diet...so save your money and just focus on the points above! Those are free and have scientific proof to be long term along with preventing heart disease and other chronic conditions like diabetes.

Most westners have a strange relatioship with food and eating. We do not even know how to chew or breathe while eating. We rush through meals and have forgotten the social experience meals created around the table. So until we get back to old healthy behaviors about food and eating there will be NO diet that will work for weight loss!