HCG weight loss diets are about two things: high metabolism and effective use of existing fat stores.
Fat is Not The Enemy!
Most people are surprised to learn that a certain amount of fat in the diet is necessary in order to maintain good health. This is true regardless of whether or not you are on the HCG diet. The only difference is that while you would normally get your fat from food sources (ideally from healthy sources such as wild cold water fish and olive oil), while taking HCG your body is drawing this fat from your own cells, where excess supplies has been stored.
This is why you must avoid ingesting fat while on HCG. Your body needs fat in order to function, but you don’t want to give your system any choice as to where that fat comes from.
What Is Adipose?
“Adipose” is a word that refers to those fat reserves that wind up being stored around the waist, abdomen, hips and thighs. This is a form of fat that is high in nutrient and energy content, but is normally not available to the body that is, until all other sources have been used up. This, according to Dr. Simeons, is why most attempts at weight loss fail. By the time lean muscle reserves and structural fat has been consumed (which is what normally happens), the subject is so weak and discouraged that s/he abandons the attempt.
To use a metaphor, adipose is rather like gasoline that has been left in storage too long. Still volatile and full of energy, gasoline that has turned into a gel is completely useless as motor fuel.
HCG is a hormone that actually unlocks adipose stored in cells, breaking it down, releasing it and making it available to run your body’s metabolic processes. This is why people are normally not hungry or feeling deprived while following Dr. Simeons’ 500-calorie diet. Although you may only be ingesting 500 calories, your body is still burning between 1,000 and 2,000 extra calories a day from those adipose reserves.
How Does This Happen?
Part of the story is that part of your brain known as the hypothalamus. This almond-sized gland in the brain is like a combination fuel switch and thermostat. It determines what fuel is burned and at what rate. The problem with most diets is how the hypothalamus responds. Typically, it will slow down the metabolic rate to a crawl, and then start feeding on the most readily sources of nutrition: lean muscle tissue and structural fat that protects the internal organs.
HCG causes a literal “reprogramming” to take place; once the adipose reserves have been unlocked, the hormone directs the hypothalamus to extract nutrients from these. Because this is such a rich source of energy, it keeps the metabolism running at a high rate.
This is why people who follow HCG weight loss diets are able to lose up to two pounds a day safely with no ill effects. It is important however to follow the entire program closely in order to achieve the optimal results.
