HCG Weight Loss
If you’ve heard about the HCG diet and want to know more about it, visit Dr. Li Wellness in Florham Park, New Jersey. As an internist and obesity specialist, Dr. Sherry Li can evaluate your condition, explain this weight loss approach, and advise you if it might be right for you.
Human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG, is a hormone that is produced by women during pregnancy. It turns stored fat cells into calories to provide nutrients for the fetus and ensure its growth. When used as a tool for weight loss, HCG acts on the hypothalamus (the part of the brain that regulates hunger and appetite), triggering the release of fat, which is then metabolized and excreted from the body.
Why the HCG Weight Loss Program and How Will it Help?
The HCG diet is a physician-supervised program that enables you to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time – up to one pound a day for some people. That’s because it combines a very-low-calorie diet (500-700 calories a day) of lean proteins, certain fruits, and vegetables, and limited breads, with HCG injections, drops, or pills.
When your body begins burning stored fat, your metabolism increases, the extra weight melts off your body, and you are able to eat fewer calories without feeling hungry.
Because of the rapid and drastic changes your body will go through, Dr. Li will closely monitor your progress. If you are struggling to limit your calories, Dr. Li may also prescribe a weight loss medication for you and recommend Lipo-B or lipotropic injections.
Depending on your weight loss goals, the phase of your HCG program that includes the very-low-calorie diet and HCG will typically last between 23 and 30 days. It is followed by a stabilization phase, during which you can slowly add new foods into your diet so long as you avoid starches and sugars (carbohydrates). The maintenance phase is next, which involves reintroducing both simple and complex carbs.
Throughout your HCG weight loss program and beyond, Dr. Li will provide nutrition and lifestyle education, along with coaching and counseling, to help ensure you maintain your weight loss and experience long-lasting results.
Benefits of HCG Weight Loss
At Dr. Li Wellness, many of our patients have achieved their weight loss goals with the HCG weight loss program. In addition to shedding pounds and inches, the HCG diet also:
- Increases energy
- Burns excess fat reserves without losing muscle mass
- Reduces blood sugar levels and the risk of diabetes
- Decreases cholesterol levels
- Lowers blood pressure
- Resets and improves your metabolism
- Reprograms your body to use calories that are stored for energy
Are You a Candidate?
The HCG weight loss program is a different type of diet and should not be done without physician supervision. HCG is not approved by the FDA for weight loss, but it has been available for many years with low side effects and risks. The majority of Dr. Li’s patients who have used this method have maintained their weight loss goals.
Is the HCG weight loss diet right for you? Contact our office to meet with Dr. Li and learn more. Call Dr. Li Wellness at (973) 377-3676 to schedule an appointment, or you may request one online.