HCG Diet Addiction - People are Dumber Than Rats

“People are dumber than rats,” my friend Marianne said.

“What do you mean?” I asked. She was referring to the experimental rats that go through a maze once and, when they don’t get food, change directions or stop. Not so for people. They start out with a pattern – their first diet - that can turn into a habit – every January or spring “gotta take that 10 pounds off” – that grows into an addiction -  “Oh this time this new diet is gonna work – I just know it.” When the weight is regained, as it is by over 90%, feelings of failure and guilt prevail.

Having worked with women with weight concerns for 15 years I’ve seen many diet fads come and go.  The current diet craze diet is the HCG. HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. HCG is the hormone that indicates a woman is pregnant. The theory is that taking the hormone stops hunger. This is a crazy diet because it requires you to eat 500 – 800 calories a day and get hormone injections, or take homeopathic hormone drops. ALERT: Anyone eating 500 calories a day WILL lose weight!! Temporarily!  The concentration camp survivors were kept on a 900 calorie a day diet.

Here’s WHY stringent, quick loss diets are a bad idea. When you’re dieting the body goes into starvation. In starvation you obsess about food and often “cheat” by breaking out of jail. Once you start eating normally again, guess what? The body holds onto every calorie it can and the end result is more weight gain.

Dieting addicts want a quick-fix and they want it now. I’m sorry but forget it! This delusion makes a LOT of $$ for people pushing these diets! For the best long-term weight loss results develop a realistic weight goal (1-2 lbs. a week works for many). Have a food plan that is slow and steady and one you can live with. It’s not healthy to live on 500 calories a day or yo-yo with your weight.

I recommend attending Weight Watchers, or check out The Blood Type Diet – a very sane eating plan. To lose and keep weight off requires you to stay conscious of what you’re eating (and why), deal with stress and anxiety (for free stress relief go to www.lynntelfordsahl.com and register for 7 ½ Tips register). And, you must develop an exercise program.  Break the diet addiction habit and lose the weight you desire. You can do it!!