What is HCG
HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin. It is a hormone that is produced in large quantities in pregnancy (both men and women have male and female hormones, so this program is just as successful for men).
HCG is responsible for making the abnormal fat reserves of the body available to be burned as fuel. In pregnancy it is used to protect the nutritional health of the growing baby, however, in conjunction with this program it is used to rid the body of abnormal fat deposits. Rest assured that the HCG helps to stave off any hunger pangs that a restricted diet may cause. With the introduction of HCG, thousands of extra calories begin to flood the system from the abnormal fat being metabolized. For this reason, HCG diets are easier to stick to than the traditional diets that simply restrict calories.
Dr. Simeons' Plan for Success
Dr. A.T.W. Simeons' research in the 1950's resulted in concluding that there are 3 different types of fat stored in the body:
Structural (visceral) Fat (in and around muscles, cushioning organs, padding of bottoms of feet, etc.)
Normal Fat (dermal fat which is directly under the skins surface and provides the soft cushioning between the skin and frame of the body)
Abnormal (adipose) Fat (under the dermal fat and not available for use by the metabolism until the other 2 kinds of fat are reduced.
Typical Reduced Calorie Diets
Most calorie reduction diets will not produce the best results for those individuals with an abundance of abnormal fat stores because their bodies will begin by burning the wrong kind of fat. When a low caloric diet is introduced to the system, the normal fat reserves of fat are used up first. As a result, most people look gaunt and drawn after a reduced caloric diet. Although the normal reserves of fat have been reduced, the abnormal fat remains intact. Without using HCG in a reduced calorie diet plan, the body will burn structural and normal fat.
RE-SETTING THE HYPOTHALAMUS
The hypothalamus is located just above the brain stem. It is known as the master gland and is a supervising center in the brain that links the body's two control systems, the nervous systems and the endocrine system. The hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, blood pressure, heartbeat, gastric reflexes, maternal behavior, blood pressure, immune responses, carbohydrate and fat metabolism. The hypothalamus is also responsible for the control of food intake.
The Hypothalamus is Responsible for the Control of Food Intake
It is the job of the hypothalamus to make the body salivate for an apple, rather than a piece of chocolate cake. If the hypothalamus is working normally, then a person will be more inclined to crave a nutritionally, well balanced diet! Food that is void of the nutrition will not have the same pull or crave-producing impact. This is why some people can have one bite of their chocolate cake, push it to the side, and say, "That was enough".
The hypothalamus is much like peripheral vision. When driving on the highway, even though the driver may not always be looking straight ahead, his peripheral vision assists him in making the tiny adjustments in steering to keep the car in between the lines on the road. The hypothalamus, when functioning normally, works in the same way. It assists the body by steering the appetite and promoting a more effective metabolism to keep the body at a certain weight, or "set-point", just like the lines on the highway.
For those who have a hypothalamus that is not functioning properly, it is like their peripheral vision has become distorted. The lines on the highway, so to speak, become wider and wider, or not visible at all. The body's hunger becomes more and more intense; more food is craved and eaten; and more fat is consumed and stored. Now the body's "set-point" has risen on the scale to a new high and it isn't coming down. Using Dr. Simeons' plan, it is now possible to lower the body's "set-point" and re-train the hypothalamus to make the necessary adjustments to keep it there!
THE ROLE HORMONES PLAY
In the body, there is a hormone called leptin. Leptin is like a messenger between the hypothalamus and the fat stores. When your body gets to the point where it has stored enough fat, leptin communicates this to the hypothalamus. A normally functioning hypothalamus understands leptin's message and stops storing extra fat on the body. However, high levels of leptin circulating in the body result in leptin desensitization, or leptin resistance. This means that no matter how much the leptin tries to communicate to the hypothalamus, the message is not heard or responded to. The more important part of this equation is that leptin is produced by the abnormal (adipose) fat!
More adipose fat = higher levels of leptin = leptin resistance = MORE STORED ADIPOSE FAT!
When the hypothalamus is not functioning properly, it cannot hear or understand what leptin is trying to tell it. So the hypothalamus continues to store excess fat because it has not gotten the message that there is already enough fat in the body.
This is why it is so crucial to rid the body of the abnormal (adipose) fat. Once the pounds of fat begin to disappear, the amount of leptin can return to normal levels. And this will begin to heal the broken system of communication between the fat stores and the hypothalamus. When the communication is restored, the hypothalamus will once again prompt the body to decrease food intake through appetite and increase energy output to burn up any extra calories eaten.
It is for this reason that many weight reduction programs fail or do not keep the weight off. If the body doesn't get rid of the adipose fat, the high levels of leptin in the body will keep the body in leptin resistance. These mixed messages will continue to confuse the body and the hypothalamus will continue to store fat and keep the appetite elevated.