Are there actually serious HCG diet side effects? It depends really on how you implement the program. It’s composed of two interrelated components –the very calorie diet and the HCG hormone. Each has specific sets of instructions to follow. Deviations in each will likely result to some side effects but certainly not serious enough to put your health in grave danger. The most that can happen is that you’ll not lose weight at all and end up wasting your money, time and effort.

The side effects of the HCG diet are typical to low calorie diets and the HCG 500 calorie a day detox diet is more calorie starved than most. Even then, the most you can expect are the usual momentary disorientation, mild depression, edginess and poor water retention. The last is the result of the diet being a detox while the rest is the result of the sudden and steep drop in your calorie consumption levels.

The aforementioned side effects are not expected to bother you much for long. As long as you strictly adhere to the protocols of the diet, they are bound to be kept under tolerable levels. The diet triggers the powers the hormone to curb hunger pangs and change the focus of the metabolism from storing fats to using them up.

Perhaps the only source of discomfort that can really bother you is if you are utilizing injections to administer the HCG hormone. You know about injections. Until now you probably get anxious just looking at needles. Add this to daily the preparations it entail and the rather exorbitant price, and you will have difficulties breathing.

There is one way to ascertain a really trouble-free HCG weight loss program and that’s to opt for the liquid HCG instead of the injections. Liquid HCG is expensive since it requires a lower dosage. Its also easier to administer.  All it takes is squeezing 15 drops of the hormone into your mouth three times a day, twenty minutes before eating or 20 minutes after.

The HCG diet is not an easy one to be sure. Just looking at the amount of calories it allows per day may give you doubts about it. However, the diet actually has no serious dangers as long as you do not have an existing health condition that the diet can aggravate. Obesity after all is not just about lugging a bloated figure around or creaking joints. It has rather serious complications like diabetes, heart condition, infertility, even cancer are just some of them. Because of these complications, HCG doctors advise that you undergo a medical check up first to prevent said complications, if you have them, from being affected by the diet.

One is the HCG diet risks that is typical of very low calorie diets is hunger pangs getting the best of you and forcing you to quit or cheat. Intense hunger pangs resulting from the steep drop in calorie consumption can also lead to other side effects like bodily and mental disorientation, depression, irritability and headaches.

All the dangers mentioned above need not discourage you from engaging the HCG program. The risks are easily offset by the various benefits it provides. The program has been consistently proven by users to have the ability to lose a pound or two per day. And it does not require workouts which makes it the ideal weight loss program for people like you who are busy.

There are no special things you have to do make sure the side effects do not impede the successful implementation of the program. You really just need to follow the instructions on the how to implement the diet and HCG administration.

The 500 calorie a day detox diet should be strictly observed. It is intended not only to cut down your calorie consumption. More important, it’s meant to activate the powers of the HCG without which the side effects may be too much for you to handle. This means, of course, that you should follow the recommended diet recipe found in the book “Pounds and Inches” written by Dr. Simeons, the creator of the HCG program.

Another thing you have to strictly implement is the two days, prior to the diet, allocated for calorie gorging.  The additional calories generated during these two days ensures you have enough energy throughout the entire process,  reduces hunger pangs and confines the improved metabolism to burning fats and not muscles.

Observing the diet protocols solves most of the problems. This is does not mean, however, that you can just ignore the protocols for HCG administration. There’s the amount to consider which ranges from 125IU to 200IU daily and some specific instructions about oral drops administration. Absorption is supposed to be done 20 minutes before and after meals. You are to hold the hormone in your mouth for 15 seconds before swallowing.

There is the injection method, but if you are looking for more a hassle-free and cheaper method, you will not be disappointed with the oral drops.

Often, people specially those who have tried various diets and failed to see improvements regard such statements with reservations. A lot of diets fail to deliver on their promises.

To make sure you do not get taken in by empty promises that only leave you poorer but fatter as before, it’s best to evaluate the effectiveness of diet programs being offered. It’s quite understandable, for example, for you to do some research on the HCG diet program before deciding to engage it.

There is no better place to learn about the HCG diet than through HCG diet reviews. Generally reviews try to be as objective as possible.

One thing good with HCG diet reviews are they will provide the positive as well as the negative aspects of the diet. What benefits you can expect from it and the possible side effects and dangers you may have to deal with. It is very important that you get an unbiased view regarding the diet.

Reviews would agree to the claim of one two pounds off your body a day. After all nobody can deny that a 500 calorie a day diet can easily lead to that. The level of calorie consumption is way below the 2000 calories a day required by the body.

This is where HCG diet reviews become most interesting because reviewers have to cite the potential dangers of the diet and to be fair mention what mitigate them. Thus, while giving space to possibility of uncomfortable side effects like hunger pangs, dizziness, irritability and physical weakness they must provide equal space to the aspects of the diet which reduces the intensity of these side effects while effecting weight loss – the HCG hormone and the calorie load-up period.

HCG diet reviews will dwell extensively with the role of HCG hormone in weight loss. Depending on the actual experience of the writer, the hormone will be declared either useless or potent. Some reviews will take the view of some medical professionals who believe the hormone useless even dangerous.

Other reviews will have some precautionary word about the hormone not really proven scientifically to be able to reduce hunger pangs and increase the metabolic rate but will give weight to the experience of thousands of users indicating that’s the hormone really delivers.

The review should highlight the role of the 2 day calorie gorging period to the success of the HCG diet. The fat gorging is implemented during the first two days of HCG ingestion and is meant to generate more calories to ensure dieters have enough energy to sustain them during the low calorie diet phase.

There is good reason for the calorie restriction and specific nutritional content. It has a purpose other than limiting your calorie consumption. Fact is, the benefits of the diet are derived more from its ability to turn on the powers of the hormone to make the fats available for burning and suppressing hunger pangs than on its being low calorie. The detox character of the diet facilitates work of the hormone by cleansing the body of impurities that speeds up the metabolic process.

To make certain that your daily meals always comply with the requirements of the program, the diet recipe specifically identifies what foods are allowed and how much. All foods not in the HCG recipe food list are strictly off the table. You will not actually have to count calories with each meal you prepare, that would be quite difficult. Rather you will be measuring the foods. The original recipe found in the book “Pounds and Inches” written by Dr. Simeon, the founder of the program is detailed enough to prevent you from making mistakes.

The HCG diet recipes cover 23 days straight days. The breakfasts are the most difficult part of the diet. They are completely free of solid food. But you are allowed to consume unlimited amount of coffee or tea. You may use saccharine or stevia but definitely no chemical based sweeteners. Lunch and dinner are better. At least you are permitted solid food, though not much. There is 100 grams of meat of either chicken, veal, beef or lobster, shrimp or white fish. There’s a list which you can refer to. The meat must not have any trace of fats on it and cannot be cooked in any way except by broiling or grilling.

Since the diet is a detox, there are vegetables as well as fruits to go along with the meat. Only one kind of vegetable is allowed per meal. The amount depends on the type of vegetable. Like the meats there is a list you can consult. For the fruit, you can have an orange, apple, one-half grapefruit or a handful of strawberries. There is a small stick of bread to complete the meal. You are likewise admonished to drink lots of water – at least two liters a day.

Deviating from the HCG diet recipes can be costly. If the powers of the hormone are not fully activated, you will have a difficult time enduring the diet and you will not lose weight.

Both protocols are equally important, but the diet requires more work and stronger commitment. It limits consumption of calories to not over 500 units a day and that’s scary, come to think of it. However, there’s actually nothing to make you apprehensive about the diet. It was formulated not merely to reduce your calorie intake. More important than this, it triggers the inherent properties of the HCG hormone.

The HCG hormone, a substance extracted from the urine or blood of pregnant women, has been proven to have the ability to make the metabolism work more efficiently and suppress food cravings. This is the reason why pregnant women never seem to gain weight. All foods consumed are efficiently broken down into essential nutrients for the use of the mother and baby and fats are immediately converted into energy. Wastes are flushed out of the body, not allowing build-up of toxins or fats.

Looking at the HCG diet recipes, it becomes evident what the diet is really for. The foods you are to eat for the next 23 days are mainly proteins and fibers. The proteins are good for building up muscles and fibers are good for detoxification purposes.  Add to these the prodigious amount of water – not less than two liters – you are to absorb daily and you can see that it’s the detoxification process that triggers the hormone.

In the book “Pounds and Inches” you will find the original HCG recipe. You can also find it in all HCG websites. But for your convenience the complete diet which you are start in the third day of HCG ingestion provided:

For breakfast you are allowed unlimited amount of sugarless coffee or tea, though liquid Stevia or Saccharin is allowed, and one tablespoonful of milk for the next 24 hours.

For lunch you can choose what food combinations to choose from a list provided:

1. A hundred grams (3.5 ounces, Weighed raw before cooking) of fatless beef, veal, chicken breast, fresh white fish, crab, lobster or shrimp grilled or boiled. Avoid adding fats. Eel, salmon, tuna herring, pickled or dried fish are prohibited.
2. 2. One kind of vegetable chosen from a list provided: chard, spinach, beet greens, chicory, tomatoes, onions, celery, fennel, asparagus, red radishes, cucumbers, cabbage.

3.   One Melba toast or one breadstick (grissini).

4.   One-half grapefruit, one apple, orange or a handful of strawberries

It is advisable to stick this diet recipe.  Any deviations from it result to difficulties and you many not lose weight at all.

The ability of the hormone to suppress hunger pangs and enhance the fat burning work of the metabolism combined with the very low calorie diet drops one to two pounds of unwanted fats from your body daily. It also prevents occurrence of serious side-effects.

The HCG diet menu is quite specific about the number of calories you are allowed each day of the diet program. You are allowed exactly 500 calories.  It is also quite specific on the fibers, proteins and amount of liquids required.

The diet menu is a challenge to a lot of HCG dieters. Breakfast is entirely solid food-free, just coffee or tea though in unlimited amounts, and one teaspoonful   of milk for the next 24 hours.

Lunch and dinner is much better with solid foods available but naturally the amounts are way below your usual intake. One hundred grams of meat (not a trace of fats allowed), sea food (shrimp or lobster), one type of vegetable and fruit, and one stick of bread. You can choose the types from a food list provided.

To ensure you get the right amount of calories, proteins and fibers, specific instructions on measuring the foods and how you might prepare them are also provided.

In cooking the foods there are certain restrictions like not adding ingredients that can raise the calories in your food over the required 500.  The instructions emphasize the need for drinking at least two liters of water a day.

Changes in the HCG diet menu however minor are sure to have negative effects. The amounts of calories, proteins, fibers and liquids are to be carefully maintained.

The HCG diet has a very crucial role in the success of the program. The powers of the HCG hormone, unfortunately, are not immediately available after ingestion. They have to be activated and the doctor has formulated the diet for this very purpose.

The HCG hormone stimulates fat deposits for burning but with a slow metabolic rate burning fats fast is not possible. The HCG diet is not just low calorie, also a detox; it cleanses the body of impurities and improves the efficiency of the metabolism.

Following the HCG diet menu is your best way to benefit from the powers of the HCG hormone. Even the slightest of deviations can have disastrous results.

It’s not a bed of roses all throughout, however, particularly if you make a mistake in choosing the method of HCG administration.  There are a couple of methods – via injection and oral.

As much as possible you must avoid the injectable. It has some issues you won’t like. For example, just looking at the sharply pointed needles can bring anxieties and, of course, injection is really painful.  There is also the issue of time. The HCG program is a DIY. If you implement it as intended, that is as DIY, you must be prepared to make adjustments to your time. You can choose somebody professional to help you implement it but that would be costly and if you’re on a tight budget that’s hardly advisable.

The actual cost of the HCG injection is prohibitive compared to the cost of oral HCG.  In fact for the entire 26 day program you will spend more than a thousand dollars for the HCG hormone and  for the supplies needed to prepare the injections: syringes, mixing kits, solutions, etc…

HCG diet injections cost is not limited to the actual cost of the hormone and paraphernalia. You have to quantify the cost of having to take some time off from the usual time you devote to your work and other important activities. There are also the pains and anxieties to consider. If they can be quantified, the injections will probably be a lot more costly than what you actually pay for them.

The oral HCG also known as sublingual HCG is without doubt a lot better than the injection. It costs considerably lower and when you factor in the ease of use the cost may even be lower.

Unlike the injection which is highly prone to contamination the drops is utterly safe. You simply fill up the dropper with the correct amount of the hormone, 15 drops to be exact, hold the hormone in the mouth for 15 seconds then swallow. This process is done three times a day, 20 minutes before your meals or after meals.

The importance of the manner of HCG administration cannot be overestimated. The hormone helps you overcome hunger pangs and makes your metabolic process more efficient. The HCG dist will be useless and difficult if the hormone does not work as it should. And the best way  to make the HCG hormone work is through the oral HCG.

With the injection method, you are to stop medications. Menstruating women have to immediately cease taking the hormone. These restrictions are no longer true with the oral drops.

The diet drops are easy to administer.  Drop the right amount of HCG (15 drops) into your mouth some twenty minutes before or after (in case it slipped your mind) regular meals, hold for fifteen minutes and swallow.  It’s that easy.

The ease of use leads to other benefits. You have more time for managing the diet and dealing with potential side effects of the program.

With the injection method you have more to deal with. There are the side effects of the diet and of the injection itself.  There is always the possibility of blood clots and increased blood pressure which can lead to some health problems.

It’s good that the HCG drops was introduced because you will have your hands full with the HCG diet which is exceedingly low calorie, although there are other diets known to demand even less calories. The recipe provided is your greatest source of concern. But you have to remember that as long as you stick to it long enough, the rewards are enormous.

The HCG diet is the key to the HCG program. It’s designed for a specific purpose – initiate the powers of the HCG hormone in the dieter’s body and achieve rapid weight loss.  The HCG hormone has two properties which makes it beneficial to dieters. It makes you feel less hungry even when on a tremendously low calorie diet and it induces a very important change in the metabolic process – from fat conservation to fat burning.

You will initially encounter some difficulties with the diet. Anticipate some headaches, feelings of depression and other side effects related to the sudden and abrupt drop in calorie consumption. But once the HCG is fully activated, expect the side effects to disappear if not totally then within easily endurable levels.

The HCG diet drops is the best method of administering the hormone.  The convenience allows you to concentrate on the nitty-gritty of the program. The program is more effective when you are allowed to do that.

A lot of people ask if there are HCG diet dangers for women. The answer is there are not. Why women should experience side effects exclusive to them is really surprising. The HCG hormone which is one of the two components of the diet comes from them, secreted during the first days of pregnancy. It is estimated that in a single day millions IUs of the hormone are produced and there are no evidence showing that women are affected by it.

How about the diet then? Are women especially vulnerable to the side effects of the diet? Of course not as the diet does not have really serious side effects. The diet does not allow more than 500 calories a day. But what they experience is not very different from what men dieter’s experience – irritability, depression, headaches, poor water retention, constipation.

The mentioned side effects, of course, are not expected to bother women much and for long. Except for the last two, they are mostly the result of hunger pangs but since the hormone has the power to control hunger pangs and the body has the natural ability to adjust to the diet, these side effects can inflict serious inconveniences only during the first days of the diet program.

It must be remembered that the diet is meant not only to limit calorie consumption. It has a purpose even more important than this. It is responsible for activating the hormone’s powers which are vital to the success of the program. These powers include the power, as already mentioned, to control hunger pangs and the power to change the focus of the metabolic process from fat storing to burning. This means inability to follow diet protocols can lead to some serious problems.

With the powers of the hormone, the diet despite the awfully meager calories that it allows does not pose real dangers. And it’s made even more manageable by two days of calorie gorging immediately before the low calorie diet and during the first two days of HCG ingestions. This period is intended to raise the level of fats in the body to make sure the dieter has enough source of energy.

The only thing that can really make the program difficult is if you are using injections to administer the hormone. It can cause dangerous blood clots and sudden increase in blood pressure. To avoid these dangers, it’s advisable to choose the more convenient and less expensive oral HCG.