What Is HCG Diet? Does It Really Work to Lose Weight?

HCG Diet is another recent hot diet, highly touted by many celebrity physicians on TV shows and in books. So what is it?

HCG, abbreviation of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, is a hormone produced during pregnancy. "HCG Diet involves daily self-administered shots of HCG and a 500-calorie-a-day diet," said Dr. Louis Aronne, an obesity expert at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

So does HCG diet work to help lose weight? "The short answer is no," said Dr. Aronne. "HCG works by releasing stored fat - which your body typically uses only when you're pregnant or in starvation mode - into the bloodstream for use as energy."

However, it's a very expense placebo. A 23-day supply costs about $500. FDA has deemed HCG diet fraudulent and illegal.

Every study done on HCG has shown no it's effect on weight. It may help you lose a few pounds due to strictly low calorie intake. It's not sustainable for the long term. You're gain the weight back plus more.