Looking at the differences of the hcg weight loss plan to the atkins weight loss plan

By John D Greene

In the recent years, people have been following various diet plans however the basic principle for losing weight is by the consumption of fewer calories than your body exerts. It is often a hard task to choose the right diet regime that fits your lifestyle, metabolism, and food preferences. However, one can successfully lose weight with physician's advice that can help you from choosing the right plan. Moreover, it is important to understand the concept of any diet plan to reap the benefits.

At present, the most widely approved diet protocols are the HCG diet and Atkins diet plans however one should obtain medical opinion before starting with any diet protocol. The HCG diet emphasizes on the use of HCG hormone injections daily and restricted calorie intake, whereas the Atkins diet does not permit the intake of certain carbohydrates. You can attain your weight loss goal by properly understanding the approach of these diets. Let's briefly compare about Dr. Simeons HCG diet protocol and Dr. Atkins diet protocol.

The HCG Diet protocol was initially known during 1950s but only came into practice in 1970s when Dr. A. T. W. Simeons confirmed its efficacy in managing obesity. The diet requires routine intake of HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) hormone injection which is biologically obtained from the pregnant female's urine. These injections should be taken only for certain period. During HCG diet, it is basically recommended to be on a very low-calorie diet of about 500 calories a day or even lesser to initiate the fat burning process in the body. Dr. Simeons recommends taking 2 short meals every day that includes fresh fruits, lean protein sources, and non-starchy vegetables.

During HCG diet, one should not take some carbohydrates but can include bread sticks (Grissini) or toast (Melba). Dr. A.T.W. Simeons researched by obtaining the ratio of daily carb intake to ensure that dieters did not experience carbohydrate imbalance. The HCG diet program re-programs the hypothalamus gland and hence the person normally tends to eat small portions of food which helps to successfully manage weight. The low calorie phase of the HCG Diet, depending on one's weight, usually lasts for the duration of 3 to 6.5 weeks. The best advantage of HCG diet protocol compared to Atkins diet is that one can still take certain carbs thus avoiding ketosis.

The Atkins diet was discovered by Dr. Robert C. Atkins during 1970s to promote easy weight loss. The diet includes low carbohydrate intake, especially healthy carbohydrates in an effort to control weight loss. The first phase of it includes consumption of less than 20g of carbohydrates per day which can subsequently be made flexible by taking from 50 to 100g of carbs depending on the carb tolerance. One can take non-starchy vegetables, sausages, cheese, cream, fish, bacon, meat, butter, and coconut oil while avoiding bread, muffins, potatoes, pasta, soft drinks, breakfast cereals, rice, fruits, sugar, and desserts.

It is advised to decrease the carb intake by consuming non-starchy vegetables, meat, bacon, fish, sausages, butter, cream, cheese, and coconut oil. Meanwhile, one should avoid taking rice, bread, pasta, potatoes, muffins, fruits, breakfast cereals, sugar, soft drinks, and desserts. Compared to HCG diet, the Atkins Diet usually emphasizes on completely eliminating the carbohydrates thus provoking the system to pass through the stage of ketosis. Ketosis is an abnormal condition that is associated with the increased level of ketone bodies in the body. It is usually experienced in case of diabetes mellitus, and abnormal fat metabolism. Long term ketosis can often progress to a serious form eventually resulting in liver damage. Hence, the Atkins Diet received some criticism as the portion sizes need not be restricted which was later altered by introducing healthy fats, nutrition and portion control.

The major difference between these two types of diet is that the hcg diet restricts the total calorie intake, while the Atkins diet restricts intake of only carbohydrates. However, the HCG diet protocol is unique in fact that it utilizes daily dose of HCG hormone injections while the Atkins diet requires regular tracking of carbohydrate intake.

The HCG diet allows the intake of some carbohydrates like Melba toast and breadsticks and it ensures one from taking necessary amount of carbs daily thus preventing ketosis. In contrary, the Atkins diet includes cutting-off all essential carbs in your daily diet thus predisposing to ketosis condition in addition to weakness, low energy levels and fatigue. In addition, the HCG diet causes permanent weight loss by resetting the hypothalamus gland to permanently get used to intake of smaller increments of nutritious food.

In conclusion, the HCG diet protocol is the best as it provides enough energy to stick to diet without quitting and it causes no nasty side effects like flatulence and bad breath as seen in Atkins diet. The side effects of HCG diet include blood clots, restlessness, depression and headache.

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