Stop Acting like a Big Baby, Already.

It interests me that people throw money at “diet pills” not dietitians-not terribly surprising considering the promise of instant pound shedding products. People think of dietitians as “Food Police” but then choose an HCG + 500 calorie a day diet? Straight confusing.

And so is one’s body.

A body is an incredibly smart machine. It adapts to your needs and helps you fight disease. I mean, it creates life. A terrifically complicated process. It’s not like women desire the side effects of pregnancy when they aren’t pregnant…so why do some want to “fool” their machine into thinking otherwise? And men, you too?

If you are unaware, HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) is a hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy. It helps ensure that the fetus receives enough nutrients to grow and develop normally. I recall doctors recommending increased nutrition intake and weight gain when HCG is present in a woman’s body. 

The 26 day diet kit from hcgdiet.com is $250 when combined with a calorie restriction diet. Meaning, you’re out $250 dollars, are hungry, and still haven’t invested money into long term nutrition education…but remember, it WORKS!! And saves you so much money on food that it’s kind of like a FREE diet!!

How about this: EFFECTIVE NUTRITION COUNSELING? Does that help? There's nothing wrong with a body until you confuse the machine-why not clear a mind?

Food and Drug Administration Officials claim this heavily promoted weight-loss product is fraudulent and illegal. And, Samuel Klein of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis states that "data from most randomized controlled trials show that HCG is no better than placebo in achieving weight loss or reducing hunger” (USA Today).

That’s placebo not placenta.

It seems the same people who try and alter their machine by using HCG are also those altering their bodies with crappy food (aka weight gain). Most likely the people who order pizza and fast food. Dare I say, "quick fix" types.

I wonder how long these quick fix types restrict their calories to 500/day, take HCG and believe it's blocking hunger wonder powers. Of course appetites are suppressed with a slowed metabolism and muscle wasting (our metabolic furnaces).

It seems there is a lot more belief in fraudulence than the belief that a dietitian possesses any real knowledge about nutritional science. Is it because dietitians aren’t speaking up or are they silent because it would be incorrect to generalize nutrition needs to everyone?

Either way, I can honestly say that 500 kcal a day is inappropriate for any healthy person. Except for maybe a healthy person at “birth to one week” of life which requires 8-12 bottle/breast feedings of 30-90 ml per serving each day equating to 400 kcal on average. Look at that. Just 100 kcal less than the alleged overweight adult HCG user. Tell me how that makes sense. Tricking your machine into pregnancy does not mean eating like a one week old.

You can’t tell me that these people who have “tried every diet out there to lose weight without success” have actually spent their money wisely on individualized nutrition education, counseling, and coaching from a registered dietitian. And another thing, stop crying and whining, that’s left to those who are truly infants and pregnant.