The HCG Diet and What You Need to Know about it!

I've had too many questions as of late about the HCG diet to not address it. So I'll hit the high points of what HCG is, what the claims are and how it's supposed to work, its efficacy, associated risks, and some closing thoughts. Now as much as I'm not a fan of fad diets and things like this I'm certain people will still choose to try it and hopefully they can make a more informed decision.

HCG What Is It?

HCG is a hormone found in women during pregnancy. It is most prominent during the early stages of pregnancy when a women may not know she is pregnant. It was actually found by a physician in the 50's and much of the research I've found on it was done in the 70's.

What Is The Program? How Does It Work?

The program consists of weekly injections of the hormone accompanied by a 500 calorie diet for a period of approximately 12 weeks. You are expected to lose about a pound a day and are advised not to exercise since calories are so restricted.

The hormones function in the body during the early stages of pregnancy and allows the body to release fat for the baby in the event that the mother is unaware of pregnancy and not eating enough.

Does It Work?

From the research I've found supplementing a 500 calorie diet with the HCG injections is no more effective than a 500 calorie diet in and of itself. The only thing it seems to do is help reduce hunger pangs. So in short no it is not a miracle cure to lose weight.

Risks.

Their is an increased risk of pregnancy, blood clots, headaches, restlessness and depression.

Closing Thoughts.

When losing weight the most important thing is to change behaviors and the way you view food. The HCG diet like a lot of other diet programs doesn't address the real issues one needs to focus on in order to lose weight and maintain that weight loss. Another problem that I find with this particular program is when you go on a very low calorie diet like the one accompanying the HCG injections your body will at some point be burning muscle tissue for energy. This decrease in lean muscle tissue will ultimately limit your bodies ability to burn calories. It comes as no surprise that the best option is to adopt to a lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise. Remember eat to live not live to eat!

Recipe of The Week

Beef Hash

This is a quick, easy recipe. Great for a cold night!

Ingredients

* 1 pound ground beef
* 1/2 large red onion, chopped
* 1 pound potatoes, cut into small chunks
* 1 Can Low Sodium Beef Broth
* 1 Can Corn
* 4 Medium Carrots Chopped

Directions

1. Brown beef and onion in a large saucepan until meat is no longer pink. Add potatoes, carrots, corn, and broth.
2. Cover saucepan, lower heat and let simmer for 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender and water has reduced/evaporated.

Fuel Your Body Like a Rolls Royce

If I were Bill Gates rich I would probably purchase a Rolls Royce Phantom. If your not familiar with that car do a quick google search and check it out because to me it's about the most luxurious car you can purchase. And it should be considering a price tag of $380,000. Now when you own a luxury vehicle most people probably use a premium gasoline to fuel it right? So why not fuel your body with premium fuel as well?

Your body is very much like that expensive car in that when you don't give it premium fuel it doesn't run as well. The best premium foods you can feed your body are lean protein sources, healthy unprocessed grains, and healthy fats. By using these foods as fuel sources your body will run efficiently and be more likely to ward off disease and sickness. Not only does healthy food strengthen your immune system it will help you perform better in the gym. If you have 2 athletes with similar skills and abilities I guarantee you can make one athlete superior by feeding him a healthy diet so why not do that for yourself. A few tips on food and nutrition to help you along in your fitness journey!

1) Calories Do Matter- It's not the only part of the equation but you must be calorie conscious when trying to lose weight.

2) Stay On The Perimeter at the Grocery- The perimeter of any grocery store is where you should spend the majority of your money. Think about it all the fresh produce, meat, and dairy is kept on the perimeter. The unhealthy processed foods are in the aisles.

3) Don't Go To The Grocery Hungry- This is a gimme but everyone needs a reminder sometimes. Going to the grocery hungry usually results in bad food decisions.

4) Think High Volume, Low Calories- Vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower take up a lot of space for the amount of calories they provide. 1 cup of cooked broccoli is ~20 calories while another healthy choice is brown rice weighing in at ~200 for the same amount. Both great choices but a big difference in calories.

Merry Ugly Christmas Sweater Party!

This past weekend I attended our 4th Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. My friends and I have thrown this party around Christmas the past few years and I am still amazed the sweaters some people come up with! Here is a pic of from the party.

Recipe of The Week

Guacamole


Now I know everyone has holiday parties to attend and if you have to bring an appetizer you can't go wrong with Guacamole. Avocado's are a great source of healthy fat and not too mention you've got Christmas colors when you add the tomatoes. You ask me it's perfect. Enjoy!


Ingredients

* 3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
* 1 lime, juiced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup diced onion
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.

5 Ways To Guarantee Holiday Weight Gain!

I love sarcasm and hopefully you do too. If not these surefire ways to gain weight over the holidays probably isn't for you. Enjoy.

1.Bill from accountings wife bakes those delicious cupcakes so be sure and devour one every time you pass the breakroom on the way to the restroom or watercooler. I'm sure they are fat and sugar free and will help keep your weight down during the holiday season. Realistically: Totally avoid the breakroom that way you won't see them. Out of sight out of mind.

2.Be sure to always opt for that extra glass of wine at each and every holiday party you attend. Not only is alcohol low in calories, but I'm sure it will give you that extra pep in your step to get to the gym early the next morning. Realistically: You'll have plenty of other opportunities to drown your holiday sorrows at the family dinner so maybe only limit yourself to one glass of wine.

3.Ask your boss if there is any extra work to do before the year ends. Since stress really doesn't affect you, especially when you have your in-laws in town, the extra work and stress won't sabotage your efforts to get to the gym or eat healthy. Realistically: Be careful what you commit to holidays always bring extra time restraints, so be sure to balance your schedule.

4.When your shopping for holiday snacks always choose the jumbo pack of holiday cookies. Your certain all your guests will eat them anyway leaving you to eat the healthy stuff in the house. Realistically: Don't buy the jumbo pack at all instead buy the smaller pack that way there aren't as many leftovers to tempt you later.

5.Starve yourself all day leading up to the big family feast that way you can pig out and other than feeling like a beached whale you'll feel a sense of accomplishment by not going over your caloric limit. Realistically: Don't plan on eating any differently than you do on any other day that way when the holiday meal comes you aren't in the mindset of “I already blew it with the 24 cookies at work may as well keep it going”

HIIT

HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING

I get asked all the time “What is the most effective fat burning cardio workout I can do?” And the answer is pretty simple HIIT or high intensity interval training. If you've never heard of it or never tried it I'll give you a brief overview as well as a sample program you can try on your own.

So what is HIIT exactly you ask. HIIT is bouts of high intensity exercise for a specified period of time followed by bouts of low-medium intensity exercise. I usually do a work to rest ratio of 1:2 so if 1 minute is my work period my rest period would be 2 minutes. For this particular example let's say I'm planning on doing 7 work periods. That means 7 minutes of high intensity exercise with approximately 12 minutes of low-medium intensity exercise between those work periods. Add on a few minutes of warm-up and cool down time and you have a wicked effective fat burning workout in under 30 minutes.

Now the times and number of work periods are the variable you can play with. There is no magic number to plug in, but I would recommend shooting for at least 15 minutes of total work. The mode of exercise can be changed as well. You can use the same basic system and change the mode(bike, treadmill, or elliptical) to avoid boredom. Also changing the times and number of work periods provides yet another variable that can help fight boredom. I know when I'm doing intervals my cardio workouts go by rather quickly.

Now this method of cardio is not suited for everyone, but if your looking for a change give it shot. Also if you are a beginner be sure and keep your times and work periods relatively short until you build up enough of a cardiovascular base to handle longer duration workouts.

Sample HIIT Workout

Mode: Treadmill

Working Period: 20 Seconds at 7.5 Treadmill Speed
Rest Period: 40 Seconds at 3.0 Treadmill Speed
Total Repetitions: 15

3 Minute Warm-Up
Minute 1 :20 Seconds at 7.5 :40 Seconds at 3.0
Minute 2 :20 Seconds at 7.5 :40 Seconds at 3.0
Minute 3 :20 Seconds at 7.5 :40 Seconds at 3.0
Minute 4 :20 Seconds at 7.5 :40 Seconds at 3.0
Minute 5 :20 Seconds at 7.5 :40 Seconds at 3.0
And so on for 15 minutes
3 Minute Cool Down

If you have any questions or want more information on HIIT shoot me an email at ian@essentialfitnessSTL.com