Losing weight is hard, especially if you’re significantly overweight. But, carrying excess weight can cause a variety of health problems, including:

 - Type 2 diabetes
 - High blood pressure
 - High cholesterol
 - Heart disease
 - Certain cancers

While most people think the secret to successful weight loss is diet and exercise, sometimes that’s not enough. That’s why Dr. Nithya Mathai at Lighthouse Medical Center in Pompano Beach, Florida, often recommends a plan that combines human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone injections along with a low-calorie diet. By combining the two, you can develop a stronger metabolism and shed unwanted pounds at the same time.

How the hCG diet works
The hCG diet combines a restricted diet of approximately 500 calories per day along with hormone injections.

A low-calorie diet works by forcing your body to burn excess energy stored in your fat cells. Unfortunately, it also pushes your body into starvation mode, a state that can cause muscle loss and slow your metabolism. The hCG diet tries to counteract these challenges by incorporating hormone injections in your program.

Both men and women have low levels of hCG in their bodies at all times. But, this naturally occurring hormone is also known as “the pregnancy hormone,” because it’s usually present in very high levels for three months after conception. That’s because hCG is responsible for telling a woman’s body that she’s pregnant, and it helps trigger the hormone production essential for a developing embryo and fetus. It also plays a role with areas of the body involved in fat metabolism and storage during pregnancy.

When combined with a low-calorie diet, medically supervised hCG injections may help men and women lose weight more quickly by boosting metabolism. Furthermore, hCG injections might help prevent muscle loss, because hormones help keep your body in a muscle-building state.

What to expect from the hCG diet
Because the hCG diet involves extremely low-calorie consumption along with hormone injections, it’s essential to work closely with Dr. Mathai to achieve the best results safely. Before you begin your program, Dr. Mathai will evaluate your overall health to ensure you’re a good candidate. Then she’ll design a personalized approach for your weight loss journey.

There are several phases in the hCG diet where your caloric intake will decrease and increase, and Dr. Mathai will guide you through them over a 1-2 month period. Throughout the process, she will monitor your overall health and progress to make sure your body responds to the weight loss program as expected. Dr. Mathai will also work closely with you to identify any habits or issues that may be contributing to your weight management issues, and she’ll also make recommendations for any supplements you may need.

To see if hCG injections can help fire up your metabolism and help you reach your weight loss goals, book an appointment online or over the phone with Lighthouse Medical Center today.