If you’re like me, after birthing 3 babies, I often find it a struggle to maintain my weight. The stresses of a busy career, the need to pack and put healthy meals before my family everyday and our hectic schedule around sports and clubs leaves little time for sensible dieting and exercise.

But, as I always think, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. And such is the case with the bogus claims from supplement manufacturers touting the HCG diet as a proven way to quickly shed 20-30 pounds. Not only is it unsafe, it’s dangerous, and the FDA is warning consumers today that these supplements are illegal.


Homeopathic human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG, yes, the same hormone your placenta produces in pregnancy) weight-loss products are currently being sold online and in some stores as drops, tablets or sprays. And the FDA is warning consumers about their risky health effects.

In fact, the FDA has sent warning letters to 7 companies warning them that their actions are illegal (Read the list and the FDA’s concerns here: http://www.fda.gov/hcgdiet). Of greatest concern is that the manufacturers of these products often recommend that you take these supplements while following a restrictive a 500-calorie-a day diet—something they say “resets” your metabolism, but not so, says Elizabeth Miller, acting director of the FDA’s Division of Non-Prescription Drugs and Health Fraud.

Living on 500 calories a day isn’t just unhealthy, it’s downright dangerous, Miller says, as such severe calorie restriction increases your risks of gallstones and electrolyte imbalances that could impair the normal functioning of your muscles and nerves and even cause an irregular heartbeat.

Shirley Blakely, a nutritionist at FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, echoes concerns about such restrictive diets. They can be dangerous, she says, and potentially fatal. While a prescription version of HCG has been approved by the FDA to treat infertility and for other medical conditions, there is no safe over-the-counter supplement available, and there’s actually no evidence that even when used in prescription form it’s associated with weight loss in any way.

While we may wish there were a magic pill that would help us shed excess weight when we gain it, what nutritionists and health experts alike know is that the only proven way to safely lose and maintain weight is through a gradual weight loss program that includes moderate calorie restriction, such as eating 500 fewer calories a day (most adults need an average of 2,000 calories a day) of healthy food and with regular exercise.

If you’ve purchased homeopathic HCG to help with weight loss, the FDA is advising that you immediately stop using it, throw it away and stop following any diet instructions that came with the product. If you’ve experienced side effects while using a homeopathic version of HCG, you’re encouraged to report that to the FDA’s MedWatch program at (800) 332-1088.

Eating a well-balanced, higher, healthy proteins and vegetables diet seems to work well for me; plus I make sure to get in at least 30-60 minutes of brisk walking each day. What are you doing to lose weight or maintain your current weight?