Why are you writing a HCG diet vs Keto diet article?
I am a curious person by nature so I thought that a HCG diet vs Keto diet piece might be interesting to say the least. These diet plans are quite different in approach but as you will see they also have some similarities.
The HCG diet is a low calorie diet plan that is designed to shed weight rapidly. According to the original manuscript it also burns fat more rapidly while taking HCG injections than doing the same diet without HCG injections. We will examine the theory to see how it works or if it works.
The keto diet is essentially a low carbohydrate diet. The calories are replaced with fats and protein in order to stimulate ketosis. Ketosis is basically just what happens when your body is burning fat for fuel instead of carbs. Your body then produces ketones which the body uses for energy. You can actually measure if you are in ketosis with keto sticks that are available in most pharmacies.
In the coming sections I will describe each diet and how it is supposed to work.
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We breakdown 11 different online HCG sources in our HCG diet reviews post to find out who the best suppliers are.
What is the Keto diet?
The keto diet is a low carb, high fat diet that uses ketones for fuel instead of glucose. There are variations of the diet that call for different macronutrient levels but the standard keto diet promotes 70-75% of calories come from fat, 20% of calories from protein and between 5-10% of calories from carbs. This of course depends on if you are at 70% fat or 75% fat.
The basic premise is that since your body is burning fat instead of glucose that you will be losing fat as you lose weight. Not only that but the moderately high protein intake will help preserve muscle mass as the weight comes off.
I have written about high protein diets and it is true that diets higher in protein are more effective at fat loss than just counting calories. I have to add, I could have made this an HCG diet vs Atkins diet thread since Atkins and Keto share similarities in macro ratios.
The keto diet is a lifestyle change as opposed to a fast weight loss program. While it does not have a dedicated food list the diet does have food “types” that are allowed to be consumed. To keep it relatively simple you stay away from carbs as much as you can and you load up on healthy fats and protein.
Some examples include most meat, including high fat meats, olive oil, heavy cream, butter, nuts etc. Foods you avoid like the plague are processed oils, mayo, sugar, grains, alcohol etc…
What is the HCG diet?
The HCG diet is very low calorie diet plan that is also a high protein diet. While the plan doesn’t call for tracking macros it does have very strict rules to follow. But just for fun I broke down the macros of what would be an approved meal under the original manuscript. For instance an approved meal would be a lean chicken breast (3.5 ounces) an apple and a cup of spinach. The macro breakdown is 42% protein, 7% fat and 51% carbohydrates. Keep in mind you can mix and match certain foods and change the macro ratios but protein will always be very high in comparison. In fact, I believe an apple is the highest carb fruit on the list. The other two fruits have half (or less) carbs than an apple.
The premise of this diet is that a specific meal plan, low calories and hormone manipulation via HCG shots causes rapid weight loss. Of course weight loss is not enough. The diet is supposed to increase fat burning and minimize muscle wasting.
The HCG diet is not supposed to be a lifestyle change during the actual diet phases. However, if you throw away the hormone and low calorie part of it I don’t see anything terribly wrong with the diet.
Round 1 of the HCG diet vs Keto diet battle of the bulge: Fat burning
Ketosis is your body using fat for fuel instead of Glucose or sugars/carbs. Keto is designed this way as a foundation. Eliminating all but of few daily carbs and replacing the calories with fat will instantly put you into ketosis. So that makes the keto diet a hands down winner right? As Lee Corso likes to say, not so fast my friend.
Losing weight, including fat relies on a calorie deficit. This means that you have to create a plan that allows you to burn more calories than you consume. Just because you urinate on a keto stick does not mean you are LOSING fat, you are just USING fat.
As an example, if your maintenance calories are 2500 but you eat 3500 daily calories you won’t lose fat. Sure you are in ketosis but the fat you are burning is coming from your diet, not your waistline.
The challenger
On the other hand you can still achieve ketosis with the HCG diet. Right out of the box the HCG diet sets a caloric deficit. In addition it uses HCG to stimulate the very same hormones that most obese individuals are deficient in. Study after study has shown that women with low progesterone and estrogen put on abdominal fat. Similar studies have shown that men with low testosterone gain abdominal fat. There reverse is also true. Overweight and obese individuals have a high probability of being hormone deficient.
Then there is Leptin. Leptin is the hormone that tells you that you are no longer hungry. HCG also stimulates this hormone which could come in handy when restricting calories.
Back to ketosis for a moment. Eating buckets of fat is not the only way to get into ketosis. Intermittent fasting is another method. The concept is the same however, if you are at a caloric deficit and you have not eaten for 12 hours, chances are you are in ketosis also. The difference is you are actually burning bodyfat, not dietary fat.
With HCG you you are at a caloric deficit AND you are producing hormones important for sparing muscle and mobilizing abdominal fat. The caloric deficit alone will have you in ketosis until lunch when the apples 25 grams of carbs will stop it. This process will repeat at dinner, but then after dinner you won’t eat again until breakfast at which time you are allowed a piece of melba toast, which has 3.8 grams of carbs.
Winner
I call this round a draw.
On one hand the keto diet alone does not mean much if you are not at a caloric deficit. On the other hand it is not as “scary”as cutting so many calories, even if it is for just a month.
HCG landed some blows as well though. By stimulating hormones that obese individuals are deficient in they too lose fat and hang on to muscle. Also, there is not too much guesswork involved. The calorie count is set and the allowed foods are explained. That’s it, just follow the plan and you will lose weight and fat. Even more than people who try to do it without the HCG.
Round 2 of the HCG diet vs Keto diet challenge: Rebound
The next round addresses the “if you stop the weight comes back” argument.
As a matter of fact, this is true of BOTH diet plans. If we stop with keto and go back to what we did before keto wont we experience the same result?
We will set that aside for a moment because keto is supposed to be a lifestyle change anyway. Assuming we stick to this diet for the rest of our lives and monitor our calories then we should be able to maintain the weight we want. In fact, just being in ketosis forces you to burn more calories. This means at rest you are burning more calories than those not in ketosis.
The challenger
On the other side of the coin the HCG diet is not a lifestyle change out of the box. You will not be severely restricting calories and you won’t be continuously using HCG. This must mean that we are back at square one right?
Incorrect. The HCG diet plan concept is just fine as a lifelong diet. Is there anything wrong with have lean protein, a fruit and a vegetable with every meal? Is there anything wrong with cutting out processed food and staying away from sugar that isn’t in a fruit? That sounds like a pretty healthy and well balanced plan to me. As long as we stay at or below our daily maintenance calories we should remain at our idea weight.
There is another benefit to this type of diet plan, especially if you are active. Glucose is known as quick energy. It is quick to be turned into fat but it is also very quick to use. Several studies of athletes have shown that higher glucose levels improves performance. That available energy can power you through a workout or other physical activity allowed you to build more muscle or burn more calories. You could realistically triple the calories you ate during the plan and still lose weight.
Winner
Once again this round is a draw.
The keto diet comes ready made to guide you how to eat for life, not just for a month. While the HCG plan may take some experimenting to figure out your ideal calorie count, the actual foods you eat are nutritious and healthy if you stay close to the same parameters. Additionally, there is no additional modification needed if your physical activity level is high.
With discipline and planning there is little chance of a so called rebound.
Round 3 of the HCG diet and Keto diet challenge: Convenience
Weight loss plans have to be sustainable whether it is a long term lifestyle change or a short term quick weight loss plan to be effective.
This round is difficult for me. On one hand you have the HCG diet which is reliant on taking a hormone every morning and on the other hand you have a diet that relies on not only specific macro goals but the type of macros to consume. Then there is the second guessing what is exactly in the food or condiments and how it is prepared.
With keto you have to plan quite well to execute it then you likely will have to limit your choices of restaurants you might frequent. For working people it can be quite hassle to be faced with restaurant choices that might not fit your needs. You can forget about the drive thru window if you are short on time too.
The challenger
HCG is easier when it comes to planning despite the choices being limited. You can easily get a grilled chicken salad at McDonald’s, skip the dressing and have a meal on the fly. You can make up that apple you missed at dinner. But the HCG itself can be a hassle. Not only do you have to inject yourself daily (with an insulin syringe) the HCG itself must remain refrigerated. If you travel often for whatever reason this makes it extremely difficult to execute.The good news the shots are used for a very short time but it still will affect those who travel for work. Another problem with the shots is if you happen to leave it out for an extended time, then the HCG becomes useless. Finally, it can be confusing deciding where to buy HCG shots online and deciding who is reputable and who is not.
Winner
I am calling the third and final round a draw for the weight loss phase. Both diets are challenges to execute consistently in all situations. Careful planning is helpful for both and sacrifices have to made for both.
On the other hand, when the weight loss phase is over I feel it is far easier to find a meat a veggie and a fruit without much planning or calculating macro %. All I have to worry about is staying close to my daily calorie allowance.
With keto in order to stick to my optimum weight I have to concern myself with calories and macros which makes it difficult to be flexible.
Deviating from either plan after the weight loss phase is not the end of the world. I just find it easier not to deviate by choosing to have a meat, fruit and veggie with every meal.
HCG diet vs Keto diet final decision
In reality any weight loss plan is a personal decision. Factors such as convenience, determination and the way your body responds to these diets are key to determining if you are going to succeed on these plans.
The fact is both of these diets have their fair share of criticism and they each take some planning and modification to execute, yet they both have thousands of fans that swear by the plans.
What it boils down to are your personal goals and preferences because if you are reaching those goals, you are more likely to stick to and succeed with the plan.
