HCG (Human Chorionic Gonapotropin) is a hormone present in both men and women that is typically used to increase fertility. HCG levels are especially high in pregnant women, and subsequently it's been dubbed the "pregnancy hormone." The HCG hormone is thought to trigger our bodies to burn off more stored fat than we usually would, a belief that has lead to the foundation of the HCG Diet.

The HCG diet is fairly controversial for a number of reasons. Firstly, it restricts dieters to 500 calories a day -- well below the recommended daily amount -- is believed by virtually all qualified health professionals to be extremely unhealthy. Secondly, the FDA has only approved use of HCG for fertility treatments, and there are no comprehensive studies showing that the HCG hormone either works for weight loss or is safe in the long run. Finally, one of the diet's main promoters, Kevin Trudeau, is well-known in the weight-loss industry for being a convicted fraudster.

The first component of the HCG Diet is daily administration of the HCG hormones, either through an oral supplement or an injection. The second component of the diet is a strict eating plan that allows dieters to consume only 500 calories a day. Breakfast consists of only coffee or tea without sugar but with a tablespoon of skim milk if desired. Lunch and dinner on the HCG diet each consist of 100g of lean protein with one vegetable, one cracker and a small rationing of fruit. Regular doses of the HCG hormone are thought to reduce the side effects of extreme hunger, including nausea, headaches and hunger pains. There are no exercise requirements on the HCG diet.

In Britain, people are dying to be thin -- literally -- and one company is pulling in a profit of about $30 million because of it, according to this article from the Daily Mail.

A popular diet program in the UK, called LighterLife, is wildly successful these days, but it's costing some people their health -- and their lives. The program advocates an extreme calorie deficiency -- participants consume shakes that give them a total daily caloric intake of only 500 calories, and they end up losing weight at an alarming rate. LighterLife claims it's all perfectly fine because the body doesn't need those excess calories, adding that this type of starvation has been used healthfully for over 30 years. Yeah, right.

But now, some people are speaking out about the side effects of this diet. One former participant claims her vision is now permanently blurred and she suffers from ongoing memory loss; another, a dentist, says the lack of calories ruined his wife's teeth; another claims it led her to become anorexic. Other side effects include hair loss, menstrual disruptions and constipation. And if that's not frightening enough for you, consider this: One 25-year-old participant died from heart troubles believed to have been caused by the diet. Click here for some more horror stories.

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Burning 100 calories isn't overly challenging -- a 15-minute run here, a couple hours of vacuuming there. But burning 500 calories requires quite a bit more effort -- and anyone who pays attention to the 'calories burned' sign on the elliptical or treadmill knows that.

Shape magazine recently revealed some ways to burn 500 calories:

• Play golf for an hour and 45 minutes
• Row for 55 minutes
• Box for 45 minutes
• Take an hour-long aerobics class
• Do this yoga routine that Bev told us about a while ago.

That doesn't sound too hard, right? And remember, burning an extra 500 calories a day will help you lose one pound a week.

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Here's a pretty eye-opening fact: To lose a pound, you need to burn 3,500 calories. How can you burn 3,500 calories? Well, you can run ... for five hours. You can also do aerobics for seven hours, play the guitar for 14 hours or dance for eight hours. But who has the time -- or energy -- to do all that?

My point is this: exercise is great but it takes a lot of work to lose weight. And unless you have an abundance of free time, you'll have to tweak your diet too. If you do the math, you'll realize that by reducing your caloric intake by 500 calories a day, you'll be consuming 3,500 calories less a week, which--if your current diet allows you to maintain your weight -- should result in a weight loss of one pound a week. But it can be done -- with a little dedication.

Thanks for the info, Fitsugar!

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