HCG stands for Human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone that is produced naturally by pregnant women and also often used as a weight loss supplement. HCG is often used with a hcg meal plan, which is an ultra low calorie diet first developed by Dr. Albert T.W. Simeons in 1954. Dr. Simeons is the father of the HCG diet, which he developed when working with pregnant women and overweight boys in India. While studying an endocrine disorder in a number of patients, Dr. Simeons attributed this disorder to the pituitary gland, which he said was responsible for causing obesity and delaying puberty in a number of overweight teen aged boys. According to Dr. Simeons, use of the hormone HCG, together with a very specific low calorie diet, would enable his patients to lose weight over time.

Since the 1950s when this diet was first developed, there has been a lot of interest around the world. While the results are far from clear and a lot of controversy does surround the use of HCG, an entire industry has developed around HCG and HCG meal plans. The original diet developed by Dr. Simeons played a big role in the overall program, who published a strict diet regime in his publications “A New Approach to Obesity” and the follow up book, “Pounds and Inches”. The original HCG diet plan involved only tea and coffee without sugar for breakfast, with basic protein rich meals used for both lunch and dinner.

There were a few variations given by Dr. Simeons for the lunch and dinner diet, including the main portion of 100 grams of veal, beef, chicken breast, fresh white fish, lobster, crab, or shrimp. All visible fat had to be removed from the meat before cooking, which could be either boiling or grilling. A single vegetable portion was also allowed, from a choice of spinach, chard, chicory, beet-greens, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, and cabbage. Once piece of fruit and a bread stick were also allowed during the meal, with the same choices given for both the lunch and dinner menu.