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1. The HCG Diet
The HCG Diet severely restricts calories to just 500 per day while taking human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), a pregnancy hormone falsely claimed to aid weight loss. “This incredibly low-calorie diet promotes rapid weight loss, but at the cost of losing both muscle and fat, potentially slowing metabolism and hindering future weight management,” warns dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade. The FDA considers over-the-counter HCG products illegal and dangerous. “Sustaining 500 daily calories isn’t feasible long-term, so maintaining weight lost on this diet is unlikely,” Palinski-Wade adds. Such extreme restriction risks disordered eating.
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