U.S. — More women are now using a pregnancy hormone to drop the pounds.  The HCG diet--popular back in the 70's--is making a comeback.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a hormone taken from the urine of pregnant women.

Rene McCarty is a phsyican assistant at Lifetime Health Center in Tyler, which offers the HCG diet.  She says 80 percent of their HCG dieters are women.

"You do it for a restricted time...maybe 4-6 weeks," she says.  The diet combines daily HGC shots with a 500 calorie-a-day diet to drop as much as thirty pounds a month. McCarty says HCG tricks your body into thinking it's full.  "It helps with a sense of well-being....you just don't think about food as much," she says.

The severely restricted calories concerns other doctors and specialists--like Cassie Ebert.  "I think it sounds very sketchy and dangerous. Any time you mess with hormones with the body there are going to be side effects down the line," Ebert says.

She says the average woman should take in at least 1200 calories a day. "If you're on a 500 calorie diet, you can't use any extra calories for extra activity or exercise."

Experts say although the pounds come off quickly, they may not stay gone for long. "You can't go back to eating normal without expecting the weight gain to come right back, and that's really hard on your heart," says Ebert.

To find out more, go here: http://hcgdietinfo.com/

http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/07/hcg-diet-look-elsewhere-for-weight-loss/