What Role Does the Hypothalamus Play in Weight Loss?
By Kelly Thelen | Published on September 7, 2010 | 0 Comments
The hCG diet, a program designed to “reset” the hypothalamus for dramatic and permanent weight loss, is gaining in popularity across the country. But what role does your hypothalamus really play in weight gain and weight loss? A big one, according to Kelly Thelen, MSN, of Lincoln, NE hCG weight loss clinic Healthy Essentials. Thelen says that the hypothalamus is responsible for sending important signals to the body about how to process food and burn calories. When this important regulatory system goes awry, she says, chronic obesity can result.
What Is the Hypothalamus?
The hypothalamus, Thelen says, is the regulatory system in the brain that controls the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus regulates a number of body functions, including metabolism, thyroid function and food intake. According to Thelen, if the hypothalamus is not functioning properly, a number of problems with far-reaching effects can arise. Metabolism slows, hormone production changes, and energy levels drop. Although you may be taking in a healthy amount of food and exercising regularly, you may find it nearly impossible to achieve weight loss. In fact, it may seem that your appetite is endless, and that attempts to control food intake are futile.
What Is hCG Weight Loss?
The hCG weight loss program offered at Healthy Essentials, Thelen says, is designed to counteract the effects of a dysfunctional hypothalamus and reset it, allowing it to liberate stores of unhealthy fat so that you can burn it off for good. hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), Thelen explains, is the hormone that women produce during pregnancy. This hormone, Thelen says, has thermogenic properties. That is, it increases the body’s metabolism. Recognizing this characteristic of hCG, she says, has led to the development of a highly effective weight loss program that can be used in both men and women.
The four-stage program offered at Healthy Essentials, she says, involves the use (either sublingually or via injection) of hCG to boost the body’s fat-burning potential, along with a highly restrictive diet designed to encourage the hypothalamus to release stored fat for use as energy. The program, Thelen says, resets your metabolism, resets your hunger set point, and, once you get to your goal weight, establishes a new weight set point for your brain.
The program, she says, can produce very dramatic, very rapid results. Over the course of the six-week program, patients can experience up to 30 pounds of weight loss. In addition to allowing your body to burn off unhealthy fat in the short term, the program also sets you up for long-term lifestyle changes and a better relationship with food. Because the program is so calorie-restrictive, Thelen says, it is used only in patients with a body mass index of 25 or higher. In order to ensure that your body will tolerate the program, she says, a thorough physical exam is performed at the outset and your health will be monitored on an ongoing basis by the program’s doctors.
“Weight loss isn’t simply about calories in and calories out,” Thelen explains. “There are people who are doing all the right things in terms of diet and exercise, but who still can’t lose weight. This program recognizes that and addresses it permanently.”
*Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.