Are hormones found in the urine of pregnant women the secret to weight loss?Getty Images
Some people will do anything to lose weight. I mean anything.
If you think cutting out carbs in order to shed pounds is extreme, then you're probably not ready for a new diet regimen that has people injecting themselves with urine from pregnant women.
But at least one woman, who has lost 43 pounds on the diet since June, clearly wasn't fazed by the idea of injecting herself with someone else's pee.
"I thought, 'My goodness, you could lose a pound a day just taking a shot? I'm going to find out about this,'" Sheryl Paloni told TheBostonChannel.com.
Iris McCarthy, a weight-loss counsellor at Success Weight Loss Systems, said that it's not the urine itself that works the magic, but a hormone in it.
The hormone, called human chorionic gonadotrophin, has been shown to help the body metabolize faster by tricking your brain into thinking you are pregnant, she said. "This will help you have patience to learn how to change your ways and change your relationship with food."
Of course, the fact that the injection program also comes with a strict 500-calorie-a-day diet might also explain why anyone who jumps on the hCG bandwagon could lose weight.
"The hCG doesn't have anything to do with the weight loss," Dr. Barry Ramos, a cardiologist, told TheBostonChannel.com. "The fact is if you go on a 500-calorie-a-day diet, you lose weight. The bottom line is, it's potentially dangerous because you don't know what you're injecting in your body."
Ms. Paloni is still a firm believer that the urine injections make a difference.
"It's an amazing thing. It really is. When I took a shot I was never hungry. I'm not hungry. I've learned how to eat better. I feel great and I truly believe that I will not put the weight back on," she said.
If the idea of injecting urine grosses you out, fear not: There's also a pellet option.
Dave McGinn