Jenni "JWOWW" Farley is one of the tan and toned star's of MTV's hit reality show "Jersey Shore." As fans of the so-bad-it's-good show can attest, JWOWW (second from the left in the blue dress) isn't shy about showing off her body. On her Web site, Farley proclaims "HCG Drops are my key to keeping the weight off." And if that really is her stay-slim secret, it seems to be working, considering the amount of airtime she spends in her string bikini.
What made Farley try this weight-loss approach? "My girlfriend lost 40 pounds in six weeks on the plan. She tried everything and it worked for her. So I thought if it worked for her, it would work for me," she explained to That's Fit.
The HCG drops that Farley promotes on her website can reportedly burn 3,500 to 4,000 calories of stored fat a day, providing you follow the strict HCG Diet -- consisting of just 500 calories a day. To be more specific about that eating regime, dieters are only allowed to consume black coffee, six ounces of lean protein, two breadsticks, two veggies and two apples throughout the day. Combine the starvation-caliber eating plan with these 'magic' drops and Farley claims you can lose one to two pounds a day.
For the record, most weight loss experts recommend that you aim to lose no more than one to two pounds a week.
The HCG Diet is based on a 1950s discovery by ATW Simeons, M.D., who found that small doses of the HCG (Human Chorionic Gonapotropin) hormone -- a hormone that plays a role in fertility -- can decrease appetite and help dieters lose inches. But while the hormone can be effective in helping people slim down, the drops probably won't. "This isn't real HCG, which is a hormone only available by prescription and which needs to be taken by injection," said nutrition expert Jonny Bowden, Ph.D. But Farley certainly isn't the first person to try to convince you otherwise. Fake HCG hormones have long been marketed to the masses, most notably by convicted fraudsterKevin Trudeau.
Even with "real" hormones, however, the HCG diet is rarely used and never recommended as a weight loss plan. "No responsible doctor I know of uses it, except in extreme circumstances. It doesn't work, and any weight you lose you lose because you're eating 500 calories," said Bowden. That's a dangerously low number of calories to consume. In fact, people have died from diets this low in calories.
Farley told us she did do some research before trying it out: "I would never put anything in my body that would hurt it. As long as you're not suffering from starvation or headaches or fatigue, it's fine."
But 500 calories is not very much -- did Farley feel like she was starving? "No, no, it's weird. You're not starving -- I would never let myself get like that," she says. "It really cuts your appetite so you don't need to eat as much." But even she admits that she's not a slave to the strict eating plan: "If you're hungry, eat!" And as for exercise, Farley says she hasn't worked out in four months. "It's not really recommended. Light exercise is good, maybe a walk, but you really don't need to work out."
While the promise of being about to flaunt a slim figure on the beach without going hungry or working out much is tempting, we're skeptical of any diets that make claims of fast and easy weight loss. If you really want to being able to walk the boardwalk in nothing but a bikini, we say stick with a sensible eating plan and get more active.
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