Another diet trend has caught traction in the American imagination, and it promises to help the dieter lose a pound a day, or even more. It’s the hcg diet plan, and it was developed by a doctor who believed that a hormone found in a pregnant woman’s body could help overweight men and women lose weight — and keep that weight off after returning to a normal routine. The hCG, then, is injected into the body. Once the hCG is active in a dieter’s body, its release of long-stored fat provides the body with the calories it needs to burn to get through a day (a day, it should be noted, without much exercise). As long as fat deposits are being released for use, the 500 daily calories being ingested is supposed to be enough to sustain the dieter without the crazy hunger pangs one would normally experience on a 500-calorie diet.