When it comes to dieting, some women say they'll try anything. But daily injections of urine? That's got to be one of the weirdest things we've ever heard - and we've heard some pretty strange ideas.
Would you go to extreme lengths for your body to look this good? Photo: Flickr, adria.richards
But if it helped you lose a pound a day, would you try it? A growing number of women in the US have, and some say it's nothing short of a miracle. There again, the weight loss could be down to the fact that you eat 500 calories a day - which is ridiculously low by anyone's standards.
Apparently there are several weight-loss plans being marketed in the US that incorporate the urine injections. The urine comes from pregnant women and is alleged to work because it contains a hormone called human chorionic gonatrophin (hCG). Brace yourself if you're squeamish, because the hCG is made by the placenta during pregnancy (it's what a pregnancy test checks for to determine whether or not you're expecting).
The way it's supposed to work is that injecting urine containing hCG fools your brain into thinking you're pregnant, and - so the theory goes - that makes your body burn calories faster. But it's not cheap. A six-week supply can cost more than $500.
Many followers of the regime say it works wonders. But experts are understandably concerned. It could, after all, be dangerous, since you can't be absolutely sure what you're injecting yourself with.
Surely injecting yourself with pregnant women's urine to lose weight is a sign of desperation? What's the craziest thing you've ever done in an attempt to drop a dress size or two?