An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Wise words but how does that apply to your diet? Planning your HCG Buy Direct Diet Plan around special events where you’re more likely to grab an alcoholic beverage to toast like holidays, graduation or anniversaries, is a very smart idea. The advanced weight loss power of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the HCG Buy Direct Drops paired with the HCG Buy Direct Diet Plan is a game changer. When followed correctly, weight loss can average 15-20 pounds lost for females and up to 20-30 lost pounds for men.

The HCG diet plan varies in length with the second phase lasting from 26 and 43 days. This phase consists of the administration of HCG with a strict diet. The first two days consist of calorie loading and daily HCG injections. This is followed by a 500-calories/day diet starting on day 3 which is continued till the end of the phase. This is the phase where you should abstain from alcohol. Let’s face it, an average drink is 90-250 calories with absolutely no nutritional value, that could be a half of your daily caloric allowance in just one drink.

Drinking Leads to Snacking

In the US, alcohol and snacks go hand in hand. Often alcohol drinking is accompanied by some high calorie, salty and fatty snacks with absolutely no portion control. It’s the chips, crackers, trail mixes, pretzels, nuts, cheese, and wings that add all the calories. Many of the snacks are salty which makes people thirstier, and the likelihood they’ll reach for water is low.

No Portion Control and a Bigger Appetite

Alcohol suppresses control, the brain’s ability to say it has had enough—of both alcohol and food. At the same time it makes people more hungry. The combination of more hunger with less control is very dangerous for some dieters. No doubt the lowering of inhibitions and will power that follows drinking may account for many of the problems including not only the large amount of bad snacks, but the wrong choices in entrees and much larger portions.

Negatively Affects Metabolism

When we eat protein, fat, or carbs, some of the food is burned immediately and some of it is stored for future use. However, this does not occur when drinking alcohol. Alcohol is used for metabolism first, and is used for energy until all of the alcohol is gone from the bloodstream. As this is happening, the body cannot use protein, fat or carbs for metabolism and turns them into fat. Less than 5 percent of the alcohol calories you drink are turned into fat. The beer belly occurs not because alcohol is turned into fat but because for long periods of time the alcohol, instead of the stored fat, is being used for energy. Remember, what is not burned turns to fat, and if alcohol is around, everything you eat turns to fat.

Tips for Success

Stay hydrated. Drink more water than you think you’ll want. You’ll feel full and be less likely to grab a cold beer….which leads to a sugary or salty snack.

Get busy. The best thing when a craving hits is to distract yourself. If you are used to having a glass of wine or two to wind down, instead, try taking a walk, reading a book or crank up some tunes and do some light cleaning around your house.

For helpful tips, informative write-ups, and tasty Phase 2 recipes, visit the HCG Buy Direct Blog.