Will Drinking Alcohol Sabotage Your New Year’s Weight Loss Resolution?

Yeah, it will!

There are more important things in life than losing weight, like learning to love yourself as you are, but that doesn’t change the fact that weight loss is a perennial top-10 New Year’s resolution 

Aside from the higher calorie count (read last week’s blog where we discuss that), there are other scientific explanations as to why alcohol intake makes it harder to lose weight. If you resolved to shed some pounds in 2023, then hopefully these not-so-fun facts will motivate you to stay on course:

Fact #1: When you drink with a meal, alcohol is always burned first as fuel. This means your body automatically converts any additional calories you’ve consumed into fat (from carbs and or lipids for example). That’s a bummer, but thankfully Harmon’s is a low-calorie and non-alcoholic alternative to conventional beer that’s a win for your New Year’s resolution.

Fact #2: Booze contributes to excess belly fat, AKA the beer belly.  Foods and drinks high in simple sugars end up stored as fat, and most bodies tend to store extra fat in the abdominal area - but there’s always your hips, thighs or butt as runners up problem areas. Whatever region is making you unhappy, just remember that alcohol isn’t helping matters

Fact #3: Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, and not just in that “Oh my God, what did I do last night?” way!  Booze also affects the choices you make around food. Let's face it, when the bar closes after last call, you aren’t prowling the streets with a hankering for salad. You’re looking for that late-night pizza place or nachos from somewhere that stays open way too late feeding drunk people. Regardless of how disciplined you may be sober, when you drink you’re more likely to give into those cravings. The next day’s brutal hangover inevitably leads to an appetite for a greasy breakfast or cheeseburger, and you’ll probably cave again since you’ve already done the damage. 

Fact #4: Testosterone levels are affected by how much alcohol you consume.  Yes, this can affect your sex drive, but it also affects metabolic processes like your body’s ability to burn fat and form muscle.  Low testosterone levels can also contribute to much more significant health issues like Metabolic Syndrome.

Fact #5: Alcohol adversely affects your sleep. Yeah, you might pass out cold when drunk or find it easier to fall asleep after a nightcap, but your sleep cycles are affected in the long run.  You’ll wake up more and stay awake longer. A lousy sleep saps your energy, making it harder to stick to that goal of exercising more.

Alcohol may be an evil fat-making monster, but at Harmon’s we strongly believe that moderation is the key to success - and our non-alc beer is a great moderation tool. While some people may want to cut out alcohol entirely, others may simply need to make better decisions around their consumption. Either way, Harmon’s delicious craft variety makes those choices a whole lot easier.

If you’re looking to stick to your New Year’s weight loss resolution, but still want to go out and feel included, choose a bar or restaurant that carries Harmon’s and try alternating alcoholic drinks with your favourite Harmon’s flavour. You can check out a list of places that carry our products here.