Many people incorporate a nice cup of coffee into their weight loss journey. So, what is the deal with caffeine and weight loss? Can it help you reach your weight loss goals? Caffeine is present in many dieting and weight loss products on the market – why is that?
Studies have shown that caffeine can help boost your metabolism and therefore promote weight loss. Caffeine can also help suppress your appetite, making you less likely to snack or overeat. So if you’re looking to lose weight, adding coffee to your diet could be a helpful strategy. Just be sure to watch your intake and not overdo it, as too much caffeine can lead to side effects and can in fact reverse its weight loss properties.
How does coffee help you lose weight?
Coffee is an appetite suppressant
Chlorogenic acids present in coffee have been shown to suppress appetite and consequently reduce your risk of overeating, great news for those of us who are watching our calorie intake. The most natural and plentiful plant source of chlorogenic acid are raw coffee beans, although the acid is still present in roasted coffee. Lighter coffee roast profiles, tend to preserve increased amounts of chlorogenic acid and are therefore the preferred type of roast when trying to lose weight.
Coffee improves exercise performance
Caffeine is a powerful stimulant that can help increase your energy levels and promote fat burning. Consuming coffee 30 minutes prior to exercise will not only improve your overall performance but also allow you to push yourself harder, for longer. Ultimately, a higher intensity of exercise combined with a longer duration will enable you to burn more calories and lose more weight, at a faster rate.
Coffee is a hit with many fitness fanatics who may choose to add it to their pre-workout shakes or drink it black for a boost of energy prior to their workout. Consuming black coffee not only burns higher calories during the workout but also after you have finished whilst also improving your body’s use of fatty acids for energy during aerobic exercise.
Coffee increases fat burning during exercise
The key to losing weight is to burn more calories than you consume. Your metabolic rate is a term used to describe the number of calories that your body is burning, a higher metabolic rate indicates an increase in the amount of fat being burnt. Caffeine is said to be a metabolic enhancer, whereby it increases your metabolic rate by 3-11%, therefore enabling your body to burn more calories.
Coffee reduces water retention
Water retention, also referred to as fluid retention or oedema, occurs when your body stores excess fluids in the bodies tissues, resulting in swelling which is usually most noticeable in the hands, feet, ankles, and legs.
As the body is unable to store caffeine, coffee instead acts as a diuretic, meaning that it helps to expel water from your body and reduce water retention by increasing urine output. Water retention can make you feel bloated, sluggish, and frustrated during the process of trying to lose weight.
By reducing water retention with caffeine, you can help yourself feel lighter and more energetic, whilst also physically reducing any weight associated with fluid retention.
Coffee burns calories
A laboratory study found that the consumption of caffeine can assist in boosting the process by which the body produces heat, referred to as thermogenesis. An increase in the production of heat through thermogenesis enables the body to burn an increased number of calories and therefore helps you reach your weight loss goals sooner.
Coffee and Weight Loss – The Facts
Caffeine has been shown to help the body burn more calories, with approximately 1 calorie burnt per 1 mg of caffeine consumed. Therefore, drinking 100mg of caffeine can help you burn an extra 100 calories per day.
If you’re trying to lose weight, adding caffeine to your diet can be a helpful way to boost your metabolism and help you reach your goals.
Can coffee reduce belly fat?
Medical experts have stated, “one of the best coffees you can drink when you’re wanting to lose abdominal fat is black coffee”. The ability of coffee to speed up metabolism, in addition to its rich antioxidant properties, combine to reduce body fat therefore making it an ideal addition to any weight loss diet. The importance of drinking black coffee rather than coffee with other additions is that it ensures that the number of calories and amount of sugar consumed is minimised.
Can I drink coffee to lose weight?
Ultimately, yes. Drinking a plain cup of black brewed coffee can result in appetite suppression, enhanced exercise performance, increased fat burning and reduced fluid retention, all of which lead to weight loss.
It should however be considered that relying on coffee alone, is not the healthiest nor most effective way to burn calories and achieve weight loss goals.
In addition to consuming the correct amount of black coffee, at the correct times of day, other important aspects to incorporate into your weight loss journey include a healthy diet, regular exercise and ensuring to get an adequate amount of quality sleep.
What time of the day should I drink coffee to lose weight?
Experts including scientists have stated that the most effective times to consume coffee for the purpose of weight loss include after breakfast and prior to a workout.
Consuming coffee after breakfast rather than before breakfast ensures that the body is able to maintain steady blood sugar levels and contributes to an effective increase in the body’s metabolic rate and ability to metabolise the breakfast consumed.
Drinking coffee before a workout is also recommended for weight loss as it reduces feelings of exhaustion, therefore making exercise feel easier and enabling you to train harder, for longer.
When is coffee fattening?
Too many sweeteners / added calories
Many people prefer to drink their coffees with particular additions or sides such as sugar, flavoured syrups, whipped cream and/or sweetened or full-cream milk. Although enjoyable, these add on’s are high in sugar and calories, causing coffee to essentially lose its weight loss properties and instead contribute to weight gain. Some effective alternatives to reduce sugar intake with your coffee, whilst still adding flavour, may include incorporating a sprinkle of cinnamon, unsweetened milk alternatives, small amounts of natural sweeteners, a few drops of vanilla extract or melting in a small square of dark chocolate.
Consumed at times which results in interrupted/poor sleep
Coffee is a stimulant, whilst this may be effective for an extra boost of energy, it can conversely interfere with your ability to both get to sleep and stay asleep if consumed during the later hours of the day.
Poor sleep patterns have been associated with an increase in appetite, and increased cravings for sugary, calorie-dense, processed foods, which in-turn will lead to weight gain if consumed.
Too much coffee
Did we say that? No never. Well maybe sometimes.
Despite its positive effects on metabolism and its ability to enhance the bodies metabolic rate, some studies have shown that consuming excessive amounts of coffee can actually slow metabolism and therefore lead to weight gain.
Specifically, one study found that drinking in excess of 6 cups of coffee a day – even if decaffeinated – could lead to abnormal retention of fat, and therefore contribute to overall weight gain. An acceptable daily intake for healthy adults would be 400mg or less of caffeine per day.
The weight loss benefits of coffee are mostly associated with moderate consumption, which amounts to 2-3 cups of coffee per day, particularly when consumed at the correct times.
After all this coffee talk, I bet you feel like a coffee. Wondering which one to order? We have the perfect list.
