Coffee And Weight Loss. How Are They Interconnected?

Dr. Ricardo Alvarez | Last Updated : September 29, 2021

Coffee is probably the most popular beverage across the globe. It is best known for its energy-boosting properties. However, it is not the only thing that coffee does to your body but, it has other effects too, both positive and negative. According to several dietitians, coffee can help you lose weight by reducing the extra fats from your body. There is a high chance that you might be drinking coffee the wrong way ever since. Well, we have jotted down some points about how you need to drink coffee in order to lose weight.

How can coffee help you lose weight?

There are various nutrients present in coffee such as potassium, antioxidants, niacin, and magnesium. These nutrients can help you gain better muscle functions and digestive health. It also leads to improved heart health. Everyone knows that coffee has caffeine which has several benefits too on your body such as improved energy levels and metabolism.

Coffee And Weight Loss

It can also help you lose some weight. Here’s how-

  • Black coffee– Black coffee is your answer if you want to lose weight through coffee. It has low calories and weight loss means low calories too. Black coffee has no added sugar or anything else that can increase your calories and thus it makes for a perfect beverage for weight loss. Black coffee has less than five calories in one serving. Do not add sugar or milk to it. What’s the point of having it then, anyway? You can also replace drinks that are high in calories such as juice, soda, chocolate milk with black or plain coffee.
  • Coffee reduces appetite– Has it ever happened to you that you are very hungry but you have coffee for the moment and voila, your feeling of hunger is gone. Yes, that’s what caffeine does to you. It can reduce your appetite and help you lose weight. Caffeine does that by reducing the levels of a hormone named ghrelin which is responsible for making you feel hungry. It can also revive the satiety hormone peptide YY or PYY. The more PYY hormone in your body, the less hungry you feel.
  • Caffeine boosts your metabolism– The process in which your body utilizes your calories by turning them into energy is known as metabolism. Caffeine is a substance that helps in increasing the Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR which means, it burns your calories while you are resting. Thus it helps you lose weight. There are studies that prove BMR is associated with burning calories during rest or physical activities. However, it may take time for different bodies or may not work for some people as well.
  • Pre-workout drink– The food items that you have before or after your workout sessions are important. Since coffee is a drink that boosts your energy levels, it can work as fuel for your workout. It helps you lose your fat quickly along with providing you with a lot of energy to do your exercises. You can drink a cup of black coffee a minimum of half an hour before heading for your workout.

Well, you also need to make sure that too much consumption of caffeine can also have adverse effects on your body such as lack of sleep, gain in weight, sugar cravings, etc.  Black coffee without any other ingredients works like magic if you want to lose weight.

Which type of coffee should you have for weight loss?

If you are someone who drinks coffee with added sugar and milk, you have been drinking the wrong coffee all your life, my friend. You need to shift to black coffee or green coffee in order to lose weight. You can add a little milk which has low fat if you want. Coffee is rich in antioxidants that help to remove extra fat and leads to the regeneration of new cells. The various substances present in caffeine such as polyphenols are extremely helpful in weight loss.

How to drink coffee for weight loss?

It is important to know how to drink coffee in order to lose weight. In case you consume too much caffeine, it will have adverse effects on your body.

  • You can drink cups of coffee per day which should be equal to 400 mg of caffeine. This amount of caffeine allows you to feel more energized. If you add healthy weight loss supplements as said in Java Burn reviews, that makes your metabolism better and does not even impact your hunger or sleep much. You can divide the schedule of having your coffee and drink it every couple of hours. You will be able to feel the positive effects for a long time if you drink your coffee this way.
  • If you are someone who likes to have a strong coffee, then you must restrict yourself to less than 4 cups a day. The caffeine intake should not be more than 400 mg per day since strong coffee already has a higher amount of caffeine in it than water.
  • You must adhere to the fact that you need to have black coffee only if you want to lose weight. It should not have any other ingredients such as sugar or milk as it can lead to calories intake. Having said that, if you want to have sweet coffee, you can use other alternatives of sugar and add it into your drink. Some of the alternatives you can use are given as follows-
  • Plant-based sweeteners such as yacon syrup and stevia.
  • Fruits based sweeteners such as monk fruit extract or erythritol.
  • Sugar alcohols such as maltitol and xylitol.

Conclusion

Coffee can help you gain the shape of your dreams. With the presence of rich antioxidants in coffee, it can also help your body gain other benefits too, provided that you know how much caffeine to consume in a day. Coffee should be added to your diet in a certain way in order to lose weight. You can also reach out to your dietitian or nutritionist to get a detailed perspective of coffee intake to burn calories.


Dr. Ricardo Alvarez

Dr. Ricardo Alvarez was a former Medical professor and faculty at Harvard Medical school. After resigning, now he is practicing as a general physician who deals with the diagnosis and treatment of general health problems and disorders. He earned his MS and PhD from Columbia University. Ricardo Alvarez completed his undergraduate education from an accredited medical college under the University of London and completed his training from AMCAS and is a doctor with earned board certification.

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