How To Drink Coffee And Lose Weight

Shed some pounds with these ways to drink coffee for weight loss.  People who are trying to lose weight often wonder which foods and beverages can support their goals. One common question is whether you can drink coffee and lose weight. While health and medical professionals haven’t yet reached a consensus, there is some encouraging evidence that coffee can help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Ways To Drink Coffee For Weight Loss

There are several reasons that drinking your favorite caffeinated beverage can help you to shed some pounds.

Curbs Your Appetite

Studies indicate that caffeine increases the metabolic rate, which controls your appetite. One study showed that drinking a cup every two hours can speed up your metabolism by as much as 11%.

Coffee May Boost Your Workouts

There’s evidence that caffeine improves athletic performance. In addition to making you faster and stronger, the stimulating effect of caffeine may give you more motivation to start your workout or activity.

Coffee Stimulates “Brown” Fat.

Not all fat is equal. Brown fat is a beneficial type of fat that actually helps your body burn calories as it generates heat. Brown fat helps to reduce white fat, the kind of fat where excess calories are stored. A recent study suggests that coffee stimulates brown fat.

Drink Coffee And Lose Weight Tips

Here are a few points to keep in mind if you want to use coffee to help you lose weight.

Don’t Drink Coffee on an Empty Stomach

If you’re in the habit of drinking coffee the first thing after you wake up, try eating breakfast first. When you first wake up, the body releases a stimulating hormone called cortisol. Coffee reduces cortisol levels, which undermines caffeine’s stimulating effect. It’s better to wait until after breakfast when cortisol levels naturally decline.

How Coffee Affects You During the Day

Coffee before a workout or any activity that requires concentration can help you focus. Many people find that after a certain time of day, caffeine may disturb their sleep. In this case, you could always switch to decaf after a certain hour.

Be Aware of What You Add

Adding milk, cream or sweetener can counteract the weight loss benefits of coffee. If you don’t want to drink your coffee black, consider adding low-calorie sweeteners and lighteners. Be wary of milk alternatives, though. Unsweetened almond milk, for example, is low in calories, but if you choose a flavored variety, you could be defeating the purpose. Check out our article on using salt in your coffee and other sugar substitutes.

Consider Preparing Your Own Coffee

While it’s fun to visit coffee shops, doing so every day can drain your budget. Additionally, you may be tempted to order high-calorie drinks that counteract the weight loss benefits of coffee. When you make your own coffee, you have total control over what goes into it. If you want coffee at work or on the road, invest in a quality thermos.

Making Coffee Healthier

Certain types of coffee are healthier than others. Fortunately, there are now many healthy coffee products on the market. Here are a few examples.

Organic Coffee

The advantage of organic coffee is that it hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides or grown with harmful chemicals.

Mushroom Coffee

The idea of combining mushrooms and coffee may sound strange. However, research supports the health benefits of medicinal mushrooms such as Reishi, Chaga, Lion’s Mane, and others. When powdered mushroom extracts are added to coffee, it doesn’t usually affect the flavor.

Bulletproof Coffee

Bulletproof coffee isn’t a brand or a type of coffee but a way of making ordinary coffee healthier. The recipe involves mixing coffee with grass-fed butter and coconut oil. Ghee (clarified butter) can be used as well, and some recipes use MCT oil, which combines coconut and palm oils. The idea is to add healthy fats to coffee. While it may seem counterintuitive to eat more fats when you’re trying to lose weight, these types of fats can actually help speed up your metabolism.

Cinnamon Coffee

One of the simplest ways to make coffee healthier is to add cinnamon to it. Cinnamon has many benefits, such as boosting metabolism and lowering blood sugar. The flavor of cinnamon also reduces the bitterness of coffee.

Make Coffee Part of Your Weight Loss Program

So the good news, you can still drink coffee and lose weight. Of course, you may also have to make certain changes to your diet and lifestyle. Long-term weight loss requires a combination of diet and exercise. Coffee, however, can actually give you more motivation to exercise by boosting your metabolism.

As with any dietary supplement, you should experiment and find out the best way to use coffee in your diet. If too much caffeine interferes with your sleep, don’t drink coffee beyond mid-afternoon. Try different coffee blends and supplements and find out which have the most beneficial effect on your diet and well-being. When used in the right way, coffee can be a helpful part of your weight loss strategy.