Weight loss is one of the biggest problems faced by men and women. It requires a tremendous amount of determination and discipline, which is why many people fail to achieve it. One of the quickest ways to lose weight is to drink coffee as a dietary aid. While this is still under debate, a lot of people have already seen themselves lose some weight because of coffee. Read on to know more about how this caffeinated drink can help you drop the unwanted pounds and live a sexier life.
Benefits of Drinking Coffee for Weight Loss
Contents
Drinking coffee offers plenty of benefits,especially when it comes to weight loss, such as:
- Having more energy to exercise and perform other tasks for the day
- Getting to burn more calories throughout the day
- Encouraging your body to use fat for fuel
- Increasing your metabolism
- And suppressing your appetite
When is Coffee Best Consumed?
Coffee is best consumed an hour before your workout to keep you energized. Your coffee should not contain extra calories from sugars and creams. It is also recommended to drink a maximum of two cups of coffee per day.
When is Coffee Not Good?
It is not safe to drink more than two cups of coffee a day. Too much caffeine will cause you to palpitate and gain weight. Caffeine has the tendency to increase your body’s production of cortisol, a stress hormone that triggers your cravings for unhealthy food. It is also not okay to put sugars or creams in your cup because it will only cause your blood sugar levels to go up and then back down within a short period of time.
If you want to lose weight while drinking coffee:
- Drink no more than one or two cups per day
- Drink an hour before working out
- Eliminate or limit the cream or sugar that you use
- Consider using natural sweeteners like stevia
- Avoid using artificial sweeteners
How Much Caffeine is Safe?
All you need is around 50mg of caffeine to get your energy levels up and allow your body to burn calories. Your maximum daily dose should be 300mg, because consuming more than that may lead you to side effects like headaches, nausea, palpitation, nervousness, and insomnia. The caffeine tolerance varies from person to person. If you want to know how much caffeine you can safely take, start off with only 50mg. This is equivalent to a cup of coffee, a half can of energy drink, or a half serving of fat burner.
You can gradually increase your caffeine intake, in case a small amount failed to work. However, you have to take extra caution as your body can easily get used to caffeine. The effects will begin to wear off after a few days or weeks of daily caffeine intake. When you have reached the point where you are already taking more than 300mg of caffeine, you will want to take a couple of days, weeks or months off to reset your tolerance. This way, your body will continue to respond to lower (and safer) doses of caffeine.
Good to Know: Caffeine Content in Each Product
Coffee is not the only caffeinated beverage around. You can also drink tea, energy drink, and fat burning supplements. The information below will give you an idea about the caffeine content of each caffeinated drink. This will help you know which to drink and avoid.
Coffee and Tea
- Instant coffee: 50mg to 100mg
- Coffee dripped: 150mg
- Coffee brewed: 100mg
- Starbucks Instant Coffee: 140mg
- Starbucks Brewed Coffee: 180mg
- Espresso 1oz.: 40mg to 75 mg
- Iced Tea: 10mg to 30mg
- Green Tea: 25mg to 40mg
- Brewed Tea: 50mg to 100mg
All amounts (except the espresso) are based on 1 cup or 8 oz. serving size.
Energy Drinks
- VAULT Zero (sugar-free) 8oz: 47 mg
- AMP sugar free 8oz.: 74 mg
- No Fear sugar-free 8oz: 77 mg
- Sugar-free Red Bull 8oz: 80mg
- Enviga 12oz: 100mg
- Monster Zero Ultra 16oz: 135mg
- 5-hour energy 2oz: 138mg
- SoBe NO FEAR (sugar-free) 8oz: 154mg
- Full Throttle 16oz: 200mg
- Rockstar Zero Carb 16oz: 240mg
- Cocaine Energy Drink (sugar-free) 8oz: 280mg
Fat Burning Supplements
- MuscleTech NeuroCore: 160mg
- Cellucor C4 Extreme: 135mg
- MusclePharm Shred Matrix: 150mg
- Cellucor Super HD: 160mg
- Jack3d Micro: 180mg
- 4ever Fit Caffeine: 200mg
- Nutrex Lipo-6: 200mg
- Hydroxycut Hardcore: 270mg
- Xenadrine XT: 270mg
Final Tips
Drinking coffee is one of the best ways to lose weight, as long as you know the do’s and don’ts. It is strongly recommended that you consume within the safe range to avoid the negative side effects. Pair your coffee with a healthy and balanced diet and exercise to achieve the best results. It would also be best to consult your trusted doctor first before following any weight loss regimen to make sure that it is safe for you to try.