This is a guest post by Charlotte King.
Let’s be honest, especially after Christmas most of us have a few extra pounds to lose. But did you know that perhaps one of your favourite drinks could actually help you with this? There seems to be thousands of products available on the market today to help you lose weight. We all know that exercising regularly and eating well are pretty essential for weight loss but what most of us don’t know is that coffee can also help you on your weight loss journey.
Want to know how coffee can actually help you lose weight?
Appetite Suppression
One of the main benefits of coffee (besides keeping you awake) is that it helps suppress your appetite. Because of this, having a coffee after lunch or in the afternoon can actually help to reduce cravings for the cookie jar at work or the temptation to snack.
Helps Burn Calories
Caffeine is a common ingredient in many of the fat burning supplements on the market today because of its fat burning properties. Caffeine can stimulate thermogenesis, which is one of the ways your body generates energy from digesting food. This then helps boost your weight loss. Also, try drinking coffee about an hour before a work out as it will help you keep focused with more energy to get even better results. Caffeine can also help dull muscle pains, great for the gym.
Don’t Overdo It
But be careful if you use caffeine to help you lose weight. Overdoing caffeine can have nasty side effects including increased heart rate, nervousness, insomnia, and increased blood pressure. Try to stick to one to two coffees per day.
Avoid Specialty Coffees
If you’re thinking that this all sounds awesome and you are about to head to your local coffee shop to get a coffee and lose some weight, you will need to read on. Make sure you stay away from the specialty coffees and especially those with whipped cream. Yep, sorry a Starbucks Gingerbread Latte is not a weight loss drink. These will actually help you put on weight as opposed to losing it!
Have Your Coffee Black And Without Sugar
Most of us add milk/cream and sugar to our coffees but this will do us no good while we are trying to lose weight. If you currently have two sugars in your coffee, cut back to one and then eventually cut back to no sugar or sweeteners what so ever. You may need to adjust to the taste of coffee without sugar, but once you do, you will love it. If you ever try coffee again with sugar or flavoured creamers, you probably will not be able to drink it as it will be so sweet. Also, try to avoid adding milk and cream or at least cut back to the minimum you can add and still be able to drink your coffee. Especially those flavoured creamers, they are in the category over with the gingerbread latte, sorry.
Final Words
For best results in your weight loss journey, pair coffee intake with regular exercise and eating healthy. It is not realistic for coffee to help you lose much weight if you are eating unhealthy food and not exercising but it’s great to know that there is another great reason to keep drinking your favourite morning beverage.
About the author: Charlotte is passionate about helping people lose weight and keep it off. Currently studying to be a health coach at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and owner of the site – http://topratedweightlossshakes.com
Can Coffee Help You Lose Weight? is a post from: Finding My Fitness