Caffeine is a staple ingredient in many fat-burning and weight-loss diets. But, does it actually help?
There has been a huge amount of research into the effects of caffeine and whether it can support weight-loss. The main findings do suggest that consuming more caffeine is linked with greater weight loss and better maintenance of that weight loss. It has also been linked with a lowering the risk of diabetes.
So, how does it work? Here are 5 things you should know about caffeine and its affects on weight and weight-loss.
1. Caffeine does speed metabolism…but not by all that much.
Research has found that caffeine alone increased calorie burn by about 1 calorie per mg of caffeine. For a typically coffee drinker, this equates to around 100 calories per day. That’s roughy the same amount of calories in an egg. Every little calorie burn will help!
2. Caffeine reduces perceived exertion during exercise. “Perceived exertion” is how hard you feel like you’re working-out. Exercise is great for weight loss. If you struggle to enjoy exercise, or if it always feels obnoxiously hard, caffeine might be the little bump you need to get going and to make it happen.
3. Caffeine increases fat burning during exercise. Caffeine doesn’t cause you to burn more calories from a workout, but it does shift your calorie burn to use more of your body fat. When you work out, your body burns a certain number of calories. These calories can come from either stored carbs or your stored fat. The harder you workout, the more stored carbs you burn, rather than stored fat. The caffeine helps to shift it to fat burning phase, thus enabling more burning of body fat.
4. Caffeine can reduce appetite.
A lot of people drink coffee as an appetite suppressant and a 'cravings-buster', but research on whether this is actually true is very mixed. The appetite-suppressing effects of caffeine may depend on your body weight. As a recent study noted, there’s a stronger effect for people who were overweight to start with than for people already at a healthy weight. On the other hand, if you’re getting your caffeine from coffee or tea, you might get an appetite-suppressing effect just from having your stomach full of warm liquid. A full stomach will leave you feeling full!
5. Caffeine may help prevent weight regain after weight-loss.
Caffeine supplements taken by themselves, without any diet or exercise changes, doesn't cause weight loss. However, in combination with a healthy diet and exercise, it has been linked to helping to maintain the weight-loss. So your coffee will help to prevent some weigh regain. It should be noted, however, this was a very short study and further research is being conducted into how much caffeine is needed and how occurs within the body.
To sum-up, caffeine does have a small impact on your slim transformation, and having coffee or tea certainly doesn't hurt! Depending on your preferred caffeination method, you might also be getting some extra goodies including: antioxidants, iron, calcium and vitamins. Always remember, eating nature's own foods, rather than pills and supplements, will be better for you. Reach for the coffee cup and avoid those caffeine tablets.
The key is moderation, exercise and diet. With these three elements you are sure to succeed in your slims transformation journey.
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