Can you drink coffee for weight loss? It seems like a great idea- many of us simply just drink coffee in the morning and forgo eating entirely to start our day. Less caloric consumption and a boost of energy to get us motivated equals a great diet plan, right? Does drinking coffee actually encourage weight loss, or does it have a complete negative effect on weight loss goals?
Sorry, all you java drinkers. While coffee consumption (caffeinated or decaf) can play a tiny role in your diet plan, there is no significant medical evidence that drinking coffee as part of a weight loss regimen can actually cause you to drop major pounds, according to Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky, R.D, L.D. However, coffee consumption can help in small ways to boost your weight loss and help you reach your goal weight.
Coffee is a diuretic, so it will flush your body of excess fluids, allowing a person to lose a small amount of weight due to water loss. While losing water weight won't cause you to lose a large amount of weight that counts (you're losing pounds in water, not fat) you will notice less bloat so your clothing will fit better and you will feel smaller. For a quick weight loss to fit into that dress for a night, coffee can help, but your weight will likely jump right back to where it was as you aren't losing any fat at all.
Caffeine is an appetite suppressant, but no studies have shown that drinking coffee long-term aids in easing hunger over time. In other words, drinking coffee in the morning may allow you to not feel hungry at breakfast, but when your appetite returns by lunch, you likely will chow down in sudden hunger and deplete your weight loss regimen by eating everything in sight. For short-term weight loss goals, coffee can help to reduce those cravings to eat, but it can't be relied upon to keep your hunger at bay for long periods of time.
Caffeine may encourage thermogenesis, which is one way that our bodies generate heat and energy from digesting our food, which uses calories. But the amount of energy spent isn't significant enough to account for major weight loss.
So, does coffee aid in weight loss? Sort of. For a quick fix, coffee can do the trick, but using it as a sole weight loss aid will likely leave you disappointed. Exercise and a proper diet in addition to drinking coffee is a better way to go if you are trying to reach a weight loss goal, rather than relying on coffee alone as a diet aid.