The question of whether you can lose weight with green tea is a very popular one.
I can address this question from two perspectives.
First, from my personal perspective as an avid green tea drinker.
Second, from my perspective as a Stanford educated nutrition specialist.
Lose weight with green tea: my personal perspective
I currently consume three tea bags of green tea daily.
Two in the morning when I wake up and one before lunch in the afternoon.
I drink this amount of green tea for the taste and mild caffeine boost.
However, I have noticed that green tea affects my weight loss in two major areas.
Firstly, green tea suppresses my appetite.
I always eat less on the days that I drink green tea.
This is wonderful because it’s not an issue of feeling hungry and then trying hard not to eat.
It’s more of an issue of really not feeling hungry at all.
Naturally, all else remaining equal, if you eat less, you’ll lose weight.
Secondly, green tea helps me work harder when I exercise.
Remember, I tend to drink all of my green tea in the morning – which is the same time of the day that I exercise.
The little caffeine in the green tea gives me a bit of an energy boost to push harder as I exercise.
And it does this without the added calories that would be in coffee.
So, yes, you can lose weight with green tea.
However, there are some caveats.
For instance, the brand of green tea matters.
I’ve tried many sophisticated brands of green tea.
I’ve also tried some less fancy brands.
In my experience, the brand of green tea that works the best is the Great Value brand from Walmart.
I’m not entirely sure what makes the Walmart brand superior to the alternatives.
All I know is that I’ve tried many brands.
The Walmart brand is the one that works the best for the purpose of losing weight with green tea.
Lose Weight with Green Tea: My professional perspective
Now for the science behind why green tea works for weight loss.
There are many studies that have confirmed the weight loss benefits of green tea.
These studies cite a wide variety of ways that green tea helps with weight loss.
For the purposes of this post, we’ll focus on the three most interesting ones.
- Antioxidant content
- Metabolism boosting effects
- Fat Mobilization
Antioxidant Content of Green Tea for weight loss
Green tea is known for its mild caffeine boosting effect.
However, that’s not even the best part of this amazing beverage.
Green tea also contains many powerful antioxidants.
These antioxidants have the potential to boost metabolism. (research study)
Metabolism Boosting Effects
Speaking of metabolism, green tea can have a long lasting effect on metabolism.
Meaning that green tea can encourage fat loss even when you’re just resting. (research study)
Fat Mobilization
Green tea can help with quicker weight loss by helping the hormones in the body mobilize fat from fat cells.
When fat is mobilized from the fat cells, the body is able to burn them for fuel – resulting in weight loss for you.
Green Tea for Weight loss: Conclusion
Green tea is a beneficial addition to any weight loss plan.
It tastes good, feels good to drink, and helps the body become more efficient at burning fat.
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