Let’s get this straight right off the bat- there is no medical or scientific evidence that caffeine can make you lose significant weight or even keep weight off. That being said, yes, caffeine can be used to help you in weight loss, but it’s not a miracle cure for getting lean, not by a long shot. Learn how you can use caffeine to help you lose weight, and what you can really expect from caffeine in your weight loss goals overall.
Caffeine is an appetite suppressant. This helps you lose weight, kinda. Sure, you won’t be eating much if you are consuming caffeine, but if the caffeine you are using to ruin your appetite is a liter of soda (even diet) or a huge latte with a gazillion calories in it, you’re not going to be dropping any pounds. If you are using caffeine as an appetite suppressant, stick to something like a caffeinated tea with no cream or sugar, or straight black coffee. Or add honey or lemon to your brew with some soy milk. The less calories you are using while you’re making yourself not hungry, the better.
Better yet, have that black cup of coffee right before you work out, or within a half hour or so of your exercise routine. Caffeine can boost your energy levels, which means you can work out for an extra 15 minutes or so without that crazy fatigue that starts halfway through or that insane hunger you get right after you’re done breaking a sweat. Exercise stimulates hunger, so use caffeine the right way and consume it before a workout to keep you from noshing and keep you exercising longer. You’re more likely to lose weight this way.
For a little while, caffeine will boost your metabolism, mainly because your body temperature is raised and caffeine stimulates energy to burn off excess calories. But this won’t burn off too many calories or really help you burn more fat. You know what really will give you a boost to you rmetabolism? Ice water- your body can’t use the water until it’s at your body’s core temperature, which means your body has to heat up the water you drink so you can stay hydrated. When your body is hard at work to create heat, it’s burning more calories than it would just regularly digesting your food, so if it’s a choice between a caffeine beverage or a bottle of ice water, well, you now know which to pick.
Caffeine does help with bloat, however, so it can give you relief from those extra pounds of water weight. Just be sure that if you are consuming caffeine you are not consuming sugar with it (like sugar in your coffee), because the sugar will just make your body hold onto more water. Your best bet is to drink a cup or 2 of straight black coffee (or green tea, well-known for helping in water weight loss, and weight loss in general) and let nature take its course. Then drink up on regular water- your bloat and water retention is likely due to dehydration to begin with.
So while consuming caffeine can help with your weight loss goals, you have to use caffeine to your advantage. More often than not, there are alternatives to caffeine that work as well or better than caffeine does for weight loss, and they don’t come with the side effects of nervousness, upset stomach, and sudden fatigue at wearing off that caffeine usually has.
Source:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/HQ00369