Weight Loss Coffee: Can Coffee Help You Lose Weight?

Adding caffeine to drinks has been a ‘thing’ in the weight loss and wellness industry for quite some time. Caffeine has been shown to simultaneously increase your metabolism as well as decreasing one’s recovery time post work. But can coffee help you lose weight? Most of us know that caffeine comes from coffee (also tea) but can it help you lose weight as a standalone drink? Read our guide to coffee as an aid to weight loss to find out more...

Does coffee burn fat?

A study in Scientific Reports would suggest so. To paraphrase this rather lengthy piece, here’s a very succinct run down but it is important to know that the studies referred to in this piece used fat cells derived from mice, rather than humans so that is quite a big caveat! Back to the mice, the study suggested that when the fat cells in the study were exposed to caffeine there was some evidence that the cells showed an increase in metabolism which would mean an increased ability to burn body fat.

Does coffee with milk help with fat burning?

Before we delve into this one it’s probably important to address that coffee may have trace elements of calories in it. The coffee we generally drink will not come from a homogeneous bean and will often be a blend of different beans, each with its own taste and health properties (if you want to find out more about how we blend our gymBrew coffee this might be useful). But, what we do know is that if there are any traces of calories in coffee beans they will be of a negligible amount when coffee is drunk in its purest form i.e. black coffee. When you do add things like milk to your coffee it will increase the number of calories you consume. This doesn’t mean that the effect you get from caffeine becomes less effective, just that some of the incremental benefits you would get if you want to lose weight, are negated.

What effect does coffee have on your metabolism?

There are four main biologically active substances that can be found in coffee, all of which can have an effect on your metabolism. Of course, there’s caffeine which we all know and love - caffeine is the main stimulant in coffee and gets our fight or flight responses going. But there’s three more which you may not have heard of before that also get our metabolism moving Theobromine is the main stimulant cocoa but is also found in coffee. Next comes Theophylline which like Theobromine is found in both the cocoa and coffee bean. The final wonder metabolism mover is Chlorogenic acid. This one is important for people who want to lose weight as this active compound can help the absorption of carbohydrates. From carbs comes sugar and from sugar comes weight!

Does coffee with sugar burn fat?

As we suggested above, adding stuff to coffee that isn’t, well coffee will take away, or at least neutralize, any of its fat-burning properties. Milk, especially of the skimmed variety you could probably get away with but sugar? It really is a ‘no’. If you read a basic guide to losing weight all of the diet books will tell you to cut down on sugar in its purest form or as a carbohydrate (in say pasta or rice). Sorry to break the news to you but if you want to lose weight and burn fat — cut out the sugar in your coffee.

When should you drink coffee if you want to lose weight?

Disclaimer: We’re not doctors, or dieticians so please don’t take our word as gospel in these matters but some studies have shown that drinking coffee before you eat can decrease your appetite. There is a diet out there called the coffee diet which suggests you should drink three cups of lightly roasted coffee per day, each just before eating. However, when you look into the Coffee Diet you will notice that the recipe recommendations are based on consuming no more than 1,500 calories per day so we’re not sure if it’s the coffee or the calorie counting that are doing the heavy lifting here? What we do know is that caffeine is an appetite suppressant so some of the weight loss benefits could be down to coffee consumption.

What is the optimum amount of caffeine per day to help with weight loss?

Again, if we are referring to the recommendations laid down by The Coffee Diet, the recommended daily intake of coffee to help you lose weight is 720 ml of lightly roasted coffee. Over the course of our research, we couldn’t find any maximums for the diet but we wouldn’t recommend drinking too much caffeine, especially later in the day and especially if this was going to take you over the safe amount of caffeine to drink in one day. The NHS, for instance, suggest you shouldn’t drink more than 400 mg of caffeine per day.

The Runner Bean take on this

We know that we have produced one of the strongest coffees on the market that tastes great. Caffeine has been proven to increase your metabolism, help you work out and help you recover.

If you want to lose weight though, there’s no silver bullet. Losing weight requires a symbiosis of diet, exercise and dedication. What we can guarantee is a perfect cup of freshly roasted coffee, every time.

Frequently Asked Questions About Weight Loss Coffee

What is a skinny coffee?

A skinny coffee is a type of drink that uses less milk and sugar to give it its low calorie content. This lower fat, lower carb option may be good for people who are watching their calories or carbs intake but can also serve as an occasional treat!

A lot of people like to pair this with Garcinia Cambogia - what is it?

Garcinia cambogia is a tropical fruit from Indonesia. The rind of the garcinia contains hydroxycitric acid or HCA which has been shown to suppress appetite, decrease fat storage and promote weight loss in people with obesity (BMI > 30) in several clinical studies where their diet was controlled. It also increases serotonin levels so we can sleep better at night, but it's not recommended for those who are pregnant because there haven't been enough studies on this subject yet.

Is coffee better than green tea for weight loss?

Yes, coffee is better than green tea for weight loss because green tea contains less caffeine. Green tea has about half the amount of caffeine as a typical cup of coffee.

What is the best time of day to drink coffee for weight loss?

The best time to drink coffee for weight loss is 30-45 minutes before you workout. But if this doesn't work for you, then it's ok to have a cup of coffee after your workouts! It also helps with the cortisol response during and after exercise which makes caffeine great for long endurance events like marathons or Ironman Triathlon races.

Does green coffee aid weight loss?

Green coffee beans contain chlorogenic acid which is associated with weight loss. Green coffee extract has been shown to reduce body fat and increase lean muscle mass, although the studies were done on mice and not humans so it's unclear how much of an impact this will have for people.

The idea behind green coffee bean extract being a diet aid is because they say that its polyphenols can help improve your metabolism by decreasing glucose absorption in your intestines.

Can decaffeinated coffee help you lose weight?

People often wonder if decaffeinated coffee can help with weight loss, but the answer is no.

Does iced coffee work for weight loss?

Yes, as long as it's not iced coffee drinks that have added sugar or other ingredients. Iced coffee with a few ice cubes and water is a great way to stay cool in the summer without adding too many calories!