Thursday, January 15, 2009

Weight Loss By Coffee – Does It Work?

The average American takes about three cups of coffee within the day. Some do it to jump start their day, while some drink it to wind down after a long day. Some take to keep themselves awake, while some take it improve endurance. But little did we know that coffee can also be helpful in shedding excess weight.

It might take a lot of convincing before people start letting go of their Xenicals and believe that coffee can be an effective weight-loss beverage, but here are some important pointers to explain how coffee can help you lose those extra pounds:

Caffeine, found in coffee, can help speed up metabolism. It if with a boosted metabolic rate that one burns calories faster and lose weight in the process. Because it is an effective metabolism booster, it is used as an active ingredients in a lot of over-the-counter diet pills.

Caffeine aids in fat oxidation. Fat oxidation is the process wherein fat is broken down, freeing fatty acids that the body can easily burn into energy. The said process of energy conversion is increased by 30 percent for people who take coffee or other caffeine-based products before exercise. The only thing is, the increased fat burn only occurs when you start working out.

Caffeine can act as an appetite suppressant. While you burn more fat because of the caffeine you took before working out, essential substances like glycogen, glucose, and amino acids remain reserved. This makes the blood sugar level remain constant for a longer period of time. When one has low blood sugar, you start feeling hungry. On the other hand, high blood glucose levels can help stave off hunger.

You must understand that it is the caffeine in coffee that aids in losing weight, not the coffee itself. And although coffee is our biggest source of caffeine daily, it would help to find other caffeine sources if you aim to use it to facilitate in your goals of weight loss.

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