5 fat fighting drinks for weight loss
The drinks we consume can often be overlooked when we think about weight loss.
When most people think of losing weight, they think about food for the most part and probably don’t give much thought to what they’re drinking.
People often have a hard time grasping, at least subconsciously, if not consciously, that liquid calories do in fact count!
Take this for a shocking example:
A Starbucks Venti Green Tea Frap made with whole milk and whipped cream contains a whopping 550 calories – about the same as a Big Mac!
Wowzers!
Liquid calories are hugely underestimated and this is a big mistake!
One study of 50,000 women showed that when they increased their consumption of sugary drinks from one per week to one or more per day, they increased their calorie intake by 358 calories and consequently gained weight.
The good thing is that cutting out liquid calories is generally easier to do than food ones.
Liquid calories do not tend to satisfy our hunger like food, so cutting them out doesn’t tend to make us feel anywhere near as food deprived or hungry than cutting down on food calories does.
Even if cutting down on liquid calories is easier than food ones, we’ve still got to drink right?
But what drinks should we be drinking to not only quench our thirst but to also support our weight loss goals too?
Let’s take a look at 5 drinks that will do just this!
Water
Perhaps a bit cliche, but water is a major component of any successful weight loss mission.
Firstly, water makes up 60% of your body. Your brain and your heart are 73% water.
This just goes to show how crucial it is!
Water contains zero calories so you never have to worry about whether drinking it is effecting your diet plan.
Moreover, studies have shown that people who drank water before meals ate nearly 100 calories less than those that didn’t and lost 44% more weight over a 3 month period.
Drinking water also increases satiety meaning you’ll feel fuller after drinking it which can help ward off those awful hunger pangs we all get between meals!
Not only is water a dieter’s best friend but it is also awesome for your overall health.
Green tea
Green tea is another excellent choice for dieters.
The caffeine contained within green tea has been shown to boost metabolism and can aid in burning fat.
Caffeine burns fat by encouraging the breakdown of adipose tissue during a process called lipolysis.
This is essentially the process where your body converts stored fat into the type that can be used as energy.
There is also some emerging evidence that caffeine can help you maintain weight loss in the longer term.
Green tea is naturally very low in calories and is therefore a natural companion to those shredding the fat.
Green tea is also jam packed with antioxidants which help mop up free radicals and protect against oxidative damage caused by chronic inflammation which can lead to cancer.
apple cider vinegar Water
There is some emerging evidence that apple cider vinegar may be helpful for those looking to lose weight.
The main component of apple cider vinegar is acetic acid which is what gives it its strong taste and smell.
Human studies on apple cider vinegar’s effects on weight loss are fairly hard to come by but studies on rats and mice have shown that acetic acid in apple cider vinegar can:-
- Help protect from weight gain by reducing fat storage
- Help increase fat burning
- Increase metabolism
- Lower blood sugar and help fight insulin resistance
- Suppress appetite
The recommendation is to try 1-2 tablespoons of it per day mixed with water.
However, too much can make you feel a bit sicky so I wouldn’t go crazy with it.
Ginger Tea
Ginger tea (or water) is another drink that you might want to try as part of your weight loss regime.
Some studies have shown that ginger can help suppress obesity.
Moreover, ginger can help increase satiety so you feel fuller for longer after meals which will help you avoid those mid morning, mid afternoon, or late evening snack attacks where you reach for the sweet cupboard to see you through.
Ginger tea is extremely low in calories so it is unlikely to impede any calorie deficit you are trying to achieve when dieting.
Coffee
Coffee contains more caffeine than green tea so its weight loss effects should be at least equal to, if not more, than green tea.
Studies that have been done on the association between weight loss and coffee showed that people who drink 4 cups of coffee a day see a decrease in body fat of 4% compared with those who don’t drink it.
Coffee is also extremely low in calories and contains no fat!
Provided you don’t load it up with lots of milk, cream or sugar, a cup of Joe can be a good choice for most dieters.
Black coffee is also full of antioxidants which can help prevent or delay the cell damage that leads to cancer and other illnesses.
As a stimulant, coffee can also give you that bit of get up and go you might be lacking.
I find this is quite helpful – especially in the morning when I might be fighting off the temptation to abandon my morning exercise routine.
Final thoughts
Choosing your drinks wisely can be almost as important as your foods when it comes to reducing your weight.
My own personal weight loss journey is one that didn’t really focus too much on what I drank and perhaps that’s why it took me a bit longer than I might have hoped to get to my target weight.
The importance of choosing the right drinks shouldn’t be under estimated – especially when your favorite coffee house is inconspicuously serving up Big Macs in coffee cups!
If you want to keep things simple when it comes to weight loss drinks, then you aren’t going to go far wrong with plain old water.
Yes, water isn’t going to win any taste contests but it really is the OG when it comes to hydration!
PIN IT FOR LATER:-
About the author
Catherine holds a bachelor of science degree and is a registered mental health nurse.
She is a self-confessed health and fitness freak, nutrition fanatic and mental health boffin.
