It’s always an immense pleasure to talk about coffee, especially you’re a coffee person. Having a cup of steaming hot coffee is the pick-me-up to go to first thing in the morning, giving you an energy booster to function for the day. If you’re on a diet, you’ll be delighted to know that coffee won’t have any negative effects on your weight-loss attempts, and it can even be beneficial.
What type of coffee you drink also makes a big difference as to its effect on weight loss. A regular black coffee or espresso is virtually calorie-free. On the other hand, sugary coffee drinks, or those made with cream, whole milk and syrup, can contain a high number of calories. Let’s weigh the pros and cons of drinking coffee for weight loss.
Pros: Coffee controls appetite
If you struggle with cravings and hunger pangs when dieting, coffee may help to suppress your appetite, meaning that if you have a cup of coffee mid-morning, you could steer clear of snacks until it’s time for lunch. While this effect has often been attributed to the caffeine content of coffee, decaffeinated coffee can have the same effect. Therefore, switching to decaffeinated coffee may be an effective way to control hunger without overdoing the caffeine.
Pros: Coffee increases metabolic rate
Coffee is widely known as a drink that helps to process fat burning inside the body and increase productivity more effectively. Some say that one of the reasons that coffee can boost weight loss is due to its effect of increasing your body temperature and increasing your metabolism by stimulating your nervous system because it facilitates the burning of body fat by pulling fatty acids out of the fat cells. The caffeine inside the coffee will increase the productivity of fat oxidation in the central nerves and smooth the metabolism process as a result. A higher body temperature also causes your metabolism to work harder, thus speeding up the time it takes your body to process fat and calories.
Pros: Coffee improves physical performance
Caffeine present in coffee can help to improve physical performance in an endurance exercise like running. It prompts the body to burn more fat stores instead of the limited stores of carbohydrate in our muscles. When the muscles run out of carbohydrate, you get tired. Caffeine is also an energy booster and can help mental focus by making your natural neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and acetylcholine more effective. It also stimulates the release of adrenaline, increases blood flow to your muscles and speeds up your heartbeat. All these lead to a more focused, energized training session, which may help you burn more calories and lose weight faster.
Cons: Coffee disturbs blood sugar level
You may not know this, but the body actually goes into shock response when you drink coffee, and this shock response involves the release of sugar into the blood ready to be used as fuel by the muscles before a fight or flight response. Because no such fight or flight response will happen nowadays, instead you are stuck with being on edge for a couple of hours before sugar cravings kick in – which will again have you reaching for the snack cupboard.
Cons: Coffees causes mood changes
One of the reasons that coffee can cause problems with your weight loss efforts is because drinking too much of it can cause lethargy, irritability and grumpiness. Coffee is a stimulant, and because it’s a stimulant it can make you feel edgy and wired in situations where you would rather feel calm and in control. This edgy feeling can mean that you will reach for the snack cupboard for that moment of relief.
Take a balanced approach and although it can bring on sugar cravings, drinking a cup a day shouldn’t hurt and if you need one have one – just don’t have the creamy versions. Also remember if you are breastfeeding, too much caffeine can make your baby irritable and not able to sleep.
Cheryl W is pleased to bring you our new and improved Arabica Expresso coffee without sugar or milk to complement your weight loss efforts. The taste of Arabica coffee is delicious and not too strong. Because of the Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), Mangan, Potassium, Magnesium and Niacin (Vitamin B3) in its content, Arabica coffee has contributed to many other health benefits besides aiding weight loss. Try it at our stores!