Does Caffeine Help You Lose Weight?

Is Caffeine a help or a hindrance when trying to lose weight? Whether or not caffeine is good or bad for you depends mostly on the person in taking caffeine into their body. With a little research, you’ll easily find arguments both for and against this common stimulant. In terms of weight loss, I tend to think that there’s a slight advantage to consuming caffeine when you’re trying to lose weight, but there’s a catch. Here’s the deal, caffeine is a stimulant and it can temporary act as an appetite suppressant for some people. There are also some studies that indicate that it increases the body’s free flow of fatty acids, and gives athletes an edge, and is a topic of debate of whether or not the substance should be banned for athletic use. A dose a caffeine before an athletic event (or an ordinary workout, for the rest of us ordinary folks) gives enough of a boost that our workouts may be better (more intense). More intense workouts usually burn more calories. If you’ve ever tried to exercise while being tired vs. being wide awake, you’ll easily see the common sense logic in that. Additionally, doctors are starting to say that there are health advantages to being a moderate use caffeine lover.

So what’s the catch? Well, if the caffeine is coming from a calorie laden source, that’s obviously counter-productive. Some common coffee-house drinks are the calorie equivalent of a Big Mac, so don’t be too quick to run off to the nearest Starbucks. So rule #1 is to make sure you’re caffeine source is a calorie friendly. Next, know what other ingredients are in that source. Sometimes the other ingredients cause other negative issues. Then you should know your body’s personal caffeine limits. If you get jittery, shaky, or can’t sleep at night, you’ve probably overdone it. If you become “dependant” on it to survive your day, you may also want to reassess your intake. One more important thing to consider is that caffeine is a diuretic, which is not a good thing for long term weight loss. Keeping your body hydrated helps you lose weight. Dehydrated bodies have a much harder time losing weight. So this means that if you drink a caffeinated beverage, then you’re probably going to have to drink far more than that magical 64 oz. a day you’re been hearing about for years (and don’t give me any silly arguments about the water in the coffee “counting”…. it doesn’t).

So after 18 years or so of working in the fitness and weight loss business, I have my opinion, in spite of what “new study” might come out to prove the last one wrong.  I think it’s perfectly ok, and a little bit helpful prior to working out. There, I said it. Just watch for your own adverse side effects and logically make adjustments. If it gives you headaches, stop drinking it. If makes you nervous and jittery, stop drinking it… and so on.  Keep in mind, I’m not a purist. I believe in red meat, cooking my food, and I banned tofu from my life years ago. Caffeine? Can you pass me the fat free creamer for my coffee please?