Most of us already know coffee has some health benefits, but will drinking it help you lose weight?
Americans drink 40 million cups of coffee every day, and that number isn’t going to drop off anytime soon.
Growing up I vividly remember “health experts” saying coffee wasn’t good for you at all, and they pretty much lumped it right in with drinking alcohol. Thankfully, research has begun to catch up with quite a few studies proving the overwhelming health benefits of coffee.
The American Medical Association takes this stance on coffee and weight loss: “Moderate tea or coffee drinking likely has no negative effect on health, as long as you live an otherwise healthy lifestyle.”
If you ask me that isn’t a very impressive endorsement considering the plethora of benefits to drinking coffee.
This is why it’s kinda hard to totally trust the mainstream “health experts” because they’re so worried about playing it on the safe side that they hold people back from reaching their full potential.
If they only said that drinking coffee will help you lose weight then there would be less obesity and type 2 diabetes in the world. (1)
For many, drinking coffee is a daily ritual. I look forward to waking up early every morning with my cup of coffee. Now, let’s dig deeper into coffee and weight loss…
Why Coffee Is Good for Weight Loss (Or Not)
Do you love coffee? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. But what many people don’t know is that coffee can also help with weight loss. Believe it or not, caffeine has been shown to boost fat burning and help with weight loss.
One of the biggest and most obvious reasons why coffee will help you lose weight is it contains caffeine.
The caffeine content alone is a well-known stimulant associated with weight loss. Caffeine works by blocking the inhibitory neurotransmitter adenosine (2). This releases dopamine and norepinephrine into the body as caffeine increases the firing of neurons making you feel good and alert.
There are a few reasons why caffeine is good for weight loss.
First, caffeine has been shown to boost fat burning. In fact, it can increase fat burning by up to 30%. This is because caffeine helps to break down fat cells and promotes the use of stored fat for energy.
Secondly, caffeine can help to suppress appetite. This is because it helps to increase levels of the hormone leptin, which is responsible for regulating hunger.
Finally, caffeine can help to boost metabolism. This is because it helps to increase levels of the hormone adrenaline, which is responsible for regulating metabolism.
Coffee Boosts Metabolism
As caffeine stimulates the nervous system it sends direct signals to fat cells telling them to break down the fat (3).
This increases blood levels of norepinephrine, and as it sends signals to break down fats they are then released into the bloodstream (4).
Once they’re made available in your bloodstream they’re now ready to be used as free fatty acids in the blood. This essentially just means your body is going to be burning these free fatty acids for energy so you’ll lose more fat.
Usually, your body will use glycogen (stored carbohydrates) for its first source of energy but with fat readily available to burn it’ll use that too.
Think of your metabolism as the fat-burning machine in your body. We want it sky high so we can burn more calories throughout the day. There are things you can do that slow it (eating sugar) and there are things you can do to crank it up.
Caffeine alone has been found to increase your metabolic rate by 3-11%. As your body begins to burn more fat your metabolism will see an increase in activity (5).
Lean people tend to have a higher fat burning response to caffeine as high as 29% while obese seem to cap out at 10% (6,7). But that’s still a significant advantage to losing weight by just drinking coffee.
Combined with an effective and consistent nutrition system you’ll be well on your way to dropping any extra weight you don’t want.
Studies also found age seemed to correlate with how much the caffeine would boost the metabolism (8). Younger people would have a higher metabolic boost while it was slower with those a little older.
Coffee Improves Insulin Sensitivity
This was also an interesting study that found rodents on a high dose of caffeine were able to restore their insulin sensitivity (9).
The more sugar and bad carbs you eat then the more your body will become resistant to insulin. This leads to type 2 diabetes and weight gain.
The study also found that caffeine would limit total and even visceral fat gain due to high sugar diets. See my list of the best natural sugar substitutes you can use to help get the sugar out of your coffee.
Now just because the study followed mice on a high dose of caffeine doesn’t mean you have to drink giant bowls of coffee every morning.
The amount of caffeine the mice in the group used is about equivalent to 4-5 cups of coffee and weight loss should start to begin then. But most experts will only readily feel comfortable recommending 2-3 cups of coffee per day to get the benefits.
Coffee Enhances Exercise
Having caffeine has been shown to improve exercise performance by an average of 11-12%. This is another clear reason why coffee will help you lose weight (10).
If you’re able to exercise harder and longer then your body will be able to burn more calories and fat (11).
Coffee also contains powerful antioxidants. In fact, coffee is the number one source of antioxidants for the majority of American diets. Most people just don’t have enough fruits and vegetables which is why I recommend drinking a greens powder daily.
Does drinking coffee after your workout help for weight loss?
This study found that post-workout coffee boosted glycogen repletion up to 30%. After a tough workout your body should be low on glycogen so getting some back into your body fast will be beneficial especially if you’re more on the athletic side (12).
Another study found caffeine to help reduce muscle soreness after hard training (13). So the quicker you’re able to recover from your workouts the quicker you can get back onto your next one.
Coffee Depresses Your Appetite
The one downside of coffee and weight loss is your body will gradually build a tolerance to the effects of caffeine (14).
When I first started drinking just a little bit of coffee I would feel my body going from zero to a hundred. Nowadays, it takes a couple of cups just until I start to feel normal. Haha
Some of the positive effects of caffeine will not work as efficiently as you build up a tolerance, but you should still get a lot of the benefits.
Coffee will also help you lose weight by blunting your appetite (15). Most have a reduced appetite after drinking coffee, but it might be more based on the individual than anything.
If you’re intermittent fasting then drinking coffee will help to keep the hunger pangs away and doesn’t break your fast. Fighting off hunger is the hardest part of intermittent fasting making coffee the perfect tool to make it through your fast.
Plus if you’re fasting in the morning then taking the coffee will increase your fat burning giving you even better results. This is why I recommend drinking coffee while fasting in the mornings with C8 MCT powder.
The C8 MCT powder will instantly be converted into ketones by your liver. These ketones are the same energy source produced when your body has fasted for a longer time and when your body is depleted of carbohydrates.
Your body makes these ketones from your fat stores. So by taking an MCT powder in your coffee it’ll signal for your body to start burning up your fat stores for energy too.
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Best Time to Drink Coffee for Weight Loss
Now it goes without saying that drinking a super sugary Frappuccino isn’t going to help you lose weight. In fact, the opposite.
Keep all the sugar out of your coffee if you’re trying to lose weight. If you’re using a sweetener make sure it’s a zero-calorie sugar-free sweetener.
It’s best to drink black coffee in the mornings while you’re intermittent fasting.
Fasting in the morning will instantly lower your calories by skipping your first meal of the day. This calorie reduction alone will help you with weight loss.
Then adding in some morning coffee will give you a caffeine boost that will further enhance your fat-burning metabolism. This will give you even better results since your body will already be starting to burn fat stores while you’re fasting.
But adding milk to your coffee isn’t good for weight loss.
The milk is insulinemic causing your insulin levels to rise that put your body more into a fat-storing mode. If you’re intermittent fasting then it’ll instantly kick you out of your fast negating any results.
Yet if you really have to have some milk in your coffee I’d at least pick a heavy creamer. Just a splash goes a long way and the extra fat in the cream will blunt the insulin response in your body. This is my choice for the best coffee creamer.
The best way to drink your coffee for weight loss is to add in C8 MCTs. Keto Elevate is my pick since it contains 100% pure C8 MCTs that your body converts into ketones for weight loss.
How to Make Coffee for Weight Loss
Making the perfect coffee for weight loss is a lot simpler than you’d think. The key is to keep sugar out of your coffee at all costs. Also, try to keep milk and cream out of your coffee.
If you really want to take your results up to the next level then be sure to add the MCT powder by Keto Elevate to your coffee. It will not break your fast and taste delicious while boosting your results.
To maximize the caffeine content in coffee then go for medium or dark roasts of higher caffeine-containing beans.
- Robusta
- Arabica
- Most exotic brands
I’ll drink 2 cups of coffee first thing in the morning with the MCT powder. This will usually keep me going for another 2 to 3 hours before I’ll have another couple of cups of coffee.
Coffee will also help to keep you hydrated but it’s best to make sure you’re also drinking water throughout the morning. When your body is dehydrated you’re more likely to feel hungry which will cause you to eat more and break your fast.
I’ll also drink a super greens powder like MetaboGreens while I’m fasting to provide my body with nutrients. It’s like a multivitamin on steroids that’ll make it easier to get through your fast while boosting results.
FAQ
Is coffee good for weight loss at night?
Usually, I do not recommend drinking coffee at night simply because it’ll negatively impact your ability to fall asleep quickly. Sleep plays a vital role in weight loss and if you aren’t able to get enough proper sleep then you could end up gaining weight.
It’s best to cut off your caffeine consumption around lunchtime otherwise it could stay in your system long enough to keep you from falling asleep at night. This can vary from person to person depending on how well your body processes caffeine. If you are able to drink caffeine later in the day without it impacting your sleep quality then it could benefit you.
Can coffee cause weight gain?
Drinking coffee only causes weight gain when you’re adding a bunch of sugar and milk to it. Sugar and milk can cause an insulin spike in your body putting it into a fat storing mode. It’s best to always limit your sugar and milk consumption for this very reason. Also, many who order coffee from places like Starbucks pick high-calorie and high sugar choices that will definitely cause them to gain weight.
What can I put in my coffee to lose weight?
C8 MCTs are the best thing you can put into your coffee to lose weight even more. C8 MCTs may contain a few calories but they aren’t processing your body like other calories. They’re instantly sent to your liver where they are converted into ketones. These same ketones are what your body makes from your fat stores when fasted for a long time and depleted of carbohydrates.
By adding these C8 MCTs to your coffee you can trigger the same enhance fat-burning mode in your body which will end up giving you better results. Just make sure you pick a high-quality MCT supplement like Keto Elevate that contains 100% pure C8 MCTs which are your body’s preferred source of MCTs.
Support Many of the Keto Benefits Associated With Increased Ketones, & Support Them FAST, but Without the Difficulty of Doing Keto...
Increase Ketone Levels Inside Your Body to Boost Metabolism, Elevate Energy & Enhance Mental Focus
- 3X Better Than Coconut Oil, Butter or MCTs
- Heightened energy levels
- Reduced cravings & appetite
- Graceful aging
- Healthy metabolism
- Increased mental clarity & focus
- Heightened physical performance and recovery
The Last Word
The studies overwhelmingly agree that coffee and weight loss go together like peas and carrots. Drinking coffee will help you lose weight and burn fat seemingly without any other consequences when done right.
But it’s 100% against the rules of weight loss to add sugar to your coffee.
You’ll also want to read my blog post on alcohol and weight loss if you’re curious if adding booze to your coffee is bad for you.
Drink all the coffee your body can properly handle as long as it’s not too close before bedtime as it could have a negative impact on your quality of sleep.
And when combined with a fantastic nutrition system, like my Flat Belly Formula, you’ll be guaranteed to be dropping weight fast.
Now that you undoubtedly know coffee will help you lose weight it’s time to buy me a cup of Joe. I just hope it’s not the Unicorn Frappuccino.
Josh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition Science. He’s a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and he’s a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) by American Council on Exercise. He’s worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at the high school and college levels. He has over 15 years of experience as a personal trainer and nutrition coach. He strives to bring inspiration and results for people to live healthier lives through smart diet and exercise.