Water/tea/metabolism?

jenniator
jenniator Posts: 475 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone,

I was wondering if water/tea does anything to help with weight loss or if water only makes you fill fuller and keeps you hydrated. Does it have any other benefits like speeding up your metabolism or anything like that?

I was curious since I've been drinking 7 cups (2 Liters) of water/tea a day for at least 5 days a week for a year, so I was curious of the benefits.

Is there another way to boost you're metabolism besides cardio and weight training? :) I really love going on the elliptical 5 times a day for a hour each time, especially because the gym has a T.V. But lately I haven't been doing strength training since I find it extremely boring and don't enjoy it much.

Replies

  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    No.

    Weight loss comes from a caloric deficit.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Caffeine nominally gives you a little energy, but tea doesn't have that much caffeine (depending on the tea). I would not consider tea a weight loss plan (though it is the tears of the gods). Staying hydrated is beneficial.
  • jenniator
    jenniator Posts: 475 Member
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    No.

    Weight loss comes from a caloric deficit.

    I think after losing 55 pounds, I understand that weight loss comes from a caloric deficit :P But I was just curious if water/tea had more benefits than hydration. Like working out can help boost your metabolism, make your endurance higher, keep you in good shape, reduce your risk of diseases, keep/build your muscles, and help you burn a ton of calories.
  • accidentalpancake
    accidentalpancake Posts: 484 Member
    Aside from helping regulate sodium levels, which is just fancy talk around hydration, I'm not sure there's any significant improvement to be had.

    However, I would liken it to changing the oil in your car. It's not going to give you more horsepower, but ignore it and you're going to have problems.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    jenniator wrote: »
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    No.

    Weight loss comes from a caloric deficit.

    I think after losing 55 pounds, I understand that weight loss comes from a caloric deficit :P But I was just curious if water/tea had more benefits than hydration. Like working out can help boost your metabolism, make your endurance higher, keep you in good shape, reduce your risk of diseases, keep/build your muscles, and help you burn a ton of calories.

    Water/tea IS hydration, with all of the accompanying benefits.

  • Jenskiski
    Jenskiski Posts: 67 Member
    edited July 2015
    It definitely doesn't fill me up, but all of the hydration makes me feel better and studies have shown that tea (especially green) is good for you in a myriad of ways. My 2 daily cups of green tea might buy me a few days (or weeks or months) at the end of my life.

    Plus, I like the meditative peace that a good cup of tea brings me.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Water keeps me from drinking my calories, so that's about it when it comes to weight loss. I used to drink two 20-24 ounce bottles of Mountain Dew a day...that's 600-700 calories saved right there.
  • jenniator
    jenniator Posts: 475 Member
    edited July 2015
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Water keeps me from drinking my calories, so that's about it when it comes to weight loss. I used to drink two 20-24 ounce bottles of Mountain Dew a day...that's 600-700 calories saved right there.

    That's very true! The only thing I drink is water/tea with the occasional cola zero. Before this though, I use to drink anywhere from 2-4 cans of cola just in one day! I was so addicted and I couldn't even function without on in the morning. It was absolutely crazy , gave me so many calories, and it controlled my life.
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
    There ARE herbal teas that have healthy benefits beyond a caffeine kick. Nothing so grand as a weight loss remedy... but... even if you just add honey and lemon to a "regular" tea you are adding things that will help boost your immune system. So.. do some research and look for loose teas that will fit into your goals... and remember everything in moderation.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    No.

    Weight loss comes from a caloric deficit.

    This.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    You'd have to drink a lot to even get a small effect on weight loss. Your body warms up cold water to body temperature but that's just 1 kcal per 1°C per liter. So 64 kcal if you drank 2 liters of 5°C cold water. Not really worth it to drink more for that little effect.
    Caffeine too. There's some effect on increased calorie burn reported from caffeine, but you'd have to drink 6 cups of coffee over the day to get an effect of just 100-ish calories. A cup of black tea has half as much caffeine as a cup of coffee and green tea has half of that again, or so tells me google. So, uh... that's a lot of tea.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    jenniator wrote: »
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    No.

    Weight loss comes from a caloric deficit.

    I think after losing 55 pounds, I understand that weight loss comes from a caloric deficit :P But I was just curious if water/tea had more benefits than hydration. Like working out can help boost your metabolism, make your endurance higher, keep you in good shape, reduce your risk of diseases, keep/build your muscles, and help you burn a ton of calories.

    No. Water and tea hydrate, and the more you drinnk the more you pee.
  • PinkDeerBoy
    PinkDeerBoy Posts: 89 Member
    The main way tea helps me lose weight is drinking it if I 1) want something flavored 2) think I might be bored hungry. So it has helped me in that sense since I'm not drinking as much soda and juice. But I don't know about that whole metabolism stuff. I have heard several times that it isn't enough to make a difference.
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