Green tea and weight loss?

jillk93

So I've read on a couple different sites that green tea can really help boost weight loss. I know it's no magic solution but has anyone drank green tea consistently while working out and eating well. Did anyone see a difference? I'm a green tea lover, I drink a few glasses a day. Just curious about this!

Chef_Barbell

Nope. Green tea does not help weight loss. It's just a low calorie drink.

TR0berts

I love green tea. It's effect is what we call in the engineering/physics world "negligible."

Therealobi1

i dont like the taste of green tea

extra_medium

You already drink a few glasses a day, so you should be able to answer this.

Lizarking

Green tea, caffeine, etc are thermogenic. You can count on them to burn around an extra 2-3 calories per day.

kimny72

I drank green tea when I was overweight, still drink it now. It's the eating well and working out that changed things for me!

jillk93

extra_medium wrote: »

You already drink a few glasses a day, so you should be able to answer this.

I've only been eating well and working out the last month. I Don't think i'd ask a question I could answer..

MissusMoon

There have been thousands of threads on this and if you search, you'll find the same chorus of "only if you replace high calorie drinks with it". It's overstated woo to imply otherwise.

Christine_72

I hate, hate, hate green tea :sick: But if it were true that it made people lose weight, then i'd be guzzling it by the bucket full, but alas it is not so easy..

butterflylady86

Love tea in general.

2essie

I have been drinking gree tea for years now but never noticed a difference in weight loss either before I started on MFP or after

pakita19

I've read up a lot of green tea, and they say any warm drink helps with burning calories. Very minimal though. But to drink a cold glass of water of a meal or a nice hot green tea, the tea will help with digestion therefore help with weight loss.

Alatariel75

I love green tea and drink it all the time. When I drink green tea and eat at a deficit, I lose. When I drink green tea and don't eat at a deficit, I don't lose, or even gain.

Thing is:

When I drink green tea and eat at a deficit, I lose. When I drink green tea and don't eat at a deficit, I don't lose, or even gain.

I have never, ever noticed that the tea makes a difference. Save and except that if I'm drinking green tea all day, it means I'm avoiding other drinks which may have calories. Or, and this might be just me specific, I drink more green tea when I'm "on track" and eating at a deficit, so the correlation (but not the causation) is that I'm drinking more green tea and losing weight.

kbmh611

I know I read this somewhere years ago that green tea can help boost metabolism. Can't remember though where I saw it. Maybe it was when I was doing Weight Watchers. Because I remember that I started buying green tea on a regular basis. But most people on here says it has nothing to do with losing weight or improving metabolism. So IDK

KyleGrace8

I thought it suppressed the appetite and works for me to an extent. Maybe it's bc I'm getting a bit of flavor or just more water intake OR just feeling something in my stomach who knows. (probably google does but who needs science?)

TR0berts

pakita19 wrote: »

I've read up a lot of green tea, and they say any warm drink helps with burning calories. Very minimal though. But to drink a cold glass of water of a meal or a nice hot green tea, the tea will help with digestion therefore help with weight loss.

A couple of things.

1) A warm drink has to be heated less by your body to get to normal body temperature. As such, it would require less energy (fewer Calories) to process. So, no, it would do the opposite of helping to burn Calories.

2) If the tea helps with digestion - again, that would mean your body would have to provide less energy to digest/process the meal.

In both of the above, the difference is negligible, but still not doing what you seem to think it does.

lilithsrose

Green tea isn't magic, but it can help you lose weight. This is mainly due to having a warm liquid in your stomach taking up space and making you feel full. That is the same reason why its suggested that you drink a glass of water before a meal so you eat less. As long as you're not using a lot of sweetener, all teas are a great addition to your diet because they help you stay hydrated and full.

TeaBea

kbmh611 wrote: »

I know I read this somewhere years ago that green tea can help boost metabolism. Can't remember though where I saw it. Maybe it was when I was doing Weight Watchers. Because I remember that I started buying green tea on a regular basis. But most people on here says it has nothing to do with losing weight or improving metabolism. So IDK

There is a TINY kernel of truth that people selling diet supplements and diet books love to exploit. Caffeine does give you a tiny boost.....so have an extra Lifesaver or a piece of gum. It's not a weight loss device.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/19991128/green-tea-boosts-metabolism-protects-against-diseases#1

BrianSharpe

There are some valid health benefits associated with green tea - weight loss isn't one of them.

vingogly

"Clinical studies suggest that green tea extract may boost metabolism and help burn fat. One study found that the combination of green tea and caffeine improved weight loss and maintenance in people who were overweight and moderately obese. However, other studies show no benefit."

Note that's *extract* used in the studies rather than brewed tea. Whether the extract really helps is an open issue since results are contradictory.

Source (which also lists the other possible benefits of green tea):

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/green-tea

Personally, I like jasmine green tea and hojicha (green tea that's been roasted); plain old green tea isn't to my taste.