Green tea and weight loss?

Options
jillk93
jillk93 Posts: 45 Member
in Food and Nutrition
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!

Replies

  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    Options
    Nope. Green tea does not help weight loss. It's just a low calorie drink.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Options
    I love green tea. It's effect is what we call in the engineering/physics world "negligible."
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,261 Member
    Options
    i dont like the taste of green tea
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    Options
    You already drink a few glasses a day, so you should be able to answer this.
  • Lizarking
    Lizarking Posts: 507 Member
    Options
    Green tea, caffeine, etc are thermogenic. You can count on them to burn around an extra 2-3 calories per day.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    Options
    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
    jillk93 Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    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
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    Options
    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
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    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
    butterflylady86 Posts: 369 Member
    Options
    Love tea in general.
  • 2essie
    2essie Posts: 2,863 Member
    Options
    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
    pakita19 Posts: 11 Member
    Options
    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
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
    Options
    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
    kbmh611 Posts: 110 Member
    Options
    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
    KyleGrace8 Posts: 2,205 Member
    Options
    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
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Options
    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
    lilithsrose Posts: 752 Member
    Options
    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
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Options
    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
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Options
    There are some valid health benefits associated with green tea - weight loss isn't one of them.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    edited October 2016
    Options
    "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.

Categories