Weight loss tea?
Getting ready to start doing the Biggest Loser at work & I need to drop the 15lbs I gained over the holidays. What teas are really good for weight loss? I keep reading that Pu’erh teas are good. Is that really the best? Is there something else I should consider?
I don’t drink tea for weight loss (nor do I find it did anything in terms of weight loss, unless I drank tea instead of eating which is NOT my style – I think eating moderately and healthily is important!). BUT, I’ve heard good things about Pu-erhs and Oolongs, and have been told that sweet dessert style teas are good if you’re looking to replace desserts. Of course, if you add milk, sugar, cream, etc, all that is negated. Good luck!
To lose weight, the biggest concern is calories in and calories burned. Joining myfitnesspal.com helped me on that front. Having to log everything that you eat and drink is quite eye opening. I’ve heard things about weight loss from drinking certain teas too and saved this article:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/466-smart-shopping-weight-loss-teas/
(for what it’s worth)
I joined exercise.com last June and have actually lost 30 pounds since then just by adding in the 20 minutes of exercise 5 times a week from the program I’m on (I’ve switched a couple times). My diet has been fairly good for a few years now, but it wasn’t enough. I had to add exercise to get any reduction in weight/size.
Yes, exercise definately helps. MFP also has a way to log the exercise, and it then adds the calories burned to your “allowed” calories for the day. This is what led me to tea (in process of breaking a Coke habit at 140 calories/can). So for me, it’s not about which tea is “best for weight loss” but more tea as a good habit replacing a bad habit (healthier).
I use Sparkpeople… I quite like their food logs. As for tea… well, I would think that if you were eating sometimes when you were actually thirsty, it might help because you would be hydrated. I do notice that if I try to go without my morning tea or coffee that I’m hungrier through the day, though I couldn’t say why (maybe because I take my morning cup with milk!)
No tea is going to help you loose weight because it has some kind of magical properties. The caffeine may help speed up your metabolism a bit though.
I think any “studies” about tea helping with weight loss are bogus. Or I think they make it seem like some teas, again, are magical. That livestrong article says “one study”… wellll what’s the source? What is that “one study”?
Tea/water can make you fill full. Or flavored teas can be a nice substitute for dessert.
Bottom line, you need a calorie deficit: Calories In < Calories Out.
I second using something like myfitnesspal.com and tracking everything you consume. It can be a pain at first, but it gets better. It’s also awesome to be like, “hey, I have an extra 500 calories today. I can eat a treat and still be under my goal for the day!”
Also check out http://www.reddit.com/r/loseit for some motivation/support. Or consider a Keto diet: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto
I agree about the livestrong article (that’s why I said “for what it’s worth”). One thing that MFP taught me is, that there are so many opinions about what is good for you, what is not … including tea and so many other foods, food types, exercise, etc etc etc. You just have to find what works for you and go with it. It absolutely boils down to calorie deficit. How you get there is up to you. My goal is to have a life plan along the way. It started with the “Eat This, Not That” books and went from there.
I agree with Brian.
I think weight loss claims for tea are bogus but if you can drink those instead of eating too many unhealthy foods you’re better off.
I agree with most of what’s said here. Exercise is the key. It speeds up metabolism, builds muscles and brown fat. There’s an article in the nytimes about brown fat and it’s fat burning properties. You get more if you exercise. I’ll link to the article when I get home.
I also try to have a dessert tea instead of dessert. Even sweetened and milky, it’s better than a slice of cake. Too bad husband would rather have real cake and I end up caving most of the time as I watch him eat desserts. :(
Good luck on your quest for health!
EDIT And here’s the article!
Some say puerh is helpful for weight loss because it “clean up” intestines. But to me, it just gives me very good appetite by cleaning up my intestines. So is many claimed-to-be weight loss tea. Any tea can be weight loss tea if you don’t eat much after drinking that tea. Unfortunately I am the type with good appetite that can be triggered by anything :-p
caffeine decreases appetite. i think part of the reason i am thin is all the tea, but i still eat a lot, so who knows. from the science i have read, weight is first genetics, second diet and exercise. i have as much trouble gaining weight as some people do losing weight.
but that said, if you are serious about losing weight, in addition to the tea, try a) jogging, and b) going vegan for a few months, with a healthful focus on whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, olive oil, etc. i think it is pretty difficult to be overweight on that diet, and your cholesterol will be wonderful as well… i have met many vegans, and only one overweight vegan…
It is said that pu-erh, Oolong as well as green teas have the function of weight loss. If you want to lose weight by drinking tea, the correct drinking time seems very important, so when is it the best time? The answer is one hour after a meal, so that can help you remove excess grease and help your body eliminate unwanted and leftover, hard-to-digest fats. Also how to drink and brew pu-erh tea have the effect on losing weight. And here is the link: http://www.teavivre.com/info/pu-erh-tea-weight-loss/ , which explains clearly about pu-erh’s functions of losing weight.
Importantly, exercise is necessary. We know that as with any weight loss programs, plenty of exercise is absolutely necessary, so there is no exception for drinking pu-erh tea to weight loss. If you combine those key elements with drink pu-erh tea, I believe you will get the ideal results that you want.
I agree with TeaVivre advise the only thing I will add is when you wake up in the morning drink a nice cold glass of water which I heard the cold water will just start your metabolism. Also, within 30 minutes of you waking up have breakfast with some sort of healthy protein(meat) or a protein shake or even legumes as examples. The thing I am going to say is what every trainer or health guru would say cut out the carbs meaning starchy carbs like toast, bread, pancakes,muffins, potatoes, and even rice. If your going to eat this limit yourself to 1 or 2 times a week only. As for the tea I think pu-erh, oolongs, green tea wouldn’t hurt. I don’t know everything these are just my suggestions in my humble opinion. Please make sure that anything you decide to do for weight loss has been approved through your doctor since he know your medical history best.
While i agree that calories in vs calories out is the most important factor in losing body weight. I firmly believe that green tea alone can be beneficial in increasing weight loss. As a fitness athelete I have seen marked improvement in body fat reduction by supplementing with green tea, with no other changes in diet or activity level.
As you may know the catechin EGCG, may be responsible for this effect. Finding methods to improve uptake of these catechins may, therefore, be important in improving health and weight loss. Studies at Purdue University, (http://www.greentealibrary.com/Green%20Tea%20&%20Bioavailability%20of%20Catechins%20-%20Article.htm) show that citrus juices or asorbic acid(Vitamin C) can greatly increase the bioavailability by as much as 98%.
With that said, my recommendation would be to exercise in the morning on an empty stomach, with the exception of green tea and lemon juice. The theory behind this is that your blood sugar levels are low when you’re in a fasted state which targets more fat burning.
Sunny,
While googling for something else, click here, click there, and this caught my eye (because of this thread):
http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/weight-loss/oolong-tea-weight-loss
As I was reading it, the great egg debate came to mind (to eat eggs, or not to eat eggs). Everyone has an opinion! On MFP, your food log can track 5 “elements” (proteins, carbs, fiber, etc). I was tracking sodium, because my weight loss was up and down and I finally figured out that sodium played a big role. So having that figured out, how to get enough protein?…and eggs seemed like a solution, until I looked at my cholesterol count daily and the alarm went up (which I solved by limiting to one egg a day/ but if I want 2, I’m not freaking about it, because there is not a heart disease family history). But I digress … (sorry).
I think it boils down to finding a balance with everything. For me, I keep coming back to calories in and calories out. For me, tea is less than Coke and has benefits vs. absolutely no “up side”. So while reading the above thread, notice how opinions can be so different… and take from it what will help you personally.
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