Green tea and weight loss, is this the secret weight loss panacea? Well, if you’ll spend just a few minutes with me today I want to explore the truth and fiction about green tea weight loss. The Chinese and Japanese have been drinking green tea for centuries and it has now made inroads into our North American culture too. And we all know that the Japanese and the Chinese as a people are pretty trim and healthy. In fact, the last I checked, the Japanese as a group had the longest life expectancy amongst developed nations, so why is that. Could it be that a green tea weight loss diet is the answer to our burgeoning waistline problems?
Okay so let’s get to the down and dirty and quick examination of the science. There have been hundreds of studies if not more on the use of green tea to treat obesity. This is what a study of the research papers and science suggests to me. At best, green tea and weight loss is marginally associated. By this I mean that there is a small effect on weight loss by green tea. Not very encouraging is it?
One study I found titled “Recent findings of green tea extract AR25 (Exolise) and its activity for the treatment of obesity” in the journal Phytomedicine, Volume 9, Issue 1, Page 3 by P. Chantre, D. Lairon suggested that over the course of 3 months subjects lost 4.6% of their body weight. So yeah, the proponents say, this green tea for weight loss thing works. Well not really. That is certainly no way to get ripped in 90 days. And I’ve seen folks obtain extreme weight loss in that amount of time. In fact, you could lose an easy 30 pounds or more in 3 months. I’ve seen people do this with weights as low as 180 pounds. That’s almost a 20% weight loss in 3 months, not the measly 4.6% that this study boasts.
So that certainly isn’t a six pack abs how to method in losing weight. Now I don’t want to completely beat up on this weight loss tea. Green tea and weight loss can work… as part of an overall regimen that includes exercise and calorie restriction. Stay away from green tea weight loss pills, they don’t work. And the best green tea for weight loss is the green tea that you enjoy and are happy to drink every day.
So if you really want to know how to lose weight while incorporating green tea into your weight loss program, then do the following. Cut out snacks and fatty food. Calorically dense foods aren’t your friends. Drink green tea and water only. No calorically dense beverages for you. No wine, no pop, no milk juice. If you are serious about how to lose weight easy then this is what you have to do. And above all, give yourself time. You didn’t get fat overnight and you’re not going to get thin overnight either. But with perseverance, exercise, watching what you eat, a little bit of green tea and weight loss you will have success.