The Coffee Diet
Some people are professional yo-yo dieters. They try one fad diet after another, often losing a few pounds in the process, only to regain them shortly. The initial weight loss can be exhilarating and the subsequent weight gain completely disappointing. As ideal as a miracle pill or food sounds, in reality being fit and healthy is a lifelong work that involves learning how your body works and seeking healthy options every day.
It is precisely this change in eating habits that sometimes sets the dieter up for failure. When a person approaches weight loss as a series of food exclusions it can become very hard to lose the weight and keep it off. Fad diets like the pineapple diet or the cottage cheese diet may seem to work but one cannot live on cottage cheese or pineapple alone.
One fad diet that has gained in popularity, particularly as a tool to lower cholesterol, is the coffee diet. Although it is not fully endorsed by the medical community, coffee is believed to act as an appetite suppressant which helps those seeking to eat less and lose weight. However, successful people who have followed this diet probably owe it more to lowering their fat intake than anything else. The coffee diet involves drinking at least three cups of coffee each day and incorporating low fat foods into your meals. This means an increase of vegetables, fruits and legumes, all while allowing even for sugar and cream in your coffee.
Coffee is already a part of many people’s lives so it is easy to work with to achieve your weight loss goals. When one begins the day with one or two cups of java, it is already helping the body rev up its metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day. Similarly, having coffee before your exercise outine can also set your body up for a more efficient session and help increase its intensity. The challenge with the coffee diet is that an excess of caffeine in your body can make you jittery and could even cause problems for people with heart conditions. Lack of sleep and restlessness has been tied to weight gain, so the coffee diet may be a double-edged sword for some.
So why is it still recommended by some? Adding coffee to your diet is not a bad idea. However, as many scientists and doctors have emphasized for years, it is through balanced nutrition and increased physical activity that most people are able to shed the pounds and keep them off. If you start the so-called coffee diet without making other changes in your life, you will probably fail to see the pounds melt away. Adding coffee alone is not enough to keep one’s weight in check. However, combining it with a diet rich in vegetables, legumes and fruits is a step in the right direction.
Despite what media outlets would lead one to believe, there isn’t one superfood that will make you lose weight instantaneously and keep it off. Finding the slimmer version of yourself involves embracing a new way of eating and forsaking unhealthy habits such as smoking while becoming more active. Not everybody will lose weight or exercise in the same way, and you must find one that works for you. Don’t be afraid to try new things such as new workouts or new recipes. Keep them in your life if they work, or discard them if they don’t. Just make sure you make a commitment to a healthier you and honor your commitment through the choices you make every day.
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