Homemade weight loss drinks: Are they effective?
August 9. 2022
Amongst the ever-increasing number of weight loss methods, weight loss drinks seem to be getting ever more attention. Some people hold them in such high regard that they perceive them to be nothing short of magic potions. Losing weight simply by drinking a specific beverage every day does sound tempting. However, we all know that magical instant solutions don’t exist and that weight loss requires patience and dedication. Still, some homemade drinks can indeed contribute to your weight loss efforts – well, to a certain extent. So in this article, Chicago’s best weight loss expert will discuss homemade weight loss drinks.
What are homemade weight loss drinks?
Drinking sufficient fluid is necessary for optimal digestion and metabolism, which are necessary to lose weight. So before taking up any specific weight loss drinks, you should generally aim to establish a routine of consuming enough water and other calorie-free fluids. And then what specifically are weight loss drinks? Simply put, those beverages have been shown to improve metabolism and decrease appetite. Their appetite suppressing effect will make you crave fewer calories, while their metabolism boosting effect will help you burn the ones you consume more effectively.
That sounds straightforward, but the truth is that those effects are very mild. You most likely won’t notice anything without significant changes in your overall diet and lifestyle. So basically, they are not meant to do the work instead of you but to aid you in your efforts. Sort out your diet, follow a meal plan and be persistent. Those are the essentials to achieving weight loss.
What are the most popular homemade weight loss drinks?
Weight loss drinks range from just flavored water to complex recipes that may indeed resemble magical potions in ingredients and preparation. However, in this paragraph, we will lay out the most popular drinks that are widely consumed even outside of weight loss diets and discuss each. You may be surprised to find out that many weight loss drinks are essentially some very well-known beverages you might be consuming on a regular basis. So how come you haven’t already reaped their benefits if you have already been consuming them before purposely taking up the task of losing weight? That is because their benefits are heavily dependent on your overall lifestyle. And that is precisely the point about them – without your efforts, they can’t lose weight for you.
Coffee
Millions of people worldwide can’t imagine a productive day without a cup of coffee in the morning. Some can’t even imagine getting out of bed without a cup of coffee first thing after waking up. There is nothing strange about that, as coffee contains caffeine, a powerful stimulant, and energy booster. Those who don’t have enough time to eat breakfast before work may not know that coffee even saves them from potentially agonizing hunger until their meal break, as caffeine also acts as an appetite suppressant. In addition to that, coffee has been shown to boost metabolism slightly.
So continuing your coffee drinking routine when you decide to lose weight is indeed a good choice. Or, if you don’t already have the habit of drinking coffee, you may start doing so without worries. However, avoid caffeine-based sports drinks as they usually contain large percentages of sugar and are therefore highly caloric. Also, avoid drinking coffee with cream, sugar, sweeteners, and flavors as that may be highly caloric as well.
Green tea
Like coffee, green tea also contains caffeine, although in a significantly smaller amount. Therefore it can also help you boost your metabolism, but the effect is milder. Green tea is generally a very healthy beverage as it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, so drinking it is always a good option. But its reputation as an extraordinary weight loss drink is greatly exaggerated. One particular benefit of green tea is its diuretic effect. Drinking green tea regularly can help prevent water retention, but you should be careful not to overdo it, as it can dilute your electrolyte levels. Generally, one or two cups a day are optimal.
Black tea
Black tea comes from the same plant as green tea but has been exposed to more oxidation, which gives it a darker color and a more tart flavor. It is not as commonly associated with weight loss as green tea, but its health effects are similar. The primary difference is that it contains more caffeine. However, as with coffee, black tea can sometimes be heavily sweetened, which is entirely incompatible with losing weight. Especially when it comes to specific varieties of black tea, such as Turkish or Arabic tea or masala chai, they can all contain very high amounts of sugar.
Ginger tea
This spicy yet highly aromatic plant is used for treating numerous health issues, both in the form of seasoning and brewed as tea. It helps with colds, nausea, and arthritis and can also help improve the levels of ”good” HDL cholesterol and the ”bad” LDL cholesterol. Of course, the primary effect on your cholesterol levels is caused by your dietary choices, but when you already eat a healthy diet, ginger tea can help reassure the benefits. It is also shown that it can slightly boost your metabolism and suppress your appetite, similarly to coffee. So ginger tea is definitely a beneficial beverage to drink, but it doesn’t quite justify its reputation as a weight loss drink.
Vegetable juices
While fruit juices are packed with vitamins, they are also packed with fructose. On the other hand, vegetable juices contain the same vitamins but lack any sugar, which makes them compatible with weight loss routines. However, there isn’t any proof that drinking vegetable juices significantly aid weight loss. In addition to that, the valuable fiber, which is essential for proper digestion, is mostly lost during the juicing process, so eating whole vegetables remains the best option. But if you are looking for a cold drink that can replace sodas and other sugary beverages you used to consume, vegetable juices can come in handy. Chilled, they can be a low-calorie summer treat.
Drinks based on apple cider vinegar
Aside from vegetable juices, another calorie-free chilled drink you can enjoy in summer is cold water with an added tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (ACV). That’s the simplest beverage based on apple cider vinegar, but there are various others. Consumed either cold or warm, they may include honey, spices, mint leaves, lemon slices, berries, and so on. But they are not primarily consumed for mere enjoyment, as many people consider them to be highly potent weight loss drinks. Well, are they really so?
Apple cider vinegar has been used in many cultures for centuries, both for cooking and folk remedies. Its many health benefits are no secret. Apple cider vinegar contains a substance known as acetic acid, which lowers blood pressure, balances cholesterol levels, kills bacteria in the body, and even kills cancer cells. But does it aid weight loss? As is the case with the beverages mentioned above, it does help your metabolism, but only slightly. So, relying on apple cider vinegar solely for weight loss without making the necessary changes in your health practices simply won’t work. While apple cider vinegar drinks are undoubtedly good for overall health and recommended for drinking, you should still make essential changes to your diet and lifestyle to achieve sustainable results.
More complex drinks
Besides these simple and widely enjoyed drinks, some more complex recipes out there claim to burn body fat through a unique combination of ingredients and their specific properties. Some are even claimed to specifically target stubborn belly fat. So, how true is this? Can they do that? The simple answer is – no. As with the above-discussed beverages, complex homemade weight loss drinks may slightly boost your metabolism and digestion and overly help your immune system, but they definitely can’t justify such exaggerated claims, despite their complex recipes and rich ingredient lists.
Some of these drinks can be tasty, refreshing, and healthy, but others may not be so beneficial to your health. Combining ingredients in an overly experimental way may end up with ingredients of opposite effects being put in the same beverage, which can be harmful to your health. So such drinks may always have a hint of risk to them. That’s why we advise you to be careful with them and only trust the recipes provided by health experts. We also highly advise you to opt for a protein drink meal replacement instead.
Water
And last but not least – plain water. We all consume it every day and in more or less similar amounts, but does plain water contribute to weight loss? Well, it doesn’t directly do so, but not drinking enough water can have an effect in the opposite direction, making it more challenging to lose weight. Adequate water intake is one of the essential conditions for developing healthy digestion and metabolism, so while drinking water won’t cause you directly to lose weight, it will indirectly enable you to do so. And why is it so important to highlight this? Because a staggering 80% of people don’t drink enough water.
Therefore, don’t neglect water. Around eight glasses a day are optimal for adults, spread throughout the day. Also, water contains no calories but uses up space in the stomach, which causes you to eat less. So drinking a glass of water is recommended before every meal.
Do homemade weight loss drinks really work?
To a very limited extent – yes, they do contribute to weight loss. But do they accomplish what is being claimed? The short answer is – no. Homemade weight loss drinks can’t directly burn body fat. You can’t get rid of belly fat just by drinking a particular beverage. They can boost your metabolism and help decrease your appetite, which is significant for weight loss, but you still have to do all the heavy lifting by yourself.
Losing weight mostly comes down to the simple math of how many calories you consume and how many calories you spend. Of course, other factors can impact your weight loss positively or negatively, but what they do is add up to the foundation you make through your diet and exercise. If you are looking for a truly effective method to support your efforts to lose weight, we highly advise you to consider taking lipo C injections.
Potential negative side effects of homemade weight loss drinks
Can drinking homemade weight loss drinks even negatively impact your health? Most commonly consumed drinks, characterized as weight loss drinks, are safe as long as they are consumed in optimal amounts. However, various experimental homemade drinks may indeed have adverse side effects, especially if they include exotic and poorly attested ingredients.
Diarrhea – Some recipes may include senna, a substance used for treating constipation. Consuming a larger those of it may result in unpleasant side effects such as abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Micronutrient loss – Activated charcoal is another substance you can frequently find in those homemade weight loss recipes. This substance has a sponge-like effect of absorbing everything in the stomach, which may be helpful in case of poisoning, but the truth is that this effect is indiscriminate. It absorbs everything, both good and bad, which can lead to a loss of micronutrients.
High blood pressure – Faster metabolism and better digestion are effects commonly associated with stimulant substances. Still, if taken in excessive quantities, they may ”overstimulate” your body and cause effects such as high blood pressure, headaches, and anxiety.
Unpredictable effects – As the number of potential ingredient combinations is theoretically indefinite, we can never know with certainty what effects could a specific combination cause, especially if exotic ingredients are used, which have very little research done about them.
Final thoughts
There are many recipes for homemade weight loss drinks circulating worldwide. Some are healthy, others mostly neutral, while others may even cause adverse and unpredictable side effects. Their weight loss properties mostly revolve around improving your digestion and boosting your metabolism. That can indeed support your weight loss efforts, but only if the necessary changes in diet and lifestyle choices have been made. Otherwise, they will show no effect at all. Losing weight doesn’t happen overnight, especially not by just drinking specific beverages. Stick to a meal plan, exercise, and schedule a call with our clinic. We will answer any questions you have about weight loss and support you in your progress.
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