How to Use Green Tea to Lose Weight

You have likely heard about how great green tea is for you because of the high levels of antioxidants.

It contains about 1/4 of the caffeine that a cup of coffee punches, but it will also leave you a little less dehydrated.

I like to have both, personally.  I often start the day with one cup of black coffee, and then switch to a cup or two of green tea.

It’s also great in the evenings to combat after-dinner cravings because you can get it in a decaffeinated version as well.

It’s also great to make a batch and ice it.  Iced green tea with some lemon slices is awesome on a hot summer day!

So yeah, green tea is awesome for you. You get it, right?

Well did you also know that it can be a powerful weight loss tool when used properly?

Today I am going to talk about using green tea to lose weight and how to make the best cup of green tea for weight loss possible. 

We’ll also talk about a relatively new kind of green tea that’s 3x as effective as regular green tea.

Let’s start with the science of how green tea helps you lose weight.

This post may contain affiliate links, which helps keep this content free. Please read our disclosure for more info.

1. You’ll burn more fat during exercise.

There have been quite a few studies showing green tea as a great fat burner for workouts.  In one particular study, participants burned 17% more fat than those taking a placebo.

Drinking green tea or coffee 30 minutes before a workout is ideal for fat-burning potential.

2. Green tea contains EGCG and tons of antioxidants.

Where green tea really stands out from other drinks is with its high level of antioxidants and catechins.  Specifically, one known as EGCG.

This substance has been shown to improve calories burned during the day and to be excellent for overall health.

3. Green tea mobilizes fat by improving hormonal levels.

EGCG has also been shown to increase levels of norepinephrine.  This hormone is used to signal fat cells and tell them that it’s time to be broken down and used as energy.

This process helps to mobilize fat faster off the body and retain more lean muscle tissue.

4. Green tea helps you lose dangerous visceral fat.

Visceral fat, also commonly recognized as abdominal fat, is very dangerous and highly correlated with different diseases and even early death.

Green tea has been not only shown to help people lose weight, but also to lose a little bit more of it around the stomach region.

5. Green tea gives a metabolic boost both short and long-term.

The combination of EGCG and caffeine seems to have both short-term and long-term metabolic effects.

In one study of 60 obese individuals, the group taking green tea extract lost 7.3 lbs more pounds and burned 183 more calories per day after 3 months (17).

There are also some other non-weight loss benefits of green tea.

• It lowers the risk of certain diseases.
• It lowers the risk of certain cancers. For instance, women who drink green tea are 22% less likely to develop breast cancer.
• It may help you live longer. It’s usually a regularly consumed drink by the world’s longest living sub groups of people.

There are three main ways to consume green tea to lose weight.

Green Tea Extract

This is just the herbal derivative from green tea leaves.  The positives of this method seem to be that you get around 25%-50% more antioxidants from the extraction process.

Also, green tea extract commonly comes in pill form.  So if you don’t like the taste of green tea or are on the go, it can be a more convenient option.

The brand below is our favorite and can be found on Amazon.  It’s FDA-approved, manufactured in the USA, made with non-GMO ingredients, and is third-party tested.

You can see it on Amazon here.

The drawbacks here are that the body is more likely to absorb nutrients when they are consumed as a liquid vs. a pill…

Regular Green Tea Steeped in Cup

This is, of course, the kind of green tea bags that you can find in any grocery store.

To make, bring water to a hot temperature (just under boiling) with a microwave or tea kettle, and add in a packet of green tea.  Let it sit for 1-3 minutes, stir and enjoy.

The positives of this method are that it’s easy to drink AND adds to your daily water intake.

The drawbacks are that it takes a little longer to make than taking a pill, which makes people tend to forget about it.

I recommend having it first thing in the morning or after dinner in the evenings.  The point is to have it at the same time every day to make it a habit.

Matcha Green Tea

This is by far the BEST option!  Why?

Because matcha tea is made through a special shading process in Japan that gives it 3x the amount of EGCG and antioxidants as regular green tea.

Wow!  It also has a really cool bright green color to it.

The only drawbacks are that it is a little more expensive and time-consuming to make.

Since it does not come in a packet, you have to whisk the tea yourself.  With the right tools though, it’s not bad at all.  The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks!

If you’re looking to get the best value from your matcha, the brand below will give you the best bang for your buck.

You can see it on Amazon here.

Start by getting a source of green tea 3x a day for best effects.  

Before we part, I, of course, do want to throw in a shameless little plug for our own weight loss program, the 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge.

If you are looking to lose weight and more importantly, establish some long-term healthy eating habits (like daily green tea!), then you should absolutely check it out.

We have people looking to lose 15 pounds, and much more looking to lose 30, 40, and 50+ lbs.  There are people of all ages, ailments, and the rest on this journey together!

It also comes with access to a private support group with over 1,000 people sharing experiences, tips, and tricks for succeeding with the Challenge, motivation, accountability, and recipes!

If you are ready to make some changes in your life, this is the ONLY place you should start.  We will teach you exactly how to make the necessary changes in your diet and your lifestyle and how to keep them “beyond the diet.”

The concepts that we teach will help you make the necessary changes in your diet and your lifestyle and how to keep them “beyond the diet.”

Click here to get started with YOUR 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge today!

If you liked this article on how to lose weight with green tea or have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below!