How to Drink Green Tea for Weight Loss

Overview

Entering any weight loss diet plan means having to take in 3,500 calories less for each pound lost or burn that amount of calories for each pound lost. The place at which each person hits a pivot point for gain or loss is different. Green tea can help with the burning of calories through both caffeine and the substance known as EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate).

Step 1

Switch away from other caffeine drinks like soda pop and coffee to green tea. No "caffeine headache" withdrawal will occur by ingesting green tea over coffee or soda and some fat burning properties will be introduced with the green tea.

Step 2

Ingest five cups of green tea per day to produce enough caffeine and EGCG effect to burn 80 calories, without any other factor such as diet intake or exercise included. Using just those five cups of green tea per day will cause about a pound of loss every month and a half, or eight lost pounds per year. While the caffeine is known to speed up metabolism, EGCG has properties thought to reduce fat accumulation as well.

Step 3

Accelerate the effect of the green tea by ingesting oolong tea fortified with green tea extract containing 690 milligrams of catechins (a polyphenol extract which intensifies the fat burning properties of green tea). A study done at the University of Connecticut, reported in the February edition of "The Journal of Nutrition," showed when the extract was added to food given to mice they gained less weight than mice fed identical food without the extract.

Step 4

As with any weight loss program, only using one aspect, in this case the helpful effects of green tea and green tea extract, will produce limited benefits. Lifestyle changes to stop binge eating, increase daily exercise, adding fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet, cutting back on carbohydrates and lessening portion sizes at meal time will coordinate with the intake of green tea for more pronounced weight loss.