What Can You Drink To Help With Weight Loss?

What are the best drinks for weight loss?

The best drinks for weight loss are low-calorie, high-protein beverages that jumpstart your metabolism, reduce your appetite, and make you feel full. By incorporating them into your diet and adopting healthy living habits, you can boost your chances of achieving your weight-loss goals.

Let’s take a look at some drinks that can help you in your quest to lose weight.

What can you drink in the morning to help with weight loss?

The drinks you consume in the morning can set the stage for faster, more efficient metabolic activity within your body.

Here are four options to put your body on the path to weight loss during the first few hours of your day.

1. Water

"Drinking enough water every day is good for overall health. As plain drinking water has zero calories, it can also help with managing body weight and reducing caloric intake when substituted for drinks with calories, like regular soda." 

—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Drinking water after you wake up is a great way to boost your metabolism so you can burn calories faster. Research shows that energy expenditure begins to increase within ten minutes of drinking water¹ and can increase by up to 30% an hour afterward. And because water has zero calories, you can enjoy the metabolic boost without worrying about putting on weight.

2. Black coffee

Black coffee is full of dieting benefits:

• A serving of black coffee contains only two calories.

• The consumption of coffee beans can stimulate the body's fat-burning enzymes such as lipase.

• A cup of black coffee in the morning can help your body release excess water, thereby reducing bloating.

What’s more, black coffee is a great morning drink because it contains caffeine, which can help you feel more alert and eager to exercise.

3. Blended juice

"A popular choice for jump-starting weight loss is juicing: replacing at least one meal a day with a blended juice...If you're trying to develop a habit of eating more fruits and vegetables, juicing can be an ideal option since you can easily fit most of your daily servings into a blender." 

—Melanie Peters, UC San Diego Health

A growing number of diets suggest substituting breakfast or lunch with a blended juice. Dietary guidelines recommend two to four servings of fruit and three to five servings of vegetables per day. When you choose juices made with whole fruits and vegetables², you can enjoy a fulfilling but low-calorie beverage while following these guidelines.

However, be careful when selecting smoothies in a store or café, as they may include high-calorie additions like ice cream or sherbet.

4. Green tea

Most Americans who exercise to lose weight work out in the morning or early afternoon. By starting your day with a cup of green tea, you can help your body get the most out of your workout routine. Studies show that when green tea extract (GTE) is consumed before exercise, it can aid in fat metabolism during your workout³.

In addition, drinking green tea after breakfast or lunch may help you digest your meal more efficiently.

What can you drink at night to boost weight loss?

The best drinks to enjoy at night are those that help you feel full while aiding in digestion and weight loss. Ideally, they are low in calories and caffeine to help you sleep soundly through the night without adding unnecessary calories before you drift off to sleep.

Below are some drinks that share many of these qualities.

1. Low-fat or skim milk

"Drinking...low-fat milk every day can give you a metabolic edge that helps you burn calories faster...It's filling, and it supplies protein to keep you feeling fuller for longer, something that water or other no-calorie drinks can't do."

—Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD

Low-fat milk is a nutrient-rich drink that can help you feel full while boosting your metabolism. A glass of low-fat milk contains 8 grams of protein to help you feel full late into the evening as you head to sleep.

You can also blend low-fat or skim milk with a few bananas or strawberries to enjoy a sweet treat before you get ready for bed.

2. Chamomile tea

Most chamomile-tea lovers know that a warm cup of this beverage before bed can promote relaxation and help induce sleep. But many people don't know that chamomile tea may also help you lose weight by reducing your appetite and boosting glucose control.

As an added benefit, chamomile tea can help stimulate your gastric juices to aid in the digestive process. This ultimately helps reduce bloating so you feel lighter as well.

3. Soy protein shakes

Having a soy protein shake in the evening can boost your metabolism while promoting muscle protein synthesis (MPS). By helping your body break down proteins and spur muscle development, you will ultimately burn more calories.

For the best results, select shakes that feature high-quality ingredients such as organic greens and fresh berries⁴ or other low-sugar fruit.

Make sure you don't choose a shake that contains too much sugar, as it could prevent you from falling asleep quickly and will add to your calorie intake.

4. Red wine

Resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, offers metabolic benefits in addition to combating stress⁵. While the amount of resveratrol in a single glass is minimal, the number of calories in red wine is also on the low side at roughly 25 calories per ounce.

Just be careful not to overindulge, as you could quickly end up with a hangover and derail your efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

What types of drinks should you avoid if you are trying to lose weight?

For some people, one of the most effective weight-loss strategies is to eliminate certain foods and drinks from their diet. Generally speaking, drinks to avoid are those that are high in sugar, fat, or calories.

Here are some drinks to avoid if you are serious about losing weight:

• Sugary soft drinks: Mountain Dew, Fanta, and Dr. Pepper are loaded with sugar and up to 300 calories per bottle.

• Frozen coffee drinks: Dunkin’ Donuts Frozen Coffee and Baskin-Robbins Caramel Cappuccino Blast have over 1,000 calories⁶ per serving.

• Alcoholic beverages: Drinking too much alcohol will greatly increase your caloric intake while causing you to feel dehydrated and sluggish.

• Milkshakes: The typical milkshake contains 300 calories and some have more carbohydrates than a serving of ice cream⁷.

The lowdown

If you're trying to slim down, you can reach your weight-loss goals faster by drinking certain beverages and avoiding others.

Water, black coffee, green tea, and blended juices are all good, low-calorie choices to start your day because they boost your metabolism and help you feel full.

In the evening, low-fat or skim milk, chamomile tea, and even red wine can pave the way for weight loss while helping you relax after a busy day.