Recently my friend Cherie Higgins asked me about a clothing product she saw for sale infused with green coffee and brown algae to “rev up the body’s fat metabolism while creating a slimmer appearance”. ( And apparently the active ingredients withstand up to 20 machine washings.)
So you gotta ask yourself; “is this a silly idea, or can it actually work to reduce fat, and am I willing to smell like a barista all day just to lose a little more fat off my body?!”
In my humble opinion, the idea of wearing clothing laced with caffeine to stimulate fat breakdown sounds a little too good to be true, sort of maybe a passing trend or fad without much research to support its claims of “1 inch off the hips” etc.
Yes it’s true that caffeine can help mobilize fats from the fat tissues and increase your metabolism. Some studies have shown that caffeine can in fact increase metabolic rate by 3% – 11%. However, it’s much less in older and heavier people, and it’s important to note that people become tolerant of caffeine’s effects over time.
Moderate doses of caffeine are considered 200 – 300 milligrams per day, or about 2 -4 cups. Anything more than that and a person can get a whole bunch of side effects such as:
– Nervousness
– Stomach Upset
– Fast Heartbeat
– Muscle Tremors
– Insomnia
My guess is that you probably already get a moderate dose of caffeine with your consumption of coffee or tea each day and you really don’t need extra caffeine from your clothing adding to that. After all, insomnia (lack of sleep) causes weight gain, stomach upset leads to less effective workouts, and nervousness may lead to stress and de-motivation.
So keep the caffeine in your cup and leave it off of your clothes. With regular workouts, including resistance/weight bearing exercise, basic food management practices, proper sleep at night, and reduced stress; your metabolism will be optimized and safely burning off as much fat as it can.
Cheers,
Jack Witt, MS, CPT
Fitness and Health Coach
“Get Fit with Witt”
Individuals / Groups / Corporate
310.562.5629 Cell / 818.760.3891 Main
www.getfitwithWitt.com
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New paperback books “Tight, Tone, and Trim” and “Cut, Cool, and Confident”
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