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Does green tea REALLY work for weight loss?

By now you’ve heard about the potential benefits of green tea for weight loss. But is it REALLY true? You’ll see the results of a recent meta-analysis of various studies – so that you can be confident in the supplements you choose for weight loss.

You’ll learn more about green tea for weight loss soon enough. But first…

Here’s what’s in this update:

[+] Green Tea for Weight Loss

[+] 30-hour Intermittent Fasting

[+] Resistant Starch: Weight Loss Magic?

[+] What’s the SIMPLEST way to lose weight?

[+] How can you achieve your goals – FASTER?

Back to Green Tea for Weight Loss…

Does green tea really work for weight loss?

Based on a recent meta-analysis including 25 studies, we can give you the short answer:

Yes, green tea does help overweight and obese people lose weight.

BUT…

There are caveats (as always!). Read on to learn more…

What did the people in the study actually take?

Not green tea – exactly.

Instead, they took green tea supplement pills. Most trials used 300–1,500 mg/day (the maximum dose was 20 g/day).

It’s also worth noting that a cup of brewed tea is not quite the same as the pill form. Basically, you potentially get more of some parts – and less of others.

More specific, the tea leaves include polyphenols having catechins, tannins, phenolic acids, flavanols, and more, as well as xanthine and caffeine. Some might argue this is better because you’re getting a broader spectrum of ingredients (and they may be more easily absorbed).

And the pills have concentrated polyphenol or catechin extracts. Some say this is better because you’re getting more of what you want. They often add other ingredients – like B vitamins and caffeine, both of which will stimulate your body (which is a trick with many supplements to make you feel like it’s “working”).

Back to the study…

What were the results?

Supplementation led to a weight decrease of just under 2 kg (4 lb), with an optimal dosing of roughly 500 mg/day for 12 weeks.

It’s worth noting that there is some controversy over the legitimacy one study that gave us the dose-response data.

And what about overall body composition?

The effect on waist circumference was not statistically significant, although the data was mostly consistent with a reduction.

This means that, although the studies didn’t see enough of a waist reduction, you’re likely to trim down for better body composition.

How does green tea work for weight loss?

We believe the main active ingredient to be epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which is more than 50% of the total catechin content in most green tea products.

As you can see in the chart below, some of the mechanisms of action from green tea include:

increasing energy expenditure
reducing dietary fat absorption
increasing fat utilization
inhibiting fat cell formation

What are my thoughts on green tea?

Overall I think green tea is a great beverage with a lot of potential for health and with little downsides.

However, I think drinking green tea as a primary approach for weight loss will fail miserably. (Sorry, there is no magic weight loss pill!)

If you’re serious about losing weight, you’ll get the foods you eat cleaned up first (and perhaps practice some intermittent fasting).

30-hour Intermittent Fasting

We recently finished the FAST Weight Loss Masterclass. As usual, I went through the course along with the students and, also as usual, I tried a new fasting experiment.

One of my students shared Dr Jason Fung’s fasting protocols of alternate day fasting, as well as 30-hour intermittent fasting.

I was intrigued and decided to give the 30-hour intermittent fasting a try.

I planned it out in advance on a spreadsheet and here’s what I came up with:

As you can see, the plan was to eat dinner the first day, breakfast and lunch the second day, and then repeat. The idea is that I would be fasting 30 hours between lunch and dinner.

But the reality wasn’t so simple.

I ended up doing modified fasts (using Bulletproof-style drinks) from 24-29 hours. During those fasts I was more weak and tired than usual – as though I was in the midst of a prolonged fast. My guess is that I burned through my glycogen stores quickly and then had to tap into my fat stores.

It was good to try out but it’s not something I’ll stick with. In fact, I have ideas around a better way to actually measure the benefits of fasting in a meaningful way and hope to experiment more with at and share it with you soon.

Resistant Starch: Weight Loss Magic?

Are you missing something?

Yes! You are missing something; that is if you haven’t read the last newsletter, click to learn more about weight loss with resistant starch – and much more!

What is the SIMPLEST way to lose weight?

Although keto is the latest diet trend, after years of personal experience, research, and working with many clients, I truly believe that fasting is the BEST approach to LOSE WEIGHT and achieve your health goals.

The problem is that people don’t understand how to make fasting work for them. They may do it in a harmful way that causes MORE health problems.

I’ll show you how to incorporate fasting in your life – in a way that’s simple, effective and healthy. If you want to finally achieve and maintain your weight loss goals, join the

5-day FAST Weight Loss Challenge

You can read and learn about the amazing benefits of fasting – and, when you work with Zen Strength, you can experience those benefits for yourself!

If you’re not ready to commit to the 5-day challenge, you can check out upcoming events and join our

FREE Fasting for Weight Loss Webinar

How can you achieve your goals – FASTER?

What if I told you there’s a way to not only clarify your challenges and life goals; but that you can achieve those goals MUCH faster?

As a former Biohacker Tech at Bulletproof Upgrade Labs and a certified BULLETPROOF Human Potential Coach, I help people like you clarify and achieve their goals – and fast.

Discover how you can clarify your challenges and achieve your goals – FASTER

What about you?

What are your thoughts and experiences with green tea, weight loss and fasting?

Green tea for weight loss?