Coffee or Energy Drink? Which is Better for Losing Tummy Fat?

Are you one of the many people who need to start your work day with a cup of coffee or a can of energy drink? I know I am. In fact, I used to have one grande hazelnut latte in the morning and a can of energy drink later in the day before I head to the gym. This habit continued for months and inevitably lead to my corporate belly. If your goal is to lose tummy fat and you absolutely need to have your daily caffeine fix, then read on to find out whether coffee or energy drinks are more detrimental to your fat loss goal.

Coffee:

Coffee has been around for a long time and is perhaps the most widely consumed beverage today. Just like energy drinks, coffee’s key stimulant ingredient is caffeine. An average cup of coffee contains 40 – 100mg of caffeine. Coffee when taken on its own without the fancy syrups, full cream milk and sugar, provides you with a clean pick-me-up without the additional calories and carbohydrates. In addition, unlike energy drinks, coffee contains health benefits such as reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and dementia.

Energy drinks:

These energy in a can have been very popular amongst athletes, college students, clubbers and even working adults. The key ingredients in these energy drinks that provide you the “energy boost” are caffeine and sugar. A lot of sugar! An energy drink has an average of 80 – 120mg of caffeine and 30 – 60grams of sugar! With glucose as the body’s preferred energy source, energy drinks gives you an instant sugar high while caffeine keeps adenosine (a molecule required for sleep initiation) at bay.
The amount of sugar that is found in energy drinks may not seem like a lot to some. But in an office environment where we are sedentary for 8 hours a day, it doesn’t give that additional sugar energy anywhere to go but straight to our belly. If you consume these drinks on a regular basis, it all adds up and will manifest itself in the form of your love handles.

Pre-workout boost:

Don’t make the same mistake I made! I used to down a can of energy drink before my workout to give me that extra boost and another can to drink during my workouts. And after months of exercise, instead of getting fitter, I just got fatter! Remember, fats are an energy source but sugar is still the body’s preferred energy. If theres sugar in your body, then it will not burn fats for energy. If you need a pre-workout boost and your goal is to lose tummy fat, this is what you should do. 20 minutes before your workout, drink a cup of unsweetened tea or a black coffee. The only drink you should have during your working is water. Make this change and you will definitely see better fat burning results.

We all need some form of stimulant to cope with the everyday demands of our work. But as far as weight loss and losing belly fat is concerned, you are better off ditching that sugar-in-a-can and reaching out for a regular cup of Joe. Remember to limit yourself to just two cups of coffee a day. If you like your coffee sweetened, use Equal, natural honey or other alternative sweeteners instead.