The use of green tea started in Asia, especially China and Japan. Previously, it was brewed like black tea itself; however, now only the fresh leaves are brewed. Here are some useful tips related to the green tea diet.
The fast-paced and hectic lifestyle has made it difficult for most people to spare time for exercise. Therefore, people are always looking for shortcuts with which they can lose weight. There are many such shortcuts available, but most of them are not as beneficial as the green tea diet. This diet gained worldwide popularity after Oprah Winfrey vouched that this diet helped her shed a good number of lbs.
This tea contains high levels of EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), which has calorie-burning properties. EGCG increases thermogenesis by stimulating the process of metabolism. Therefore, it is said to boost metabolism and aid weight loss.
Vital Dos and Don’ts
The diet plan does not involve counting of calories. It is one of the easiest diets you can follow. The only criteria is drinking a minimum of 6-7 cups of green tea through the day. You can choose to drink your tea hot or cold. This tea complements weight loss and workout programs.
»The first thing is to replace beverages that you consume with green tea. It might be difficult for you to replace your intake of tea or caffeine; however, you can try to limit the consumption of these beverages to just one cup per day. For convenience sake, you can brew a large measure of this tea in the morning and drink it through the day. You can consume it before and after your meals as well.
»Reduce the consumption of alcohol; however, it would be best to just stop drinking alcohol. Now this is not for the calories, which are contained in alcohol. Alcohol increases one’s appetite, and you tend to eat more; hence, these calories lodge themselves in your waist. So, when you feel like consuming alcohol, head straight and brew yourself some green tea. You can choose to have it cold too.
»When you opt for this diet, you will also have to go in for a low-fat diet. The consumption of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats should be: 50 to 55% carbohydrates, 25 to 35% proteins, and 15 to 25% fats. It is not advisable to skip fat totally from your diet; however, the proportion of fat should be moderate.
»Avoid refined sugar totally. Consumption of refined sugar causes a large release of insulin in the body, which is responsible for food cravings.
»The biggest mistake people commit is that they starve themselves. This causes the body to set an alarm to get into the energy-saving mode. Due to this, the metabolism rate reduces and very few calories are actually burned. Very often, we see that people lose weight due to starving; however, the weight comes back to them after their “starving” phase is over. This is because the body takes a while before the metabolism gets back on track. Many a time, some people observe that their weight increases more than what it previously was.
»The best way to lose weight is to ensure your metabolism rate is higher. For that, keep providing your body with fuel, every few hours. This will tell the body that since fuel gets replenished every few hours, it can burn off whatever it has now. However, it is important that you watch your meal size. Since you are going to eat every couple of hours, the portion size should be small. You can break down three big meals into six small meals as well.
»To achieve greater benefits, it is advisable that you spare some time for exercise. Once you get into a habit of exercising, you will never want to quit.
There are many supplements available in the market, which can be taken when one is on this diet. Some of them are diet pills, green tea extract diets, and diet patches, which can be used while following this diet. Chinese green tea diet is the same diet; therefore, one can also choose to follow this method too.