Caffeine For Fat Loss And Energy
Trimethylxanthine | C8H10N4O2
The World's Most Widely Consumed Psychoactive Drug
Caffeine is consumed in one form or another every single day by approximately 80% of the world’s population. (1) In the United States, that number jumps up to 85% with much of that being in the form of coffee. (2) It’s clear that humans have a strong affinity for caffeine, or more precisely, for caffeinated substances – most of them beverages.
In fact, most of the performance enhancers listed on this website feature it as a primary ingredient. While it’s not the only component of those various substances, it’s certainly one of the key factors responsible for both their ergogenic effects and their fat burning effects. When you take a step back and consider that before the world became as globalized as it is today, the fact that we, as humans, have all of these various caffeine-containing plants and seeds spread out across the four corners of the Earth is fascinating. How is it possible that plants like Yerba Mate and Guayusa that originate in South America, contain this same ingredient that’s found in kola nut from West Africa and Green Tea from East Asia?
The answer has to do with survival. Not so much human survival, but plant survival. Plants and seeds produce caffeine because it helps to protect them against herbivores and from competition by preventing the germination of nearby seeds. It also encourages consumption by other animals like bees, which then help spread the pollen of those plants, thus strengthening their chances of survival. (3) It’s so effective at this, that there are at least 28 different species of plants that produce caffeine for this reason. (4)
It just so happens that all of our human ancestors from all of the world discovered eons ago that these different caffeine-containing plants made them feel good and gave them energy. It’s almost as if caffeine could somehow be the solution to world peace since we all love it so much but that’s a different topic for another time. For now, we will take it for what it is — a proven fat burning performance enhancer.
Evidence That Supports The Use Of Caffeine For Athletic Performance
Caffeine has been extensively studied and there is plenty of evidence that proves its performance enhancing capabilities. It improves athletic performance in both aerobic and anaerobic events.
Aerobic
Moderate doses of caffeine have been shown to delay the onset of muscle fatigue and central nervous system fatigue, which translates to improved sprint performance, cycling and run time performance, and also cycling power output. (5) (6) Caffeine boosts the metabolic rate of adults and when consumed just before aerobic exercise, it increases fat oxidation, especially in people who are out of shape. (7) (8) (9)
Anaerobic
Consumption of caffeine has demonstrated improvements in muscular strength and power. (10) It has shown to reduce the feeling of perceived exertion during weight-bearing exercise. (11)
Can Caffeine Help You Lose Weight?
Consuming caffeine at least 30 minutes before aerobic exercise can boost how much fat you burn during the activity, according to a new study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. (12) The fat burning effects of the caffeine are stronger if the exercise is done in the afternoon rather than in the morning, the authors noted.
In comparison to the placebo, caffeine increased fat oxidation by 10.7% in the morning and 29% in the afternoon. It also showed an increase in exercise intensity of 11% in the morning and 13% in the afternoon. The maximum oxygen uptake was also higher in the afternoon.
For additional examples that support caffeine’s weight loss and fat burning potential, please check out this same tab on the other performance enhancers featured on this page.
Can You Become Addicted To Caffeine?
While the idea of caffeine dependency is surprisingly debatable in academic circles, there is enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that one can become dependent on caffeine. The fact that most of humanity consumes some sort of caffeinated beverage every single day is proof of that. The widely known caffeine withdrawal symptoms that users report when they abstain is further evidence that the human body can become addicted to it on at least some level. (13)
How To Minimize Caffeine Addiction
Few would argue that caffeine addiction is as detrimental as abusing a hard drug, but it can have negative health consequences if the user starts delving into heavy dosage territory due to increased tolerance. A good way to prevent this is to cycle the source of caffeine you consume and every now and then abstain completely. The reason this helps is because aside from pure caffeine, if you’re getting your daily dosage from one of the many plant sources listed on this page, those plants have other phytochemicals in them besides caffeine.
If you continuously rely on only one of them to get your pre-workout energy boost, your body will become accustomed to that entire genetic blueprint. By rotating between several of them, you will get your caffeine boost, but you’ll also keep your body on its toes so to speak. This is because it’ll have to process an entirely new set of phytochemicals every time you change up your caffeine source. Even if there is some overlap – like with theobromine for example – the ratio and proportions will still be different. This will not only ensure that you benefit from those various compounds found among the different plants and seeds, but it will ease any withdrawal symptoms you might experience when you occasionally rotate to a non-caffeinated stimulant or adaptogen.
In conclusion, be mindful of your total daily caffeine intake, and do your best to not rely on only one source of caffeine.
Try These Caffeine Pills + Caffeine Stacks
Due to caffeine’s effectiveness and popularity, there are many different caffeine products on the market. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. It means you have lots of choices, but it also means that there’s also a lot of inferior junk throw into the options. We sifted through it all to bring you three really solid caffeine choices. The first is a pure caffeine, while the other two are stacks that contain caffeine and one or two other ingredients designed to make the caffeine even more effective.
The Best Caffeine Supplements For Burning Off Excess Fat
The first is pure, unadulterated caffeine anhydrous. The second is a caffeine + theanine stack. The third is a caffeine + theanine + ginseng stack.
100% Pure Caffeine
With No Fillers (Vegan)
100% Pure Caffeine Anhydrous 200mg
150 Vegan Caps
100% Pure Caffeine
Vegan Capsules
Quick, Strong Energy Boost
Powerful Pre-Workout
Natural Caffeine With Natural Theanine
Natural Stacks Smart Caffeine
Caffeine (100mg), Theanine (200mg)
60 Vegan Caps
Natural Caffeine From Green Coffee
Natural Theanine From Green Tea
Increases Resting Metabolism
Ramps Up Focus And Energy
Caffeine Stacked With Theanine And Ginseng
Surge Acute Nootropic
Caffeine (100mg), L-Theanine (200mg), Ginseng (225mg)
60 Caps
Powerful Combination Of Ingredients
Provides Long Lasting Energy
Convenient And Potent
Exceptional Pre-Workout
The Best Caffeine Supplements
For Burning Off Excess Fat
The 1st - pure caffeine anhydrous
The 2nd - caffeine + theanine
The 3rd - caffeine + theanine + ginseng
100% Pure Caffeine
With No Fillers (Vegan)
100% Pure Caffeine Anhydrous 200mg
150 Vegan Caps
100% Pure Caffeine
Vegan Capsules
Quick, Strong Energy Boost
Powerful Pre-Workout
Natural Caffeine
With
Natural Theanine
Natural Stacks Smart Caffeine
Caffeine (100mg), Theanine (200mg)
60 Vegan Caps
Natural Caffeine From Green Coffee
Natural Theanine From Green Tea
Increases Resting Metabolism
Ramps Up Focus And Energy
Caffeine Stacked With
Theanine + Ginseng
Surge Acute Nootropic
Caffeine (100mg), L-Theanine (200mg), Ginseng (225mg)
60 Caps
Powerful Combination Of Ingredients
Provides Long Lasting Energy
Convenient And Potent
Exceptional Pre-Workout
If you want a no frills ergogenic aid that will help melt the fat off of your body then you really can’t go wrong with caffeine. Additionally, if you don’t care to get your dose from a plant or seed in the form of a tea, powder, tincture or other format, then getting some pure caffeine anhydrous is an easy solution. You may miss out on some of the health benefits that those other plants provide, but on the other hand, you’ll have more precise control over dosage. This can make it easier to monitor effects and results and tie them back to precise dosing levels. Drinking an espresso shot isn’t going to give you the same data as taking a 200mg caffeine pill. Knowing the exact quantity of caffeine your ingesting can also help with consuming too much by accident.
Converse to the above, if you’re not as data driven or if you simply enjoy trying different beverages then choosing one of the other performance enhancers below might be a better option for you.
Coffee
The world’s most popular pick me up beverage doesn’t require much of an introduction, but there are some useful things you should know about it.
Cordyceps
Wild grown, high altitude Cordyceps runs for about $50,000 for one kilogram, or about $10 for one single piece. Don't worry, you can get it for much less.
Green Tea
Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is one of the world’s most popular beverages. It not only has lots of health benefits, but it's also an excellent fat burner.
Guarana
Guarana (Paullinia cupana) is a fruit, although the word is interchangeably used to refer to its seeds and to soft drinks where it is the active ingredient.
Guayusa
Guayusa (Ilex guayusa) is in the same family as Yerba Mate and it's been used by humans for at least 1,500 years according to archeological evidence.
Yohimbine
Pausinystalia yohimbe, is one of several different plant species in the pausinystalia family that contain yohimbine, a potent fat burner.