The Coffee Diet? New Book Claims Coffee Can Help You Lose Weight

Java lovers, rejoice. It turns out that daily cup (or cups) of Joe can do more then help wake you up. According to a new book, coffee can be your new best friend in the war against weight gain.  

Dr. Bob Arnot, author of The Coffee Lover's Diet: Change Your Coffee, Change Your Life, claims in his new book that Americans' favorite beverage can not only help give your metabolism a kick, but ward off diseases including diabetes, Parkinson's, and cancer. 

"First, there's an increase in metabolic effect," he says. "You're going to burn 100 more calories a day by drinking coffee than if you haven't. Second, if you have coffee before your workout, you're burning many more free fatty acids."

Dr. Arnot recommends drinking a cup of coffee an hour before exercising to give your body extra energy and your mind the motivation to complete a successful workout. 

"It feels easier to exercise," he explains. "You can go longer, harder and you are going to be taking that weight off."

But for those that like to take their cup with milk, cream, and/or sugar, there's some bad news. To keep calorie consumption down and to reap the maximum amount of coffee's benefits, Dr. Arnot recommends drinking only light roast coffee without anything added to it. He also states that consuming four to six cups daily is the "magic number in terms of health benefits."

Those that are concerned about getting the jitters from consuming too much caffeine can simply drink decaf, he says. 

In researching his book, Dr. Arnot scoured the globe for the world's best coffee beans and discovered that it's important to choose high quality, finely ground coffee because it contains higher amounts of polyphenols, the same health-enhancing compounds found in red wine, fruits, vegetables, and tea. Greek coffee in particular meets high standards, but the book explains how to find the best accessible coffee that delivers these health benefits. 

"Coffee is the new red wine," he states in the book. "(And) also the new weapon in weight loss."