You’ve probably seen the advertisements:
“Drink oolong tea and lose a jeans size every 7 days!”…
“Burn 20 lbs of fat in 30 days with green tea!” …
Maybe you even watched Oprah a few years ago when Dr. Perricone said that switching your coffee for green tea would help you take off the pounds.
You may have also read or watched countless news stories which say how healthy it is to drink
green tea.
The odds are good that if you’re interested in improving your health and losing fat, you probably either drink tea, take a green tea supplement or you’ve at least thought about it.
But what if I told you that most of the fat reducing claims for green tea were absolute, total BS, based on misinterpretation or deliberate misreporting of the research?
Unfortunately, it’s true. If you’ve bought green tea
based on the claim that it causes large reductions
in body fat, then you have been scammed.
Here are the facts:
Green tea DOES stimulate your metabolism.
However, the research is very unclear about what kind
of impact this small, short term increase in metabolism
will have on your bodyweight in the long term
In the most often quoted study (Dulloo, 1999), A swiss
research team found that 270 mg of green tea extract
3X a day increased metabolic rate by the equivalent
of about 79 calories on average and increased the
oxidation of fat as the fuel source.
If you do the math, it appears that 79 kcal a day would
add up to an extra pound of fat lost every 44 days.
Not much, but you’ll take it, right? Hypothetically, that would add up to an extra 8 pounds lost per year.
What advertisements quoting this study don’t tell you
is that this and other similar studies did not even
measure long term change in body fat percentage or bodyweight.
They only measured a 24- hour increase in energy expenditure.
One study which is used as marketing ammunition to claim that wu-long tea burns 2.5 times more fat than green tea was based only on a 120-minute increase in energy expenditure! (reminds me of that Mark Twain quote: “There are lies, damned lies, and then there are statistics”)
Numerous follow up studies have confirmed the short term
increase in metabolism, but the studies are mixed on whether
green tea improves weight reduction or maintenance in the
long term.
The research IS compelling, but not conclusive.
As for ad claims that say you’ll lose a lot of weight just from drinking green tea… absolute BS! Hopefully the Federal Trade Commission will catch up with these scammers sooner rather than later, as the marketing messages on the Internet are getting louder and bolder every day.
As for health benefits – green tea is certainly a champ.
It’s high in antioxidants and there are more than 2,000
research citations about potential health benefits of
green tea (not to mention a 5,000 year history of use
in China and the far east).
Even if you’re a skeptic, green tea is hard not to like and
it’s hard to dispute that it’s a good idea to add green tea
to your nutrition program as one part of a well-balanced
fitness lifestyle.
But when it comes to claims for large and rapid losses in
bodyweight and bodyfat, (especially the wu-long tea ads
that are currently all over the internet), buyer beware.
The science we do have says that the thermogenic effect of
green tea – while very real – is also very small.
Train hard and expect success always,
Tom Venuto
www.BurnTheFat.com
www.twitter.com/tomvenuto
PS. For information on green tea and weight loss, visit:
The Truth About Green Tea And Weight Loss
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I just have to respond to this… I have drank Green Tea for awhile now, and when I started drinking green tea it was for the nutritional value and I still drink it daily. One night about 2 months ago I was up late and seen this Dr. Perricone show and he in fact said, IF YOU EXCHANGED YOUR COFFEE FOR GREEN TEA FOR 4 TO 6 WEEKS YOU WOULD LOSE 10LBS BY JUST DOING THIS.So I thought I’m going to experiment with this, I usually drink coffee of the mornings then I drink water or green tea the rest of the day, so I stopped drinking anything for 6 weeks except green tea and water, and I have witnesses at work and home that thats all I drank.I lost ZERO POUNDS IN SIX WEEKS……..I think I knew when I started this I wouldn’t lose any weight but I thought this I can prove, and I did…Just wanted to let you know the statement scam is sooooo……..true….By the way I really enjoy getting your articles they are so veryhelpful…Thank you….for being honest, and letting people who want to lose weight or just be healthy know their options….Have a great Day!Amy
Dr. Perricone’s patients may have lost the weight as he claimed, if they substituted calorie containing coffee (with milk, cream, sugar, etc) with plain green tea (almost zero calories).The weight loss would would primarily be the result of the decrease in calories.however, his claim that the substitution of plain coffee with plain green tea will result in that amount of weight loss does not stand up under scientific scrutiny.Substituting calorie containing beverages with zero calorie green tea is a perfectly sensible idea.
Interesting article. I recently did some research into green tea, and the information does stack up. Green tea can help increase your metabolism.However, not as much as some of the adverts claim.Earlier this year, I added green tea with my weight loss regime as I was experiencing a plateau, and it really helped to kickstart my weight loss.I ended up losing 14 pounds more, and reaching my goal weight, thanks to the addition of green tea to my diet and exercise program.I would still recommend green tea to others to help them lose weight.Dean
I would certainly agree with Tom’s assessment of it’s over value and questionable affect on weight loss. My personal experience in switching over from coffee to green tea was a positive one.I was able to reduce weight, however I also train hard 4-5 days a week and have changed my diet to eat 6 regular balanced meals and more fruits and vegetables. I do feel like it gave my metabolism an extra boost, but it’s certainly not a scientific analysis.What can you lose though, right? Anything that could help, go for it!John
Great Info. Your full name (change your birth certificate sir) should read Thomas Tell-it-like-it-is Venuto.BarryPS. May 21st ==> 224.6 LbsJuly 20th ==> 207.8 LbsIn about 8 weeks the loss is just under 17 lbs which is about 2 lbs each week. This has felt very comfortable, no stress, easy.Moving down to a svelte 190.0 Lbs by XmasThank YOU Tom!
Just wanted to thank you for saving my wallet. I was really just about to purchase this “miracle tea” online, when your scam warning email showed up. Thanks!!
I order this tea some time ago. I used the tea and did not get any results. I counld not get the company to answer my email until it was almost time for my guarantee to be up. I needed a return number. I mailed them the tea back. They told me my guarantee was up and was not giving me a refund. They made it sound so good. (But 6 and get 2 free. Almost sold out). I asked them for the refund on the other five that was not open. They told me they destroyed the whole thing.They would not let me use my credit card for the purchase. I had to use PayPal. PayPal did not help me get my money back.
Tom,A very good article on green tea. I agree 100% that it is overrated for fat burning. I actually think strong, black organic coffee and espresso is a better fat burner. I have tried Wu-Long tea and it is not as good as coffee and definetely not worth the high price. Yerba Mate is also excellent and not as bitter as green tea when brewed strong. keep on burnin’ the fat!
Ian, thanks for your post. And funny you should mention coffee because heres an interesting fact most people dont know: The same researchers that studied the thermogenic effect of green tea also studied the effect of caffeine in conjunction with green tea and independently of green tea. Coffee (caffeine) was ALSO found to increase 24- hour metabolic rate and fat oxidation as fuel substrate, and verifying your observation, some studies say the increase in metabolism from caffeine consumption is greater than that of green tea or the EGCG green tea extract. On the other hand, you dont see people going around saying how drinking coffee increased their weight loss either. Food for thought.
I have long thought that the “Green Tea” miracle cure was full of it, nice to see I’m not crazy. As always in the world of weight loss, if it seems too good to be true, you can pretty much bet the farm that it is. Thanks for saying it straight.
I have done my own experiment with green tea with awesome benefits in weight loss. From my own experience, it’s like any other component in losing weight…one tool. I would never attempt to believe just drinking it would cause a difference in weight if I still ate a lot of unhealthy food, that just makes sense. It did however, help me in my transition of healthy eating and there are many natural tools like it to help.The only problem about this I can see is when people use these things like “magic elixirs” to make the fat disappear instead of using it as a kick start to healthy living…that just won’t happen with anything. Drinking it has helped me tremendously in overcoming bad eating habits.
Tea — black, oolong, green, or white — is an important part of my life, and I could go on (and on) about what I feel are the many benefits of drinking tea.However, you would never, ever, hear me claim that drinking tea fosters weight loss.It makes me mad when people hype something like this because people will become disappointed, disgusted, and turn away from tea to go onto the next fad.Tea’s not a fad. It’s not a cure-all. It’s a soothing, healthy beverage that can help us in many ways.But if you want to lose weight, I’d suggest you try exercise and sensible eating — that highly unpopular non-fad, non-magical, un-sexy approach to building muscle and burning fat.Keep up the good work, Tom.
There is a well known study called the Hawthorn effect. It states that good results come from the very act of studying something and that this effect needs to be allowed for in your analysis of any result. Most fad diets have the Hawthorne effect in that you are more rigorous in the other things you do. Because you get results you put it down to the fad, not to your improved diet or exercise that accompanies it.Regards Steven. Positive Attitude = Positive Results
Steven wrote:Most fad diets have the Hawthorne effect in that you are more rigorous in the other things you do. Because you get results you put it down to the fad, not to your improved diet or exercise that accompanies it.Absolutely! people who are likely to drink green tea for weight loss often simultaneously make other changes in their lifestyle (more exercise, smaller food portions, etc), and then when they lose weight as a result of the new caloric deficit, they chalk it up to the green tea (or substitute whatever other supplement, diet, etc )Its SO hard for most people to accept that this is all about energy balance that they almost always want to attritubute the weight loss to something else.
I agree with you on the green tea, but disagree on the Oolong tea. I have been drinking Oolong for quite some time now and I absolutely have seen results! But….BUT….I also exercise 5 days a week, sometimes 6, and I eat very healthy (no junk, sugar, fried, fast foods). Again, use common sense, and moderation. Oolong tea is one of the keys to me keeping my weight the same now for the last 5 years. I think the problem is that people want that instant fix. You can’t just drink a cup of tea every once in a while and think that will do the trick. EXERCISE, GOOD EATING, CONSISTENT SLEEP, and tea…this will do it.
The studies on oolong tea vs green tea are out there for people who want to look them up. More than one study has shown that oolong (wu long) tea also increases short term metabolic rate.The advertising claims however that wu long is more effective than green tea cannot be supported by the research. The one study that showed a 10% increase in EE for wu long and only a 4% increase for green tea was based only on a 120 minute increase in EE. Had the variables been equal, the results may have been very different.That said, if the wu long provides the same amount of active ingredient (EGCG), it appears that wu long provides the same thermogenic effect as green tea.
I have never seen Dr. Perricone say that Green Tea will burn your fat away because of the tea itself. He says switch to green tea because of the anti-oxidants AND because coffee increases cortisol levels in many people, which encourages fat storage.
The transcript of perricone on oprah is published on oprah’s site.Oprah said,”now ive read in your book that you said if I just replaced coffee with green te instead, that I could lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks.”Perricone said,”Coffee has organic acids that raise your blood sugar, raise insulin. Insulin puts a lock on body fat. When you switch over to green tea, you get your caffeine, youre all set, but you will drop your insulin levels and body fat will fall very rapidly. So 10 pounds in six weeks, I will guarantee it”So yes, perricone never said “green tea burns fat.”however Many people misinterpreted it and went out to purchase green tea for weight loss. Just one of many misinterpretations or misunderstandings of the facts. And guess what… this is exploited by the aformentioned wu long tea scammers who have pictures of oprah on their websites and who write “as seen on oprah” or “oprahs weight loss secret” yadda yadda yadda (not perricone or oprahs fault, but nonetheless misleading to consumers… FTC are you paying attention???????)…That said, Id like to see the evidence that switching coffee for tea, completely indepenent of any change in calories, will produce 10 pounds of fat loss in 6 weeks simply by virtue of any effect that “organic acids in coffee” have on insulin and blood sugarAgain, my guess is by removing calorie containing coffees (milk, cream, sugar) and replacing them with no calorie containing tea (plain green tea), that the reduction in calories would account for the decrease in body weight, and there might be a very small (as mentioned in my blog post) increase in fat loss as a result of the thermogenic effect of green tea catechins.(can you say “calorie deficit?”)
I have been drinking green tea for several years. I used to brew it then put it in the fridge, now there are so many to buy off-the shelf, I go that route.My curiousity: does the off-the shelf tea still carry the same benefits, or does the processing diminish the health benefit a great deal? I’ve also wondered about “diet” green tea, it doesn’t have that many calories anyway, what’s the point?.I began drinking the tea for the health benefits, but now it’s just part of my lifestyle, and I’ve learned even the smallest actions are positive if they become habits.
I drink mostly green tea and water, have for years. Has not helped me to loose weight that I can see but does give me energy. It depends what kind you drink.Instead of coffee I drink Private Selection Honey Lemon Ginseng Green Tea, no fat, sodium, carbs or sugar and it does wake me up but without the jitters and gives me energy. It also has eleuthero root (ginseng), licorice root (stimulates the adrenals), ginger root (that gets you going) and chickory root (which is supposed to help the heart). Warning: this tea is really good and you can become addicted. :)I also drink Good Earth Green & Ginseng. Lower in caffeine than regular tea, I have this in the afternoon or early evening. It has specially cured eleuthero leaves, panax ginseng leaf and root and lemongrass.Yum.
Are there benefits to mint tea? I drink green tea with mint and it’s gorgeous. It’s supposed to help with hormone imbalances in women.
tiggy wroteAre there benefits to mint tea?There might be other health benefits of various teas (herbal, etc). But in terms of thermogenic effects, the ingredient(s) that seem most responsible are the tea catechins epigallocatechin gallate also known as EGCG, and there may be a synergistic effect of the EGCG with caffeine. If these compounds are not present in the mint or herbal teas, then you would not expect the same increase in metabolism. Some of the health effects of green tea are also related to EGCG although there are many biologically active compounds in green tea.
A GREAT TEA – Has anyone tried Hibiscus tea? I “discovered” simmering hibiscus with crushed ginger with a little honey to be absolutely delicious! Don’t over do the tea by drinking lots of cups all day and by adding honey or sugar. If you make a quart or gallon, it’s very delicious and pretty when served cold. Enjoy.Oh, I almost forgot. Is this healthy?
I moved from Ireland to Taiwan 2 and a half years ago and have started drinking lots of green tea…. it’s cheap and it’s healthy so great! When i went back to Ireland for a holiday I seen that Green Tea had hit the markets back home as the new weight loss miracle. Prices were a complete rip-off though. Selling ordinary oolong tea and green tea for 20euro a pack. It was a disgrace. Health shops trying to get one over on the consumer. The english names on the boxes were all fancy but the chinese was plain and simple green tea or oolong tea.So it most certainly is a scam and a rip-off.Since moving to Taiwan i have lost 90lbs (on the scales 250-160lbs) but much more body fat has been burned and i’ve gained a bit of mucsle. Maybe the magic tea was the reason?… no…I had lost all this weight long before i got a taste for Green Tea and it is still not helping me lose weight but i still like to drink it anyway! Like Guinness, you get a taste for it!I lost the weight here by taking up sports, leaving my old bad eating habits in Ireland and training plenty. I found Tom’s book BFFM extremely helpful though i didnt discover it until long into my weight loss. That’s what i hand people now when they ask me for weight loss advice, i don’t mention green tea!
I used green tea for one month and I lost 25 pounds, so I guess for me it works. Just like anything else, it is hit or miss with any product, it depends on your metabolisim.
James, you wanted to know if the store stuff has the same benefits: I’ve read that the anti-oxidants in green tea are very unstable once it is brewed and are almost completely gone before the 24 hours is up. I’m not sure if the same goes for the ECGCs (the “fat burning” compound), but for the best all over benefits, you should really drink it fresh. Plus all the off the shelf stuff has high fructose corn syrup in it and that stuff is poison.
I have love chinese teas and have tried all of them all Puerh, oolong, jasmin and regular green tea. after about 8 years of about 4-8 cups (strong) per day I have not lost one single gram of fat – so whatever they’re selling out there is complete bogusMy skin have benefitted from it though, because of the anti oxidants.Energy levels also better (because of the caffeine in it)But Noooo fat loss.If I took it black & bitter it would help, because you’re taking in less kilojoules (no milk & sugar). that will be the ONLY reason you will lose weight from these teas. after 8 years of use no-one will convince me otherwise.
I have been looking for this wu long tea here in my country and haven’t found one. I was planning to go to the biggest retail shop for search for it when your mail came in.it is really a wonder how people easily scam the masses.thanks Tom for letting me know that I wouldn’t lose weight just drinking green tea. Exercise, eat healthy and add green tea would be my watch word.
I have a friend who lost 30lbs in 4months just by taking green tea capsules(6 a day) equivalent to 3 cups daily..she doesn’t diet or excercise with this either2 weeeks ago i bought green tea to go singles (orange and mango flavor) I have dropped 2lbs..the differeence between me and her i try to watch what I eat along with some excercise and that alone does not help me shed pounds..i have been struggling few months to get below 170
Tom,I wanted to thank you for these great informative articles. Everytime you send one I read it right away. I do have a question though…If these teas do so very little, what’s the point in drinking them? Are they still considered an antioxidant? And, what would you suggest to help speed up the metabolisim besides working out regularly and eating right? I believe all of us wants a little help when we are trying so hard to reach our fitness goals. I read an article once from another magazine, that suggested we compound our supplements. What would be the correct way of doing this? As you can tell, I’m a very curious and a bit on the confused side of just trying to get this right. Please enlighten me. Thank you!
Hmm if i want to drink green tea, it would be for the antioxidant effect rather than for losing weight. Exercising would have been a better alternative
Lenoria wrote:I do have a question though…If these teas do so very little, what’s the point in drinking them?Are they still considered an antioxidant? 1. green tea is a potent antioxidant2. green tea contains other health promoting biologically active compounds3. green tea has been researched to investigate at least 18 distint potential health benefits4. you might like the taste5. if you are coffee junkie, depending on the caffeine buzz, you could switch coffee for tea and reduce your caffeine intake (15-30mgs in green tea vs 2-3X that for coffee)6. Drinking your calories is a great way to exceed your calorie limits and get fat. Replacing calorie containing drinks with plain green tea is a great substitution and way to remove calories from your diet7. There ARE mild metabolism stimulating effects of green tea, they are just much smaller than most advertisements lead you to believe and the research doesnt verify whether this will add up to much total weight loss over time (most studies measured the short term effect on metabolism – what if we habituate over time?)8. There may be other anti obesity effects of green tea – mouse research suggests green tea could suppress appetite, and other mouse research suggets that something in green tea could prevent fat cell proliferation.As i mentioned, there IS a compelling case for green tea. When I say “green tea or wu long tea SCAM” I am not saying not to drink green tea, I am saying buyer beware when it comes to weight loss claims in advertisements, particularly a few wu long tea companies on the internet who are blatant liars (and yet they are making millions based on the weight loss claims alone).
Hi Tom,I do alot of research and just wanted to say “How true you are”.Iris
Hi there,I have been drinking green tea for 22 years now, not for weight loss reasons, although it would be nice, but for the health benefits. There is a history of high blood pressure and diabetes in my family and thus far, I have a clean bill of health, (despite being overweight), which I believe is due to drinking 3-4 cups of green tea a day. Also want to mention that, for whatever reason if I don’t have green tea during the day, I crave it. It’s like I’m addicted to green tea. Is this possible?
Suzy wrote:for whatever reason if I don’t have green tea during the day, I crave it. It’s like I’m addicted to green tea. Is this possible?Sure. Caffeine is can be physically addictive and green tea contains less caffeine than coffee, but does contain 15-30 mg per cup.also, behaviors become habitual… habit not being same as ‘addicted” necessarily, but behaviors repeated are easy to continue to repeat and difficult to stop…which is why we strive to develop positive healthy habits, and green tea drinking is certainly one of the healthy habits compared to what else we could be drinkinghave a great weekend
I bought and tried Wulong (oolong) tea from one of those websites and of course felt really dumb when of course I didn’t lose a pound. I want as many people to know about the scam as possible. I don’t want anyone else to lose money to these people.
thanks for sending me this newsletter. i have been drinking a special type of green tea for the past 3 months.i have not loss any weight, (but have only gained increased bowel movement as a result of it)
I have seen the oolong tea ads and can’t believe the incredible prices asked – like this stuff can only be had at a premium if you want “genuine” oolong. Without commenting on the claims for the tea, you can experiment for very little cost.I am not connected with the site, and perhaps shouldn’t include it as the url given here, but you can get any tea from Prince of Peace, LLC, for under $4 for 100 bags. Sure beats some prices I’ve seen of $35 for 20 bags. It is good stuff, not cut rate and can hold its own with brands much higher priced.Sorry to sound like an ad, but these people tithe their profits to World Vision and to a handicapped children’s orphanage in Shanghai. Feel free to check that claim, click on my name and that site is Vitacost.com, my source for tea.
I wanted to leave two comments for what they are worth.First of all, the transcript of the Oprah show is revealing in that I have read several studies which say that a person who drinks coffee is not quite as likely to have diabetes because Coffee tends to prevent spikes in blood sugar and therefore, insulin. I remembered that because I like to drink coffee with any sweet, just because it seems to make the item seem less sweet, and also I have been tested for diabetes several times and found to not have it, even though they keep saying I am at risk for it.The second comment I wanted to make was to anyone who is tempted to buy the WU-Longg tea that is being touted for weight loss. the cost is way Higher than the Oolong tea you can buy at any tea vendor, but all you are paying for is the different spelling. You CAN get more expensive oolong teas, but I suggest you buy them for the flavor.. if all you want is to try it for weight loss, buy it from a reputable tea vendor and get more for your money.Hope that is of some help to someone. Kitty
kitty wrote:anyone who is tempted to buy the WU-Long tea that is being touted for weight loss. the cost is way Higher than the Oolong tea you can buy at any tea vendor, but all you are paying for is the different spelling (oolong)youre also paying for all that marketing and false advertising!
I always had my doubts. Thanks for filling in the blanks. I really like green tea and it is always better than a sugary soda.Jeff
Interesting article. I recently heard about some Wu-Long tea weight loss method that would help you lose weight super fast, and is claimed to be better Green tea. So I googled it and found this article. I was very skeptical, because my dad drinks Wu-Long tea everyday for I don’t know how many decades and he has never lost or gained any weight from it.Now I know where those “statistics” come from.
Interesting article. I recently heard about some Wu-Long tea weight loss method that would help you lose weight super fast, and is claimed to be better Green tea. So I googled it and found this article. I was very skeptical, because my dad drinks Wu-Long tea everyday for I don’t know how many decades and he has never lost or gained any weight from it.Now I know where those “statistics” come from.
Hello,I have a question about the hormone cortisol:Brian said: because coffee increases cortisol levels in many people, which encourages fat storage.But I have read the following: Aerobic exercise has been linked with the release of the catabolic hormone cortisol, which is antagonistic to the development of lean muscle mass. Cortisol also promotes conservation of glucose and encourages the use of fat.So, which one is the true – cortisol encourages fat storage or use of fat?Thanks (and really great articles by Tom Venuto)
Hi Tom,I’m happy to have gotten your email today. It’s funny i was just surfing the net last week and came acroos Wu long tea and actually thaught of trying it, but my instincs told me not to. And today i recive this email. I knew it, you can trust the internet and the hundreds of comapnies that claims each and every one of their products work. Like you said it’s B***S***.If you want to lose the pounds and fell good about yourself you have to execise at least 3 time a week and most importantly i learned from personal experience that what you eat counts even more. So my advice for everyone, count your calories, make the right choices and hit the gym at least 3 times a week.Let’s face it most of us do have 3 hours a week to spare instead of watching t.v. eating and complain how come we can’t lose those extra love handles.I would like to add that i also drink green tea, the only thing it’s good for is cleaning my body of toxins and giving me some extra energy. As fas as burning fat, NOT TRUE.Thank you for readingSylvia
Hi,I wish I had received this newsletter before I was conned and scammed into buying the Wu Long tea on the internet. I suppose deep down inside I knew it was a scam, but I was hoping against hope that this may work. I really think that companies who put out these false hopes are really praying on those of us who are really vulneralble and desperate to have something work for them. I know, I think I have tried just about everything going and have spent a small fortune. I really wish people could see beyond the external to see the real person inside.Thanks for listening, (rather reading)
People who drink tea tend to lead healthier lifestyles in general compared to those who drink soda and other bottled crap. Tea is inexpensive and tastes good to me. It’s just what I drink. It’s healthier because it doesn’t have added processed sugars and whatnot. But it’s no miracle cure.The “whitener” and coffee mate stuff that a lot of people put in their coffee isn’t too great for you. It’s corn syrup and oil! (Not to mention the heartburn it produces…) I like coffee too, but I prefer decaf as I don’t do too well with high caffeine content.Remember, there are no miracle cures. Just hard work.
Tom,I love how you “cut-to-the-chase” with your matter of fact style. I have green tea in my cabinet, not sure if I bought it for the antioxidants or the metabolism since it has been there for a while. I, for one, appreciate your hardcore research and effort spent on educating your readers. This ultimately balances out to “WHY WE KEEP YOU AS OUR COACH”. Thanks for the solid, no-nonsense advice and constant encouragement.Shirley
Hi Tom,I was a waitress for six years and my weight always steady 103 lbs. 4 months ago. I Started a new job working in the office sit all day. I gained 10 lbs. fast. my jeans are tighter and my blouses. I’m so depressed so I went on line check see if I can find a way to loose ten lbs. I saw the Wu-Long Tea advertisement. It seems so real and I was so excited that I can’t wait to drink the tea! My husband ordered 1 box for almost 40.00 dollars. The first night I drank tea I could not sleep. The first mornig I weight myself and exited I losed half a lb. Then after 3 days told my husband that we need to order more! It end up spent over 200 dollars. Until now I still weight the same 113 Lbs. They are not honest at all!!! Yesterday saw their Add again saying lose 15 lbs in just 3 mins!!!! Wow!!!
I too tried the green tea regime. I switched from drinking 4+ cups a day of strong coffee (Starbucks Sumatra in a French Press) to drinking organic green tea and no coffee, after I saw Dr. Perricone’s show. I actually benefited from the change, but not in lost weight.I found the caffeine load is much lighter than coffee, so I am actually more calm and relaxed during the day. I was very strict about it for about a year, now I sneak in coffee once in a while and alternate with the tea. But, I did not lose an ounce of weight from drinking tea.Mr. Venuto is oh so correct – there is no miracle pill, food, drink, etc. – its all about the basics. I did lose 20 pounds of fat once I started a reduced calorie, balanced diet (no miracle foods), and a consistent exercise program with cardio and weight training.
Thanks for clearing the grey areas regarding Green Tea. I, for one, had been taking Green Tea for six months but to little effect. Your article has confirmed my belief about its doubtful utility. May be it is organic but it does not help in losing weight.May your good work continue.
Hi Tom,Thanks for your article about scaim of green tea. I am agree with you. I am always looking for something special to loose weight. once i was just surffing net regarding weight lost. and I find out about Wulong tea which claims to reduce weight 1 jeans size by week and I was very excited to try that and I ordered immidietly. After drink tea Wu-long tea I didnt loose any pound but gain 4pounds in just one week. I am very disappointed with Wulong tea specially after wasting too much money and trust on bogus advertisement.I want to warn all reders and net surfers not to go by advertisement and please dont ever buy that tea.Cheers,Sonya
Caffeine and weight loss are so closely identified together that few people realize how the con man is cashing in on this association these days. How about caffeine tights, sun screens, and patches? (Goes well beyond Green Tea and Coffee.)I write extensively on con men and their scams, and just wrote a piece on all this really weird weight loss stuff. Incredulous.
I don’t think I ever bought green tea as any kind of miracle pill, but I do like the stuff, and drink it daily. But I also like and drink black, white, red and herbal teas.I saw the stuff on the Wulong teas and just couldn’t believe it. It all sounded like ad hype to me.What I think is nice, aside from the antioxidant benefits is that there are just so many lovely flavors to tea, so you don’t have to be bored and it’s a nice change from water, especially when you want a warm beverage. And then it ices wonderfully too.Has it sped up weight loss for me. No evidence of it at all. But I enjoy it, so what the hey! And I feel good while drinking plenty, so maybe the antioxidants help. Plus, unlike coffee, where I really like to add milk so that it doesn’t irritate my stomach as much, tea needs nothing, no sweetener, no milk, it’s perfect as is. But no, not a miracle pill.
I to fell for the BS. I have been drinking this wu yi tea for 2 months and have not dropped a single pound. so for all the ads that say 10 pound in 3 weeks. BS… So I wasted my money and feel like an idiot.
if drinking green tea and ooling tea to help lose weight and speed up metabolism is a big joke for you and just a money making scam, how bout your programs that you yourself sell in the internet? if you really want to help out people, then promote your method free of charge.
Geez Al. Did you even read the article or just leap to the comments after reading the title? I clearly stated that green tea IS a (mild) thermogenic and I cited one of the more frequently referenced papers that says so. I even recommend green tea – even the supplemental form.Its the claims made for green tea and weight loss that exceed the scientific evidence that I speak out against. Many of the web pages selling oolong tea are making outrageous weight loss claims that cannot be supported by the evidence.To any green tea salesperson who is making weight loss claims, I will debate their claims in any forum, any time, any day and will bring the research with me, not just an opinion.What makes me different from the people who sell supplements is I dont sell supplements, therefore I can evaluate them without bias. Most people who make comments like yours on the other hand, are connected to supplement companies. Why dont you disclose your affiliations if you have any.As for giving away my information for free. Actually, my email newsletters and this web site IS free and it’s a treasure trove of info. But sure, i’ll be happy to promote my entire method “free of charge”… The day that you work free of charge and donate all your paychecks to charity, I pledge to do the same and match what you donate. I wont hold my breath because I doubt that you’ll work for free eitherregards
I too, fell for the Wu-Long tea. After 6 weeks, it did nothing! I tried to get a refund, no dice. I’m trying to keep them from continuing to charge my credit card! What a scam! People, don’t fall for it! Go the real route. For me, it’s Weight Watchers. Slow, but it works.
What a BS scam, they say that ‘people’ loose weight on them when in reality the body will probaly make up for te burnt calories in a trite. I believe that this could just be an aid but i dont know how or even why the ‘experts’ are touting this to be the ‘next big thing’, but one thing for sure, they want the bucks!!
hey, thanks for the advise.I see those ads EVERYWHERE and whether or not they work is not the real concern. The biggest thing is that they try to suck you into a membership type thing then they start billing you ridiculous amounts of money without you knowing.
A very interesting article – I used to drink around 6-8 cups of green tea a day, though it was from personal preference rather than all the faddy advice out there. Long story short, 6-8 weeks on I had developed a severe intolerance to caffeine caused by the Green tea (a rarely reported side effect – obviously they wouldn’t want to scare off potential dieters to their new miracle elixir). I haven’t been able to have caffeine since then (4 years ago) so agree with the advice – anybody planning to look at these sorts of diets should ensure they heavily research them before taking such risks – you may end up worse off than when you started!
Hey TomThanks for posting such warning. You are one of the few honest expert out there. keep up the good work. Anyway, green tea was around for 1000’s of years. if it was really that effective, how come so many people struggle to lose weight? by the way what makes the wu-long tea so special?
Great article, Tom. I agree, the green tea we drink has very low effect on our fat burning, but it does offer a boost that coffee doesn’t. The caffeine in coffee effects the central nervous system and hits the adrenal glands hard causing them to blunt fat burning. I had 3 cups in a suhsi restaurant and no increase in thermo rate what so ever.Keep up the good posts!Your favorite reader
Drinking of green tea is good for health so long it is not over dose. The polyphenol compound is a good antioxidant for the body. The advantage is that it does not require any sweetener due to it refreshing taste & aroma. It is especially beneficial for those who replace their sweet carbonated beverages with green tea.Weight loss & burn fat is a challenge that requires a total approach in diet, exercise, mindset & determination. Do not expect green tea to be the miracle dietary ingredients. It is a good beverages to be included into your diet program but never over consume. (Moderation is the key consideration)Hi Tom, I love your details in calculating out the fat burning of the green tea. It make people realise that it is one of the minor components in weight loss.Hope to see more interesting posting from you in the future. Happy blogging!!
the thing i like most about your site tom, is the honesty nobs tell it like it is. keep it up!cathy h
I have to agree with Tom….Green tea or ant teas has become a billion plus dollar business..If you enjoy tea, drink it…caffeine is caffeine, whether tea or coffee…and a pound is a pound, 3500calories no matter what the food…some process faster if complex carbs, as opposed to refined..etc etc etc….Good nutrition is cut and dry..junk food is poison and we all know it….IYou can’t fool the body..excercise helps speed the weight loss, being sedimentry slows the process and decreases caloric needs..SIMPLE STUFF HERE GUYS….If you stay under your required calories you will loose, if you go too low your body senses it, and your weight loss stales due to starvation mode…fluid intake is important to flush.,..Pure and simple….I went to a famous book store the other day, and probably counted 1000 diet books…but Tom is still the guru..with just plain old COMMON SENSE…..and I love the comments about the Diet Green Teas…Look on the labels..they add Senna to get your bowels going..That is where you see some weight loss the next day…ever wonder why you are in the BRoom more with diarrhea?…Read those DIET TEA LABELS…..
oolong tea has other health benefits, it s not much of a fat burner..
Thank you. I’m tired of answering the same ol’ Green tea email. It seems that drinking green tea has become the “magic pill” instead of the damn pill themselves when it comes to fat loss.Ridiculous.
Wow, they charge $29 bucks for 120 bags of “Wu-Long” tea, and -seeing as it’s nothing but Oolong tea that you can pick up a box containing 100 bags at Uwajimaya’s for less than $3- I’m amazed they can get by with that crap. Thanks for the interesting article! I’ve been drinking Oolong and Green teas since I was about 16, and have never accredited extreme weight loss to either; I just like the taste better than coffee, and the lower caffeine content. (Caffeine makes my heart race.)I’ll always be a firm believer in Calories in versus calories out, and this article just reinforced it :).
Tom,Once again, Bravo!I’m sooooo with you and done with this crap scam.I concur that the sensible practice and the truth lays in Green Tea as a wonderfully healthy addition to your fluid intake. That’s why I drink at least one green tea a day…. it feels good to do good and it uplifts me a little too.I enjoy the premium Ito En brand of teas, especially the Green and Black teas… love them. It’s the premium tea of Japan…. good stuff.I have to say, love the break down on science BS here. I’ve done that for g-tea also and for many of the so-called “Fat Loss” supplements. The bending of reality is a common practice.I was recently scouting a Muscle magazine (of some sort) when I found an amazing new fat-loss product. The charts and graphs were impressive… and it even quoted science.So, like you, I couldn’t help myself. I pulled the study, did the math… and at the end of the day, the 600% + increase in fat-burning over exercise alone amounted to a 15-20 minute increase in post exercise energy expenditure to the tune of about 68 calories…And that’s if you are willing to take the stimulant equivalent of about 8 cups of strong coffee!!! Insane… seems like you’d be better off to save your money, have a cup of great coffee and train for an extra five minutes.SCAM, SCAM, SCAM…. Thanks for helping people find their way!To Life @ Full Strength,Shawn Phillips
Thanks for the post Tom. I kinda laugh when I read people say “acai berries are a scam, but green tea/coffee REALLY help you lose weight!”
The fact of the matter is there’s no miracle food. There are a lot of things that are good for you, but God didn’t make a food that magically melts fat.
Instead it comes from exercise and a good diet!
I drank a lot of green, white, and black teas and I feel that these teas basically, give a minor nutritional value and help with the bodies digestive mechanics. Yet, I knew that tea itself will not help anyone to loss weight, work as an effective anti-oxidant, or act as some other medicinal benefit for weight loss. I am curious about your discovery on this subject matter please, send me the facts.
I have been one not to fall for the rapid weight loss with green tea scam thank goodness! Tom, like you said, it does have a lot of great antioxidants, which is a good reason to drink it. When it comes to fat loss, much better to just stick to what we know works as outlined in your Burn the Fat book.