I had lost weight a few months ago, but because of things going on in my life, I had maintained that weight without losing the last ten pounds. I decided that I would try green coffee bean extract because of all the hype surrounding it to help me lose those last pounds. To determine its effectiveness, I set up a personal experiment to see whether it would really work. I have a scale that measures body fat, and while it may not be an accurate percentage, it's a good tool to measure relative fat loss.
The hype: A small study found that obese individuals who took green coffee bean extract thirty minutes before breakfast and lunch lost up to 10% of their body weight without changing daily calorie count or increasing exercise. Dr. Oz and a few other shows picked up on it and endorsed it. (Note: not this particular brand.) The study noted that it helped lower blood pressure and regulate glucose levels in the bloodstream.
The theory: The chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant, in green (not roasted) coffee stabilizes blood sugar levels to enable better burning of fat and to limit spikes that result in tiredness and hunger. Diabetics in particular may benefit from using green coffee bean extract as a supplement.
My profile: I had always been the thin person who could eat whatever she wanted until I hit middle age, and then the pounds began to creep on. I am active; I play tennis anywhere from six to twelve hours a week. I do not have high blood sugar, nor am I obese. I am also not thin. I would like to lose a minimum of ten pounds.
Experiment 1: I took G55 green coffee bean extract thirty minutes before breakfast and lunch for ten days. I kept my weight-maintaining diet and activity level the same. In the first two days, I lost a half a pound. In the remaining eight days, I lost nothing. Even if this extract works for some people without dieting, I can conclude that it doesn't work for my body profile.
Experiment 2: Because this extract is touted as being a diet aid, I decided that I would take it while reducing my calories using the same diet that I used to lose 1-2 pounds a week with the hope that weight loss would be quicker. Again, I took the supplement two times a day, thirty minutes before a meal. At the end of a week, I had lost 1.5 pounds, the same amount I probably would have lost anyway.
Experiment 3: I noticed that I seemed to lose more weight on days that I exercised. While this is not a surprise, I did lose MORE weight on those days than I did with only a reduced-calorie diet. Given the theory behind the green coffee bean extract, I thought that maybe it was helping me burn more fat. I decided to take the supplement thirty minutes before I played tennis. I weighed myself both before and after. Without the supplement, I lost approximately 1 pound during exercise. With the supplement, 1.5 pounds. Of course, this weight loss mostly came back by the next morning, but it suggests to me that these pills either have diuretic properties (hence why it helps stabilize blood pressure) and/or fat-burning (rather than using energy from sugar in the blood) properties. I have a few pills left in my bottle and may concentrate on using them before exercise to see if that helps speed up weight loss in my case. I will report back if it does.
In all the above cases, my body fat percentage did not change. After all, I hadn't lost much weight.
Side Effects: None. These pills contain the caffeine of only a half cup of coffee, so they are not stimulants. People have claimed online that the pills suppressed their appetite, but I did not find that. People have claimed that they feel more energetic. Again, it wasn't my experience. If, however, you have high blood glucose levels and if this extract does indeed affect those levels, you would experience more energy and less hunger. In my opinion, you have little to lose except your money if you want to try these pills.
Possible pitfalls: Don't take these pills with the idea that they will let you eat whatever you want and still lose weight. You will gain weight instead.
Conclusion: Although green coffee bean extract may work for some people, it did not for me. The studies concentrated on obese people, so it may help that group more than those with an extra ten or twenty pounds. It may help people with diabetes or pre-diabetes who need to lose weight. It's very easy to say that they help you lose weight if you combine them with diet and increased exercise; however, it's not so easy to determine whether the weight loss comes from your efforts or the enhancement of the pills. In my case, I had a calorie-restrictive diet that I knew would result in a 1-2 pound per week loss, and so therefore I knew that this supplement didn't do any better than I could do on my own. These pills DO remind you before every meal that you are on a diet, and they DO make you wait an extra thirty minutes before eating, so those two factors alone may help you lose weight.
UPDATE: I added a second star to my review, not because the pills did anything for me, but because the manufacturer changed the composition of the gel caps to a vegan-friendly material. I also felt that the lack of side effects and the possibility it might help other body types should be noted.
The manufacturer sent me this product for review.
-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann