According to Health, coffee and compounds in coffee can contribute to weight loss or weight maintenance in several ways.
Reducing overall body fat: Drinking a moderate amount of coffee (one to seven cups per week) can help reduce overall body fat, trunk fat, and visceral adipose tissue—a particularly harmful type of deep abdominal fat.
Reducing appetite: Coffee may help some people maintain a lower body weight and less body fat, possibly due to its effect on appetite. Specifically, consuming coffee before meals can help reduce appetite.
Increasing calorie burn: Coffee can also help you burn more calories by slightly increasing your resting metabolic rate, which refers to the calories you burn while at rest. Caffeine may also stimulate fat oxidation (the breakdown of fat in the body).
However, coffee alone is not enough to help you achieve weight loss goals. Consuming a nutritious diet rich in vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber, along with reducing overall calorie intake, is much more important for weight loss and maintaining a healthy body weight.
Is timing important? Not directly, but some research suggests that the timing of caffeine intake may affect other bodily processes or decisions that can support weight loss or management.
Drinking coffee before exercise: Consuming caffeine (including coffee) about 60 minutes before a workout can improve performance and energy levels. This could help make your workouts more productive (and enjoyable), supporting weight control.
Avoid caffeine in the evening: Drinking coffee too close to bedtime can disrupt sleep, even in the short term, which may affect metabolism and make it harder to burn calories and lose weight.
On its own, coffee is a low-calorie beverage with no fat or carbohydrates and negligible protein. However, when you start adding sweeteners, you may lose the weight loss benefits of coffee. A 2023 study found that while coffee intake in general was associated with weight loss, regularly adding even just one teaspoon of sugar to coffee was linked to weight gain.
Instead, experts recommend adding warm, aromatic spices like cinnamon, non-dairy coffee creamer, or even traditional milk to your coffee if you don’t enjoy it black.