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Oatmeal Drinks for Weight Loss: Experts’ Yummy Upgrade of TikTok’s ‘Oatzempic’ Trend Can Triple Fat Burn
By Kate Arcell,
14 days ago
There’s a new TikTok trend that fans claim fires up metabolism just like the drug Ozempic. Dubbed “oatzempic,” the gist is that you drink an oatmeal-based smoothie twice a day and then let the superfood work its magic. Can it really help you shed 40 pounds in two months as devotees claim? Probably not. But that hardly matters when you consider how impressive studies on oats actually are. One cup a day can have “a significant effect on reducing weight,” per a team of British and Chinese researchers who found the humble grain tripled belly-fat burning for older adults . And women like Lori McHugh , 70, say they’re living proof.
“I’ve become such a big fan of oatmeal, it could be my middle name,” laughs the Connecticut retiree. Lori insists oats have been key to her 86-pound weight loss. Read on for her inspiring story and to find out why experts say oats really can be a natural substitute for popular weight-loss medications.
Oatmeal drinks for weight loss can be effective and delicious
Folks using TikTok’s oatzempic regimen make a drink by blending half a cup of oats and a cup of water with lime juice and cinnamon. If that appeals to you, go for it. But to seriously upgrade your oatzempic experience, choose yummier oat options you’ll be motivated to enjoy on a consistent basis — because consistent consumption is the real secret, says oatmeal proponent and functional medicine physician Shivani Amin, M.D .
As long as you stick to healthy mix-ins, oats in any form “are a great choice for those looking to lose weight,” adds Dr. Amin. The main reason? Oats are loaded with a special fiber called beta-glucan that rapidly soaks up fluid in our digestive tracts and forms what Cleveland Clinic experts describe as “ a thick goo .” Once the goo forms, it makes amazing things happen…
Oatmeal drinks for weight loss: How oats mimic Ozempic
Diabetes drugs like Ozempic spur weight loss by raising levels of GLP-1, a hormone that kills appetite and improves blood sugar. According to Columbia-trained nutrition expert Fred Pescatore, M.D. , author of The A-List Diet. “It’s easy to mimic these benefits without all the risks that come with medication.” Beta-glucan does exactly that. Studies from around the world reveal that it ferments, releasing fatty acids that are a favorite food of gut bacteria that send GLP-1 levels up, up, up.
As GLP-1 levels rise, we feel effects similar to those triggered by Ozempic. Notably, hunger shrinks a lot. That’s because increasing our GLP-1 helps quiet “food noise,” those frequent and bothersome thoughts prompting us to eat when we’re not hungry.
Plus, beta-glucan goo holds food in our systems a long time, so we literally feel full longer. One study even found that folks who ate a beta-glucan–rich breakfast ate up to 1,000 fewer calories the rest of the day.
On top of that, higher GLP-1 also leads to dramatic improvements in belly-fattening blood-sugar issues, a big reason even weight-loss-resistant type 2 diabetics have been shown to burn ab flab at triple speed just by incorporating oats daily!
Oatmeal drinks for weight loss: More slimming benefits of oats
Besides boosting GLP-1, oats are also a top source of resistant starch, “a fiber-like compound that is the unsung hero of weight control,” notes Yale-trained aging expert Nicholas Perricone, M.D . Resistant starch studies “show one serving speeds the fat-burning rate by 20% —and the effect lasts for 24 hours.”
Oats also help turn us into healthier eaters , prompting us to reach for more food rich in belly-flattening magnesium and metabolism-revving B vitamins, notes Harvard-trained researcher James M. Rippe, M.D . Scientists aren’t totally sure why, but beta-glucan goo probably also feeds gut bacteria that make us crave nutrient-dense foods instead of junk.
Whether you make an oatzempic-style smoothie or try any of the yummy recipes below, getting more oats is a trend-defying hack to try. Experts recommend a serving a day as part of any healthy eating plan.
Oats for weight loss success story: Lori McHugh, 70
Lori McHugh recalls the fateful day her husband, Tom, dozed off at the wheel and barely avoided an accident. “When he told me, I instantly knew it was because my snoring kept him up at night,” admits Lori. “I had a good cry about that.” Then she reenrolled in WeightWatchers, hoping to slim down, improve her breathing and feel better.
As someone who relied heavily on food for comfort, Lori was worried about small portions. “I didn’t ever want to go hungry.” So she began looking for ways to get huge volume while staying within her “points” budget. At first, she focused a lot on fruit, veggies, water and protein, shedding about 12 pounds her first month.
Then she and Tom went to visit a friend who served them “porridge.” It was fancy oatmeal. “My mom used to make a gelatinous version. I had no idea it could be delicious,” she shares. Intrigued, she read articles about the benefits of oats and began experimenting with spices, coconut extract and butter-flavored spray. Soon she was trying overnight oats, baked oats, even oat flour in baking. “A meal with oats and protein stabilizes my blood sugar and keeps me full for at least four hours,” says Lori, also a fan of baked oat brownies as a post-workout snack. “Oatmeal is it for me. I fell in love.”
Eating oats daily helped Lori stick to healthy choices, even during plateaus. And as she came to rely on it as a tool to help on her weight-loss journey, she got best results “when I paired it with protein,” she shares. It might be a couple of slices of lean turkey on the side or a recipe that included protein powder, eggs or Greek yogurt. “It’s incredibly filling and the possibilities are endless,” she says. She loves options at DishWithDee.com . (Fun fact: Protein also helps boost levels of the slimming hormone GLP-1 , just like Ozempic.)
Lori saw pounds steadily disappear. Her snoring, joint pain and high blood pressure all disappeared too. Lori adds that, in spite of a family history of diabetes, her blood sugar is perfect now. “I find oatmeal is like food that’s also a medicine—but it’s a lot nicer tasting! I’ve kept off 86 pounds for three years now,” she smiles. Once a size 26, the Navy veteran and grandmother now sports a trim size 6.“Oatmeal can be an exciting adventure. Try it and see where it takes you!”
Oatmeal drinks for weight loss and other ways to boost results with oats
Oats can boost results on any carb-friendly plan, including WeightWatchers and plant-based diets. An easy way to start: Enjoy oats up to twice a day — as a drink or in any healthy preparation — and use a free app like MyFitnessPal to keep overall portions on track. A serving of oats is ½ uncooked or 1 cup cooked — and instant, old-fashioned rolled oats and steel-cut are all fine. Instant and rolled oats are lightly steamed and fine to eat uncooked, but steel cut oats must be cooked before adding to a smoothie.
Oats help kill hunger and are great any time you’re prone to overeat, such as a midday or after dinner. So plan to enjoy oats when your body needs them most. Want to use an oatmeal drink for weight loss? You can go for TikTok’s original oatzempic drink (just blend ½ cup rolled oats, 1 cup water and juice of ½ small lime). But if that doesn’t appeal to you, no worries. There are so many other oatmeal drinks that are both yummy and effective. We’re sharing a few of our favorite drinks plus a brownie oat bake to inspire you.
Peachy oat drink
Add ½ cup oats to blender and blitz into a powder. Add chunks of a frozen banana, 1 cup fresh or thawed peaches, 1 ¼ cup any milk, optional serving protein powder, dash vanilla, dash cinnamon, pinch salt and healthy sweetener to taste
Blueberry muffin oat drink
In blender blitz 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1 banana, ½ cup rolled oats, 1 Tbs chia seeds, 1 Tbs nut butter and 1 cup oat milk
In blender, blitz ½ cup rolled oats, 1 cup any milk, 1 frozen banana, ½ cup frozen cauliflower rice, 1 Tbs. nut butter, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder and 1 Tbs. dark chocolate chips
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