VIRAL TikToks show incredible weight loss transformations using just one drink.
Users are claiming that drinking a hot coffee with the juice of half a lime or lemon will shed weight dramatically.
The videos show people’s “before” and “after” weight loss, and how to make the simple brew.
It suggests the citrus coffee was the miracle worker behind their weight loss.
However, the videos look like a scam.
They show no real evidence the person featured in it actually made or used the drink.
For example, one video with more than 3.4 million likes and 155,000 shows a young girl showing off her slimmer frame with a shot of the brew.
It is split with a doctor nodding and giving his “thumbs up” to the method – but the same clip of this unnamed doctor is used alongside dozens of videos promoting the drink.
Would it work?
So is there any truth in the method, racking up millions of likes?
“It’s the biggest load of nonsense,” Dr Mayur Ranchordas, an exercise physiologist and sport nutritionist at Sheffield Hallam, told the Sun.
“From a scientific perspective, there are no foods that can burn fat, that’s just not possible.
“These are just marketing videos to sell products. There is no evidence that if you carried on your lifestyle and drank this drink, you would lose weight.”
The videos tend to have a link to a page selling “instant slimming coffee for weight loss” that contains an ingredient called L-Carnitine.
“There is some evidence that if you take L-Carnitine supplements, you use more fat as a fuel during exercise.
“But just because you use more fat as a fuel, doesn’t mean you burn adipose fat [body fat] that you are storing.”
L-Carnitine has been around for a long time, typically used by athletes or pro fitness types but also plugged by celebs as a weight loss supplement.
When taken with a carbohydrate, the body directs the compound to the muscles to help them burn more fat.
There are some studies that show obese people lost slightly more weight while taking L-Carnitine – but it was almost unoticeable.
Other research has failed to back it up, especially without the aid of a good diet and exercise plan.
“If you were a Tour de France cyclist and you wanted to maximise performance, L-Carnitine might be considered,” Dr Mayur said.
“But to lose weight, it’s a complete waste of money. If anything you’ll have a lighter wallet, but you won’t have a lighter belly.”
Dr Mayur admitted that caffeine in coffee is a food that can boost the metabolism, as well as spicy foods.
“But the change is small, and unless you’re making substantial changes to your diet, you won’t see much difference to your physique,” he said.
What’s the alternative?
“The only way for you to transform your physique in that particular way is to burn more calories than you consume with a combination of exercise and modifying the diet,” Dr Mayur said.
Losing weight comes back to the same simple message – eat healthier, portion control, and exercise.
Dr Mayur had a warning of TikTok weight loss trends, saying: “If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
“A lot of these companies selling these products are misadvertising. Most people you speak to want to lose weight, get a toned stomach and look a bit better.
“It’s so easy to grab someone by saying ‘if you drink this you’ll achieve your goals’.”