Phoebe Chongchua's Live Fit Magazine

Now that the sun is shining, up and down the coastline people are slipping into swimsuits and many are wondering how they can trim down their waistlines. It seems the battle of the bulge is always a challenge that leaves many people feeling constantly defeated.

But there's a simple solution that promises results that will have you wishing bikini season lasted year round. It's not a pill and it's not a diet. Green tea is the drink many stars are using to drops pounds. Of course, that's green tea-hold the milk, sugar, honey, etc.-just plain green tea such as Jasmine green tea.

I initially started drinking green tea on the recommendation of my Chinese medicine doctor. He recommended it as an alternative to my morning coffee. As I began drinking it, I was pleasantly surprised to see that green tea had additional positive results other than just helping me kick the coffee habit. It actually gave me a fresh, clean, energized start to my day. I felt alive, awake, and yet not bloated or heavy as I sometimes did after a cup of java with sugary cream. The other added benefit was in just a week or two I began to actually look and feel lighter.

Green tea, my medicine doctor explained, is alkaline-not acidic-like coffee. So as you consume it the tea helps to flush out the toxins. It also contains catechins. They are a class of polyphenols which, research has shown, help to increase the rate at which fat is burned as well as reduce the absorption of calories from the diet. In animal studies where mice were given green tea extract, they burned fat faster and were able to swim longer before becoming exhausted. According to some studies, participants who consumed green-tea extract saw a four percent metabolic rate increase. And if these benefits aren't enough, green tea is purported to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and other frequently life-threatening diseases.

If green tea can do all these things, then how much of it should a person consume to see results? Well, according to some studies, a little less than a liter-basically four cups of green tea per day is enough for a 165-pound person to help fight off disease and trim the love handles. Can't imagine drinking that much tea in a day? Stop and think about how many cups of coffee most of us can consume in an eight-hour day; it's usually more than a couple cups. If you give it a shot, you'll find it doesn't quite have the comfort-food feeling, but keep drinking it and the way you feel afterwards will be enough encouragement to get you to steep a pot of green tea instead of a brewing up a heavy latte.

Green tea, however, can't be the miracle alone. Just as with any food considered good for you, you have to eat a variety of other healthy foods and continue with a physical fitness program that helps you continue to burn off excess calories. Then you're using all the resources to achieve the greatest results.