The real secret to achieving long lasting results with any sort of weight loss program is being able to enjoy the process. If you like the ‘diet foods’ that you’re eating, it’s a lot easier to stick with your program for the long term in order to see lasting changes. That’s exactly why I love this double chocolate cacao powder protein smoothie recipe so much. It tastes amazing and it’s definitely a fantastic option when it comes to helping you reach your weight loss goals. It helps to curb your hunger cravings while providing you with a solid amount of protein, healthy fats, and antioxidants to leave you feeling energized throughout the day.

A Chocolate Diet Is My Kind of Diet

This weight loss smoothie is a little bit different compared to some of our other smoothies in this category. It uses a combination of both milk and a bit of cold brewed coffee for the liquid base. I usually add milk to most of my smoothie recipes because it’s such a great source of protein and saturated fats, helping to make the smoothies more satiating.

Add Coffee for a Quick Boost

Adding coffee into the mix provides a few added benefits when it comes to your weight loss efforts. Not only does the caffeine content help to increase your energy levels and focus, but studies have even found that coffee intake has been linked to successful weight loss maintenance as well. (1) Also, the cold-brewing method actually makes a huge difference in how your coffee smells, feels and tastes in your mouth. Hot water pulls the solubles such as oils, chemical compounds and acids out of your coffee grounds more quickly, making them more volatile and potentially more bitter and sour. With cold-brewing, the pulling happens more slowly, which is why cold-brewed coffee doesn’t taste bitter or acidic.

However, it’s not just the cold brewed coffee adding beneficial properties when it comes to weight loss with this recipe. Adding raw cacao powder also provides quite a few perks to help you achieve your goals. It’s full of antioxidants, healthy essential fats, vitamins, minerals, and protein. In addition, cacoa has been found to help with weight loss by increasing mitochondrial biogenesis. That isn’t the only great benefit that cacao provides — it’s potent antioxidant properties have also been found to help prevent or treat conditions like allergies, cancer, inflammation, anxiety, and many others. (2)

The double chocolate aspect of this recipe is thanks to the addition of a single scoop of chocolate whey protein powder. Whenever I purchase protein powders, I make a point to get whey isolate products because your body is able to utilise more of the protein for muscle repair and growth compared to other protein sources. The chocolate whey isolate that I personally use and recommend is a low carb product made by Isopure — you can purchase it by clicking here. Each scoop provides 25 grams of protein with added vitamins and minerals.

The only other ingredient that this recipe calls for is a bit of ice for use when blending everything together. However, lately I’ve been experimenting a bit by adding MCT oil into the smoothie with great results. If you’re unfamiliar with MCT oil, it’s an incredibly popular staple of the keto diet — another diet strategy that offers fantastic results when it comes to weight loss. Consisting of medium chain triglyceride fatty acids, studies have actually found that weight loss diets that include MCT oil result in greater rates of weight and fat loss when compared with other options like olive oil. (3) If you’ve been stalling out on losing those last few pounds, consider giving it a try!

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