TL;DR at the end
Before I get to the debate question, here's a little background info-
I am a 40 year old female, starting weight 340 lbs, current weight 300 lbs. I have been stuck at 300 exactly for about a month or so, but have lost several inches. I lost the first 20 lbs from about July 2019-November 2019, and then another 20 lbs since November. Since November, I have logged more, moved more, eaten less (most days, maybe 80% success rate) and unplugged from my Fitbit (I believe it was registering too many steps and/or calories burned) and I also don't log exercise/extra activity in MFP anymore. Also, my son bought me a coffee percolator for my birthday and a 30 oz coffee tumbler for christmas. Needless to say, I have been drinking A LOT of coffee since the end of November. I have replaced around 3-4 20 oz sodas per day with 30- 60 oz of HOMEMADE coffee and around 100 oz of water per day.
Here's where the debate comes in- I have a friend who swears that the coffee is the sole cause of my weight/ inches lost. It has even caused her to increase her intake of coffee without making any lifestyle changes. I believe it is the lifestyle changes I have made. I have pointed out to her that I can have a homemade cup of coffee for between 100-200 calories versus one 20 oz soda/fruit juice for about 300 calories. So 200-400 calories of coffee versus 900-1200 calories of soda. I already know the answer to this question, I just want to show her how misinformed she is about weight loss (she is the type to try every new weight loss fad she sees online).
TL;DR friend who tries every weight loss fad says my weight/ inches lost are caused only by my increased coffee intake. I say it is the lifestyle changes I have made in the last 3 months.
Replies
If switching from soda to coffee reduced your calorie intake, it would cause weight loss. The switch from soda calories being all sugar, to coffee calories being perhaps partially from protein and fat (not sure if you use milk/cream or just sugar) could improve satiety of those calories as well.
Not what you asked, but IMHO trying to convince someone that eating less/moving more is how you lost weight, especially when they are a fad chaser, is a pointless waste of time. People would rather there be a trick or product that will magically fix their problem. Just keep setting a good example and accomplishing your goals. Congrats and continued success!
Also, my weight loss has been fairly predictable at around 3500 calories per pound for 2 years.
Good luck!
Keep going!
Keep learning!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23671022
OP was drinking soda prior, I'd guess at least some of it was caffeinated. And we don't knowthey weren't drinking any coffee at all before, just that they drink more now.
I could see if someone went from no caffeine to a lot of caffeine the metabolic change could be a little noticable. But a 100 cal metabolic increase didn't make OP lose 20 lbs since Nov. It might have given a little boost. But there was without a doubt much more to it.
She's a big girl.
You lost weight by eating fewer calories than you needed based on your current activity level (work/school/exercise/housecleaning etc.) The coffee/caffeine may be giving you a bit more energy so you are moving more. That's how caffeine helps with weight loss - it gives increased energy so you spend more calories moving. That's why it's really popular in weight loss supplements.
Yes, plenty of caffeinated beverages and coffee. 3-4 sodas a day, monster java, starbucks in a can, red bull, you name it and an occasional (maybe 2-3 per week) homemade coffee.
I got a sugar buzz just reading that!🤣
Well, when you cut 1500 calories a day out of your intake, yeah, you might just lose some weight. That's a lot of sugar.
*wavng at psychod787*
me too
I ended up drinking more coffee than I like, so I quit it for a period of time, and my weight loss did not change, so of course -- as others have said -- the coffee itself did nothing. However, I do think for some, maybe many, it's helpful in that it's low cal, a satisfying alternative to eating something sometimes, and can in some cases satisfy hunger. Also -- and certainly this is you -- if you were drinking higher cal beverages switching to a low or no cal beverage can certainly make cutting cals easy.
Re your friend's idea that coffee is some magical weight loss beverage, it's wrong and kind of silly, but for a magical weight belief it seems pretty harmless, and people are just going to believe silly things about how weight loss works.