Coffee Question and impact

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apehead1
apehead1 Posts: 87 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi I was wondering for peoples opinion.

I drink 12 glasses of water a day faithfully. But do enjoy 1 or 2 cups of instant coffee a day. I've done some research and am some what confused.

1. Does this affect weight loss and weight maintenance?
2. Should one only drink Decaf, as I don't care about the caffeine and if so I'm reading one should only drink naturally decaffeinated coffee.

Thanks for your input

Replies

  • vkpmusic
    vkpmusic Posts: 343 Member
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    Opinions differ. My husband switched to decaf to drop weight. I, on the other hand, did not; partially because I need to wake up at 4:30 am and partially b/c studies have shown that a cup of coffee a day is good for diabetics. That being said. We both lost weight. I would view it like everything else...moderation. If you drink a cup of coffee and you are meeting your goals, don't worry about it. If you are not, try switching. Good luck!
  • iamstaceywood
    iamstaceywood Posts: 383 Member
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    I think its not inherently the cofffee that is bad, however, cream and sugar, there is where it goes wrong. I am a coffee addict and although some will probably disagree, i love me some caffiene! I have heard that it raises your metabolism but, who knows if thats true. I drink mine with fat free half and half and one splenda. It is what it is. If your coffee lmakes you happy, enjoy it! No coffee is really decafinated so thats not really a thing i would be concerned with. You can get decaf which has less caffiene but, who wants to drink Sanka?
    Okay, i think maybe i ranted about coffee there. Sorry!
  • apehead1
    apehead1 Posts: 87 Member
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    The other questions as well does anyone know what instant coffee uses the Swiss Water Decaffination process?

    i live in Canada

    thanks
  • FitnessChefJime
    FitnessChefJime Posts: 174 Member
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    I have started to drink coffee daily again although i love it so i have seen results slow a bit. Then again it could be working out twice a day building more muscle is the cause of it too. IMO drink your coffee stay true to your diet and results will follow, caffeine is good for us but like everything in moderation. :drinker:
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
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    There are arguments for and against. One thing most agree on though is that it is the stuff you ADD to the coffee that may hinder your weight loss. It will come down to a personal choice to drink it or not, full strength or decaf. I enjoy my coffee (bf says I am a coffee snob) and have cut down from a full pot a day to 3 cups a day. I love the smell of freshly ground roasted beans and the aroma of the pot brewing. The steam wafting up from the first cup of the day just gets my blood pumping. Yeah, ok, so I am weird. :drinker:
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
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    I don't think it is going to hurt you HOWEVER coffee is a diuretic. Therefore, they say for every cup of coffee add another glass of water.
  • goron59
    goron59 Posts: 890 Member
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    The key, I think, and as others have said, is what goes in the coffee.

    Eg, a black coffee effectively has zero calories and no fat, yet a grande caffe latte from starbucks has 234 cals, 11.7g of fat (6.5 saturated).

    I'm probably lucky - I stopped putting milk/creme/sugar in my coffee when I was 18 and had to pay for it myself :-)
  • yomairaA
    yomairaA Posts: 32 Member
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    The program I'm in recomends decaff coffee only the reason for this is that caffien does something to elevate your sugars and slows down you metabolism. I use fat free creamer and very little and I use natural sugar like stevia. The nutritionist says splenda and other sweetners conatain chemicals that are not good for anyone.
  • frankborelli
    frankborelli Posts: 218 Member
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    Hmmm... I've never heard anything about coffee helping or hurting my nutritional goals. I drink two cups (literally, two 8 oz cups) each morning. In each I put two teaspoons of sugar and two tablespoons of whole milk. The whole milk is by far the "baddest" part when you look at nutritional value, fat, calories, etc. It's also the best part where protein is concerned - and I'm happy with the trade off. I've done days without coffee and it's not a big deal, but I LIKE having my coffee in the mornings and I haven't seen any negative impact so I've no reason to change it.
  • mzenzer
    mzenzer Posts: 503 Member
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    I love coffee, but really have been taking it too far for years now and needed to stop drinking it so much, and I did this two weeks ago and I can say the difference was completely unexpected. For years I've been suffering from fatigue, and about 2 years ago i was diagnosed with hypo-thyroid, and i'm taking something for that and yes my fatigue lessened, I exercise and save for needing to lose about another 10-15 pounds I'm in perfect health, but since stopping caffeine my energy levels have been through the roof! For the first week I'd have a cup in the morning and maybe a half cup after lunch, and maybe a cup of tea here or there, but as of last Monday I stopped completely. No side affects except that I have zero fatigue and almost don't know what to do with myself.

    I've always been a supporter of caffeine. Moderation is the key, but frankly I thought I'd just do this so that I can get back to a more reasonable routine (I'd have 4-6 cups before lunch and then 2-4 after) but now I don't even want it at all and I certainly feel better without.

    I don't put a lot of stock in the various studies that say this is bad or this is good, unless their is a trend and multiple sources say it is so, then it will peak my interest. Well, one thing I've read a lot that doesn't seem to get mentioned much is that caffeine is a vaso-constrictor. It actually inhibits blood flow and there are studies now that suggest your mental acuity actually drops after drinking coffee, so those late nights spent studying and drinking coffee might have been do-able due to the caffeine zing you got, but it may actually have hurt your ability to learn. In addition, and the biggest thing for me, is the dehydration. I was just concerned that it was having a negative effect on my weight loss.

    I don't know I still don't think coffee is bad but I doubt I'll drink it again except on those rare occasions.
  • iluvwdw
    iluvwdw Posts: 287 Member
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    The other questions as well does anyone know what instant coffee uses the Swiss Water Decaffination process?

    i live in Canada

    thanks

    Hmm I guessed Tim's but then saw instant. So not sure. I have to douse my coffee with cream and sugar I just don't understand how people can drink instant??
  • YourFriendBecky
    YourFriendBecky Posts: 229
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    I don't know anything about coffee impacting weight loss... have actually heard that it can have some positive effects on blood sugar levels... but for me, my biggest problem with coffee, although I love it, is that it creates more hunger, or at least a feeling in my stomach which mimics hunger.
  • Squash97
    Squash97 Posts: 84
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    I have actually heard that it can increase your metabolism because it is a stimulant which will increase your heart rate. They actually just recommended you SHOULD drink coffee on the show the Doctors. I have 1-2 cups of iced coffee per day with skim milk and a sugar free sweetener. It's better than drinking soda or getting all those sugar calries from juice. I don't think that there's anything wrong with it as long as you don't have a health issue that says otherwise...
  • de1amo
    de1amo Posts: 266 Member
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    i stopped all coffee for 6 months while i dieted down to my goal weight but once i hit my goal i started drinking it again and it was the crack in the dam that opened the gates to all the bad old habits-for me i need to be strong willed or it all goes wrong--coffee then alcohol and then chocolate follow--psychologically if i can resist all that harms me i can lose weight--i put 11lbs on in 3 months and now reading all these conflicting oppinions i know i must stop coffee to regain my dieting 'mind'--caffeine is addictive!
  • akaDumbo
    akaDumbo Posts: 187
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    The other questions as well does anyone know what instant coffee uses the Swiss Water Decaffination process?

    i live in Canada

    thanks

    I'm in the Uk so dont know what brands you have in Canada, but if you go for organic decaff the chances are it will have been Swiss Water Filtered as they dont use chemicals
  • DJH510
    DJH510 Posts: 114 Member
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    As long as you log whatever you drink, how could coffee possibly affect your weight loss?
  • JenniferH81
    JenniferH81 Posts: 285 Member
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    I'm thinking that coffee affects us all differently. For me, it completely blocks hunger. I will have a cup at 5-6 am, then wont be hungry until 11. and those days where I decide to have a cup sometime after noon..I wont be hungry for dinner. So I think that is where it's not great for me. because I've skipped meals due to having coffee.

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