Coffee

korsicash

Hi group, I am a self proclaimed coffee addict. Recently I have been wondering if coffee is the reason I have plateaued. I drink close to a pot a day. I drink lots of water as well. Thinking of trying a week of *gulp* one cup a day. Has anyone else here limited their coffee? I am afraid of the repercussions since I have been on a pot to two pots a day for a few years now. I have a feeling this maybe painful. I do drink tea but no soda. Any suggestions would be great!

mfp_junkie

I drink 3 to 4 cups a day, and have been even when dropping 20 pounds last summer. I have found no correlation between coffee consumption and my ability to lose weight.

How much cream and sugar are you adding to your coffee? I did cut both in half, which took a bit to get used to, but also cut my calories in half too. Now I can drink 2x as much!

Mmm...coffee.

schpanks

I cut down from like 6 cups a day to 2 most days. It was only painful because it was self denial. I started feeling better almost immediately. But you're going to have to pry the last 2 cups from my hands. I absolutely can't function without any stimulation at all.

wftiger

Do you drink it black? Then no. If there are no calories to count then it would not be responsible for a plateau.

Plateaus happen. Best to just continue on with what you are doing and it will pass and you will start losing again.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss-plateau/MY01152
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/10-ways-to-move-beyond-a-weight-loss-plateau
http://www.oprah.com/health/Weight-Loss-Advice-Fitness-Plateau-Dr-Katz

Erika1962

A whole pot a day, hot in the morning and then as icecoffee throughout the day, with real milk and stevia:drinker:

FitMama2013

I gave up soda about 1.5 months ago and coffee about a month ago. I did it because I have a lot of dental issues and the extra acidity and sugar (how I make my coffee) wasn't helping...I feel ALOT better now that I"m just drinking water and milk, but I haven't seen the scale move. I will caution you that I had horrendous headaches, but it was only for a few days - I went cold turkey, but if you weaned yourself down slowly I think you'd be okay. I wouldn't go from a pot a day to one cup right away - maybe go a pot, to 10 cups a day, then 8, then 6, etc...that will probably help with the potential headaches. good luck!

chelseaalicia

I work as a barista at a very busy cafe and drink 4-8 espressos per day because it's part of my job... hans't slowed me down a bit. I do drink a lot of water to compensate, usually match cups of water to coffee/espresso 1:1.

MelissR75

I have between 3-4 cups a day. The only thing I cut back on was how much sugar and cream I add to it. Cant start my day without my coffee!!!

em435

Hi,
I'm not sure if they have it in your side of the world but I switched from coffee to pro-plus (50mg caffeine in a pill) to help me get used to not reaching for the hot mug of deliciousness at all hours of the day!
Anyway, I'm off the pills now (only ever took maximum of 2 a day) and have learnt to savour my morning coffee and only the occasional afternoon coffee when I haven't slept well.

It can be done!

korsicash

I put a tablespoon of creamer in my cup and one stevia packet and then I refill my cup constantly so it is always hot with some flavor by the end of the pot my coffee is black. I have lost 55 since last july I have ten more I want gone by my one year weight loss mark. They don't want to budge.

kazzari

I recently cut down from a pot to one cup and it hasn't been a problem. It hasn't effected my weightloss efforts either way. Although, since coffee is often used as a workout enhancer and speeds things up I wouldn't think it would inhibit weightloss.

Mahoney164

I only drink 1-2 cups a day. I did, however, give up Coca Cola 3 weeks ago. I wanted to let you know that the headaches you get when you pretty much give up caffeine are WICKED! They subside after about a week, but they truly sucked.

CynthiasChoice

I get terrible headaches if I cut down on coffee too quickly. I would cut it by 3/4 for a few days, then 1/2 and so forth till you're where you want to be. When I stopped coffee last time, I mixed it with decaf for a while, and then tapered the amount I was drinking.

I switched to tea. 2 cups with caffeine and then herbal teas. I never thought I'd enjoy being a tea drinker, but I do. There's a fresher, sweeter taste in my mouth, and there's such a huge variety of teas to choose from. My favorites are Yerba Mate or Full Circle Chai in the morning, Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice for dessert after lunch, and Chamomile in the evening.

Hope the transition goes well for you, if you do choose to cut back.

kkmulholland

I am also an avid coffee lover (started drinking Turkish coffee at the age of 3!). I was quite concerned about my ability to cut back on my coffee but I have found that just one cup of caf per day and the rest decaf works fine. We have a Keurig (I gave up the drip brewer to do this) and so can just brew what I want when. No headaches and I did really used to drink the real stuff all day long and found that for me it was more about the ritual than the caffeine. I think whether or not it affects your weight loss is just frankly unknowable. If you can cut back and increase the decaf, it wouldn't hurt and it *might* be something to jump start the weight loss again.

If you try it, be sure to let us know what happens!

pfarley68

Take yourself off slowly or you will feel terrible. I drank only 1 to 2 cups and when I would miss a day I would get a terrible headache. I am down to half a cup and intend to stop soon. Hope it works out for you.

waterwing

I used to drink about 2 pots a day but have now limited it to just a big cup or 2 cups in the morning. I also drink it black and find that it definitely helps kick start my morning. I switch to Green Tea during the day and have found this gives me a bit of an extra boost when I need it. I think as long as you're staying hydrated with lots and lots of water it isn't too big of a deal but you'll probably feel better if you aren't drinking it all day.

treasa327

before your first coffee in the morning, it is a good idea to drink a glass of water. usually you dehydrate as you sleep. i don't know about anyone else, but the first thing i do when i get up is........wait for it................. have a nice long pee! (my cats know my routine). i

gdkerplunk

I was drinking about 6 cups a day. My problem, though, was using so much creamer. You know those huge bottles of International Delight creamers? Yeah... I could go through one of those in two days. I was drinking so many creamer calories that I had to just give it up all together. I don't drink coffee black. *gag*. And I wasn't drinking water at all!

I've been off the coffee for a couple of weeks now and am doing well! It was hard at first, but I'm honestly not missing it anymore.

Sweet_Potato

I drink 2-4 cups of coffee and tea most days. Always black, without milk or sugar. One week I decided to go without caffiene just to see if there would be any effects, and there weren't. I didn't get withdrawal headaches, lose or gain weight, or feel more or less energetic. Coffee's one of those simple, guiltess pleasures in my life so I figure why cut back on it?

CaroSeraMince

I really don't think coffee is going to cause a plateau. You've lost a lot of weight already and it's natural for the body to get stuck. There are a lot of good threads on plateauing. You'll have to experiment with new workouts, HIIT, and closely examining the foods you're eating to busy through. Also, sometimes it just takes time. But if coffee is something you enjoy, there's no reason to give it up.

I would do untold harm to someone if they tried to get me to quit coffee. Ain't. Gonna. Happen. :drinker: