Coffee -- Affect on Appetite?

sunny_smile5
sunny_smile5 Posts: 91 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I recently added coffee to my morning routine and I haven't determined whether it is affecting my eating habit negatively or positively. I'm not sure if caffeine has any affect on one's appetite. I seem to be eating more and craving more food even after I've already eaten and am full...but I desparately need the caffeine in the morning..so I am not sure what to do. I'm not drinking too much, just a little -- about 8 oz -- to keep myself awake through the day. If anyone knows anything about the effects of coffee on one's appetite, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • xarge
    xarge Posts: 484 Member
    I recently added coffee to my morning routine and I haven't determined whether it is affecting my eating habit negatively or positively. I'm not sure if caffeine has any affect on one's appetite. I seem to be eating more and craving more food even after I've already eaten and am full...but I desparately need the caffeine in the morning..so I am not sure what to do. I'm not drinking too much, just a little -- about 8 oz -- to keep myself awake through the day. If anyone knows anything about the effects of coffee on one's appetite, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

    As you recently added coffee to your diet, I take it that you don't have caffeine addiction. In that case is your morning need for a stimulant related to poor sleep? You will also have an increase in appetite if your body doesn't get enough rest.

    As for me, a strong black coffee (no cream, no sugar) always curbs my appetite but by default I'm never ravenous in the mornings. I used it successfully against sugar cravings, though.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    For many people it's an appetite suppressant. That doesn't mean it can't work the opposite for you, though. Are you putting cream and sugar in your coffee? It may be more to do with those. Try it black and see if it helps.

    If it turns out to be the coffee, I'd consider trying to do without it. One cup of coffee can't be having a significant effect on keeping you awake during the day, and if it is, you'll get used to it soon and need a second cup to get the same effect. Then you'll need a third...
  • Sugarhoneyicedtea
    Sugarhoneyicedtea Posts: 76
    I drink my coffee either black, or with a tiny (half a tsp) of sugar. I've found it decreases my appetite, but I've been a coffee drinker for years. What are you adding to your coffee?
  • sunny_smile5
    sunny_smile5 Posts: 91 Member
    I recently added coffee to my morning routine and I haven't determined whether it is affecting my eating habit negatively or positively. I'm not sure if caffeine has any affect on one's appetite. I seem to be eating more and craving more food even after I've already eaten and am full...but I desparately need the caffeine in the morning..so I am not sure what to do. I'm not drinking too much, just a little -- about 8 oz -- to keep myself awake through the day. If anyone knows anything about the effects of coffee on one's appetite, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

    As you recently added coffee to your diet, I take it that you don't have caffeine addiction. In that case is your morning need for a stimulant related to poor sleep? You will also have an increase in appetite if your body doesn't get enough rest.

    As for me, a strong black coffee (no cream, no sugar) always curbs my appetite but by default I'm never ravenous in the mornings. I used it successfully against sugar cravings, though.

    No, I usually get around 7 - 8 hours of sleep each evening, but I don't know why I still always feel so tired and sluggish...thus the reason why I decided to start drinking coffee. One of the reason why I chose coffee was because I've read a lot on the health benefits of a little bit of coffee daily as well. I may need to just pay my doctor a visit to check up on why I am so tired all the time despite getting so much sleep.
  • emilyrthompson
    emilyrthompson Posts: 45
    For me, if I drink coffee in the afternoons when I don't need it, it makes me hungry. I think the caffine gives me jitters which in turn makes me feel like my sugar is low and I need food. This is just my own experience.
  • MommaKit79
    MommaKit79 Posts: 852
    I drink mine in the morning and hold off on my breakfast a little. I notice that if I eat with my coffee, I eat more throughout the day. My coffee almost acts as pre-breakfast snack instead of having a mid-morning snack after eating breakfast and drinking coffee.
  • boreshagal
    boreshagal Posts: 20
    Coffee raises your insulin levels so it does make you hungrier. If you visit any site for low-glycemic or diabetes related sites it will have that information readily available to you.I did find a company that has the only patented fat burning coffee and I have used it for the past 5 days and I am amazed that I have no acid reflux or nauseousness after I drink it.I am less hungry and have been less obsessed with food during the day. I start my work day @2am and also need the coffee, so I understand your issue.
  • pantherkeith
    pantherkeith Posts: 19 Member
    Any caffeine product gives me the sensation of suppressed appetite, although I know that it is not a suppressent.
  • BodyRockerVT
    BodyRockerVT Posts: 323 Member
    I recently started drinking coffee again and I consider it my afternoon "palate cleanser" because it rids me of my cravings for sweats (I do use a little creamer).

    The thing I *have* noticed is it leaves me more energized for my evening workout so I push harder...which in turn makes me more hungry. So the coffee itself takes away some of the appetite but the end result (more energy) ends up leading to more hunger.

    Seems rather odd I know...
  • KharismaticKayteh
    KharismaticKayteh Posts: 322 Member
    Have you tried lighting candles throughout the day? I've heard that candles that smell nummy actually help to suppress your appetite.
  • petiteLady89
    petiteLady89 Posts: 198 Member
    My coffee was suppressing my appetite a lot in the mornings. I didn't get hungry until 11-12pm. Since I stopped over a week ago and replaced coffee with some green tea, I am definitely hungry in the mornings.
  • sunny_smile5
    sunny_smile5 Posts: 91 Member
    I drink my coffee either black, or with a tiny (half a tsp) of sugar. I've found it decreases my appetite, but I've been a coffee drinker for years. What are you adding to your coffee?

    I'm watching my carb and fat intake, so I don't add anything besides 1 teaspoon of cold cream, which amounts to only about 1 g carb and probably 15-20 calories extra since coffee does not contain any carb or fat. I don't even put sugar in my coffee because I use flavored cream and it gives me enough flavor that I don't need the sugar (which I have been paying careful attention to reduce consumption of as well). Btw, I don't drink hot coffee; I prepare it iced.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    I recently added coffee to my morning routine and I haven't determined whether it is affecting my eating habit negatively or positively. I'm not sure if caffeine has any affect on one's appetite. I seem to be eating more and craving more food even after I've already eaten and am full...but I desparately need the caffeine in the morning..so I am not sure what to do. I'm not drinking too much, just a little -- about 8 oz -- to keep myself awake through the day. If anyone knows anything about the effects of coffee on one's appetite, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

    As you recently added coffee to your diet, I take it that you don't have caffeine addiction. In that case is your morning need for a stimulant related to poor sleep? You will also have an increase in appetite if your body doesn't get enough rest.

    As for me, a strong black coffee (no cream, no sugar) always curbs my appetite but by default I'm never ravenous in the mornings. I used it successfully against sugar cravings, though.

    same here. Old school diet pills used caffeine as the appetite suppresant. When my breakfast was oatmeal and an apple - I was shaking like a leaf and ravenous 90 minutes later. Turned out the breakfast was sending my blood sugar way up and then it would come crashing down and "hunger" set in (it was the crash - not actual hunger) - I would be weak and shaky. Now I can eat a few eggs (sometimes with some uncured bacon) smothered in pastured butter and I won't be hungry again for about 5-6 hours (it takes 4-5 hours for food to completely leave the stomach. You should not be hungry every 2-3 hours). Or I'll put some heavy cream in my coffee and that will last me quite a while, too. I'm not real hungry in the AM. I'm only "hungry" in the AM if I ate high carb the night before (N=1)
  • LAmedic
    LAmedic Posts: 6
    I don't drink coffee normally, but I do find that it is an appetite supressant when I do. That being said, you have to be careful that you do not skip important meals while partaking in the the nirvana that is coffee :) Also, I find that energy drinks do not have the same effect on me as coffee. Beware of the extra calories that the sugar and creamers add!
  • sunny_smile5
    sunny_smile5 Posts: 91 Member
    My coffee was suppressing my appetite a lot in the mornings. I didn't get hungry until 11-12pm. Since I stopped over a week ago and replaced coffee with some green tea, I am definitely hungry in the mornings.

    I never skip breakfast in the mornings and eat 6 small meals and snacks throughout the day. I don't drink coffee with the desire or intention to suppress my appetite, rather just to stay awake throughout the day...but I'm just afraid drinking coffee has had the opposite effect on me by increasing my appetite...it's good to hear from many of you, however, that coffee has actually suppressed your appetite..so maybe coffee is not the problem for me.
  • xarge
    xarge Posts: 484 Member
    No, I usually get around 7 - 8 hours of sleep each evening, but I don't know why I still always feel so tired and sluggish...thus the reason why I decided to start drinking coffee. One of the reason why I chose coffee was because I've read a lot on the health benefits of a little bit of coffee daily as well. I may need to just pay my doctor a visit to check up on why I am so tired all the time despite getting so much sleep.

    One of the common reasons is a deficiency in your diet, of a vitamin or mineral (b12, iron, manganese etc). Or you may not be having a healthy sleep despite those 7-8 due to waking up midsleep etc. It's the best idea to visit your doctor indeed.
  • sunny_smile5
    sunny_smile5 Posts: 91 Member
    I don't drink coffee normally, but I do find that it is an appetite supressant when I do. That being said, you have to be careful that you do not skip important meals while partaking in the the nirvana that is coffee :) Also, I find that energy drinks do not have the same effect on me as coffee. Beware of the extra calories that the sugar and creamers add!

    Oh, trust me..I NEVER skip meals. I am constantly eating throughout the day, at least every 2-3 hours because I am following a controlled carb meal plan that my nutritionist recommended to me. The coffee is just a kick to start my day, but I eat a balanced breakfast every morning. For example, this morning I had an apple, 1 egg white, and almonds...now plus my cup of coffee. My meals and snacks are really important to me and I logged them by paper every day to make sure I eat healthy, balanced meals..but lately, since drinking coffee, I just seem to be craving for more food during the evenings. It's driving me nuts! I hate eating 1-2 hours before bedtime, but for some reason I keep craving food during the evenings now and can't stop eating. I have gained weight since I started drinking coffee because of this.
  • bizorra
    bizorra Posts: 151 Member
    I know for me that if I drink my coffee before I eat, it temporarily suppresses my appetite (I don't want breakfast) but then I become ravenously hungry once that effect has worn off.

    For energy, have you thought about eggs, vitamin B or even ginseng?

    My step sister recently realised when she eats gluten she feels really tired, so she stopped eating gluten during the work week and finds she needs less coffee.

    There are lots of ways what you eat can impact your energy levels... I love my coffee but acknowledge that it may not be the healthiest thing for me (I'm a total addict, lol).
  • acstansell
    acstansell Posts: 567 Member
    For me it depends - how much I drink, what kind, and what time of day. I usually do a 12 oz Starbucks every morning w/out any ill effects to my appetite. I also don't drink coffee past 10am.

    However, yesterday I had a 20 oz coffee and I didn't finish it until 11:30. I was buzzed the rest of the day, it killed my appetite for lunch, when I crashed at 5:30pm, I was immediately hungry and tired. I ate dinner and crashed.

    So, I can do a regular 12oz or even a 16oz iced latte. But I can't do more than that. Red Bull has the same effects on me BTW.

    PS: This has gotten worse as I've lost weight - I could drink coffee all day w/no issues before I lost weight.

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