Coffee - whats the situation?

So I've recently started drinking coffee. Not the cruddy instant, but the fresh brick you keep in the fridge and make in a cafetiere.

Basically I've struggled with energy levels in forever. Since having a child anyway, and he's 4 now, and waking up before 6am every day. Ouch.
People said exercise would help, but it never has, it just makes me more tired. I've had very regular thyroid tests, which is functioning normally.

I had a cup of lovely coffee at 6:30, and it's 8am and I feel great. I have it black with stevia.
But I've read conflicting things.
To lose weight, you shouldn't drink coffee. To lose weight, you should drink black coffee (which I do anyway). I want to add here, that I'm not drinking coffee as help for losing weight. I exercise daily and cleaned up my eating massively, and those are the things I rely on for weight loss.

Which is it? It's getting to the point now where all media outlets tell you that you will get cancer, you won't get cancer, you'll sprout hair from your eyes if you eat, drink, look at literally anything these days, so it's kinda hard to know what the real deal is??
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Replies

  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    Drink your coffee.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    don't store it in the fridge. store the whole beans at room temperature and grind right before brewing.
  • sozisfitnow
    sozisfitnow Posts: 209 Member
    I drink a cup or two of black coffee in the morning its a new habit and it helps with my workouts
    That has been tested medically and shown this to be an effect. It sure is helpful on a calorie deficit!
  • dont worry, coffee definately won't hurt you!! by the way my grandma is 94 and has had 3-6 cups of coffee a day since she was 12 : )
  • ron2e
    ron2e Posts: 606
    dont worry, coffee definately won't hurt you!! by the way my grandma is 94 and has had 3-6 cups of coffee a day since she was 12 : )

    My mum is 90 this year and has never drunk coffee in her life, she drinks black tea without milk. And your point is..................? :happy:
  • brit_ks_89
    brit_ks_89 Posts: 433 Member
    dont worry, coffee definately won't hurt you!! by the way my grandma is 94 and has had 3-6 cups of coffee a day since she was 12 : )

    My mum is 90 this year and has never drunk coffee in her life, she drinks black tea without milk. And your point is..................? :happy:

    HER POINT WAS COFFEE WONT YOU HURT YOU!
  • symonspatrick
    symonspatrick Posts: 213 Member
    I have been drinking 5 to 10 cups of black coffee per day for the last six months. It has been a huge help for me in keeping my energy level up and my appetite level down. It has helped me to lose 89 pounds so I think I will just stick with it for now.
  • Lulzaroonie
    Lulzaroonie Posts: 222 Member
    don't store it in the fridge. store the whole beans at room temperature and grind right before brewing.

    The coffee is already ground, so you just pop them in the cafetiere and add hot water, and then filter out the grounds before serving :) The only reason I store it in the fridge is because the packaging recommends it :)

    Thanks for the replies, I'm feeling more awake and alert for the first time in a stupidly long time, and feel like I could do loads today.
    I'll keep on with the coffee. At the moment, I'm only drinking a cup in the morning to give me the get up and go.
  • I have a small Americano when I get to work at 8. But I typically only drink 1/2 to 3/4 of that before it goes cold.
    Mid morning I will have a small skinny latte and typically drink abut 1/2 to 3/4 of that.

    In the afternoon I'll make a small filter coffee.

    I'm eating the calories MFP recommends, doing exercise 5 times per week and losing 2lbs per week as MFP estimated and have been consistent in weight loss for 10 weeks. Cutting out the coffee made no difference other than making my morning tiredness last longer.


    Drink your coffee and enjoy it.

    Just try not to drink more than 3 cups per day, an Americano is better than a latte, and I find if I drink it after 4pm it messes with my sleep.


    (and ground coffee should not be kept in the fridge, I don't care what the manufacturer says on the packet. And frankly I'd switch to a different brand if they don't know their coffee basics).
  • Nutella91
    Nutella91 Posts: 624 Member
    most of the time you will hear me say how coffee the best advice i can give people to lose weight... It curbs your appetite and makes you pumped for the gym.
    trust me!
    just the other day i was thinking that there would be NO WAY for me to look like this if it wasn't for coffee
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Well I don't drink it cuz it tastes nasty and it gives me stomach aches and heart palpitations, but that's just me. I think coffee would be fine for weight loss. It's supposedly even healthy for you to have a cup or two a day. The guy above drinking 10 cups a day is a little excessive, though. But whatever. Drink up. :drinker:
  • kellehbeans
    kellehbeans Posts: 838 Member
    I have only recently started to rely on coffee. I find it gives me the kick in the morning to get on and do some work, it also gives me a boost in my work outs. I drink it black, so it hydrates me as well.
  • Tatiyanya
    Tatiyanya Posts: 255 Member
    I'm strongly coffee dependant, due to high levels of zombiefication in the morning and without coffee I would not get out of bed. And dont even get me started how important it is for supporting the whole morning poo buisness.
    If I didnt get out of bed and get stuff done (which inccludes working out too) I'm sure Id still be verily obeese.

    Coffee is good, coffee is divine. Just wish it didnt make having white pearly smile SO DAMN DIFFICULT.

    Drink your coffee and ENJOY it. Black, with skimmed milk, sprinkle of cinnamon, with brown sugar, without sugar, with coco even.

    I..used to work as barista before. One of most enjoyable jobs there are. THE SMELL <3
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    don't store it in the fridge. store the whole beans at room temperature and grind right before brewing.

    This.

    Rookie mistake.
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
    don't store it in the fridge. store the whole beans at room temperature and grind right before brewing.

    Coffee stays fresh for longer if you keep it in the fridge and longer if you freeze it. I'm the only person in the house who drinks fresh coffee so if I kept it at room temperature, it would go off.
  • sozisfitnow
    sozisfitnow Posts: 209 Member
    dont worry, coffee definately won't hurt you!! by the way my grandma is 94 and has had 3-6 cups of coffee a day since she was 12 : )

    My mum is 90 this year and has never drunk coffee in her life, she drinks black tea without milk. And your point is..................? :happy:

    HER POINT WAS COFFEE WONT YOU HURT YOU!

    AGREE!!!!!!!! Very clear coffee didn't hurt her mum:laugh:
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    I have a big bulletproof coffee every morning these days. That's all I have (apart from water) until post-workout/ lunch time. It's not stopping me from losing weight, nor is it making me sick or anything like that.
  • Nikusz
    Nikusz Posts: 69 Member
    found a nice review of scientific studies, not filtered through media angles http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2864136/
    it seems that coffee alone will not hinder your weight loss, but if you use them, count the calories from added stuff (sugar, milk, cream...). this is the relevant fragment:

    3.2. Coffee and Tea

    Coffee and tea in their unaltered form contribute fluid to the diet without contributing energy. Increased coffee and tea consumption is associated with less weight gain over time in men and women; this observation is not attributed to beverage caffeine content (Lopez-Garcia et al., 2006). Adults who routinely (i.e., ≥1 time per week) consumed green, oolong or black tea for >10 years have lower body fat percentages and smaller waist circumferences than nonconsumers (Wu et al., 2003), and research has suggested that green tea in particular may play a role in weight loss and weight maintenance. Green tea contains catechins, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which in concentrated supplement form has been shown to increase fat oxidation (Auvichayapat et al., 2008; Dulloo et al., 1999; Venables, Hulston, Cox, & Jeukendrup, 2008), reduce body fat (Nagao, Hase, & Tokimitsu, 2007), and increase weight loss (Auvichayapat et al., 2008). However, several cups of tea must be consumed to achieve the benefits of the catechin levels found in concentrated forms. In contrast, daily energy intake among high consumers of popular energy-containing coffee and tea drinks (i.e. lattes, espressos, café mochas, cappuccinos) is 206 kcal higher than nonconsumers (Shields, Corrales, & Metallinos-Katsaras, 2004). Thus, while there may be some benefits to consuming coffee and tea in their energy-free form, consumption of energy-containing coffee and tea drinks may increase total energy intake.
  • RobinV_Seattle
    RobinV_Seattle Posts: 191 Member
    don't store it in the fridge. store the whole beans at room temperature and grind right before brewing.

    Coffee stays fresh for longer if you keep it in the fridge and longer if you freeze it. I'm the only person in the house who drinks fresh coffee so if I kept it at room temperature, it would go off.

    I freeze mine too - it takes me about two-three months to go through a container and it just seems to go stale otherwise. Maybe it's my imagination, but I can live with that, lol! :drinker:
  • ron2e
    ron2e Posts: 606
    dont worry, coffee definately won't hurt you!! by the way my grandma is 94 and has had 3-6 cups of coffee a day since she was 12 : )

    My mum is 90 this year and has never drunk coffee in her life, she drinks black tea without milk. And your point is..................? :happy:

    HER POINT WAS COFFEE WONT YOU HURT YOU!

    Oh dear, yet again gentle humour is lost on some people. Lighten up dear.
  • bigrye79
    bigrye79 Posts: 2
    Coffee is great to wake up and to have for your work shift-if I had to choose between coffee and nasty aftertasting energy drinks the coffee wins-and I usually have water to alternate so it flushes out
  • ChrissieP80
    ChrissieP80 Posts: 112 Member
    I have an almost 4 year old who has given me over 4 years of sleep issues (yes, even before he was born :tongue: )
    I say just drink the damn coffee woman...anything that gets you through the day. I don't know what the studies say but I have always drunk coffee (and tea) and I don't think it makes a jot of difference to weight loss. The only thing I've done is to cut out the sugar and full-fat milk in mine and changed from lattes to long machs.
  • arthurrichard
    arthurrichard Posts: 51 Member
    http://i.imgur.com/MGfM9x1.jpg

    That's how I feel about it.
  • zerryz
    zerryz Posts: 168 Member
    Just enjoy your cup of coffee.

    Oh and coffee in the fridge just takes away premium real estate refrigerating space. Since the middle ages when they discovered it, many middle easterners have stored and drunk tasty coffee without needing refrigeration. And it gets real hot there (no pun intended)
  • tonyrocks922
    tonyrocks922 Posts: 172 Member
    dont worry, coffee definately won't hurt you!! by the way my grandma is 94 and has had 3-6 cups of coffee a day since she was 12 : )

    My mum is 90 this year and has never drunk coffee in her life, she drinks black tea without milk. And your point is..................? :happy:

    HER POINT WAS COFFEE WONT YOU HURT YOU!

    HIS POINT IS ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE IS STUPID!
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    You'll pry my coffee from my cold dead hands...

    That being said.> I've heard an apple in the morning is also good to wake you up.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    I have a small Americano when I get to work at 8. But I typically only drink 1/2 to 3/4 of that before it goes cold.
    Mid morning I will have a small skinny latte and typically drink abut 1/2 to 3/4 of that.
    Ugh.. starbuckian! I'm the dummy who goes to starbucks and orders "coffee black, with cream" LOL (cream at starbucks cause I don't like their coffee, but they're the only coffee on the PA turnpike booo, normally my coffee is just black) LOL
  • they can pry my coffee cup from my cold dead hands!
  • kaylaknight4247
    kaylaknight4247 Posts: 31 Member
    Coffee is really good for you, and regardless can help in weight loss, even if that's not your goal :) They say about 3 cups should be the limit, that's when it can get dangerous, especially if you have a bad heart. Too much can also hinder weight loss. But anything under that is really good for your brain, circulatory system, heart, etc. Moderation is key to whether its great for you or horrible for you, go ahead and enjoy it.