THE COFFEE/CAFFEINE QUESTION

im going to assume the sugar is what is bad, and the creamer? i mean people drink redbulls and what not ... drink ur coffee! i highly doubt ur not going to reach ur goal from drinking coffee LOL!
better yet just drink that all the time and dont eat .... j/k

I recently purchased the book "Skinny B*tch" and I highly recommend it as long as you aren't easily offended. It has great facts in it, but has quite a bit of foul language. I purchased it off alibris.com cheap. Anyways, in this book it says caffeine stores fat, and that you should wean yourself off of it.
BUT then I read a magazine article in Self i believe, where Jillian Michaels (biggest loser trainer) said coffee is okay, as long as it is used with no cal sweetener and no cream.
So I'm not sure which to believe. I'd say experiment with it and see what works for you. I'm going to try the Skinny B*tch lifestyle and see what works!

I have heard the opposite, that 2-4 cups a day can help weight lost since it has a thermogenic effect.

agreed and its also a dieretic i know i butchered that name

I drink anywhere from 1.5 cups to a whole pot a day. I use creamer and *GASP* sugar.

I've always been a coffee addict and it's never impacted my weight. Other than pregnancy, I've been thin (until a little over a year ago - and alot of people would still consider me thin.. *shrugs*) for the majority of my life.

Coffee has many pros and cons:
1) it's an addictive drug
2) too many chemical additions (processed creamers & non-sugar sweeteners) can neutralize it's health benefits
3) improves sex life (yep.. 1-2 cups a day).
4) improves memory & cognition
5) diuretic - which means it can dehydrate without the proper balance of non-caffeinated/sugared beverages, preferably water.
6) Neither sugar nor cream has as many calories in this context as you might think.
7) can strip you of calcium
8) coffee is a stimulant - it will speed up your digestive processes and metabolism - until you crash and then you're more sluggish without more (see #1)
9) there ARE withdrawal symptoms, typically in the form of a severe headache - you must wean yourself rather than quit cold turkey or you'll regret it.
10) coffee is most beneficial in the 1-2 cup a day range; more is not the best bet (in spite of the fact that I'm a total addict - that's one of the reasons I know!)
11) coffee is very hard on your digestive tract - if you have any digestive disorders (IBS, ulcers, lactose intolerance, or any others) you want to approach any coffee consumption very gingerly, if at all. It's best not to have on an empty stomach (but many of us addicts do.. the first thing we have in the morning otherwise it's like watching a really bad game of pin ball!)

I'm sure there's more...but I'm kind of tired and this is all stuff just off the top of my head that I'm aware of. There's been tons and tons of studies on the stuff and I think every other year, a new "scientific" verdict comes out. Frankly, I think all of them are true to some degree or another and the scientists of the world just need to add to the list of results rather than trying to debunk one or another of the previous findings.

I found the page, so I'll type out this passage in the Skinny B*tch book:
" Caffeine can cause headaches, digestive problems, irritation of the stomach and bladder, peptic ulcers, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. It affects every organ system, from the nervous system to the skin. Caffeine raises stress hormone levels, inhibits important enzyme systems that are responsible for cleansing the body, and sensitizes nerve reception sites. One study even links caffeine to an increased susceptibility to diabetes. But don't go grabbing for the decaf. Coffee, whether regular or decaf is highly acidic. Acidic foods cause your body to produce fat cells, in order to keep the acid away from your organs. (Do NOT link this acid issue to citrus and other fruit) So coffee equals fat cells. "

Hope this helps!

In my personal experience it has not hindered my weight loss but then again I have gone from adding creamer sugar to taking it black. I may drink anywhere from 2-4 cups a day.

THANK YOU to all who posted... good info... but that Skinny B*tch article has me wondering.... I'm "off" of it now but that was my only vice, and I drank it black, like oil black lol

Remember the author of Skinny B*tch is not a dietitian. Anybody can publish a book and it doesn't have to be scientifically accurate.

In actuality, caffeine is an ergogenic aid in weight loss and exercise performance. It stimulates the central nervous system to increase metabolism, increase fat burning, and decrease fatigue from intense workouts. Drink your coffee. It's fine. As long as you aren't an Olympic athlete because it is banned because it gives an unfair advantage in performance.

In my personal experience it has not hindered my weight loss but then again I have gone from adding creamer sugar to taking it black. I may drink anywhere from 2-4 cups a day.

Same here and I have lost nearly 70 pounds since last March. I am not worried about my caffeine consumption. I only drink hot or cold tea, water, soy milk, almond milk. I don't drink coffee or sodas.