Coffee While Dieting - Yes, or No???

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  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    I ditched the sugar, limited the cream.

    If your macros allow for more, great, for me it was simplest to just shift towards black and use the calories elsewhere.
  • kpodaru
    kpodaru Posts: 133 Member
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    coffee is a must for me! just log everything you put in there.
  • LifeInTheBikeLane
    LifeInTheBikeLane Posts: 345 Member
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    I don't see any reason to cut out coffee. I would explode if I did that. A lot of times coffee is the binding element between getting off work and going to the gym!

    I agree though, a lot of people underestimate the calories in their loaded coffee. I used to hear things like, "I'm really putting effort into weight loss!" from customers as they ordered drinks that had a good 800 calories+ in them.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I found coffee to be a valuable weight loss aid.

    I've always liked it black, though.

    But cutting it (for Lent, not for weight loss) was way harder for weight loss purposes, at least until I adjusted.
  • geraldaltman
    geraldaltman Posts: 1,739 Member
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    Most coffee I know and see are no/low calorie. I drink it black except for couple of flavoreds I have, where a little Splenda enhances flavor. Rarely have more than 2-3 cups a day. So, Yes.
  • who4fan
    who4fan Posts: 388 Member
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    I drink 2 cups a day, with fat free half and half and splenda. It has never slowed me down.
  • shaynepoole
    shaynepoole Posts: 493 Member
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    I kept the coffee - ditched the creamer - I now use the sugar free syrups from Torani and drink it with no milk. Adding creamer nowadays actually makes my coffee taste like dessert - go figure. But coffee itself didn't hinder my weight loss :smile: I don't know what I would have done if I had to give up coffee
  • galvitron1
    galvitron1 Posts: 13 Member
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    Keep the coffee because
    1. It contains antioxidants
    2. It helps to raise heart rate, thus burning more calories
    3. It counts as water intake. The amount of water lost via caffeine is negligible compared to the intake.
    4. Coffee helps you to clear out...um..."solid waste" better, which is one of the main mechanisms for unwanted weight exiting the body

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    The only negative effects I could imagine would happen if you load your coffee with cream, sugar, flavoring, etc. and don't budget out your calories appropriately. The coffee itself is not a problem at all.

    I budget 1 cup of milk (2% of whole) each day for my coffee. No problems whatsoever with losing.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I have like 3 cups of coffee every day...I take mine with a splash of 1%.
  • cat_lady77
    cat_lady77 Posts: 203 Member
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    No, unless you're drinking a lot of calories, which it doesn't sound like you are. I use the same creamer, & while I'm sure it's not "good" for you, it's only like 35 cal. I find that coffee mid-morning & mid-afternoon (between meals) keeps me from being super hungry all day long. 4 cups sounds like a lot to me personally, in terms of caffeine but it's probably what you're used to.
  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
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    Tall red-eye with splenda and cinnamon every morning. You'll have to fight me to make me let go of my coffee.
  • 213tim
    213tim Posts: 8 Member
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    I would say reduce or cut it out if you can, (most need it to do desk jobs and stay focused because it alters (and has altered) a person's physiology and psychology (caffeine is listed as a neurotoxin by the EPA)). Coffee being healthy is one of the biggest lies and once a person is hooked, it becomes a life time crutch. Caffeine interferes with the proper operation of many organs and imbalances a person's metabolism (it is a diuretic because the body is doing its best to get the crap out of your body). If you are going to do coffee it is best to at least skip the (processed) sugar as it adds up quickly and is calories (fuel) that the body gladly takes in and must be used. Artificial sweeteners are worse in many ways, not only do they interfere with proper organ function (some actually have been proven to cause permanent damage to various organs) most all artificial sweeteners actually increase hunger beyond willpower including a desire for real sugar.

    I lost 20 pounds in 3 months from a plateau of no weight loss. What I did was quit the occasional 8 ounces of ice cream, the daily 20 ounce cup of coffee with sugar and milk, and one 5.3 ounce daily yogurt with fruit. I lost the fatty liver and visceral fat quickly and it has not come back.

    Neurotoxins - substances that are poisonous or destructive to nerve tissue. Caffeine is listed in the strongest classification as a substantial neurotoxin by the EPA.

    http://www.epa.gov/ncct/toxcast/files/summit/48P Mundy TDAS.pdf
  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
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    *sip*
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    I like my coffee. I did switch from flavored creamers to plain half and half to cut the calories a bit.
  • dothefreddy
    dothefreddy Posts: 29 Member
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    Could never do without. 2tsp of sugar and 2TBS of creamer (International Delight sweet cream) usually is what I do. It keeps it to around 100cal and I work it in.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    213tim wrote: »
    Coffee being healthy is one of the biggest lies and once a person is hooked, it becomes a life time crutch.

    Lots of bad science here, but I'll focus in on this particular scare tactic.

    OP seems to drink it already, so it's probably too late, but I don't see why it's the one thing you apparently can't quit here.

    I have never found it that tough to quit. Yes, a bad few days sometimes.

    Of course, I generally do choose to drink it again because I enjoy the way it tastes. No doubt that's my altered brain fooling me.
  • 213tim
    213tim Posts: 8 Member
    edited May 2015
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    213tim wrote: »
    Coffee being healthy is one of the biggest lies and once a person is hooked, it becomes a life time crutch.

    Lots of bad science here, but I'll focus in on this particular scare tactic.

    OP seems to drink it already, so it's probably too late, but I don't see why it's the one thing you apparently can't quit here.

    I have never found it that tough to quit. Yes, a bad few days sometimes.

    Of course, I generally do choose to drink it again because I enjoy the way it tastes. No doubt that's my altered brain fooling me.

    To the original poster, I guess I was not fair. If you can go without coffee, GREAT, else drink it black if you can (that I cannot do). Find what works for you because when it comes to weight loss it is just one part of the total effort. I cannot do coffee black so i have reduced to just when I NEED to perform focused tasks. I did stop for a few months here and there but I still find days to operate that need becomes reality.

    EDIT (To some coffee is a great alternative to snacks and its health risks are not immediate but accumulative. Sometimes one person's poison is another person's cure. Enjoy the coffee if it helps but like most here are saying try to cut back on the sugar and creamer)

    Your information provides some contradiction and much self opinion, finalized with sarcasm, with no counter of facts to the information provided.

    You made a correct statement in that "OP seems to drink it already, so it's probably too late". There is a different need for the ability to keep focus and need for caffeine, not calling it an addiction. If I were a landscaper or more physical job I would likely be able to drop coffee or drink only when I want. Being a programmer and data analyst, I require extensive focus and coffee is something I find myself coming back to in order to remain seated and accomplish focused tasks. Because I am hooked. My 1 or 2 cups of coffee a week now is much less than my 8 cups a day a couple years back. I no longer wake up with headaches! I do not claim to be perfect and I do not need to lie about coffee that I consume as being super healthy to protect such a claim. The fact is most of us are hooked and we do it! You still do too! Coffee alters a person's physiology of their body and alters their brain.

    Science? Actually I just touched on the surface and did not include a number of health issues. The difference is I pointed to an actual supposedly reliable source of the EPA with one of my claims. Most people whom have had acid reflux know or have been told to drop coffee. I know a few such people. Caffeine bypasses the barriers to the fetus and the breast resulting in feeding the baby caffeine before it is even born (HOOKED). If you need studies for me to back my statements, I will provide them. The couple friends that I know that have gone through heart surgery have been strictly told by their doctor to remove caffeine from their diet completely. Tell me where you find error in my statements and I will provide reference. Caffeine is a purine and promotes gout attacks. A Billion dollars can buy much bad science and will find the Starbucks label on most of these studies in the news. It is easy for a 20 year old punk and say "haha coffee is great" because they read the news but as age settles in, the truth becomes reality, then let the punk speak.

    http://www.healthambition.com/negative-effects-of-coffee/?PageSpeed=noscript (with links to studies)
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17023692
    http://www.caffeineinformer.com/harmful-effects-of-caffeine
    http://chealth.canoe.com/channel_condition_info_details.asp?disease_id=161&channel_id=2039&relation_id=72596

    I have many more links if needed. Go defame somewhere else please!
  • psmith_five
    psmith_five Posts: 55 Member
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    I love cold coffee and I've given up on creamer and any type of sweetener by mixing my vanilla protein powder into cold coffee. It's like drinking a good for you frappuccino.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    if you want to drink coffee, then drink it. just log any sweetener/ creamer you use accurately.

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