Caffeine?

suzitkd
suzitkd Posts: 110
edited September 27 in Health and Weight Loss
My apologies if this has been posted many times before.. Is drinking caffeine a bad idea when you're trying to lose weight? I am a confirmed caffeine (coffee) addict and was clinging on to it as my one last treat (other than a couple of little brandy's a week!) but my weight is currently not shifting (tho this may be due to having upped my exercise massively this last week - at least I hope so!) so I'm looking again at what I'm doing and wondering... how important is caffeine? I normally sink 3 - 4 mugs a day of strong black.. In the past I've gone cold turkey and felt like CRAP for a few days, and de-caff coffee? Well, it's just, not, right. :S Soooo do I have to give it up? Sigh...

Replies

  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    There's no problem with moderate amounts of caffeine in a healthy diet. In fact, it boosts your metabolism slightly and can increase exercise endurance.

    The problem arises in how you get your caffeine. Sugary sodas or lots of cream and sugar in your coffee can add up to a lot of calories.

    4 mugs of coffee a day sounds like a lot of coffee, so maybe you could slowly cut back a little. But caffeine won't stall your weight loss efforts, no.

    A few years ago when I thought I was drinking too much coffee, I started doing half regular/half decaf to ease the transition (and avoid that caffeine withdrawal that you mentioned). Now I rarely have more than 2 cups of regular coffee in a day and I'm fine.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    Research has actually proven caffeine to be one of the few weight loss supplements that actually works, so I wouldn't worry about it, especially since you are drinking your coffee black. You'll probably hear people say that it dehydrates you, too, but again the research proves this is only true of people who aren't use to drinking large amounts of caffeine. Once the body becomes accustomed to it, caffeine is no longer such a strong diuretic in the body.
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    Caffeine itself won't stall your weight loss. In fact, many people advocate caffeine to increase metabolism. Many of those weight loss pills are caffeine.

    However, as the above poster said, if you drink coffee with cream and sugar, you could be getting a lot of extra calories.

    Also, there are other caffeine health concerns. There are studies going both ways. For example, 2 I have recently read: Drink coffee to avoid cancer, drink coffee and have a stroke...
  • suzitkd
    suzitkd Posts: 110
    Thank you. I will try to cut back a little I think! My problem is I don't like tea, and water's just, well, boring! I need to try to get back to fruit teas I think! Good to know I can still have some caffeine though! I don't take milk or sugar, and certainly no sugary sodas! Thanks again.
  • lulu1962
    lulu1962 Posts: 210
    Gotta have my coffee! I've given up diet soda (used to drink about 4 diet Coke's a day), so I'm not quitting the coffee anytime soon! I still drink 8-9 cups of water a day, so I'm not replacing the water with coffee. Have been losing about 2 pounds a week, so I don't think the coffee is hurting my weightloss goals!:drinker:
  • AndrewBaker
    AndrewBaker Posts: 86 Member
    Suzitkd you said that water can be boring. What I do to make water not boring is that I add a Wyler's light packet to my water. They have an orange juice type, lemonade, pink lemonade, and a ice tea with citrus. It is only 10 calories per packet and you get 8 or 10 in a box depending on what flavor you get.
  • RunningAddict
    RunningAddict Posts: 548 Member
    I have been debating this issue for a long time. Working in a healthcare facility I have been told by Dr.'s that caffiene slows your metabolism down. I love coffee. I try to drink plenty of watter if I do have coffee. If you look at all your diet supplements they are all loaded with caffiene.....This is so confusing to me!!!....
  • beatlemom
    beatlemom Posts: 250 Member
    I drink Crystal light Energy, No calories and one packet gives me all the caffeine I need in one day. And I am losing weight. I think if you give up everything you love it;s harder to forge ahead. Drink your coffee, just be careful the added ingredients.
  • b0ink83
    b0ink83 Posts: 10
    What I have learn about Caffeine is that it may help weight loss & cause weight gain..

    Like everyone is saying, coffee usually come along with other stuff which add on calories. Plus too much caffeine in the body tends to stress the body out leading to poor recovery ( zzz ) + storing excess body fat to "calm" itself down. It's recommended to limit to 200 - 300 mg daily ( 1 - 3 cups ). Caffeine has a half life of 6hours, so it's better to have every dozage 4 - 6 hours gap.

    Of cos it is also a good pre workout booster & helps with our metabolism rate. Personally am taking caffeine tablets around 15 -30mins before training, but do give it a rest on OFF days to prevent CNS crashs.

    Prehaps you may wanna cut down on your daily dozage, like a cleanse. Afterwards, limit to training sessions, it may help. :)
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