Caffeine

angfirst
angfirst Posts: 47 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I haven't had any caffeine since I started my new healthy eating lifestyle a few months ago, as many of my excess calories came from Coke and coffee loaded with sugar and flavored creamer (I am not a fan of the taste of plain black coffee at all).

But, now I wonder, is there any benefit to keeping caffeine from my daily life? Or, could I have the occassional coffee or soda as long as I have the available calories?

Replies

  • positivepowers
    positivepowers Posts: 902 Member
    Unless you have a heart condition having caffeine now and then shouldn't be a problem. I'd worry more about all of the sugar you would be getting with the caffeine.
  • M30834134
    M30834134 Posts: 411 Member
    I love coffee and also thought that I could never get used to drinking black. Whadayaknow. I freaking love black coffee now! Just a matter of time and finding the type and flavor you like - cant stand Starbucks, but love Dunkin Donuts coffee.

    When I was losing and was short on food money (aka calories) I saved by excluding cream an sugar but I just did not want to give up coffee altogether. It took just a few days once I found good tasting beans to love my coffee black.
  • pomegranatecloud
    pomegranatecloud Posts: 812 Member
    I drink 2-4 coffees per day.
  • finneyjason218
    finneyjason218 Posts: 166 Member
    Yay team no caffeine! You certainly don't need it and you don't have to deal with the crashes! But are there benefits? certainly, caffeine will up your heartbeat, so you will lose more weight when you are just sitting around. Of course, this benefit only happens if you are drinking black coffee or taking pure caffeine in powder or tablet form.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    finneyjason218 wrote: »
    Yay team no caffeine! You certainly don't need it and you don't have to deal with the crashes! But are there benefits? certainly, caffeine will up your heartbeat, so you will lose more weight when you are just sitting around. Of course, this benefit only happens if you are drinking black coffee or taking pure caffeine in powder or tablet form.

    come again? That's absurd! Caffeine is caffeine, you'll get the same increase in heart rate, temporary energy boon, etc from a Red Bull as from plain black coffee or a caffeine pill (and actually, probably more since energy drinks tend to have more caffeine per can than a cup of coffee!).
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    Have you ever tried green tea?
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    The nutritionist told me that excess caffeine will screw up the hormones and blood sugar. No specifics on whether it was black coffee or not, just caffeine. So I've stopped it as well.
  • FitGirl0123
    FitGirl0123 Posts: 1,273 Member
    A little caffeine is okay for most people.
  • CassidyScaglione
    CassidyScaglione Posts: 673 Member
    You can put regular milk in coffee as well, doesn't have to be creamer.
  • stmokomoko
    stmokomoko Posts: 98 Member
    wkwebby wrote: »
    The nutritionist told me that excess caffeine will screw up the hormones and blood sugar. No specifics on whether it was black coffee or not, just caffeine. So I've stopped it as well.

    What is considered "excess"? More than 1000 mg?
  • angfirst
    angfirst Posts: 47 Member
    JanetYellen wrote: »
    Have you ever tried green tea?
    I like green tea with honey. :blush:
    CassidyScaglione wrote: »
    You can put regular milk in coffee as well, doesn't have to be creamer.
    I know, but I like my coffee sweet. So milk would solve part of the problem, but I'd probably compensate by adding extra sugar.

    I guess I need to rephrase my question. Is there a reason I should add caffeine back in to my daily life, or not? If I should, I guess I'll have to make sure to find room in my daily allowances for any sweetener I add. :wink:

  • jeebieheebies
    jeebieheebies Posts: 68 Member
    If you decide to keep having caffiene, have caffeine pills! I am so happy I stopped with the coffee and switched to the pills, because it is only $10 CAN for I think 80x100mg, so I am saving a lot of money. I also save time because I used to have to spend 30-40 minutes drinking a hot cup of coffee before going to the gym. I also know exactly how much I am ingesting. Plus, you don't need to spend calories on a sweetener.

    Note that I don't really think caffeine is good for you and I don't really like that I take it, but my love for its appetite suppression and boost of energy + makes me love cardio so much more, makes it worth it for me.
  • finneyjason218
    finneyjason218 Posts: 166 Member
    Phrick wrote: »
    finneyjason218 wrote: »
    Yay team no caffeine! You certainly don't need it and you don't have to deal with the crashes! But are there benefits? certainly, caffeine will up your heartbeat, so you will lose more weight when you are just sitting around. Of course, this benefit only happens if you are drinking black coffee or taking pure caffeine in powder or tablet form.

    come again? That's absurd! Caffeine is caffeine, you'll get the same increase in heart rate, temporary energy boon, etc from a Red Bull as from plain black coffee or a caffeine pill (and actually, probably more since energy drinks tend to have more caffeine per can than a cup of coffee!).

    I just meant that the extra calories in the beverage will offset the calories lost from the increased heart rate. Jeez
  • kmblank
    kmblank Posts: 43 Member
    I drink a lot of coffee, however I'm trying to cut back because caffeine increases cortisol levels...which unfortunately affects your blood sugars, increases fat stores - especially in the belly, increases your appetite and reduces your ability to utilize amino acids (building muscle).
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    stmokomoko wrote: »
    wkwebby wrote: »
    The nutritionist told me that excess caffeine will screw up the hormones and blood sugar. No specifics on whether it was black coffee or not, just caffeine. So I've stopped it as well.

    What is considered "excess"? More than 1000 mg?

    No idea, that is why I just cut it out. In the literature, it says anything more than a cup. So 8 fluid oz? The studies are all in debate, so take it with a grain of salt. Everybody will react differently to caffeine and prepares their cup differently, so one cup for me was like 4 cups for someone else. If you are doing well with it, then I say there is no reason to change.
  • jesscran815
    jesscran815 Posts: 37 Member
    I use Stevia extract to sweeten things now like coffee and tea. After a few days I got used to the different taste. It's just an herb that makes things taste sweet. It's pretty cool, we had a speaker in garden club who passed around leaves for us to try and when you chew on the leaf it's actually sweet! There's no danger of it being like aspartame (it's all natural like parsley or oregano) and it's zero calories. You can get it in a little squeeze bottle at the store and it lasts forever since it's very potent. Barely one squeeze will do and it's pretty good!
  • TaraTall
    TaraTall Posts: 339 Member
    Yeah, if it's sweetness you're looking for, there are a lot of alternatives to sugar.

    Likewise with the soda, reach for the diet or zero version.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited February 2016
    I love (love, love, love) coffee and some teas. They don't actually have calories (or hardly any) unless you add stuff, and I prefer both black. I see nothing wrong with caffeine in moderation. I do sometimes overdo it, and then I will cut way back or cut it out for a while, since I don't want to feel dependent on it for energy/wakefulness.

    If the question is whether there is some reason someone who doesn't consume caffeine should add it, I'd say no. If I didn't enjoy coffee I wouldn't seek out alternative ways to get caffeine into my diet.

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