Caffeine! Weight loss resistance. Any experiences?

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mncardiojunkie
mncardiojunkie Posts: 307 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Allow me to preface this and please, no boos from the peanut gallery....I'm on a strict low carb diet. I'm old, 45. I've been through the diet mill and I know what my body responds to and what it does not. Low calorie, low fat never worked for me and I could not maintain it anyway if I did loose a couple of pounds. Removing processed foods from my diet does work. So...moving on....

The Caffeine Factor:
Prior to making this decision, I did a bit of research. I have a very difficult time loosing weight. My dad has type-2 diabetes. He was insulin dependent for many years and then he put himself on the New Atkins Diet Revolution (UGHHHH!, I'll try not to make a judgment call on that. It is better than his former diet, I guess.)

Anywho, studies have shown that people who drink a great deal of caffeine can become insulin resistant, making it much more difficult to lose weight. So, I'm resolved to be caffeine free by March 10. I'm going to have to ween myself off the stuff. Studies even show that decaf has the same affect that regular coffee has. Eeeekkkk! So it all must go. :sad: I'll buy diet Rite. Ughh...drinking that stuff will make me not want to drink diet sodas, period.

I love coffee. I'd say coffee has been better to me than some of the men that I've dated after my divorce. :laugh:

This is a termidious step for me. I drink diet Pepsi by the case a month and I drink coffee so strong that you can stand a spoon in it. Not only is the stuff strong, I drink a pot of it a day and then top it off with an occassional triple expresso at our gourment grocer.

So I'm here to ask ANYONE...please validate my life changing choice by telling me that you started losing more weight once you let go of the stuff??? Anyone???
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Replies

  • btdublin
    btdublin Posts: 250 Member
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    Bump. Would like to hear the same though I really hope it's not true.

    I love my coffee and find it really supresses my appetite during the day when at work. I'll drink it black whenever I feel hungry and will last me another couple of hours. Does wonders for me but if it's suppressing my weight loss too i'll be gutted.!
  • mncardiojunkie
    mncardiojunkie Posts: 307 Member
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    Bump. Would like to hear the same though I really hope it's not true.

    I love my coffee and find it really supresses my appetite during the day when at work. I'll drink it black whenever I feel hungry and will last me another couple of hours. Does wonders for me but if it's suppressing my weight loss too i'll be gutted.!

    I know, I know. It stops me from eating, too. But research shows that it can make one insulin resistance, which also translates into weight loss resistance...especially if you have a history of type-2 diabetes in the family. :noway:
  • ksebastian29
    ksebastian29 Posts: 7
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    I too had a serious diet coke addiction. Gave it up, and NOTHING...lost not weight what-so-ever. I've been caffeine free for almost a month and a half and still no luck with losing any weight. But good luck to you.
  • mncardiojunkie
    mncardiojunkie Posts: 307 Member
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    I too had a serious diet coke addiction. Gave it up, and NOTHING...lost not weight what-so-ever. I've been caffeine free for almost a month and a half and still no luck with losing any weight. But good luck to you.

    NOOOOOOOOO.............Lie to me..............

    I'm trying to figure out what is stalling my weight loss. Maybe it's old age. :laugh:
  • GoldspursX3
    GoldspursX3 Posts: 516 Member
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    There are many benefits to drinking coffee. A quick search on the web and you will find many studies that show that coffee drinkers are LESS likely to develop Type II diabetes coffee drinkers than non-drinkers.

    It is also full of antioxidants.

    Drinking in moderation (around 300 milligrams of caffeine a day) it can actually provide a boost to your metabolism which will increase weight loss. Just remember to not load on the cream and sugar!
  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    I too had a serious diet coke addiction. Gave it up, and NOTHING...lost not weight what-so-ever. I've been caffeine free for almost a month and a half and still no luck with losing any weight. But good luck to you.

    NOOOOOOOOO.............Lie to me..............

    I'm trying to figure out what is stalling my weight loss. Maybe it's old age. :laugh:


    Sorry but 45 is NOT old ! age is a state of mind ( i'm 51 in a few weeks )

    i eat about 1700 calories and at the moment i'm back to losing about a lb aweek even though my goal is set at 1/2lb a week

    Are you eating enough? are you eating your exercise calories? are you drinking enough water?


    Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
    With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
    With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
    With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
    and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle building, and reducing fat. This means it is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode).

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits


    good luck in your journey
  • lublue
    lublue Posts: 123 Member
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    But, if you love coffee, have a cup a day, and no more. Don't force yourself to never have it again- it's something that you enjoy!
  • hush7hush
    hush7hush Posts: 2,273 Member
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    I'm really interested in some of the replies.

    At the same time, there's no way I'm giving up my green tea. [:
  • lacewitch
    lacewitch Posts: 766 Member
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    Sounds like you are getting a lot of Caffeine and sugar from your habit and caffeine can cause stress responses in the body that leads to excess cortisol levels and fat storage. so cutting down may definitely help
    but will you be able to stick to 0 caffeine? honestly? maybe go for a goal of 1 small a day or I have 2 lattes a week ( tall skinny home-made) or I rebel and go back to my daily triple shot venti latte habit
    definitely try cutting down . look for other replacements (don't go diet soda try water/ green tea/ fruit tea)
    I cut down last summer and lost 30lb (not just caffeine cut down though I increased exercise and cut down on sugar (which is my major killer))
  • Heatherz131
    Heatherz131 Posts: 19
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    MAybe I'm sort of lucky....I'm allergic to Caffeine so I jsut have fruit infusions ratehr than tea and I've never drunk coffee as even the smell makes me feel sick... But I do think cutting your coffee hit off totally could mean you look for something to replace it that is as bad if not worse! Maybe a reduction will be better that going cold turkey or whatever :smile:
  • koulamara
    koulamara Posts: 19 Member
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    I do not believe it!!!! It' s all lies!!!:mad:
    I am a coffee addict and I like it. I drink at least 5 double espressos every day. I also am losing weight really slowly, but if it is because of the coffee, well, I am not ready to give it up.

    Fortunately I like my coffee (and my tea) black. The bitter the better for me!!!
  • jerrytball
    jerrytball Posts: 18
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    Well I'm with the Caffine lovers, I have been drinking black coffee, instant and ground for 40+ years, maybe 6 cups a day, I know Decaff, cause what they use to remove the caffine rasises cholesterol level, so never drank decaff, plus I am 57, been 225 to 250 all my life, no Blood Pressure issues, no diabetes. I walk or run 3 miles a day every morning at 530, overall Cholesteral level 166 all other good range, eat what I want, but since I started using Fitness Pal, I realized why I stay a 250, but in shape, 6 ' tall, cause I eat to my max and then work off, but now lowering intake and drop 8 lbs in 10 days now...but Coffee, as other guy said, too many upsides to it, they even keep a pot in the heart doctors office LOL, along with dark chocolate. The nice thing about this program, when you under eat, you actually calculate to gain weight, so when you eat what your target is you actually come down, and one time was my issue too, I though less you eat more you lose, that's wrong, good luck everyone. I also beleive that coffee speeds up your metabolisum, spell check that LOL.

    JT
  • selkie_woman
    selkie_woman Posts: 1
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    There are some studies that diet drinks can trigger an insulin response in the body just like sugar, which is why trying to make the move from diet soft drinks to water or stevia-sweetened beverages is a better choice. I drink a lot of tea, sometimes coffee, and the extremely rare diet Pepsi.

    Caffeine is also a diuretic which could make the case that you may be not getting enough water and that may slow down weight loss. I would think that if you think caffeine is a problem for you, the only way you'll know is to completely eliminate it from your diet.

    Good luck.
  • mncardiojunkie
    mncardiojunkie Posts: 307 Member
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    Sounds like you are getting a lot of Caffeine and sugar from your habit and caffeine can cause stress responses in the body that leads to excess cortisol levels and fat storage. so cutting down may definitely help
    but will you be able to stick to 0 caffeine? honestly? maybe go for a goal of 1 small a day or I have 2 lattes a week ( tall skinny home-made) or I rebel and go back to my daily triple shot venti latte habit
    definitely try cutting down . look for other replacements (don't go diet soda try water/ green tea/ fruit tea)
    I cut down last summer and lost 30lb (not just caffeine cut down though I increased exercise and cut down on sugar (which is my major killer))

    I have no sugar in my diet at all. Unless there's hidden sugar in black coffee.
  • mncardiojunkie
    mncardiojunkie Posts: 307 Member
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    There are some studies that diet drinks can trigger an insulin response in the body just like sugar, which is why trying to make the move from diet soft drinks to water or stevia-sweetened beverages is a better choice. I drink a lot of tea, sometimes coffee, and the extremely rare diet Pepsi.

    Caffeine is also a diuretic which could make the case that you may be not getting enough water and that may slow down weight loss. I would think that if you think caffeine is a problem for you, the only way you'll know is to completely eliminate it from your diet.

    Good luck.

    This could be it! I've heard that, too. I was tackling one demon at a time, but sub sugars are my next.
  • mncardiojunkie
    mncardiojunkie Posts: 307 Member
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    But, if you love coffee, have a cup a day, and no more. Don't force yourself to never have it again- it's something that you enjoy!

    :flowerforyou:
  • sandram82
    sandram82 Posts: 615 Member
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    bump
  • mncardiojunkie
    mncardiojunkie Posts: 307 Member
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    There are many benefits to drinking coffee. A quick search on the web and you will find many studies that show that coffee drinkers are LESS likely to develop Type II diabetes coffee drinkers than non-drinkers.

    It is also full of antioxidants.

    Drinking in moderation (around 300 milligrams of caffeine a day) it can actually provide a boost to your metabolism which will increase weight loss. Just remember to not load on the cream and sugar!

    I never do cream or sugar. But your statement actually defies AMA. But I'm willing to go along with it. But I think my problem is excessive coffee drinking. I drink a pot a day. My pot of coffee is probably equivalent to 3 pots to normal people. I make my coffee super super strong.
  • QueenJayJay
    QueenJayJay Posts: 1,139
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    Wonderful! You will feel so much better when you cut out the soda!
  • MistressOfHate
    MistressOfHate Posts: 34
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    I would eliminate the soda and cut the coffee intake in half. Coffee is the one thing I absolutely refuse to give up. I drink 3 cups every morning with real half-half and real sugar. I don't use a lot though, just a splash and a dash.

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