coffee??

[amyliz09]

I know it says to "avoid" coffee and other caffeinated beverages...but the rationale seems to be that excessive caffeine will lead to sugar cravings and then presumably to cheating because it can cause spikes in blood sugar (Caffeine should, if anything, cause a drop in blood sugar, at least from what I know). If I can ignore whatever cravings are a result of the coffee, can I have my one cup, or will it mess things up? I can go without if I have to, but I'm starting to get behind on work since I'm so tired without my morning coffee!

Also, unrelated, I saw these "Atkins Advantage" bars in the store claiming to have 2g of carbs (they subtracted not only fiber but also glycerin?). Probably not best for induction, but for after these 2 weeks, how many carbs should I really count them as? (the label says total carbs 21, fiber 10, glycerin 9).

Thanks!

[Kate113]

Re: coffee??

I gave up on caffeinated coffee altogether. I do indulge in decaf and it doesn't seem to effect my induction. I found that coffee in general was more of a habit than a caffeine addiction with me. Hopefully, someone else will tell you the same.

Also, I think I read on here somewhere to stay away rom those bars during induction. Something about them being sweet and craving sweet things.

[penniedo]

Re: coffee??

I know it says to "avoid" coffee and other caffeinated beverages...but the rationale seems to be that excessive caffeine will lead to sugar cravings and then presumably to cheating because it can cause spikes in blood sugar (Caffeine should, if anything, cause a drop in blood sugar, at least from what I know). If I can ignore whatever cravings are a result of the coffee, can I have my one cup, or will it mess things up? I can go without if I have to, but I'm starting to get behind on work since I'm so tired without my morning coffee!

Also, unrelated, I saw these "Atkins Advantage" bars in the store claiming to have 2g of carbs (they subtracted not only fiber but also glycerin?). Probably not best for induction, but for after these 2 weeks, how many carbs should I really count them as? (the label says total carbs 21, fiber 10, glycerin 9).

Thanks!

I couldn't give up my caffeine either! I still have my morning and afternoon cup of tea everyday and I get some sugar cravings, they arent that bad anymore (now on day 11). I haven't given in to them and havent cheated one bit but I only lost 3lbs where it seems like everyone else is loosing way more than that. I don't know if its related or not.

[amyliz09]

Re: coffee??

I gave up on caffeinated coffee altogether. I do indulge in decaf and it doesn't seem to effect my induction. I found that coffee in general was more of a habit than a caffeine addiction with me. Hopefully, someone else will tell you the same.

Also, I think I read on here somewhere to stay away rom those bars during induction. Something about them being sweet and craving sweet things.

I think you're right on staying away from the bars during induction, esp. since most of them I've seen have things like nuts or other ingredients that aren't on the list.

The coffee thing for me isn't really an addiction, but it's more like a lifestyle thing...I'm a student so I'm up early prepping for class, sitting through 4-6 hours of class a day, and in the library 6-10 hours a day (exciting life, no?). Without coffee I've been having trouble paying attention for as long as I need to, and I don't want to have to worry about my grades. I think I'm going to try decaf tomorrow and see if I can trick my brain into thinking it's getting its dose of caffeine just from the taste...maybe that will do the trick!

[Elizellen]

Re: coffee??

As Amyliz said, we avoid the bars on induction as they usually contain ingredients not on the induction list.

Once you have reached a level (rung) on OWL where all the ingredients are on your list of allowed foods you can try them - but watch out for the Sugar alcohols they are sweetened with which often cause 'bathroom' problems.

BTW many of us feel you should count ALL the carbs in these 'lowcarb' products, not deduct the SA carbs!!

[yemenitegreen]

Re: coffee??

I've made it through 12 days of induction without caffeinated coffee so far. I did have decaf, though - although I usually don't drink decaf and will drink regular coffee again, when I am on OWL.

I feel that induction ist about detoxing the body and doing it properly by the book.is the best way to do it. If you cannot give up coffee, well, induction with caffeine is probably better than caffeine without induction

I've heard about the blood sugar spikes, too. It is a YMMV thing. For me coffee works as appetite suppressant, so I am only afraid I will forget to eat and then be _really_ hungry because the blood sugar drops too far.

Atkins bars: read the labels and ask yourself: is this what I want to feed my body? Think about the production process of the substances listed. I think our body was not designed to eat Frankenfoods - my 2 cents, of course

yemenitegreen

[Moochiecat]

Re: coffee??

Dr. Atkins wrote the diet a certain way for a reason, and I don't really want to mess with his reasoning because there is a lot of proof that it works.
I switched to decaf cold turkey and I don't miss the caffiene at all. I still look forward to my morning cup of coffee as much as I ever did, and in retrospect it's such a tiny little change in my life that it really was no big deal.


Re: the bars.
Most of us got fat because of our addiction to sweets/convenience foods. By replacing a chocolate bar with an Advantage bar, is a person really learning anything? I don't think so. We learn to plan, organize and consciously choose things that are healthier for us when we make the choice to favour fresh foods closer to their natural state.
In the long run, our bodies will thank us for this.

[madpoet]

Re: coffee??

I admit, I am on day 11 and still have my coffee. At some point I may give it up but I have 1 cup in the morning and that's about it. I like the taste, and the caffeine doesn't hurt when I need to perk up on my way to the gym. But I fully respect those who did give it up. At some point I may have to take that plunge myself if it seems like it is stalling me.

As for the bars... they are the devil. Seriously. The problem is (to me) they taste pretty darn good. Especially, the chocolate peanut butter one. But every time I start down the slippery slope of those bars I am doomed to fail. That's why I'm staying on a strict (ok, other than the coffee!) induction for a month this time to learn some willpower and crush the cravings.

-MP

[Tommy]

Re: coffee??

I just had a smiliar post in another thread. Amy says it write, caffeine causes urges to eat sugar. And as other members pointed out is not recommended for Atkins espically induction!

Besides that I'd have to say the real evil is what is added to the coffee. I've seen many times, members stall in there weight loss just by the little bits of creamer used in there drink.

Also I'd like to point out that I'd be a total hypocrit if I didnt say that as I am typing this post I'm sitting here with my 3rd cup of coffee for the morning...

Besides how can I lie, If you look closely at my picture you can see I even had my coffee pot there with me in Iraq right next to my blender.

But seriously I would suggest while on induction to try to use atleast decaf then after your two week of Induction your familar with the weight loss you can achieve. Then try adding it back in and compare your logs to see how it actually effects your weight loss. If it slows then you know it may be something you can do without to help in your weight loss.