My Coffee/Caffeine Intake

[jennashaped]

I've seen a few threads about this and searched but haven't found anything that is actually what I'm looking for yet.

Today is my first day of the Atkins Diet (4/27/2009). I know that during induction, it says to 'avoid coffee,' but then it says, "Excessive caffeine has been shown to cause low blood sugar, which can make you crave sugar."

Lucky for me: I *HATE* soda. Can't stand it. Never drink it. Another thing I don't have a problem with is sweets. I just...never crave them. The things I crave are fries, pizza, burgers, fried chicken, etc. The salty stuff. But Atkins is showing me that I can get my 'non-sweet' craving fixes with other foods, so it works out.

Now, I do enjoy coffee, but I only have about 16oz., tops on M-F, and sometimes, I don't even have that. That would be my only 'caffeine' intake. I got non-dairy creamer (yes, I've looked at the ingredients) and Splenda to use instead of real sugar. (2 packs, tops). By my calculations, that's only 3-4 carbs, and that's all the caffeine I have 3-5 times a week. Is this discouraged? Because while I may not see that as 'excessive,' it very well could be.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[kibskix]

Re: My Coffee/Caffeine Intake

I avoided coffee for the first few weeks, then switched it over to decaf. if the flavor of coffee is too bitter then i add 1tbsp of heavy cream, and never use splenda. i've actually learned to -like- unsweetened coffee haha. I only have 1 mug a day, and i'm guessing my mug is closer to 12oz than 8oz. I haven't noticed any difference in weight loss on days i drink it and days i don't, but there's so many other factors that may cause slower weight loss I don't know how you could figure it out unless you ate the exact same amounts of the exact same things, and even then your body always does things its own way.
I say just don't over do it. If you start to notice your weight slowing, just cut out the coffee for a week and see if it changes. if not it may be something else. but if you can get away with it more power to you. i'd be sad if I couldn't have my coffee.

[jennashaped]

Re: My Coffee/Caffeine Intake

I avoided coffee for the first few weeks, then switched it over to decaf. if the flavor of coffee is too bitter then i add 1tbsp of heavy cream, and never use splenda. i've actually learned to -like- unsweetened coffee haha. I only have 1 mug a day, and i'm guessing my mug is closer to 12oz than 8oz. I haven't noticed any difference in weight loss on days i drink it and days i don't, but there's so many other factors that may cause slower weight loss I don't know how you could figure it out unless you ate the exact same amounts of the exact same things, and even then your body always does things its own way.
I say just don't over do it. If you start to notice your weight slowing, just cut out the coffee for a week and see if it changes. if not it may be something else. but if you can get away with it more power to you. i'd be sad if I couldn't have my coffee.

Yeah, see, and since this is just the first day, it's going to be hard to tell unless I cut it out completely. If I'd have to switch to decaf, I'd really rather not drink it at all, because I think it's that morning jolt of caffeine I like (sometimes.) Then again, saying that, it seems like that might not be a good idea if I feel sometimes like I "need" it, even though it's not much.

[phil h]

Re: My Coffee/Caffeine Intake

Been on induction for 14 weeks.Drink coffee, black all day long.Mostly with caffiece.Have ,ost nearly 50 lbs and still losing 3 lbs a week.Hunger has been gone for weeks.I wouldn't worry about it.

[jennashaped]

Re: My Coffee/Caffeine Intake

Been on induction for 14 weeks.Drink coffee, black all day long.Mostly with caffiece.Have ,ost nearly 50 lbs and still losing 3 lbs a week.Hunger has been gone for weeks.I wouldn't worry about it.

Awesome. Nice to hear about a success story while you're still drinking coffee!

[bellajgw]

Re: My Coffee/Caffeine Intake

I'm with you Jenna, I can't imagine living without my coffee. I have about 3 cups a day, usually 2 cups..so around 20 ounces a day with splenda and cream. I make sure to keep track for my carbs, but I don't know what I'd do without it. One addiction at a time, I suppose. If my weight loss continues to stall I may cut down to 1 cup a day and see what happens.

Good luck on your goal!

[jennashaped]

Re: My Coffee/Caffeine Intake

I'm with you Jenna, I can't imagine living without my coffee. I have about 3 cups a day, usually 2 cups..so around 20 ounces a day with splenda and cream. I make sure to keep track for my carbs, but I don't know what I'd do without it. One addiction at a time, I suppose. If my weight loss continues to stall I may cut down to 1 cup a day and see what happens.

Good luck on your goal!

Thanks!! I actually didn't have any today. Some days, I just can't help it, but today, I did alright without it. So I think, on average, my caffeine intake is very minimal.

[imagood1]

Re: My Coffee/Caffeine Intake

We switched to decaf after my husband had triple bypass 3 years ago...so I'm not worried about coffee. I have 3 cups a day with splenda and cream and maybe 1 or 2 black. I was drinking too much with splenda over the weekend and could feel the difference. Since my weight is coming off so slow thanks in part to the meds I'm on I have to watch every thing that goes into my mouth and can feel when something is amiss. Remember Jenna, men and women have different metabolisms - they loose more weight more easily than we do so remember that when you're getting advise.

For your salty cravings you can eat pickles -- that usually takes care of any salty cravings you might get.

[jennashaped]

Re: My Coffee/Caffeine Intake

We switched to decaf after my husband had triple bypass 3 years ago...so I'm not worried about coffee. I have 3 cups a day with splenda and cream and maybe 1 or 2 black. I was drinking too much with splenda over the weekend and could feel the difference. Since my weight is coming off so slow thanks in part to the meds I'm on I have to watch every thing that goes into my mouth and can feel when something is amiss. Remember Jenna, men and women have different metabolisms - they loose more weight more easily than we do so remember that when you're getting advise.

For your salty cravings you can eat pickles -- that usually takes care of any salty cravings you might get.

Yeah, I'm not really having much coffee. Only 12 oz. a day, and today, I had none, and I don't drink it any later than 10. (I simply don't have the desire to.)

If you don't mind me asking, what meds are you on? I've been put on a diuretic and birth control because I just had a recent spell of a very heavy period. But I've always been very regular until this month. Hopefully those two meds won't conflict with my weight loss much.

Oh, definitely, I'll remember that about the differences between men and women. (And I'm already up to 60 oz. of water today!)

(I just wished I liked pickles.) *sigh*

[liv]

Re: My Coffee/Caffeine Intake

I was one of the biggest coffee drinkers out there. Buckets literally. And I have switched to decaf when starting Atkins. I wanted to stick to the rules as close as possible. I have since learned that drinking coffee makes me crave food. It has been such an important lesson for me because I drank it all the time and obviously also ate all the time.
I think it is probably good to think about what effect coffee may have if you decide to continue with it.

[JulieB]

Re: My Coffee/Caffeine Intake

Liv, does the decaf make you crave food or just the caffeinated coffee? I am having cravings for certain foods lately - I'm wondering if it's the decaf...