coffee

[dreamagreatdream]

whats the real deal? i love it, 3 cups a day, never any stalling.

[chadcs]

Re: coffee

I can only speak for myself. I trend to low blood sugar. I am not a big caffeine person but I like either a single espresso (less caffeine than regular coffee) or SF Red Bull each day. The issue I have is that it pushes my already low blood sugar down to the point of hypoglycemia when doing Atkins. At that point you have got to get your blood sugar back up immediately. It also seems to leave you wonky for a while. Every one of my failures on induction were related to this.

If you are unable to not drink caffeine each day, then it is an addiction and you would most likely benefit from freeing yourself from it or at least reducing it. But if coffee no longer gives you the boost it used to but now is required for normal functioning, it is not a good thing. Now I sound like the alcohol reply. lol.

[msanjelpie]

Re: coffee

How can you say no stalling when you have only lost 6 lbs, most of which was water?

[Georgiana]

Re: coffee

How can you say no stalling when you have only lost 6 lbs, most of which was water?

6 lbs for someone who has only 30-something to lose is over 16% of the weight they need to lose! And a stall is defined as 4 consecutive weeks with no loss of weight or inches, so her weight loss is not stalled, as far as I can tell.

DGD, unless you do Induction (or whatever phase you are doing now) with and without caffeine while leaving all other things exactly the same (the amount of weight you need to lose, your age, your level of physical activity, your foods, etc.), you don't know if caffeine slows down your weight loss or has absolutely no effect on it.

Caffeine can cause blood sugar problems for some folks. These do not manifest necessarily as cravings, which is what most people believe. There is a long list of blood sugar symptoms on pp. 150-151 of DANDR 2002: "drink more than 3 cups coffee/cola", "cravings for sweets or coffee", etc. Our aim when following Atkins is to avoid big blood sugar fluctuations. If caffeine affects one's blood sugar, it will also trigger the release of insulin. Insulin is a fat storing hormone. Obviously, this won't help one's weight loss by any means.

I gave up coffee before starting Atkins. I didn't want part of my exercise to be wasted on a (few) cup(s) of coffee and I wanted to be sure that, as long as I give my best on Atkins, I will get back maximum possible results.

[phil h]

Re: coffee

I drink a lot of black coffee, some is decaf, but still a lot of caffiene..Never had any stalls but I think it is an individual thing.Now I can smell certain foods and I will get very hungry even if I have already eaten.I assume that is an insulin response.Sometimes we have to listen to our bodies and make adaptions as we go.

[Whatsername]

Re: coffee

Add me to the coffee drinkers.

I understand why it isn't recommended but coffee is my one love. I have cut back considerably but still drink 2 small cups/day. I got some decaf because it is getting cool here in the morning and I want more! lol

I think you have to weigh the pros and cons and decide for yourself what is important. I do try to cut back my 2nd cup (drink a little less every few days) because I don't want to overdo the cream and splenda.

[dcketcham]

Re: coffee

i havent given up my coffee... although, i have cut down, and especially cut out colas, but, coffee is my staple and i cannot let it go, and as someone else said, it is all different for everyone

[EmDee]

Re: coffee

I have switched to decaf, but I feel like coffee is my one remaining "crutch" ~ since I quit smoking 10 yrs ago and am off alcohol during Atkins ~ I can't imagine giving it up altogether.

[mindy0121]

Re: coffee

i know i shouldnt be having any at all. but i drink at least one cup with splenda, occasionally 2 per day and i havent stalled yet. i need it at my job. i think it all depends on you as an individual. everyones body is diff.

[imagood1]

Re: coffee

We switched to decaf 3 years ago when my husband had triple bypass. Up until the time I started Atkins I was drinking 2 POTS of decaf myself with sugar and creamer daily. I now have 1 cup in the morning with cream and occassionally Splenda (not all the time). Then I start drinking water -- I'd rather put something good in my system than coffee

[susan423]

Re: coffee

How can you say no stalling when you have only lost 6 lbs, most of which was water?

6 pounds is awesome for someone with not much to lose. I never was a coffee drinker until I started Atkins. It fills me up and helps with cravings. I cut it out for a while. Noticed no difference except I was hungrier. I say if you're happy with the way things are going, keep doing it.

[JulieB]

Re: coffee

6 pounds is awesome for someone with not much to lose. I never was a coffee drinker until I started Atkins. It fills me up and helps with cravings. I cut it out for a while. Noticed no difference except I was hungrier. I say if you're happy with the way things are going, keep doing it.

I also notice that coffee is an appetite suppressant for me - but I drink decaf since starting Atkins. It might be the cream I put in it rather than the coffee itself. Since I like cream in my coffee, I cut back to 1 large decaf a day when I started in order to keep my non-veggies carbs low enough. Now that I'm in OWL & eating a lot of veggies, I can "afford" an extra one now & then. It is a nice "treat".

The caffeine addiction was a tough one to break, at first, but I don't miss it anymore. I miss ice cream way more

[liv]

Re: coffee

Coffee is a big issue for me. I started drinking it when I was around 14 and I literally can drink buckets of it. When I started Atkins I cut it out because that is what Atkins tells me to do and then I reintroduced it once I felt I was ready to try it. I learned something really important. Coffee trigger hunger responses in me. I had never realized that before. So when I drink coffee I want to eat. This is one of the things that I learned from Atkins that I am very grateful about. I now realize one of the reasons why I cannot control my eating: my coffee drinking habit was partly to blame. I feel so empowered knowing this. I can control it know - so that I do not end up super snacking.

[dreamagreatdream]

Re: coffee

thanks for all the replies. the semester has just begun and i have a full course load.. i am also training for a marathon (its feb 7, 2010). its hard to find time in the day for everything, so the caffeine is the main reason why i am so in love with coffee. i drink nothing but that and water, and with the amount of running im doing i think i will be just fine..

ps, im taking all food related classes.. HOW COOL
1.human metabolism
2.foods
3.foods lab
4.eating disorders/body image and healthy weight management
5.community nutrition
6.anatomy

[not2late]

Re: coffee

thanks for all the replies. the semester has just begun and i have a full course load.. i am also training for a marathon (its feb 7, 2010). its hard to find time in the day for everything, so the caffeine is the main reason why i am so in love with coffee. i drink nothing but that and water, and with the amount of running im doing i think i will be just fine..

ps, im taking all food related classes.. HOW COOL
1.human metabolism
2.foods
3.foods lab
4.eating disorders/body image and healthy weight management
5.community nutrition
6.anatomy

Good, then you'll be able to share with us some of the things you learn in school.