Coffee and weight lose

I only discovered coffee about a month ago, and now im addicted. It seems that a coffee cuts my appetite and the caffine give me the energy boost so i dont turn to food.

I know a starbucks carmel macciato with soya milk isnt a nutrious breakfast however it fills me up much longer than anything else, though im trying to stick to expresso so its just the cals from a tsp sugar.

Anyone else find that that coffee helps their diet by cutting their appetite and speeding up their metabolism?

I feel that coffee works a little like cigarettes. However, this is very bad for you because you are not getting the proper nutrients.

My SNL did this. The very same thing you are talking about. Coffee cutting her appetite down in half, and how she would have a cup maybe once in the morning with a coffee cake, and then black tea around noon with water and lunch, and so on.. She did lose over 78 pounds, and she is still using Coffee to keep the weight off. She didn't workout either. Now! My weight loss is much better than hers and I lost weight the right way. I ate what I needed to eat, and I listen to the ones who was trying to help me. I take a tip from here and there, but nothing like drinking coffee or anything like that. I don't do caffeine to well. It bloats me for one thing, and makes me sick as a dog the next day with very little sleep. I use to be able to handle caffeine, but now. I can't handle the stuff at all. If need a boost.. I take B12, flax seed, and fish oil. Eat the right amount of carbs, and make sure I get that first morning glass of water, before my workout. I also make sure I eat right and drink lots of water.

And too much of this Caffeine can lead up to headaches and mood swings.

I have mood swings once a month. I don't need the help of caffeine.
TOM does a good job all by himself.

I hope you change you mind about this. This isn't a good way to lose weight at all.

Chelseagirl - I ABSOLUTELY LOVE COFFEE!!  I always have at least 1 or 2 cups a day, but it's not for the caffeine or the fact that it cuts my appetite.  I was raised to appreciate coffee from my mom and my family drinks it very socially so it gives me a warm feeling of happiness whenever I take a sip.

As I've gotten more educated about coffee I've learned to appreciate other things like it's beans, where it comes from, etc...it's like I'm drinking a story (kinda like wine - but not as many calories and without the buzz)

Anyways - definately don't use it as a diet tool or a way to skip out on food but go ahead and indulge as long as you're getting all of the healthy calories your body needs from your food!

My favorite Starbucks drink is a Tall Java Chip Frappuccino with a shot of Raspberry flavoring...and for a hot drink I LOVE their White Chocolate Mocha w/Soy Milk.  To Die For!  YUM

I LOVE COFFEEE TOO!!

I drink a cup or so every morning, and it makes me not hungry AT ALL! I love it. I also wondered if it did this for anyone else haha.

I am a coffee junkie!  :)  I drink a couple cups in the morning, and one in the afternoon or the evening if I feel like it.  But I never feel really hungry after coffee, and it gives me the extra incentive to get out of bed! lol

One of the reasons coffee fills you up unlike anything else though, is because it coats the inside of your stomach sending signals to your brain telling you that you're full.  (I'm not exactly sure of the neurotransmitters involved or anything, since this isn't my area of expertise, but I've read a few interesting studies about this affect.)

I found coffee helped as well, although it probably isn't the healthiest choice...

My take on it: If you only drink 1-2 cups per day, and you're careful about still eating enough calories and getting the right nutrients...Go for it. I'm not hungry in the morning, so I drink coffee for breakfast most days and have healthy meals and snacks for the rest of the day. It only gets to be similar to cigarettes if you start drinking coffee every time you're hungry or something.

coffee is a love of mine..the smell... the taste..luv it.....

and regardless of the cut in appetite....which i personally dont think is a good dieting tool to depend on....for me its more like treat for when its goin be a crazy busy day at work...and its 7am and cold outside....or im driving long distance.and want the extra pick me up.....but i believe women especially should limit it due to its effects on hormonal balance when its the every single day.. several cups a day routine..it def plays a factor in fertilty.. migranes.. pms symptoms...dry skin etc......so moderation is the key i believe...docs tend to say one cup a day is ok.....also ive found that if i take the money i used to spend on my daily fix of skinny lattes per month...i can buy a new pair of shoes or something else to treat myself with.......its def an expensive daily habit once you do the math...thats probably one of my biggest factors in cutting back....

Rayray your right it is an expensive habbit. My starbucks coffee costs me 24dhs which is nearly $7 for a coffee! I canr imagine ita that price in the US? $7 times 30 days = $210 a month about $2500 a year!!!

But if its instead of breakfast i feel i can justify it. And id certainly happily pay $2500 if it meant i cut my appetitie enough to lose those last 10lbs

Coffee cetainly wasnt supposed to be a diet tool for me, but seems to have contributed to my lower calorie intake so im happy and i enjoy the taste so its all good.

Caffiene makes you retain water.

Also, if you're going for Starbucks watch the calories.  The Tall Java Chip Frappuccino that jla0610 likes has 460 calories (with raspberry it is 480).  The tall White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino is 410.  That's a lot of calories for so little nutrition.

oh, yes i do this sometimes - i love vietnamese coffee and usually have one in the morning. i like to eat breakfast too, just so i don't feel guilty just having coffee for breakfast, but sometime i do drink just the coffee because it is really filling!! 

i guess the right answer is: don't use it to lose weight... but i think it's effective in small doses!

I drink coffee for the caffeine. lol So I never drink decaf. I was never a coffee drinker either. Can't stand the stand taste of it, actually I still strongly dislike it on it's own. I use splenda flavors for coffee and sometimes a tsp. of fat free nondairy creamer. I can't really say it curbs my appetite, cuz it seems like drinking anything hot will do that. I drink a LOT of flavored hot water. lol (using "water sensations")

I find that coffee at home (a cup with a few fl oz of 2% milk and Splenda and after a real breakfast) helps with curbing my appetite and making me more productive.

Starbucks, however, makes me hungry. Sometimes I have a Nonfat Cafe Misto and that is fine, but if I go for a Frapuccino, a Caramel Macciato or a Dark Cherry Mocha, I'm hungry in about an hour because of the sugar.

I'm a gourmet coffee roaster... best one would be a frappe, made with skimmed milk, ice, frappe powder - blended together to form a vanilla base and then load it up with as many high quality espresso shots as you can take..  If the espresso is good it won’t be bitter so you don’t need any sugar etc... One of these keeps me going all day...  I’m not saying it’s the most healthy thing in the world... but it's low cal and tastes great... use a small cafe so they can make it fresh without the extra cal things like cream, ice cream.. Syrups, choc flakes etc...

Just had my first coffee in months due to moving country and therefore chnaging lifestyle. The result YUCK! My favorite starbuck caramel macciato with soya milk, was not good, coffee tasted too bitter and the syrup too sweet certainly wont be spending £3.60 on a coffee again. Funny how once you stop a habit you wonder what the appeal was in the first place.

That's OK, chelseagirl, coffee is a lousy breakfast anyway and you need something nutritious.

I'm a total coffee addict and have 3 cups of coffee and a cup of tea before breakfast. But I do have a nutritious breakfast.

BTW I know you want to be skinny but you do realize you make a great swimsuit model just as you are. I'm sure you're a guy magnet.

I don't use coffee as a way to avoid eating, but I do enjoy a cup when I can.  

I found also that a good way to keep coffee from emptying your wallet or padding your fanny is to take that $3.75 you were using to buy your fancy drinks every morning, and put it in a piggy bank on the shelf.  It won't be long before you'll have enough to buy yourself your own fancy drink maker and the investment is well worth it IMHO.  Once you buy your own coffee or espresso machine you have total control over what goes in your cup for a fraction of the price.  No more excuses about downing high cal coffee beverages because you didn't know the calorie count and I'm willing to bet that as your making your own, even if you like sugar (I usually leave it out as I LIKE the flavor of my espresso) you won't add as much as the big chains because you'll see how much your putting in and say "when".

Original Post by starrkate:

I found coffee helped as well, although it probably isn't the healthiest choice...

My take on it: If you only drink 1-2 cups per day, and you're careful about still eating enough calories and getting the right nutrients...Go for it. I'm not hungry in the morning, so I drink coffee for breakfast most days and have healthy meals and snacks for the rest of the day. It only gets to be similar to cigarettes if you start drinking coffee every time you're hungry or something.

 

 

Last time I checked, coffee didn't give you lung cancer ;)

I like coffee and I am all for it, but not as a weight loss tool. The point (hopefully) of losing weight is to get healthy. Doing that with a "substance" isn't the best way of going about it and it isn't teaching yourself healthy habits. It is about a life change and behavior changes....finding some easy way of doing it won't last long. I say drink your coffee, but workout, make good food choices and in the long run it will work out better.

Give me a cup of plain ole joe!  No carmel / raspberry super fluff in a cup.  Just hot, strong coffee.  Maybe a tall latte every now and again. 

What I noticed is that I actually drink less coffee now.  I think I was using coffee to fill in the gaps of a very bad diet.  Now that I eat what I should I just dont have as much interest in coffee.  I also dont sweeten my coffee like I used to.

I really dont have anything against the Starbucks blended drinks and what not, but I have to say, for a "treat" those things are really diet killers.  They have as many calories as a cheese burger, as much sugar as a piece of cake. 

The reason I started drinking coffee (1 cup a day) was because I wanted a little "pick me up" in the morning - it never occurred to me to use it as a weight loss tool.  I never stopped having a nutritious breakfast with it.

Granted, while before it was something I was okay with, now I truly love the taste of coffee.  Even when it's not coffee - coffee ice cream, mocha flavored anything, etc.

I hardly ever go the Starbucks route, though.  Too expensive, too many calories, and I'm perfectly happy with the concoction I make at home, experimenting with the different brands and roasts of coffees I find at the store or Trader Joe's.