So, I'm a week into Phase 1... and a few days ago I figured... caffeine smasheine.. whats the big deal?? I LOVE coffee and tea. I have been skipping out on the cofee for the most part, but still drinking large amounts of iced tea with splenda. SO, I decided to look up caffeine/weight loss on google and read that it hinders WEIGHT LOSS!!!!!!!! ARGH!!!! I'm so ticked. I have stuck to South Beach except for the caffeine thing.. I have lost 6 pounds so far.. but thinking that maybe I could have lost more if I hadn't been drinking caffeine. Its so hard because I so love my tea and coffee.. I guess I could get decaf or green tea, and I plan on doing that after work. BUT DARNIT...

I hear ya Mon!! Sadly, green tea also has caffeine.

ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! waaaaaaaa!!!!!!!! Im PMS-y and WHINEY.

Of course everyone is different but I've never had less than 3 cups of coffee (not tiny little cups either) and a couple of mugs of caffeinated tea (15 oz mugs) most days before or since SBD and it hasn't caused any problems. experiment a little if you are worried and see if it causes problems for you.

Try to limit yourself to 1-2 servings a day and you should be ok. It's allowed. I have 2 cups of Fast Lane Tea in the morning and that's all I need to be bouncing off the walls. Then I drink decaf peppermint or green tea in the evenings (peppermint for digestion and bloat-control, green for antioxidants) and chug water throughout the day.

Don't stress! It'll be ok!

Lisa

Caffeine doesnt hinder weight loss. If anything evidence suggests it would slightly increase calorie burning. It has also been shown to act as an appetite suppressant. Its effects are minor and unlikely to result in any significant weight loss (if any) but it definitely WONT hinder your weight loss. The only thing I would suggest is to drink an additional cup of water for every cup of coffee you drink since caffeine it is a diuretic.

I love my coffee and tea, and have never limited how much I drink throughout the day. I don't believe it's hindered my weight loss in any way. I agree with CyndiM, experiment to see whether or not it affects you.

I, too, use a lot of caffeine in my daily latte and drink Coke Zero all day. Never made me hungry, as some say, and never hindered my weight loss.

I've never limited my caffeine (except I can't drink much in the evening any more or it keeps me awake). I do have decaf mint tea and decaff green tea that I use in the afternoons or evening but in the morning I drink it with caffeine.

I always disregard anything that tells me not to have caffeine I work in coffee, and wake up at 3 am everyday to serve it to people all day. If I didn't have it myself, my sanity would cease to exist. I don't want to tell you how much I actually drink every day, but suffice it to say that it is a lot, and the first time I did phase 1, I lost 12 lbs. everyone is different, and i had a lot to lose which may be why i lost so much at first, but i don't personally agree with eliminating all caffeine, especially at one time. caffeine and sugar withdrawl at the same time can't be fun

I have NEVER given up my coffee...the strong stuff with chicory. could not, would not, can not!! I don't think it ever hindered my weight loss and probably helped...sometimes when I thought I was hungry, a nice cup of coffee did the trick.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS LADIES!! YOU'RE AWESOME!!!
cyndiM and cottage~ I will try to experiment and see how it goes.


love ya'll... Monica

I've had experience with this -- I used to drink regular soda all the time, switched to diet in 2003 and haven't looked back. I used to drink 5 cans A DAY and then have coffee too in there!

I've cut back ONLY because I am drinking water now and am fuller faster. I still find myself drinking too much soda on occasion and I find that I snack more when I am drinking lots of soda. So I made a deal with myself: for every 1 can of diet soda, it's 2 of water!

However, coffee for me is an appetite suppressant. If I have a whole wheat English muffin and a large iced coffee (splenda) for breakfast, I am pretty much forcing a snack in at 1p, let alone eat lunch.

I guess it's to each their own? Good luck!

Wow!

Mon, you did read the book, right? Dr. A talked about this--he pointed out that caffeine hinders weight loss and, more importantly for us, it affects your insulin production as well. He suggests having no more than 2 servings of coffee a day. Green tea does have caffeine, but it's much less than in a cup of coffee, so you can have more than two cups/day.

I watch my intake and keep it within the levels that Dr. A recommends (at least on most days) and it hasn't been a problem. Stop kicking yourself and just look forward to losing more in the future, now that you know!