How much coffee??
 

Just wondering how much coffee you can drink on a low carb plan? I was reading that it was 10 carbs for a 10 oz coffee with one cream and sugar. Does that sound right?

Sue

Well, that depends on how much cream and sugar is in a unit. If you are on a low carb plan, you should not have any caffeine or any sugar at all, (particularly the sugar, it will keep you in cravings) because it messes with your insulin. You don't want any spikes, this will hold pounds and make you want more. The cream is acceptable as long as you watch your intake over the day. Many lc plans say the same for aspartame, but some of them are ok with Splenda, as it doesn't seem to cause an insulin spike.

O.K. my beloved coffee...
 

I agree with Jennifer...stay away from the sugar.

Now here's the part where I should hang my head in shame. I'll admit that I'm a caffeine addict. I have been hooked on caffeine since I was a little girl. My mom use to give me tea in a bottle. I've been having caffeine for a long time. Sure I've kicked the habit a few times but then I smell the coffee and I'm off and running. I have to have some of it.

I have been honestly limiting myself on the coffee. Some of you are going to be amazed at this but others are probably right up there with me when I say I make coffee in the morning and fill the pot up to the 8 cup line. That is equal to two of my mugs , we wont talk about how big the mug is. That's usually my limit on the coffee for the day.

Now, diet Mountain Dew....that's another story....it's ugly!! :lol: and we wont go there right now :devil:

I personally think everyone is different I've taken the caffeine out of my diet and didn't lose any better on Atkins. Yes, he does say that we shouldn't have caffeine it's better for you not to have it because of the insulin spikes that do occur but everyone is different.

As some people say, "Your milage will vary" Give it a try without it and see how you do.

Best of Luck from the Queen of Caffeine :df: ChrissyB

Hi Sue,

I know that the standards are to cut out caffeine. If you can/will do it that's great.

I for one, lost 78 pounds low-carbing a couple of years ago (have since gained it and lost it again :lol: ) and had two cups of coffee everyday.

Caffeine did not alter my low-carbing in anyway. But, and it's a big but, everyone is unique, what bothers one will not bother another. When I was low-carbing I couldn't eat cottage cheese, it would send me into a craving fit, but other's could eat it without a hitch.

If you want to play it by the Atkins book, you will cut out the coffee, but I for one didn't find that a necessary thing, but I didn't do Atkins I did CALP, the Heller's plan.

Debbie

Well, I'm not a shining example of weightloss but I WILL NEVER GIVE UP MY COFFEE! I drink a mug as soon as I get up and then one more mid-morning.

WHAAAAAAT????? GIVE UP COFFEE????? NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just can't do that -- I could (and did :fr: ) give up chocolate first!!!!!!!

OK, there will be NO giving up of the coffee! I start my day with one cup and that's it for the day. I drink decaf with cream and stevia (a natural sweetener). On days I go to drop in, usually 2 cups but that's it.

I tried to give it up and I wasn't a pretty person:sp: I admit I drink too much, but we all have our vices, right?

Hi SueBee

Jennifer is right, however, Ive been on atkins for about a month now, and havent given up my coffee. I just cant!!!

So I think you have to decide what you want to do. I dont count my coffee in my carb count. ****, I wouldnt have any carbs to count, it would all be in my coffee :lol:

Take Care
Robin

Hey guys, I didn't say give up coffee, just switch to decaf -- Or is that all the same to you coffee lovers? I switched to decaf and did just fine. First couple of days were a headache, but now I don't know the difference. I also switched from Folgers to Gevalia, so that might have made a big difference! YUMMMM, Gevalia is wonnnnnderful. I drink a load of decaf each day, it is my cigarette and candy replacement. I wouldn't dare mention cutting it out all together! :lol:

but decaf counts as water!!!
 

and the caffeine stuff doesn't. so, as far as i'm concerned, if you're drinking decaf, you're not really drinking coffee. at least, that's how i justify my starbucks venti decaf cafe au lait every morning!!!!!

I have gradually tapered off the coffee over the past couple of years. We now drink half decaff and I usually have only 1/2 cup of that in the morning. (Don't worry, Ruth, I'll pick up some of the leaded stuff just for your visit, LOL). When I went on the Fat Flush Plan (not any more), I tried a herbal coffee called Bambu. It's an instant and to be honest, I like it better than coffee. No, it doesn't have a kick to it, but it has a much more mellow flavor than coffee.

Thanks for the response. I have tried to cut out coffee and usually have two a day. The half coffee/half decaf sounds like a great idea. I live in Canada and really enjoy the Tim Hortons coffee. I'm also a nurse who works nights shifts and needs something to keep me going.

I really don't find the coffee gives me any cravings and was really surprised when I started this WOL that I didn't feel like snacking in between meals.

Sue

Oh yeah, can't live without my Timmy's! I usually ask for a med double cream and carry a pack of sweetner in my purse. (they have sweetner there but it's Sugar Twin :( ) I use Stevia (a natural sweetner that has no carbs and none of the chemical side effects of regular sweetner. I know some of the girls here use Splenda--less chemically than the other sweetners.

I always used sugar in my coffee. I didn't think I could live without it when I went back on low carb, but after drinking a few cups without any sweetener, I like it better this way. Strange, considering people at work used to ask me if I wanted coffee with my cream and sugar!

I can't give up my caffiene in the mornings. Coffee fills me up and I don't have cravings. I do switch to decaf in the evening because the caffiene was interrupting my sleeping. I drink it black with no sugar.

I willnot give up my caffiene wether it is in coffee or if i need a thirsty caffene load i get it in 1 diet pepsi during work. but it can be as little as 1 cup or as much as 4 daily. and 10 - 20 oz soda 4-5 days out of the week.

Well I have been know to drink a pot a day....yup a pot. A normal day for me is about 4 cups. Nope it doesn't keep me awake or make me jittery what so ever. What can I say. I do not drink soda and a few of them could be as bad as a few cups of coffee. I'm a coffee junkie :D

Leenie :chef:

Coffee and Atkins problem
 

I love coffee. I don't even care about caffeine, but I haven't ever tasted a really good decaf coffee. I hate starbucks coffee, so don't mention it. I usually have 4 mugs a day, Two in the morning. One before breakfast and one with. Then I go all day without it, and have one after dinner and one later Caffeine doesn't affect my sleep or anything. I actually have coffee right before bed on many occasions.

Now I'm reading that you can't have coffee while on Atkins. I lost 13 lbs in the first 6 days, but haven't lost an ounce on it since (the next 6 days). I've had coffee, and I'm hoping this isn't the culprit to the plateau. If it is, I'll have to find another diet, but honestly, is there any that allows coffee>?

jhopp, first off, congratulations on your 13 lb. weight loss. But, losing that much weight in 6 days is a lot of weight to lose in that short a period of time. Your body is most likely trying to catch up with the weight loss, and you may not see any significant or any weight loss for a while. They say the safest way to lose weight is 1 - 2 lbs. a week. There are some low carb diets that do allow coffee, but limit what you can have. I'm not sure which ones do. The only diets that I know that allow coffee is Weight Watchers, and counting calories. Continued success!

I love coffee, but I don't have to have it every day. I'm weird in that I can't tell a difference between regular and decaf. I don't even have a coffee pot at home. Oddly, I'm the one who makes the coffee at work, though. I make a 32 cup urn of leaded and a 12 cup Mr.Coffee for those of us who drink decaf. I usually nurse my travel mug of plain, black coffee until noon. When we go out to Sunday breakfast with dad, I have one or two cups of leaded with milk. I haven't noticed any change in weight loss when I do or don't drink coffee.

Karla

I am also a Timmy's girl. Was an xlarge 2 cream 3 sugar for years. Started atkins on Jan .15 and switched to sweetner Didnt like the taste and now I have 1 med coffee with double cream and no sweetner and it taste just fine. Its weird because I used to freak if they forgot to stir the sugar into the coffee.

Jhopp I had a post in the FAQ a long time ago regarding stalls especially withing the first few weeks!!! i will see if I can find it and bring it up. it was really good regarding water and stalling as you need to tweak the water status!!!

Day 3 of Decaf
 

Ok, Let me tell you. I don't know what kind of coffee people drink....probably that Starnuck's or some other coffee chain garbage, but I like good coffee. I found a fancy dancy decaf at Trader Joe's and grabbed it. Let me tell you, if this is Mocha Java, I'm George Bush. I could drink 50 cups of this and it wouldn't change me into a decaf person. I don't even need the caffeine ( I usually have a cup right before bed), but this does nothing for me. Not even the soothing taste. don't know how long this will last (and once again no weight loss in the last three days).

I think that Decaf is GROSS . Also I think that Atkins says to avoid caffine because it raises the blood sugars and then makes you want to eat. ao maybe having the coffee with food will combat this. I was going to start Atkins a year ago and the decaf thing made me decide to do WW which did help me lose but slowly. I am on my 3rd week of atkins and loving it but still haveone cup of regular coffee in the Am and once in awhile in the late afternoon . It also helps keep me "regular".
Brenda T.

Me either, I drink about 26 oz of regular a day some days more, I'm careful with the splenda/sweet&low just for the carbs, so if I have it I'll use Divinci syrups which have 0 carbs and sweetens the coffee of so nicely.

If you do that, the carb count is low. I think my carbs are around 8 from coffee per day.

Coffee, Tea......?
 

Okay, now here's my coffee problem. I drink decaf so that part is okay, but for Christmas, my kids gave me some wonderful flavored beans and a grinder. Ever since I have been making two or three 8-cup-sized pots a day and drinking it throughout...did I say with a splash of heavy cream??? :D That makes it so luxurious that I can give up all desire for many many other things.

I'm sure this is too much coffee but the alternative would be about four huge mugs of hot decaf tea with 3 packets of Splenda per mug! ;) I know...Yikes, you are saying. The question is which would be better for me? I do drink about 5 12-ounce glasses of plain water daily.

I haven't been on the low carb WOE too long and don't really know all the rules, as you can see.

Sugardrop

Oh heck. You mean I gave up caffeine for NOTHING?? I used to drink Pepsi. Switched to Dt Mountain Dew. Then went back to Pepsi. Then quit that when I joined Atkins. I kind of miss the kick in the morning. But luckily I've gotten to the point that I wake up and don't feel like crawling back in bed. But maybe on days my butt is dragging I should try a diet Mt Dew. Oh man I bet I could fly!! :lol:

Can't get off the caffine because of screwwy work schedules. I did however stop using the sugar and regular coffee creamer. I went to flavored coffee to kill the edge of not having the sugar :( but I have been able to manage. I have been sugar free for 3 weeks (completely) and will have to say not craving sweets- do still miss my rice and potatoes though. But 7.5 pounds in 3 weeks is enough to make me stick to it, since I haven't been able to bugde a pound in the past year.

Sugardrop,
 

I received your PM, but could not PM you back, kept getting an error saying it was undeliverable. Please join us on LCFS (Low Carb Freestyle) week of Feb. 15th, we start a new thread every Sunday. Some of us are still Somersizing and others have started other eating plans. Hope you will join us, the more the merrier! :D

Aleka

Thanks for the invite, Aleka. I don't know why you couldn't get through to me. I will try to locate you on LCFS.

Sugardrop