Okay... does it help or hinder weight loss?

does caffeine help or hinder sodium retaining?

does caffeinated coffee help with constipation?

HELP!

I can find stuff for and against ANYTHING I am looking up about coffee!

The only thing I know is that caffeine does help your bowels get moving. As for the rest, I am very interested in what you find out.

This is a good review of caffinated coffee's effects on a person:

http://scienceblogs.com/neurotopia/2...why_does_1.php

Sci takes her coffee seriously as she had the caffeine molecule tattoe'd on to her body....

Comment #10 to the above blog also addresses the constipation question a bit.

In short - yeah, coffee helps with constipation. Although if you are really blocked up it might take a while. But daily application of coffee will probably help prevent getting really blocked up. Drinking a cup of coffee an hour before your weekly weigh in will probably give you lower results....

Coffee also suppresses hunger and (briefly) increases your metabolism so it may help weight loss that way as well.

However, coffee also suppresses the bodies ability to absorb iron (for up to 4 hours after you've had your coffee) so that's something to keep in mind. And of course, it can effect your ability to sleep and getting enough sleep is really really important to healthy weight loss.

I love coffee. But I no longer drink caffeinated coffee daily due to negative effects on my body. Now, different bodies are...different. So not everyone may be affected this way, but this is what caffeine does to me:

-- When I drink coffee, even when it's only in the morning and just one cup, I sleep much more poorly; it takes me longer to fall asleep, it's harder to stay asleep. For general health, and for weight loss specifically, this is a bad thing.

-- When I drink coffee, my insulin resistance comes back. I can tell that this happens because my complexion suddenly goes from rosy-fresh and peachy-smooth to riddled with acne. Insulin resistance is, of course, very bad for general health and for weight loss specifically. So I avoid drinking coffee regularly because I don't need to be doing ANYTHING that will raise my resistance to the action of insulin.

Coffee does have lots of proven good effects, too; it's helpful for constipation (honestly I was much more regular when I was a regular drinker); it does boost the metabolism slightly and may suppress hunger; coffee contains antioxidants and other good stuff (however you can get antioxidants from tea, too). And best of all, it FEELS GOOD

My ritual with coffee now is that I have one big mug of caffeinated coffee in a homemade mocha on Saturday mornings, before setting in to doing housework. It really gets me going, and I love that feeling. But every other day of the week, I say no to caffeine (except for the small quantities in the tea I drink).

As with so many things, I believe you've got to figure out for yourself where coffee fits in your life. There are tradeoffs.

P.S. It was actually harder for me to quit coffee than it was to quit sugar :/ I don't get withdrawal symptoms, but I love that rush of the caffeine just SOOOOOOO much.

You know, I always find myself much less regular when I don't drink my daily cup of coffee. And, I read in Runner's World that black coffee before a run helps improve performance, which I have noticed in my own experience. I've never noticed having any impact on sodium and water retention, either plus or minus. I blow up like a pufferfish with too much salt with or without coffee.

And yes, you can find conflicting info all over the place.

Coffee lover, here. And occasional coffee abuser.

I've quit it for nearly a year & then gone back. Repeatedly over the years, like a bad but addictive boyfriend.

I drink mine black, or with a bit of Splenda, so it never affected my calories either way.

Sometimes I quit because I'm zealous to rid my body of all impurities, druglike substances, stimulants & etc.

Sometimes I quit because I don't like my breath after drinking a lot of it.

ETA: I do know you can find opinions pro & con all over the place, most backed by scientific evidence. I think you can do whatever you want -- drink it or not -- and find sound backing for it.

I am a coffee addict! I don't think it keeps me all that regular, I've been plenty stopped up when drinking coffee - it was mostly my water intake that was the bigger impact. I don't have many issues sodium and water retention, caffeine is actually supposed to dehydrate you. I think it's possible to find reasons to drink coffee and not to drink coffee.

For me it's my "luxury" since I have had to give so much else up, not ready to let go of my coffee!

-Aimee

All I know is that I've lost 70+ lbs while drinking copious amounts of coffee. I don't think it hinders me. The way I see it... I can either get through the morning with a nearly calorie free cup-o-joe or I can fight (or lose the fight) the urge to eat a donut. Coffee wins .

I drink around 8 cups of coffee throughout the day. Probably more than recommended. I drink mine black with no sweeteners. I've never had any problems with bloat, or plateaus, or sleep. (I usually sleep like a log). The only thing I do not like about coffee is that it stains my teeth, so I have to be very diligen to keep them pearly white.

I write this while I down my first delicious cup.

The reasons I was asking is that I too am struggling with constipation, sodium gain right now... but I have to say that I had two black cups yesterday and my constipation was GONE and the scale was down 2.2 lbs this morning. So that works

Thanks for all of the advice friends!!!

cf,

I am a huge coffee drinker and have found that in general it helps me stay regular..I have also read it can boost metabolism very slightly....so yeah, double thumbs up for coffee..and YAY for your 2+ pounds!

Coffee is your friend. I think I'll go make some right now!

I actually don't find it makes a difference in my regularity--I'm not what you'd call a frequent visitor to the bathroom.

I drink about 2 cups a day with a bit of evaporated milk in it. No sugar or sweeteners. Love the stuff.

Coulda fooled me!! It doesn't help me at all.