I have never had to stop drinking coffee on a diet. Is it really necessary, in your experience? I only drink 1-2 cups first thing in the morning, and then only rarely do I have any more during the day. Will that much hurt?

You can have coffee but it has to be decaf.

Plz explain why only deaff, coffee and tea, especially Oolong is great for increasing/ stimulating metabolism. If you decide to respond to this post, plz cite where you are getting your information so I may research it further.
Thank you

yes, that is what i was asking. Why DECAF only. (to me, its not really coffee if its decaf!) Thanks.

Now don't take my thoughts as their exact reason because I'm not sure (try asking a counselor) That said, I "think" it is because some of their supplements have caffeine in them and too much is not good for you. I only drink decaf stuff so I never asked why when I joined.

Caffeine messes with your metabolism...apparently in a negative way while on the MRC program. Could research the effects of caffeine on metabolism on the internet~ Try this :http://www.ehow.com/facts_5569629_ef...etabolism.html


The program works...so I think it makes sense to follow their advice! We are paying a small fortune for it, afterall

Tami

I'm fairly new to the program, but, when my husband was on it, I believe that the no-caffeine rule was because it acts as an appetite stimulant... And, I've noticed with me personally that, if I drink caffeine (even before starting MRC), I would have more cravings/appetitie... it's also the same with some diet caffeine-free sodas... but that could just be my personal body-makeup

i have a cup of lite coffee every am (folgers or maxwell house) it's half decaf and half caf. i add a TBSP. of the cappucino HNS to it or just drink it black as usual. the article that was posted earlier makes sense...some people it doesn't affect their weight loss - everyone is different. if i drink more than that, i get jittery and then feel the need to eat. i do think the HNS prob. have caffeine so they don't want us to overload. they check my blood pressure every time i go in so maybe it's becuz of the HNS and supplements? i don't take any of the pills they "push" :-) (my opinion) i do take my own vitamins: fish oil, women's daily vit, calcium, B-6, B-12
one of my friends OP uses the Green tea HNS they sell and loves that in the am.....instead of coffee...

I never gave up coffee or soda and did just fine .... my problems developed when I didn't finish maintenance, so here I am doing it once again! As before, still using coffee and soda. You have to be able to stick with a program to be successful, and if you have given up absolutely everything and it's based on deprivation, your chances of long-term success diminish in my opinion). Some of their supplements have caffeine in them, so perhaps they're concerned with getting too much.

My center said it's because of the liver and caffeine is just another thing for the liver to have to process, etc.

look what I found on that link someone posted:
Elevated Cortisol Levels
Caffeine tells the body to release the stress hormone cortisol, which tells your metabolism to slow down and start storing fat, rather than using it.

Increased Adrenaline
Caffeine causes a release of adrenaline, which prepares the body for increased activity. If you regularly consume caffeine, your metabolic balance will be thrown off and you will feel hungry at times when you really are not, disrupting your metabolism's ability to process what you eat.

Increased Insomnia
Caffeine disrupts the normal sleep cycle, causing insomnia which leads to the slowing of the metabolism and storing of fat.

Increased Appetite
Caffeine stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, causing it to constrict blood vessels and trick the body into thinking it's blood sugar is low. This translates to feelings of hunger as the metabolism doesn't understand that is has enough nutrients already.

Slower Insulin Response
Caffeine impairs the body's insulin response, or ability to correctly process sugars. This slows the metabolism even when taken in small amounts.
hat I found on that link someone posted:

The above stuff are all reasonable explanations for MRC's position on caffeine. They're all about hormones and insulin response, after all.

That said, I still have diet coke. I was off it for about three months, but it has crept back in, lol. I really like diet coke. I'm thinking about cutting it out again since I drink more water without it, and I really don't think it helps me at all. However, I've lost weight both with and without it. I really think weight loss even on this program is 90% about the food you eat. In my opinion (based only on my own experiences-- a year before and 3 months so far this time), the supplements, sodium levels, excessive water drinking, and caffeine-cutting do very little.

My doctor agrees with that, too. I had a low BP problem, so he took a close look at stuff, and my BP was so low because of a lack of sodium and an oversupply of water. I corrected those two things and am fine, but he said that drinking more than 6-8 glasses is not going to help your WL unless it keeps you from eating more because you're so full of water. Sodium has no effect on fat loss or gain-- only on water retention. Supplements are mostly unproven with anecdotal evidence.

Okay-- sorry for the digression. All that to say-- if you want to keep the coffee, in my inexpert opinion, keep it.

i agree Tara..everyone is different. i have lite coffee in the am - a cup and sometimes mix the left over coffee in my creamy HNS for a mocha shake :-) hasn't affected my wt. loss at all. and the sodium, i totally agree. alot of people will say - that's alot of sodium, you can't have it. as much water as i drink, it flushes it out! i do watch the sodium the night before weigh in...water retention sucks on WI day! thks for your info.

Caffeine belly fat is associated more with weight gain than with weight loss

<--- google that phrase and it should bring up a website loss belly fat or something. It says everything I would have told you and this forum won't let me copy and paste the site.

I know all people are different,but when I joined I was and had been drinking lots of coffee a day. Then afterwards I switched to decaf.It is great and the starbucks decaf,the instant kind,you can make as strong or weak as you like.Also,switched to dec tea. The caffiene reacts different to your system than does the water,drys it up more.
For the first 50 lbs I drank about 100 oz a day.Now I am trying for my second 50 I only drink around 78 oz a day.