Hey everyone,

I am a late bloomer when it comes to coffee. I just started enjoying it in the past year and I honestly have one coffee every week MAX. I take it with milk only and no sugar and I am pretty sure I don't drink a lot of it because I don't want to become dependent on it.

So....is coffee harmful for weight loss? I've read articles on either side and I was just wondering what your experience has been!

Thanks!

-Sarah

It shouldn't be harmful to weight loss, you'd just need to watch the calories for things you add.

I drink about 20-24oz a day (black with either 1 Splenda or 1 Sweet & Low) and my weightloss hasn't been a problem.

I'm not addicted to it but I sure do like it!

I drink a double espresso with whole milk and 1/2 tsp of sugar every day. No problems here.

There is actually studies that say that black coffee boosts your metabolism and is beneficial for weight loss. Coffee itself isn't bad for. What is bad is the sugars, creamers, etc. that most people add to it.

Just milk should be fine. If you are okay with artificial sweeteners, those won't hurt either. If you are really worried, try using almond or soy milk to lighten your coffee. I use vanilla almond milk to give coffee a nice nutty and sweet flavor.

The caffeine does provide a small metabolism boost and it's an appetite suppressant, so from a weight loss perspective, it's fine. The calories in plain coffee are minimal. So long as you personally tolerate caffeine (and dairy) well, there's no problem.

Be sure you measure the milk you add to it, and fit it in with your plan - or if you buy something like a latte at Starbucks, look up the count for it (pay attention to whether it's skim or whole). But once a week is incredibly minor! Don't worry about it!

I have recently started to enjoy homebrewed coffee as well in the last 3 years. I would only go to Starbucks because I thought that was the only way I'd drink coffee since it tasted good, lol!

I have a couple cups almost daily with some splenda, creamer and sometimes vanilla and/or almond extract, I'd say I dedicate up to 50 calories to the coffee and I have not seen it affect my weight loss yet.

Sure! I drink at least 2 cups of coffee a day, just with milk. I haven't been counting a thing, and I'm still losing weight.

I can understand why it boosts the metabolism, as if I didn't drink any I'd be at risk of not getting out of bed at all

You're doing something very healthy here - enjoying things in moderation. Learning to do that now will be great for maintenance. If you start restricting yourself, you run a much higher risk of letting the diet mess you up mentally.

Enjoy the Java

There's nothing unhealthy about coffee unless you're drinking a ridiculous amount of it and filling it with empty calories. I've grown to prefer my coffee black, no milk/sugar but when I'm in the mood for a dessert I will add creamer when I have some. In the mornings I've started adding a scoop of protein powder to cool coffee and it makes for a yummy shake when I don't have time for breakfast and on my way to classes.

Oh, one thing though about coffee is that it's a diuretic so make sure you drink plenty of water. I've made the mistake multiple times of drinking nothing but coffee for a few days and the dehydration stinks!

Thanks everyone! I started drinking it and I am...well...."learning" about it's metabolic..."advantages"? ahhaha let's just say it's hitting me strongly and making me nervous to do more jumping jacks!

Thank you all for the advice- Much appreciated!

-Sarah

Oh yes, it does have that effect on me sometimes. Sucks, I know. If possible, do your workouts first before having any coffee?

Edited- Sorry, I think I may have misunderstood the last part of your post because you may have not really been talking about exercise and coffee together so forgive me if I misunderstood and disregard the last sentence of my post. I think I need some coffee, lolll.

lol i know what you mean! I think I'll save the coffee for rest days, just in case!

I drink at least one cup of coffee a day. It is the one thing I absolutely will not give up - period.

Not at all. Coffee actually helps weight loss because it helps you workout harder if taken shortly before exercise. Just watch what you put in it (cream, sugar, etc.) and limit yourself to about 400mg of caffeine a day (this works out to 2 or 3 cups - actual cups, not Starbucks cups). If you exceed that it actually stimulates a "stressed" state and your adrenal glands start pumping out coritsol, which is not good for weight loss.

Agree with what everyone else has said. BIG coffee drinker here. In order to drink coffee I like without drinking all my daily calories, I buy sugar free torani syrup (I think it's the same brand that starbucks uses), which is sweetened with splenda, and add a dash of skim milk or fat free half and half. As for "that" effect, I find that it helps if you don't consume coffee on an empty stomach.