Coffee?! your opinion?
 

Ok, so Ive looked it up and seen pros and cons for coffee. I know some people dont like the taste, but its a personal favorite for me.

Ive read all about how it can help prevent a handful of diseases, and increase others. And i've heard it can help weight loss and cause weight gain.

So my question for everyone here is, in your own experience has it helped you?

I drink it plain with just a splash of milk, no sugar, no sweetener. I honestly dont even need the milk, but I am slightly lactose intolerant and need some calcium where I can get it.

So ladies, opinions? and thank you for any help in advance. :D

Coffee helps me in that it makes my life worth living. I have my 2 cups in the morning that I look forward to like a child on Christmas. A little 1/2 & 1/2, a little sugar and I am reborn.

I drink coffee everyday. I've cut down on the number of cups, and use less splenda than I used to, but I lost weight while drinking it every day!

Thats how i feel, when my alarm clock goes off its like my motivation to get out of bed. Not even because I feel like I need the caffeine. I just look forward to the smell, and of coarse the taste. lol

I love it. Have a big mug every morning (or whenever I wake up, since I'm a shift worker).

Heather, your 5C's of healthy living are amazing!

I drink one a day, rarely two. I think that's a moderate amount (?) I don't feel like it has had a negative effect on my weight loss. I also drink it with fat free milk no sugar or sweeteners.

I don't think it has helped me I just like the taste

I love coffee. Drink 4 cups of black coffee a day except on weekends and usually retain more water if I don't drink it. I always make it a point to stop drinking coffee at or before 2pm though and drink a ton of water the rest of the day. I think I do exercise better when I've drunkin coffee an hour before exercise but worse if I drink it 30 minutes or less before exercise since it makes me dehydrated. Coffee helps you burn more calories for sure and many body builders and athletes swear by it though you probably already know that since you did the research. I say if you like it to definitely keep it around!

Thanks ladies :) I felt the same way.. but I guess i felt like I needed some reassurance from everyone else with the same goal in mind :)

BTW niafabo, I see you are extreamly close to getting out of the 200's good luck! and most of all, congratulations!

Glad to help and thank you that just made my day. :D

I admit, I'm a coffee lover. I drink a lot of coffee every single day. At least a full pot by myself... I drink just plain old Folgers dark roast, and I drink it black with no additives. It is the nectar of the Gods...lol I can drink it morning, noon and night without ill effects. I have lost a lot of weight drinking it, but to be fair, I drank it when I was on my way up to 300 pounds as well. I rarely drink plain water, but mix it with a coffee bean and I can get my daily supply in x2.

This one thing I gave up. Caffeine makes me hungry. So, I dropped all caffeine from the diet - no diet coke (I still have a caffeine free diet coke because I like how it tastes... probably the only chemically thing I ingest daily) - no coffee and no tea with caffeine and I feel better without it. But, if you like it and it does't do that to you, then drink it, by all means.

You can have my coffee when you pry it out of my cold dead hands. I normally drink an entire pot by myself. But I will admit sense I added three glasses of water a day to my list. I have been drinking less coffee. But I still can't make it through with out it. I love it black, with nothing in it.

I drink a couple cups a day (used to do 4 or 5) with a couple ounces of plain soy milk or non fat milk. I used to drink a lot of mocha breves which were a HUGE contributer to my weight gain. Now a cup of coffee is just enough to hold me over till my next meal and it makes my belly happy.

However, for the last few years, I've done water-only August, a month of drinking just water. No milk, coffee, alcohol, juice, energy drinks or soda allowed. It's been a great way to wean myself off of coffee...and other unnecessary drinks.

Thanks ladies :) I guess ill keep it for now, as long as i am seeing a lower number on my scale and im using smaller holes on my belt each week there isnt a reason to worry.

Thanks!!

I'm in grad school, I work full time and I need to exercise 6 days in a week to be normal. I rely on coffee possibly more than I should.

I've recently started to taking it without sugar, but I need a little flavor. My favorite is hazelnut from dunkin donuts (either brewed at home or in the store).

I think its fine as long as you're not living on 5 cups a day.

every time I start dieting, I tell myself I need to give up coffee. While I can drink it other ways, i really like coffee with non-dairy creamer; I tell myself time and time again that I need to stop drinking my calories or that I should learn to live without the caffeine.
And then I laugh at myself and make another pot. I drink one, maybe two cups a day. It keeps me sane. i can give up chips, cookies or maybe even chocolate. But coffee with creamer is my one thing that I will always make room for in my calorie budget.

Yeah, I prefer it with creamer so I am cutting it out for now in hopes that I'll get to onderland faster. I'm just not into drinking it black. I tend to want it more in the winter, anyways.

I have an iced coffee everyday, year round! I only have a splash of milk and no sweetner. It is my only saving grace!!

I have a big ol' cup every day -- with artificial sweetner. YUM!

I have to have it! In the past could easily down 2 pots on a night shift or 1 pot on a rough morning. Now, I make it a point now to only drink what I need to get that good buzz and focus more on water after that.

I find I am just all around more successful with at least some coffee in my day. I have more energy and can skip the snacking. I have compromised though, Sugar is replaced with 2 packets of Splenda and my 'splash' of creamer is now 1 TBS of FF International Delight.

If you didn't already find this link in your research, it will make you feel fine about your coffee habit:

http://www.myrecipes.com/healthy-die...-coffee-100809

Like others here, I wouldn't even think of giving it up. I've had my daily large cup (half coffee, half heated 1% milk) since I was like... 11. I've gained; I've lost, but the daily cup o' joe is a constant. In fact, when I heard that one must give it up for gastric bypass, I chucked that option right into the burn pile!! I'll give up chocolate, wine, desserts, steak, potatoes, pasta... but keep away from my coffee!!

I say, if a) it doesn't give you cravings; and b) you don't suffer from some health problem that is aggravated by caffeine; and c) you don't drink it with a ton of stuff in it that adversely impacts your weight loss efforts, then there is no reason to give up something you enjoy so much!! :)

Thanks everyone!

I think the thing that causes the weight gain is the caffeine because it can slow weight loss and make you hungry. But if you like it then you should drink it. It is better than things with actually calories

Love my coffee!! I drink 4-6 cups a day, no cream and no sweetner. It is usually a very bold coffee like KONA or similar.

In the past week I have stopped drinking diet soda. Never thought I would stop drinking them. I usually drank 10 to 12 cans a day. I guess that was a little obsessive on my part. The surprise to me is that after a week I no longer have a desire to drink them.

Larry,
-------------
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go.
~Dr. Seuss

I really don't have an opinion on it, but other people like me *much* better if I have a couple of cups in the morning.

*raises hand to be counted* another coffee-lover here :coffee2:

I drink about 3 large mugs of coffee a day - most of it a blend of regular and decaf.

The coffee itself it not negotiable.

I put whole milk in it - no sugar. I use about a cup of whole milk per day in my coffee and count the calories (that's about 150 calories).

When I absolutely have to - when I need to shave calories from my diet and can't do it anywhere else - I'll consider going to 1% milk. But low-fat or non-fat milk doesn't react with coffee the same way. Milkfat has magic chemistry that makes coffee smooth and creamy; non-fat milk just makes it watery.

So I'm hoping to get along with my whole milk as long as I possibly can. So far, so good ...

Exactly what seagirl said. Its what I look forward to. I actually get excited when I wake up, and look forward to my morning coffee. I drink it 99% of the time with fat free coffee mate, but if I treat myself, like if we are out, I'll add half & half...it can seriously make my week.

BTW- look at my siggy. ;)