Lets talk COFFEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay ladies I need to talk about this.

First off to the two other ladies doing Atkins. Caffeine is the only thing I never gave up but still lost weight. Give me your reasons really why I should give up caffeine!?????????? Do I really have to?????????????????

To the rest of my best friends who are also getting healthy. What are your comments on Coffee.

I want to hear everyones take on this !

Thanks

Katei

Cath, I understand why you are attached to caffeine: so am I

However, coffee is actually really bad for you. For one thing, it's an excitant and as such increases your heart rate, something you don't want to do too often.

We all know that caffeine keeps us awake. It's also bad for your kidneys. For me, it will also cause headaches and stomach aches. Cafeine is very hard to digest.

Where dieting and eating right is concerned, there are two reasons to avoid cafeine:

1) As an excitant, it will increase your appetite, making sticking to those meal plans all the much harder;

2) Just like any intake of liquids, it can give you a false sense of being full. However, it only lasts for a while and you'll be even more hungry.

Now, all of that said, in moderation, cafeine, like any other thing, won't do too much damage. Many believe that drinking 2 cup or less of coffee is a safe amount. Of course, you have to account for caffeinated drinks and teas, which, sometimes, contain more cafeine than coffee does.

Other alternatives to cafeine: decaf (though I believe it is just as bad, because of the chemical process used to remove the cafeine from the coffee); herb teas; non-caffeinated drinks and, my favorite: water

I'm not a scientist but I play on on TV

We are a house of extremes, me the decaf gal since 1983, and he the gallon of ice tea drinker (or 2 litres of diet coke in a day). YEOW! A while back my sweetie had a nagging headache, (sinus migrane) and the doctor told him to cut back on caffeine. He cut it OUT and went through withdrawl. Not understand the relationship, we did some research ... and I might not be remembering everything we learned.

I personally think side affects vary by each individual and it's hard to make a blanket statement that it is bad for you (especially given our experiences).

first off 5ozs of coffee is usually used as a guideline. 5ozs has anywhere from 60-180mgs of caffeine. (My coffee cup holds 30 ozs!) 5 cups of coffee can be considered in the high end of consumption. (not very much in my opinion!)

What I know it does:
Raises Blood Pressure
Simulates Figh or Flight in your body
increases heart rate
increases kidney flow
decreases reabsorbtion of sodium and water
Is a diuretic
induces anxiety or insomnia
panic attacks
linked to some types of depression
can affect musculature
tendonitis
carpel syndrome
unconscience hand clenching (like gripping the car steering wheel over n over)
Neck pain & headache (why my sweetie was told to cut back)
Can cause potassium defficiencies which show themselves as muscle pain or weakness
Digestive track - heartburn
somewhat of a laxative
and can weaken the immune system.

Course, there are lots of other things that can cause any of these adverse affects as well. I don't think I've ever read anything connecting caffeine with slower weightloss or anything like that. I think most programs discourage the consumption because of the diuretic qualities, and it can be considered a toxin to your body.

Personally, things with caffeine taste very bitter to me now. Ickie Pooie!

BSQ

holy ladies.

Boy are you gals informative. I guess I have to rethink this. I am just not sure I can do it! but I will continue to seriously think about it.

Thanks for you support

	Quote:
Originally posted by BobbySueZQ A while back my sweetie had a nagging headache, (sinus migrane) and the doctor told him to cut back on caffeine. He cut it OUT and went through withdrawl.

BSQ, I just wanted to say that whenever I've abused coffee - this summer I got "addicted" to Mocha's (1/2 coffee - 1/2 hot chocolate... with whipped cream ) and would have 5 or 6 cups of coffee a day - I end up with severe withdrawl symptoms. In my case, they're in the form of violent headaches. OTOH, too much caffeine and I get the shakes.

However, in my case, it really is a Mileage May Vary thing, since I'm allergic to caffeine and have to be very careful at how much I take. I find that two cups of coffee (mine holds 8 ounces -- so that would be the equivalent of 3 cups at 5 ounces each.. plus one ounce) is right, 1 cup the best: enough to wake me up, but not enough to cause unpleasant side effects.

Dany - I know what ya mean on the withdrawl. Not pretty at all. I had no problem withthat, but my sweetie had killer headaches (worse than the ones that sent him to the doctor in the first place) and he was just a mess. Course I smacked him and said "don't go all or nothing!"

When I have any (I think I've posted about my starbucks wrong coffee incidents) I'm bouncing off the walls litterally!!

As with anything you've been doing along time, I guess you have to wean yourself of it gently.

Katie ... if you don't truly use a lot of cafenated products, you might look for Half-Caf coffee. Not sure if it's available in your area, but they do make it.

Quite frankly if I wasn't a bit sensitive to the stuff I would just drink whatever tasted good to me.

BSQ

PS: I love Mocha's! (decaf NF, No whip)

Oh boy am I interested in this question! I know I drink too much coffee but I LOVE it. I have decaf if it is after 5:00 PM. But, I must say that when I have a terrible migraine, a cup of coffee with caffeine really helps. BobbySue, that list scares me though.

Love,
Maggie

caffeine is actually good for a migrane. and a doctor may tell you to drink a llittle coke or coffee or have some chocolate when you have one. Why? It opens up the blood vessels in the brain. ( i attained this information from a co-worker who gets terrible migrains.)

So I'd reckon with anything, all in moderation.

BSQ

cathlaur, I have to admit I never gave up regular coffee either. never had high blood pressure or any other issues from it. I did cut back on it some though when was in so much pain before my surgery. I would drink some regular in the morning usually, but switch to decaf. I may go back to doing 1 or 2 cups reg. and then decaf if I want more the rest the day. once I go back to work it will be easier atleast I'm gone for part of the day then. lol

Maggie, this is a tip a learned from a magazine article: the lady in question was pregnant and a chronic migraine sufferer. However, during her pregnancy, she couldn't take her regular migraine meds. Her doctor recommended that she take extra-strength tylenol with a cup of coffee. I find that taking tylenols with caffeine will help with any of my headaches and even with the allergy-induced sinus migraines. Among other things, the pain meds work faster with caffeine.