caffeine as a stimulant and appetite suppressant

[divingbiker]

I've been off caffeine for about 20 years--no coffee, tea, soda. My only caffeine has been in chocolate, and not a whole lot of that.

In the past week, though, I've started drinking caffeinated tea again. I read (on MSNBC.com) that caffeine can increase your metabolism by 5-8%. All the OTC appetite suppressants (which I would never take) also contain caffeine.

So, after being on Weight Watchers for a year (and losing 40 pounds) I've decided to see if I can step up the rate of weight loss by adding in moderate amounts of caffeine, maybe a cup of black or green tea in the morning and another in the afternoon. So far it seems to be working; I have more energy in the evening when I get home (went to the gym last night) and I haven't felt the need for afternoon snacks. We'll see how this experiment unfolds over the next month or so.

I'm curious whether any of you have noticed that caffeine has increased your metabolism.

[Pax]

Since I'm heavy I can't say I see it doing anything to my metabolism (it could be??). The biggest pluses for me is sharper mental acuity and breathing better.

[tulip]

I lost 20 pounds when I STOPPED drinking coffee (mostly triple grande lattes--so there was alot more there than just caffeine).

I do drink black tea in the mornings. I have kept the weight off for the past 2+ years without dieting. In my case, cutting out the 1000 calorie breakfasts at Starbucks seemed to do it for me; I don't think it had anything to do with caffeine since I reduced it and lost the weight.

Great that it's working for you. I love tea.

[Selkie]

I'm a tea drinker. Just black tea, as the green tea gives me an upset stomach. I'm not sure if it increases my metabolism, but it reportedly has a lot of good health benefits (antioxidants?). I love the Gypsy Tea blends (Whole Foods sells them in the DC area) -- Raspberry Earl Grey and the King Chai. Sneak in a little skim milk in there, and it's just a little bit of heaven.

[OakLeaf]

Dr. Nicholas Perricone says that caffeine will actually make you gain weight because of the way it interferes with your sugar metabolism. I don't really have a strong opinion about him one way or the other, and I didn't lose any weight when I quit coffee (I still drink green tea, but I figure my caffeine intake is about 20% of what it used to be), but there it is FWIW.


ETA: I re-read your OP and see that you're drinking tea, not coffee. There are several of the catechins in green tea that are touted as beneficial for weight loss - not the caffeine.

[maillotpois]

Coffee makes me happy.

[shootingstar]

On hot bike rides if I stop somewhere, I have had a cup of coffee.. Either that or a natural fruit juice as an energy booster. I've never drank Gatorade or other energy drinks even during years where I was cycling triple the total annual mileage compared to now.

I don't see any relationship between coffee and weight gain for myself. For the times I did get unwanted weight, it was too much of other types of food creepin' into the diet. In fact, occasionally to stop myself from having any dessert, I'll opt for a nice hot frothy cafe au lait (steamed milk with abit of coffee). No sugar.
(But I'm not much of a purist. I do have a dessert.)

But the way how I drink coffee is just with a bit of milk. (Cream only if milk not available.) No sugar. And it has been since my early 20's. At home, it's tea. More of a costs-saving issue.

[GLC1968]

I gave up caffiene for about a year once because I was told it was an appetite stimulant and I was trying to lose weight. All it did was make me long for coffee & diet Coke! When I started drinking it again, I saw no difference in my appetite at all. In fact, I found that often when I was feeling 'snacky' all I really wanted was a hot beverage (coffee, tea, etc).

I drink coffee with just milk (skim if its available and I hate cream and will skip the coffee altogether if that's all there is to use) and I don't use sugar...and I put nothing in my tea at all. Calories are not the issue for me.

As far as health benefits/dangers? Whatever. Coffee is my one major vice and I'm fine with that.

[divingbiker]

Divingbiker, Congrats on your success with WW!!! 40 lbs is a great accomplishment! Just a question... do you drink lots of water? If not, this would be something to try. Drink a glass first thing in the morning, before breakfast. Carry around a Nalgene water bottle all day. I haaaaate drinking water for some reason. So, I make (real) green tea, and stick it in the fridge and drink that instead. If you haven't tried keeping yourself hydrated, Id be inclined to try this first before getting back on the sauce..

Thanks! I'd like to lose weight faster, but at my age and with my thyroid issues and being menopausal, I'll take 40 lb in a year. And yes, I'm pretty good about drinking a lot of water. I've usually got a bottle with me. Can't hurt (within reason) to drink more, though, so I'll have to be more conscious of it.

[MomOnBike]

All I know for sure is that if drinking tea makes a girl lose weight, I'd be skinny as a pencil. I'm not. I'm pretty sure tea is not a weight loss aid for me.

[RoadRaven]

Not sure about how much of an effect caffiene will have in a weight loss programme... but I can verify it has a marked impact on my metabolism in terms of alertness and endurance and ability to help me through/past pain barriers.

I don't drink it often, and about 10 days before an important time trial (specific discipline road race) I will not ingest caffiene at all. And then have caffiene about an hour before my start time... def notice a difference in my attitude, my focus and how wired I am for the event...

Maybe the relationship between coffee and weight loss is that for some people, they only drink coffee (and so lose weight) and for others a coffee is linked with sitting down and eating (and therefore gaining/maintaining weight)???

[Miranda]

Coffee makes me happy.

+ mega 1 to that.

Plain black strong joe straight up (zero calories, btw). My fav coffee house has a sign at the counter that says: "give me coffee and no one gets hurt."

I think one of the diet related things it does for me is that it gives my hands and mouth something else to do besides 'eat extra'. Something about the drink hotness, the rich flavor, you fulfill the 'hand-to-mouth' motion, it can be a social vehicle alternative to eating, etc. Lots of options.

Bottom line I say...

GO TEAM CAFFEINE!

[emily_in_nc]

As far as health benefits/dangers? Whatever. Coffee is my one major vice and I'm fine with that.

Coffee is an anti-oxidant. I view coffee drinking as one of my healthy habits, though organic is best since the beans can be heavily sprayed.

I have fast metabolism but don't know if it's related to the coffee at all or just dumb luck.