coffee

[poppapump58]

what kind of effects does coffee have towards the body while weight training and a strict diet.

[RON]

Ive been drinking a lot of coffee lately. Along with the xenadrine it keeps me wired all day. It feels like my metabolism is sky high I know it must be burning a lot of fat, and that's a good thing

[TNT]

None. Coffee has zero calories and zero nutrients in itself; the only time it counts against anything from a dietary perspective is when you add cream/milk, sugar, etc.

However, unless you are drinking decaffinated coffee, you are obviously getting caffeine. The range depends on the brand, with 100 mg. of caffeine being average for a small cup of coffee. (To give you a corollary, commercial brands of caffeine tablets like No-Doz and Vivarin contain 200 mg. of caffeine per tablet, which the manufacturers purport to be equal to the caffeine in two cups of coffee.)

However, there are many exceptions. A study of variuos coffees that was done a few years ago (by, I think, the Center for Science in the Public Interest), indicated that Starbucks regular coffee had upwards of 500 mg. of caffeine per cup. In general, some brews or cuts of coffee (such as espresso) will have more caffeine than others, so there's no one norm.

So from a diet perspective, the answer is that good ol' black coffee will not add any calories. From a weight training perspective, however, it will have the same effect as taking a caffeine supplement, whether Vivarin or an ECA stack. The primary effect will be to increase your heart rate and blood pressure; it will have no significant impact on the amount of weight you can push. (The primary athletic benefit to caffeine itself is to increase the endurance, which is why a lot of long-distance runners and bikers use it.)

I have not read any specific studies on it, so I'm just speculating here (something I try not to do, but when I do it I think it's fair to disclose it), but I would not be surprised to find a correlation between caffeine and osteoporosis. The overall topic of osteoporosis is still fairly new in medicine, and it's one of the few areas in which less attention has been given to men than to women. (Post-menopausal women are routinely prescribed estrogen supplements these days, and the Dexa Scan, or bone density scan, is a routine exam for post-menopausal women. It's only within the past year or two that men are increasingly getting Dexa Scans. I recommend it highly, whatever your gender, if you are just getting into a fitness program and are over 40, especially if you are a smoker. You may not have any indication of osteoporosis now, but the Dexa Scan is a good idea because it establishes a "base line" for any changes you experience down the road.)

So is there any reason to avoid caffeine if you are on a training program or want to lose weight? Nope. Except, perhaps, if you want to get to sleep at night and caffeine keeps you awake, or if you get hyper from caffeine. I get my caffeine from Diet Dr. Pepper, and on the rare occasion that I do coffee I tend to do decaf; but that's a matter of preference. If you tend to feel the caffeine, it's best avoided; if not, I wouldn't sweat it.

[poppapump58]

thanks for the info. one thing, I thought coffee acts as a duretic. Would it have any effect on my muscles looking flat instead of hard (hydrated).

[TNT]

Originally posted by poppapump58
thanks for the info. one thing, I thought coffee acts as a duretic. Would it have any effect on my muscles looking flat instead of hard (hydrated).

Coffee does have a minor diuretic effect insofar as you may want to hit the bathroom more frequently. But the effect is negligible in the big picture as long as you're not overdoing the coffee. (Oh, and remember . . . drink it, don't shoot it.)

Seriously, unless you're going continuous cups of coffee all day, there should be no "muscle flatness" effect. As far as true diuretic effects, I tend to think that much of that argument is anecdotal. As anyone who drinks a gallon of water a day knows, you'll spend just as much time hitting the bathroom as anyone . . .

[poppapump58]

thanks for the info.

[xenithon]

I recently saw a study about coffee. It does have a minor diuretic effect, not that strong though. The main info useful found in the study was that a group of peopl who were given 4 cups a day, one upon wakeup and one after each meal, had a total increase in body metabolism by 3-4%. They were not working out, and did not change any diet/sleeping patterns. Each cup was equivalent to 100mg caffeine.

[Billy Boy]

There have been reports that drinking a cup of coffee prior to excercise actually increases the bodys ability to burn fat.Whether thats true or not I have no idea think it would be better to stick to ECA

[Tobey]

Just for the recoed since no-one has posted it as of yet. The caloric value for a regular 6 oz "brewed" cup of coffee is....

4 calories
1 gram of carbs
0 grams of fat
trace of protien

What this means is that there is some protien, traces amounts, which equals to less than a gram. Not enough to really mention to be honest. This is of course with no cream or sugar as TNT mentioned in his post above.
IC

[xenithon]

to be honest, too much caffeine never hurt anyone

nah, lets say you have like max. 10 cups a day. thats about 1g of caffeine split throughout the day. that should raise your base metabolism by some 4-5% overall, although over time your body would have become quite used to the coffee. the only danger is if you have 10 cups of coffee with 2 teaspoons of sugar, one heaped spoon of creamer and full cream milk to top it off (you get where I am going). its like most foods - it depends how it is made. chicken breast is healthy, but egg and crumb it and deep fry it and it aint so good anymore

btw sorry for the chicken vs coffee comparison - I am really tired. too much coffee

[beenie]

Black coffee is great for cutting. No calories, no carbs, cafine speeds up metablism. Besides, if you make it right, its tastee.

[mc_ake]

it's fu**ed up

[Terinox]

Stick with the ECA...i've only had black coffee once and it tasted like SHIT!!! The only way I can drink coffee is with plenty of sugar and milk, and since that's not even good, ESPECIALLY since i'm trying to cut...fuck it and fuck it hard

[TNT]

Uh, really, guys, aren't we getting a little emotional about this?

Coffee is an acquired taste. The purists would not have it any way other than black, while others can't take it without cream and sugar.

(For what it's worth, I'm hardly a purist. I like a little coffee with my milk rather than the other way around. Seriously, I do about 2/3 coffee and 1/3 milk to cut the acidity of coffee. But no sugar or sweetner. On the other hand, if I simply want a source of caffeine, I'll go with Diet Dr. Peper every time.)

A couple of years ago, there was a coffee newsgroup on the Usenet. (I assume it's still around, but full of spam, as are most Usenet newsgroups.) They debated everything from how to best brew the stuff to which brands/blends were the best. There are loads of coffee fanatics out there.

Then, of course, there were the Mayans, who were into coffee enemas (something still practiced in some schools of New Age medical thinking). Go figure . . .

[El Kabong]

For some reason ECA stacks drive me nuts but I can take coffee (please, Starbuck's only). I work out in the morning, and this gets me ready just fine.

I probably have two cups in the morning and then I drink decaf the rest of the day. Decaf is, by the way, not entirely caffein free. I also drink a gallon of H20 per day.

My doctor claims that the connection between blood pressure and coffee is a myth. Over the long term, the body adjusts. HOWEVER I do have slightly high BP, so take that witha grain of salt (bad choice of words maybe).

Oh, I have asthma too, and coffee definitely helps with that. Sometimes I can get by with a cup of that rather than an albuterol spray, which wires me much worse.

great topic, thanks !

[9natural9]

raises my blood pressure, but so does the Dallas Cowboys....

[Nico]

A double shot of espresso with equal before I workout gets me sooooo wired. It tastes great too. Its the Italian in me I guess.

[beenie]

I am in your camp Nico. I drink Espresso. Red eyes are great too. Starbucks is ok, and if you live in NYC Porto Rico on Bleeker is fantastic and cheap and a zillion times (calculated mathmatically) better than evem S-bucks!

[xenithon]

I'm more of a connioseur, I always have my Illy Espresso

[jammergsxr]

I typed coffee in the search and nothing came up so I posted a ques. then came across this...oh well.Im trying to see my abs. I have a good diet but will 2 tablespoons of sugar in a cup maybe 3 cups a day hurt my goal?