We Always Get Asked, Is There a Coffee Loophole For Weight Loss?

To put it simply, there’s never a weight loss “loophole” - and honestly, coffee assisting you on your weight loss journey might be a little overrated (at least we think so!).

Coffee - the magical, supercharged beverage that supposedly gives us superpowers first thing in the morning. 

True, right? Well, not for everyone! 

It affects everyone differently, and to be honest there’s a lot more that goes into the equation than just your energy level rising after getting your morning caffeine in.

It might not be that weight loss ‘hack’ like everyone says it is.

And as a matter of fact, it could be holding you back from maintaining healthy weight loss. 

Why?

Because it’s throwing your balance off!

What is coffee really doing when I drink it?

Coffee could almost be considered hormone therapy because of the effect it has on us. 

It gives us energy and heightens our attention and focus. 

I'm sure you've noticed that once you start to sip on your coffee you begin to notice an increase in heartbeat, your eyes widening, your mood and energy rising until finally, you are about ready to jump out of your chair.

Sounds great, right? 

So what exactly is happening for us to feel this way? 

The secret is all in the caffeine and cortisol levels. 

Cortisol is a hormone that is secreted by our adrenal glands and is stimulated by the high amount of caffeine in coffee. The adrenal glands are these tiny little glands that work to produce hormones that regulate our energy levels. They sit right on top of our kidneys and will produce cortisol and aldosterone. The rise in cortisol is what we feel when we sip coffee. 

I know that was a lot of info - but just think about it like this. 

Cortisol is responsible for helping us wake up in the morning and our body will naturally produce it when sunlight naturally enters our eyes in the morning. Our body knows how to naturally produce it so we don't need to rely on coffee for its production. 

However, the reason most people love coffee is because it puts our cortisol into overdrive and pretty much turns us into superhumans by being able to do more than our bodies were planning to. 

When people start to enter their burnout phase, they will start experiencing anxiety, fear, worry, weight gain, insomnia, depression, inflammation, stress, poor mood and so much more. 

This is the result of a major hormone imbalance and in this case, the main goal would be to balance cortisol levels in the body to bring the body back into homeostasis.

So, how can you fix this? 

Well first off, coffee should be avoided, or limited, by people who have a hormone imbalance or are looking to balance their hormones. Imbalanced hormones can cause a variety of diseases and illnesses as we listed above. There’s a laundry list of them - and they can prevent you from healthy weight loss.

Our body is all interconnected. When one thing is out of balance, it will affect other processes in the body. We need to be mindful of what our body needs to be brought back into balance. 

I know, it's not easy...at all. 

Especially if you live for the taste of coffee and the kick it provides to get things done. 

I hear you. 

I was a 2-3 cup of coffee per day person before I quit. However, it is possible to decrease coffee intake and find tasty alternatives with much less caffeine that won't impact our cortisol as much and keep us more balanced.

A dietitian’s advice 

Coming from someone who has been a weight loss coach and registered dietitian for years, we’ve seen tons of people quit coffee. So here are some of our best tips and tricks to help you on this (not-so-fun) journey.

Prep yourself

Coffee is addicting and our body will start to rely on it for the caffeine intake every day if we have used coffee for a long time. 

So, caffeine withdrawals are a real thing and are usually not too fun. Some people can experience extreme headaches, brain fog, fatigue, and moodiness for the first few days. 

Yes, it can last for a few days! 

Remember, if you have been using coffee for several years, it will take your body a day or two to adjust to the lack of caffeine. 

I would recommend your coffee weaning during a time away from work such as on a weekend so that way you can sit through the worst without being bothered by others!

Stay hydrated

As you start to wean off of caffeine from coffee, your body will be going through a caffeine detox. 

To assist your body in speeding up this detox process, staying hydrated will help you flush out the toxins as fast as possible.

It’ll flush out toxins that might be accumulating from a rapid change in our intake. Our body is trying to figure out what is going on so the best thing we can do for it is to support it by staying hydrated and moving things along.

Drink some tea

By switching from coffee to tea, you will naturally be lowering your caffeine intake almost by half, depending on the tea.

Green tea and some black teas are still very high in caffeine content but herbal teas will be the lowest in caffeine. 

Even the higher caffeinated teas are still lower in caffeine than coffee so it would be a good place to start! 

One cup of coffee has 125-150 mg of caffeine whereas 1 cup of matcha green tea has 60-80 mg caffeine. Herbal teas have anywhere from 0-15 mg of caffeine.

It’s a good alternative if you're still looking to hold a warm mug to start your day!

To wrap things up

If you have read through this and are still a little skeptical/worried about giving up your coffee, have no fear! 

Again, not everyone has to give up coffee to reach optimal health! 

Coffee is a natural antioxidant and has health benefits but if it over overused and abused, it can cause an imbalance. 

If you feel like you need an extra helping hand on this weight loss journey - you should consider scheduling a FREE intro call to the Balanced Body Program. 

The Balanced Body Program is our 12-week program where you will never find yourself counting calories or permanently cutting out major food groups that you love.

Whether you're struggling to lose weight, manage a health condition, or simply want to feel your best, working with a dietitian can make all the difference. 

Ready to make a change?

Start today with INH!