Why I Stopped Drinking Coffee

For the last couple years, I have gone back and forth about drinking coffee. You also here claims that it's "good for you", that it's "bad for you"... Drink it... don't drink it.
Personally, I could feel the effects on my body, and I was more addicted to coffee then I thought I was. To stop drinking was a lot easier said then done. Even one of the personal trainers at my gym said to stop drinking it. He didn't know exactly why, but he found that women who drank coffee held on to their last few pounds of weight and as soon as they stopped, they dropped the weight. I wondered why, until now.

In Jillian Michaels book, "Master Your Metabolism", she talks about the effects of caffeine-coffee.
Here's the information. Read it, and decide for yourself.

They have found the pure caffeine in moderation can elevate your metabolism by 6 percent, inhibit insulin resistance and even improve cognitive function.
The catch is... Non organic coffee (or cokes and diet cokes) doesn't give you the fat burning effect you are looking for.
Studies done with pure caffeine were done with an isolated caffeine supplement, paired with other specific substances in controlled lab settings.
The worse part is, caffeine is abused. It not only damages your metabolism, but your hormonal balance as well.
Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system, which makes your endocrine system, which makes your endocrine system think that you have threatened in some way. With the third cup of coffee at your desk each day, you kick your body into fight-or-flight mode while you're checking e-mail. Your adrenals pump out epinephrin and norepinephrine. These two stress hormones set into motion a cascade of fattening hormonal actoins: Your liver releases blood sugar for quick energy, your pancreas spits out insulin to counter the sugar, your body dips because of the insulin's actions. Also, your blood vessels constrict, making you feel like your blood sugar is dipping even further, so you head for the vending machine. Ever notice how you crave something sweet somewhere between the first and second cup of coffee? That's your body reacting to this sudden feeling of blood sugar shortage.
The Acids in one cup of coffee will elevate your cortisol for up to fourteen hours. Now, if you sip caffeinated drinks all day, you switch on your stress reaction over and over- your short term energy burns out, you grab another cup, repeat the hormonal cycle again, and effectively turn yourself into an addict.
Caffeine abuse overstimulates and eventually wears down your adrenals; it also inflicts the long term effects of real stress in your body: Oxygen flow to your brain slows, your immune system is suppressed, the excess cortisol increase your appetite and encourages fat to pack on your belly, and last, your continued insulin spikes help to crate insulin resistance.
To make matters worse, when it's time to restore yourself with rest, the caffeine you drank during the daytime may prevent you from getting adequate sleep that night- and you now know that lack of sleep itself crates insulin resistance.
The Phosphoric acid in colas and coffee interferes with your calcium absorption. In addition to being brutal on your bones, this calcium deficiency- and the caffeine itself- can make the symptoms of PMS much worse, including increased breast tenderness, irritability, and nervousness.
The National Academy of Sciences released a report claiming that caffeinated beverages can be calculated in your daily water intake- but if you ask me, that's bogus. Caffeine is a diuretic, draining precious water from your body at the very moment you're trying to flush out the toxins. When you're dehydrated, your blood volume decreases, reducing the amount of oxygen that can get to your muscles, making them less effective at burning fat. There's no debate here: Get your water from water. **

After reading this information, and then reading the ingredients of my coffee creamer. I knew I needed to stop. So I have. In 3 weeks, I have only had coffee on four of those days.
It all started with eating breakfast in the morning (it is the MOST important meal of the day). I get up and eat right away. Even if I wasn't hungry. I would force myself to eat. I still made my coffee, but I only drank it in the beginning. Then I stopped drinking it, and eventually just quit making it.
The only day's I've had a cup of coffee are the day's my husband is home (because he still drinks it). Even on these days, I have a much smaller cup and I do Organic whole milk and pure can sugar. Instead of my Partially hydrogenated oil, non dairy, sugar loaded and is in no way good for you, creamer.
I had some pretty bad headaches at first, but they have really gotten better and I don't crave the coffee anymore.

Not only do I feel better know, but coffee generally upset my stomach. Why I would continue to drink something the CONTINUALLY upset my stomach is beyond me. I wasn't listening to my body. Are you listening to your body?

I think there are better options, ie. Food! If you do drink it, I believer you should buy organic. Or you could try Green Tea. I've got to figure out some sort of warm beverage, I might go to tea, but I know it won't be caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee.



**(information taken from Master your Metabolism, by Jillian Michaels)
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