Caffeine, weight loss, muscle gain & stretch marks [closed]

Question

I am searching for information regarding the effects of caffeine and found this website for the first time.

For the last 3 weeks I´ve been trying to decrease my caffeine consumption, after having heard from a friend that it interferes with weight loss. The fact is that, though I´m not overweight (I´m 170cm = 5'7' and 62 Kg = 138 Lb. ?) I am trying to get rid of some fat pockets by working out more regularly. That seemed to be working without cutting my caffeine consumption, which by the end of last year reached about 5 cups a day. But I noticed some stretch marks appearing in the lower back, and little muscle gain. I haven´t been very successful on cutting on regular coffee, so I´m almost fully replacing it with green tea (which in the end also contains caffeine) and decaf coffee, drinking only one or two cups of coffee per day now preferably in the afternoons. I still get some headaches when not getting coffee in the morning, but it´s gotten much better; sometimes I just feel the need of drinking something hot.

My questions are:

• Can caffeine hinder weight loss and muscle gain?
• Does the fact that caffeine increases the production of cortisol increase the likehood that people develop stretch marks when losing weight?

My weight loss hasn´t been radical, at least not during the last few months, it could have also been that I did not notice the strecht marks last time I lost a few pounds. I try to eat healthy, do intervals for cardio.

Answer 1

I have never heard of coffee hindering weight loss however if you are having any form of sugar or sweetener in your coffee that will most definitely affect the pace at which you lose weight because your body will turn that sugar into fat.

If you drink coffee I would suggest you drink black coffee with no sugar and no sweeteners. The best time would be just before training because it will numb your muscles slightly and allow you to push yourself harder at the gym.

The stretch marks are likely just due to your weight loss. You could try doing pilates, yoga and loads of cardio like running outside to tighten up. This is a good sign as you are loosing weight then.