I watched a couple of videos from “Stephanie Keto person” on YouTube and she claims coffee stresses the adrenals and raises cortisol and prevents weight loss. I have two small cups of coffee in the morning and no other caffeine during the day. I do wake up in the middle of the night and sometimes can’t get back to sleep. Would this small amount of coffee cause my cortisol to rise to the point where it disrupts my sleep? I am considering going off coffee to see if my sleep improves (which makes me sad,…I love my coffee…) but I get sick of waking up with my mind racing. I think of Chris Masterjohn’s description of a “stress bucket,” and how things like fasting or exercise can normally be healthy but when you’re under lots of stress these things can be detrimental. I exercise most days, running, weight lifting, and have a busy family life. Could these other stressors make coffee have a deleterious effect on my adrenals and cortisol levels?
Coffee, adrenals, and ketosis
I’ve been in a stall for 6 weeks. You just made me realize something. Last week we ran out of coffee. I had my bullet proof tea instead. I was down 4lbs Monday…ive had coffee for the last couple of days and am back up 3lbs. This makes me all sorts of sad.
My only question is why all people who drink coffee or have high cortisol don’t gain weight. When I had anorexia and was doing keto and running for hours every week and drinking coffee and fasting and not sleeping well and going through relationship issues and I was dangerously thin. Clearly my body was stressed. So why would I not gain weight from all that?
Ok so I cut back to one small cup of coffee this morning, didn’t have horrible withdrawal symptoms but have been a little less energetic today despite sleeping well last night. But then this afternoon, bam, I was RAVENOUS. And I wanted chocolate, which I haven’t craved in a long time, I think my body was trying to compensate for the lack of dopamine by ramping up my hunger for things like sweets. Hopefully this won’t last too long, I ate a TON of food. Oh well, all keto stuff and I feel satiated. Hoping sleep is good tonight!
Dammit. I started drinking coffee every morning for breakfast (with a tsp of coconut oil) 6 weeks ago and have only lost 1kg in that time. Might have to cut it out 
I know from experience that when I was stressed, i lost alot of weight so I am not sold on the Stress causes weight gain unless some people are stress eaters. I for one, don’t eat when i am stressed. I simply don’t feel like it but know that everyone is different.
@WV-Chef I agree, if stress and cortisol and coffee caused weight gain then why did I lose such a drastic amount of weight when I was suffering from anorexia while simultaneously drinking coffee (which supposedly raises cortisol) , engaging in endurance exercise (also said to raise cortisol), and experiencing a great deal of stress in my relationship (more cortisol raising). I got to 6% body fat under those circumstances, and I was also doing keto. If those things were sufficient to raise cortisol which inherently leads to weight gain, then why did I lose weight?
Interesting…
https://muscleinsider.com/content/can-coffee-make-you-fat
Drinking regular coffee also causes secretion of cortisol, a stress hormone and biochemical marker of stress that triggers belly-fat accumulation. Dr. Henry Kahn of the Emory University School of Medicine states, “There’s something about fat cells in the body—the way they respond to stress hormones. People with high levels of stress hormones have a tendency to store fat in their bellies.”
We’ve all seen the commercials on TV ranting about cortisol and belly fat. Stress activates cortisol, and so does the consumption of coffee and caffeine. I have yet to see a magic pill sold on TV that can control cortisol, since stress and ingestion of cortisol-elevating foods and beverages are the main cause of cortisol elevation in humans. Avoiding the stimulation of cortisol is important in keeping body fat levels low.
The biochemical disruptions caused by drinking coffee and/or caffeinated drinks (such as energy drinks) are related to their glycemic properties. Coffee elicits an acute insulin-insensitive environment in both healthy and obese individuals, and in type 2 diabetics. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center stated that “Daily consumption of coffee, tea, or soft drinks raises blood sugar levels and may even hinder efforts to control the condition [blood-sugar elevation].”
Coffee and caffeine-containing energy drinks mediate negative effects on glucose tolerance and glucose homeostasis in humans via adenosine receptor antagonism, and impairment of insulin-mediated glucose uptake via caffeine-stimulated epinephrine release. Both coffee and caffeine stimulate the release of epinephrine, which exerts actions opposite to that of insulin via beat-adrenergic stimulation. Simply put, elevating blood sugar and/or insulin levels in humans causes weight gain via adipose tissue fat cells.
Here’s the bottom line: Drinking coffee and/or caffeine energy drinks disrupts weight loss and elevates cortisol-driven belly fat. So, avoiding coffee and caffeine-related blood glucose excursions and cortisol elevation is mandatory in keeping fat cells at bay.
In diabetics, coffee and caffeine beverages have adverse effects on glucose metabolism, producing higher average daytime glucose concentrations and exaggerated postprandial glucose responses. Additionally, athletes should never drink coffee or caffeine products before exercise because of the risk of adverse cardiovascular events.
Can you do keto without coffee? Why not?
Can you do keto without coffee? Why not?
As I mentioned in another post, I lost close to 180lbs and have maintained for the past 8 years by drinking A LOT of black coffee!
I’ve also had my cortisol tested (for another issues), and it’s never been elevated by drinking coffee.
This may be an individual thing, but coffee is my friend:-)
I use chai tea, and use the same stuff I’d put in my bpc.
Thanks @Sarah_Rumans! I’ll be trying that 