I want the skinny! (On caffiene that is!)

I have seen the occassional conversation about caffiene on the OH boards and I am curious. My surgeon does not recommend coffee or caffinated beverages.  He says it stimulated hunger, water retention, etc.  I have heard others say no coffee because it increases the risk of ulcers. Now, I do admit to drinking coffee, daily lately.  It is my one vice (okay, maybe my first, 2nd being chocolate, but that is a demon under control right now).  I love my flavored coffee!  I was using powdered creamer until I really checked out the label and found most of them made of corn syrup solids.  Hello!  Dried up sugar if you ask me.  So, now I use a dash of milk and splenda or nutra sweet, or whaterver sweetener on hand. Now, my body is one that does not want to give up the weight.  I go all month not losing an ounce.  Then the days after my TOM I drop 5 - 10.  I have learned to accept this.  I have tried everything to change this.  It just ain't happenin'! Could my caffien intake really be hindering my weight loss?  As much as I hated to do it.  I even tried the 5 day pouch test the last couple of days to see what would happen.  Protein shake in the AM and lentil soup for lunch and dinner, sugar free jello, crystal light all day, etc. Zilch, Nadda, Nothing!  Infact the morning I was up 2 pounds!  Not that this little fluctuation bothers me in the larger scheme of things. I know next week it will be gone if not gone by tomorrow. I have also read that artificial sweeteners are the"devil"  and maybe my consumption of both the coffee and the sweetener are the problem.  I also drink a lot of crytal light everyday which is loaded with aspartame.  Is that my proble? FYI, I eat anywhere from 1000 to 1500 cal. on any given day.  The week before my TOM 1500 and the week after more like 1000 (seems like my pouch is more sensitive after for some reason). So, after all my ramblings...what is your professional advice on the coffee and artificial sweeteners?

First of all - congratulations on being almost HALF of your original weight - that's a great accomplishment! Now, someone may be more "up" on the research in this area - so I would love documented criticism... There's really no ONE thing that can stall your weight loss. It's nice to blame caffeine (but most studies have been done on coffee - not caffeine, yet we still villify caffeine... I don't get it)  or artificial sweeteners (keep in mind that saccharin has been in use for almost 70 years, aspartame for about 20 - and there's still no good research available on the effects these have in our bodies.  Aspartame has had some negatives, like saccharin - but Splenda doesn't seen to have any of those effects) blaming one thing is an easy way out (my opinion).  Weight and weight loss are very individual and depend on a lot of factors.  I would discourage you from over-simplifying the issue. How about looking at habits Is your exercise level ideal? Are you accurately tracking every single thing that you eat - no freebies? Do you snack or nibble? Are your meals meeting your daily goals for kcals, pro, and fat? Do you have daily goals for diet & exercise? Medically Do you have water retention issues - cardiac problems? Are you diabetic? Taking oral diabetic medications? So getting back to your original question.  NO I don't think caffeine or coffee is the devil or that it is the sole cause of your weight loss plateau. Maybe your body is adjusting to where it is now and you need to do a little extra to kick it back in to losing mode.  My advice See your dietitian Exercise!!! It's a new year - full of new goals.  Set your sites on your goal & make a plan to get there. Good luck!