How often should I weight myself? Once a day? Once a week? Not really sure how often I should be checking the scale.
There is no rule for this. It depends a lot on you. I personally weigh myself every day, first thing in the morning, after my shower, before I eat anything. For me, I like knowing exactly how my body responds day to day. I've learned over the years how sodium affects my weight, how my period affects my weight, etc.
Some people are so emotionally tied to the scale number that if they weigh every day and don't see a change - or see a rise upward - they freak out or get depressed or get angry and it throws them off track. For those people weighing every day might be a bad thing. They might want to stick to once a week or even once every two weeks.
Heck, there are some people who don't use a scale at all and instead rely on measurements, body fat %, or even just how their clothes fit.
I drink 1-2 cups of coffee a day Monday - Friday. It isn't a lot but should I just give it up completely? I'm thinking it isn't a good thing to put in your body... Just warm and a habit at this point...
Why do you think it's not a good thing to put in your body? Why do you think you should give it up?
I'm not asking to be rude, but to make a point that I like to make with most folks who are new to the boards, to good nutrition, etc.
A lot of times we read something that sticks in the back of our minds. Or we'll hear a "rule" that seems to be common knowledge. Or someone tells us something that we "should" do. But no one ever seems to be able to say WHY. To me this is a red flag - if you can't explain WHY something is good or bad for you, why you should or shouldn't do something ... then it's time to do some research and learn why. And we have the whole Internet at our fingertips from which to draw research.
So ... with regard to coffee, here are some links for you:
Health Benefits of Coffee - WebMD
Coffee Health Risks - Harvard Health Publications
And a good overall summary with links to more studies:
Coffee and health - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Note that the links I use are all from reputable medical sources (or link back to reputable medical sources) and not from random diet sites, or sites that want to sell you something. When you research, as I mentioned above, be mindful of where you're getting your information from!)
Me? I drink a cup of coffee every morning (actually 20 oz - a large black coffee from Dunkin Donuts). It helps me wake up and gives me some morning energy, it is warm and comforting (as you pointed out) especially on a cold morning, and it doesn't have a lot of calories. I don't drink it to excess and I enjoy it. I believe that for me, the health benefits and the simple enjoyment of it outweigh the possible negatives. Then again, I don't have high bloodpressure, or any of the contra-indications either.
So .. for me coffee is a "personal choice" issue. If you read the studies, weigh the pros and cons, and decide to continue drinking it, that is something you will have to decide.
