Ummmm. I was working the Tour de Palm Springs charity bike ride this morning and sent a friend to Starbucks for me. I tried my first cafe Americano. Very yummy. I've never liked their regular coffee (tastes burnt) but this was great. Now I can enjoy something there that is calorie free (I used to do the sugar free vanilla non-fat latte, but that is such a long thing to order--especially if you throw in a triple vente!).

You're KILLIN' me CHICKY WITH THAT THING ON YOUR HEAD!

OK, so Allison, I don't really see the need for Starbucks based on $$$$ alone, since I drink so much coffee, now on the other hand Angie (if she is drinking coffee ~ usually tea only) loves Starbucks...but then when she is finished ordering I feel like we could've just gone for ICE CREAM (see CHICKY IN THAT HAT THING).

PS ~ Angie and I "work" a lot of marathons and 5K's....question...I know why I work them (Angie runs FOR ME!!) 'cause I am lazy... and don't want to take the effort to train to run them (although I have done a marathon) but what is your excuse?

I love coffee. I probably drink at least 2 pots a day, black. And, thats after I cut back. Thankfully, all the water I drink flushes it out quickly, more or less, but there's no way I'm giving it up.

First of all , thank u all for your comments !
I read all your suggestions and found most of them good for me.

Many of you suggested to cut down cream and sugar.... But won't it make me have headaches again (That's what happened when I cut coffee the last time.....Cold turkey way....) I guess that my body is used to an amount of sugar....

Is coffee your only source of sugar? Probably not...

Yes, if you go totally sugar-free you will have withdrawal headaches most likely for a day or two, but they go away. If you cut caffeine AND sugar at the same time, it's worse. If you are really worried about sugar withdrawal from your coffee, just decrease the amount yu put in over a few days. Again, HOW MUCH coffee and sugar are you using?

If the rest of your nutrition has a lot of sugar or high fructose corn syrup, your body won't notice the missing sugar from the coffee if you are only talking about a teaspoon or two a day.

Mel

Just cut back gradually and you shouldnt get a headache. Figure out how much total coffee and total sugar in the coffee you normally consume in a day. Drop it by about 20-25% and stay there for a week, drop it again. etc.

I get half-caff often too.

Count me in too!


I'll be honest about things- coffee isn't FAR FROM HEALTHY. Its just, if you consume so much, then it becomes a problem. In fact, I believe any food consumed in excess quanties isn't good (even certain vitamins!).

I'm one of those "I like my cream & sugar with a little coffee in it" kind of chicks.

I use fat free half-n-half AND fat free french vanilla. I have learned to substitute two packets of Splenda or Equal for my sugar habit (6 tspns!!!!! ) - I usually only have one cup a day (but it's one of those extra BIG cups, so it's more like TWO CUPS a day). I don't drink coffee throughout the day; only upon wakening after my daily shower. And I drink the 1/2 caffeine kind.

Otherwise, I drink 8oz of skim milk daily (usually with brekkie!) and the rest of the day, I drink water. Usually 4 liters a day. *sloshes when she walks*

Fat free half n half, vanilla flavored creamer, and two sweeteners? All of that work for 1/2 caff?

Excuse? I don't know if it's an excuse or not. I work the bike ride because my group has agreed to do it. It is a huge charity ride. The guy who put it all together donates a lot of money to charities around the valley. A lot of the charities are ones that my group already supports. If you volunteer to work the ride, he gives your charity a bit more money. Last year, he donated $2000 to my charity (we raise money for scholarships). Raising money is a difficult thing to do, and working this bike ride is one of the easier ways we have to raise money. My group has about 60 women and 75 girls and about half of us worked the ride this year. It'll be interesting to see just how much time we donated to this cause. So, it's not an excuse right now--I feel an obligation to work it. In 2 years when I am no longer part of my charity group, then I'll either do the ride or find an excuse not to!!

I wish I could change my habits and cut the cream and the sugar...
But I love my coffee as it is, as I used to....
:-(

Well, I love full fat chocolate cake, too...but I have learned that an occasional slice of angel food cake (for a third of the fat and calories) is just going to have to be a reasonable replacement.

You can cut out the cream and sugar-even if you still love it that way. It doesn't mean you can't learn to "like it" without that...just because I don't eat chocolate cake, doesn't mean I don't like it. I sure as heck do...but my rear end and thighs don't.

I agree with Aphil, you can certainly LIVE without that cream and sugar... With baby steps going putting less and less of both or just one at a time eventually your taste buds will adjust...

You go'head & laugh all you wanna! - But lemme tell ya! - you don't wanna SEE ME when I get that crazy wired like when I drink the "full leaded" kind!