I started drinking my coffee black back in June and honestly it's all in the mindset. We teach ourselves to like lots of things that don't taste great at first like beer or alcohol, we learn to acquire a taste for those things because we want to. You can learn to acquire a taste for black coffee too.

In the beginning, I would just sip my black coffee and really taste the flavor of the coffee. Now I don't even think about it.

I really enjoy fat free half and half, and the two tbsp serving at 20 calories isn't bad, even if you have it multiple times a day.

I'm the same way with tea. 20 years ago, when I was studying for exams, I would drink massive amounts of caffeinated iced tea to keep me awake to study. I ran out of sweetener and started just drinking it unsweetened. At first it was hard to do it. But after a very short time I not only got used to it, but I could not drink it sweetened anymore. Now, sweetened tea doesn't taste right to me. It doesn't taste like tea. I now appreciate the natural tea goodness of tea drinking it without any sweetener.

But I think there is a difference between "acquiring a taste" and an actual change in the way you taste things. For example, I don't drink regular Coca Cola because of the calories... but I like it. Until recently, I drank diet coke for a long time. I didn't really like it at first, but I did acquire a taste for it. However... any time I ever had a real Coke, I MUCH preferred it to the diet coke.

In contrast - as I posted above, I stopped drinking my iced tea with sweetener many years ago. But I didn't merely acquire a taste for unsweetened tea. My taste changed completely when it came to tea. Now, I can't even drink tea with sweetener in it anymore. It doesn't taste good to me at all. It tastes sickeningly sweet.

The first time I saw that acronym was of LCF, it's not common here on 3FC

I still don't think you need to drink it black unless you're exhibiting a dairy sensitivity, but maybe cut back to 2 oz of it per day (Dr. Atkins limit for cream) rather than 3-4 oz? That is a LOT of dairy, even with all the fat accounted for. And I do that (4 tbs = 2 oz) in drinks throughout the day without issue. A tbs in my breakfast pot of tea or coffee, a tbs in an Italian cream soda if I need a sweet food, a tbs in my afternoon tea, and the extra tbs is often over berries or even in the form of sour cream. And many days, 2 servings of cream suffices, and I spend my fat calories elsewhere.

Just play around with it, but if caffeine isn't stalling you, I would be surprised if a small amount of dairy would, unless you have a previously noted dairy sensitivity. Just cut back a serving or two and see how that goes

Upping your protein was a great idea - I know, even without pregnancy, I feel much better in the 80-90 gram per day range, otherwise I'm eating too many carbs. Just centering each meal around a single protein usually gets me an adequate amount without running into any excess-protein-glucogenesis issues that we are warned of on my nutritional ketosis threads and blogs. Most folks don't need excessive protein, but I'd also hazard many people on the standard American diet are eating too little of it, and I KNOW most pregnant ladies are!

I COULD NOT deal without my morning coffee. I started a restrictive diet that did not allow for h&h (my poison of choice) in September and it was literally the one reason I thought I wouldn't be able to stick with it.

I buy Primer Protein shakes from costco and use them in my coffee (they are basically the same as EAS shakes). For my first cup, I use just enough to make it light enough for my taste (vanilla, mostly, even though the vanilla is not my favorite plain). Then later in the morning I have an entire shake in 1-2 more cups of coffee.

It tastes great... And it saves a ton of calories/fat. Every so often I'll go to Dunkin Donuts and get coffee with cream- but that's a rare treat.

im on the prying coffee out of my cold dead hangs bandwagon. here's the thing. at first i missed cream.

now- i used 2 splenda 2 milk (nf). even when i drink it with 2 percent at work (no other option) i need less, and it's too rich for me.

i think your preferences may change if you give yourself a little time.

otherwise i'd work it into my food plan.

I drink my coffee with a quarter cup skim or 1% milk, so only about 20-25 cals per 16-ounce mug of coffee. I've never learned to like black coffee, so for me the extra few calories are well worth it.

F.

I've tried to drink coffee black, but I just can't do it. Maybe a "dessert" type coffee, something french vanilla flavored or toffee, but regular "wake up in the morning" coffee? Nope. Too strong, too early. In an effort to decrease that, I've switched to English Breakfast tea, which I CAN drink plain (although it tastes good with cream too!).

I think if you just work it into your plan, and don't drink a cup of cream a day or something excessive like that, you should be fine.

Has anybody read Carb Sensitivity by Natasha Turner? I want your opinions on the book.

I gave in and learned to drink it black !

I'm a firm believer that those things are more a mindset than anything else, and that we *can* learn to like foods/drinks we didn't like before. But we have to want it, too, otherwise our minds will most likely thwart our efforts. Just like when people tell me "I'll never be able to enjoy skim milk: it tastes like water", and then they end up having some with their morning cereals (because it's theonly kind of milk I have at home) and don't even notice the difference, because they're not aware that there was ever a change to start with.

Of course, it doesn't mean we have to do it cold turkey. Starting with reducing the quantity of sugar, whipped cream, cream, milk, whatever, is a good way to start. And if it doesn't work in the end, and you really don't likeit black... well, those are still less calories than before, right?

A good black coffee is something completely different than most people think of when they think of black coffee. Fresh, good quality grinds in a french press, aeropress or manual drip is a wonderful treat, full of fruit and chocolate flavors. Of course we're talking about natural coffee, not additionally flavored.

I'd quit dieting and try for a healthy lifestyle. Going half a day without food is not healthy.