Hi,
I am new here, so I don't know if this has been discussed before, but I need help.
Obviously, I am not a healthy eater, since I am overweight. I try to change my diet, but the one thing I can't seem to give up or find an adequate replacement for is my coffee creamer. I love my Coffee Mate French Vanilla. I can do fat free if I have to, but usually revert back to regular.
Is this so bad? Is there a concoction that I can use that will give the same consistency and flavor without the calories? I drink about 2/3 a pot of coffee in the morning and I think it adds maybe 300-400 calories to my day.
I was thinking of getting an espresso maker...but then even fat free milk has calories.
Anyone else have this problem? Am I killing myself with creamer? I don't want to have a triple bypass one day because I couldn't give up the fancy coffee drinks...sigh.
Thanks for any thoughts on this.
Shansk

Coffee Mate has hydrogenated oil, International Delight does not. That would be the first switch I would make.

For a vanilla coffee, why not try adding vanilla soy milk? Soy milk is good for you, and it gives the coffee a fuller body, and unique flavor.

If not, then yes, skim milk has calories, but at least you would be getting your dairy in. I used to do half skim-half coffee drinks, but you could probably do that & put just a few drops of real vanilla, or just get the vanilla flavored coffee. I used to get the chocolate velvet flavored coffee when I did this & then sprinkled cinnamon over the grounds & it was divine with just skim milk added.

Good luck & welcome!

beware - Fat free is not always REALLY Fat Free. Read this info from Nutrition Action cspinet.org/new/pdf/coffeecreamers.pdf

According to the Nutrition Facts panel, Fat Free Original Coffee-mate has just 10 calories and no saturated or trans fat. If a food has less than
0.5 grams of fat (trans, sat, or total) per serving, labels can round the number to zero. But what if you use a larger serving? you could end
up with enough fat to matter. The serving size for Original Coffee-mate powder—one level teaspoon—is puny. It’s less than the serving sizes for powdered creamers with flavors like French vanilla or hazelnut (about one tablespoon).

What if you use more than a teaspoon of Fat Free Original Coffeemate?
You can’t just multiply the fat numbers on the label, because any
number times zero equals zero. According to unrounded numbers
that Nestlé gave us, a flat teaspoon has 0.27 grams of saturated fat. Now If you pour, say, two tablespoons into your 12 oz. mug of coffee, you’re
drinking 1.6 grams of sat fat. And if ou drink three mugs a day, you’re
downing almost 5 grams of sat fat.

What about other brands? Coffee-mate powders have little or no trans fat because they’re made with partially hydrogenated coconut and palm kernel oils. (Those oils are so saturated that even though they’re partially hydrogenated, the trans is negligible.) But many office-supply company brands are made with partially hydrogenated soybean or canola oil.
And that means trans fat—probably a gram or so in every tablespoon, even though the label may list 0 grams per teaspoon.

Buyer (and drinker) BEWARE!

Vanilla Latte: (from a former barista) SKIM MILK IS GOOD FOR YOU!
1. Skim milk & sugar free vanilla syrup (can buy a bottle from starbucks, then you will not need sugar added)
2. Skim milk & vanilla syrup (can buy a bottle from starbucks, then you will not need sugar added)
3. Vanilla FLAVORED coffee with 2 % milk
4. Vanilla Flavored coffee with cream
5. Same as you are making now, but use a little less cream each time
6. Same as you are making now, but add more coffee to your cup half way, but do not add sugar or cream
7. Making your coffee exactly as you do now, but ONLY after you have finished your morning workout
8. Try making regular coffee with a less cream than you are using now, and have a low fat vanilla yogert for breafast
9. Have a small piece of chocolate or sweet (bite size) before your coffee and that will take away the desire for the sweet taste.
10. Drink a glass of water before your usual coffee and then you won't need so much coffee because you will be more full.

There is my ideas, I tried to give you a lot and I have used a lot of these and they work for me! Good Luck! If I look at my bf's meals each day, he gets to eat SOOOO MUCH more than me because I often waste my calories on coffee drinks. =)

I too love the Vanilla Coffee Mate (liquid). Tried the FF - didn't like it. Tried mixing half FF and half regular. An improvement but still not as good. Tried the syrups and flavored coffees too.

I finally came to grips with the fact that if I wouldn't change my creamer, I had to change my habits. I decided to go with the "3 bite dessert" rule of portion control - just have a bit and enjoy what you have. So I went from 3 cups down to 1 cup and even reduced the size of the mug. And I measure out the creamer instead of just pouring it into the cup. Now I sit at the table, relax for a few minutes and slowly sip and enjoy that single cup of morning coffee instead of rushing around and downing 3 cups out of habit and barely tasting them. And I switched over to green tea for the rest of the day. At first it was hard but after all, one good cup is better than none, right?

When you come right down to it, it's all about trade offs. You are right about burning alot of calories on 2/3 of a pot of coffee all with creamer in it.

Have you tried the fat free half & half or fat free evaporated milk and a few drops of vanilla extract? At least those items are milk based versus an artificial product. If you crave the sweet aspect, a little Splenda or other similar product should get you close to the flavor with a lot less chemicals and calories. Some people like the sugar free syrups like Torani (?) for the vanillla/sweet element. There is also the wonderful world of tea to explore. Over the last year I went from craving Starbucks lattes to a gazillion different flavored teas (and NO calories!)

hi there
i'm a coffe lover too. and i can't drink my coffe plain, i don't add sugar but i must add coffe creamer or milk....about the milk ...i have tried the soy milk plain or vanilla but i just don't like it...i prefer plain skim milk...this is me.
this is my treat for the day a good coffe every morning so i can start the day, in the good days i stop by starbucks and have a tall skinny late wich have about 100 calories, or i have mocha...or i just make it home and only have two creams on it, i buy different flavors and allows me to stay under 100 calories .
and i'm doing this from the day one....what i was gonna say is that you don' t have to give up the creamer...you just count it for the day...so if you can have 300 calories on the coffe either you burn more calories or you eat less at lunch...or you skip desert...i'm sure you'll find a way.
good luck
michellenew

I cannot get rid of the creamer either. I find myself using less and i dont use sugar. But I drink water the rest of the day so I feel as if I am justifying my actions.

I've found unflavored fat free half and half to be a great substitute for creamer. I buy sugar-free Torani syrup to get the vanilla flavor (or whatever flavor I am into at the moment--Torani has ton of flavors). I put 1 tbsp fat free half and half into my coffee with 2 tbsp sugar-free Torani syrup and I think it is a great compromise. My parents buy the Coffee Mate Vanilla Creamer, so I've compared the two and I definitely think my version tastes just as good.

The Torani syrup has no calories and the fat free half and half has ten calories per tbsp.

You can get the Torani syrup at Cost Plus or you can order it online at syrup2u.com.

Feb 2009 Update: I'm sorry to report that I can no longer recommend syrup2u for Torani sugar-free syrups. They never shipped my last order to me, despite charging my credit card for it. Worse, all inquiries I've made to the company have gone unanswered. I'm currently disputing the charge and have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Given their lack of customer service, I wouldn't recommend that anyone else order from them.

I'm also one who budgets the calories for my morning coffee. Every morning I drive thru Dunkin Donuts and get a large coffee with cream. I very specifically allow for it, otherwise I would feel too deprived.

Sometimes you just gotta say ... this is my thing and I'll do whatever it takes to be able to have it.

.

Hi Everyone!

I can see why this site makes one feel supported. Thanks for all the great ideas and thoughts.
I kind of forgot that I am a tea fan, so I switched just to try a break from coffee--I think you can just get in a habit of doing something and think you "have to" do it.
I also bought the half & half fat free and sf vanilla syrup. I will give that a go, too. There are lots of other wonderful suggestions and opinions so I'll try them--
I sure appreciate your help!
Shan

Perhaps you could develop a taste for black coffee? With all the money you save from not having to buy creamer you could afford better quality beans. I love my coffee black.