Hi guys. I'm new and trying to cut my calories wherever I can. So my coffee problem is this. I drop my son off at school and then go to McDonalds for my Vanilla Latte. Well, today I decided to get a non fat suger free vanilla latte. OH man was it yucky! Does anyone have a good coffee they make at home or get somewhere that tastes good, but is low in calories? I really enjoy my coffee and I don't want to give it up.

Thanks!

I make my lattes with soy milk or almond milk. They're lower cal than cow milk, though skim milk is pretty decent calorie-wise, too. I do use sugar-free coffee syrups, but it sounds like you may not like artificial sweeteners, so that might not be an option for you. If that's the case, maybe just switch to flavored coffee and us a small amount of sugar? I mean, you have to expect though, that a sugar-free, fat-free drink is probably not going to taste as good or the same as a full-fat, full-sugar drink. It might take you a while to get used to!

I have to admit, my small hazelnut iced coffee (with cream and sugar) from Dunkin Donuts is my daily indulgance.

Sometimes I make coffee at home and keep it in the fridge all week, that helps save on calories, but honestly, the real thing is what get's me out of bed in the morning

Thanks guys. Yeh as I'm drinking it I'm getting used to it but I did add my own soy vanilla creamer. So I'm not sure how many calories it is now. I think I will try and make my own so I can get it to taste the way I want for the calories I want.

I make coffee at home with Don Francisco's Hawaiian Hazelnut medium ground coffee and then add a splash of Sugar Free Coffee Mate Hazelnut. Personally, I need to have coffee with a bit of fat (there is 1g in SF Coffee Mate) because I like a creamy mouthfeel. Coffee without fat tastes blah and is not satisfying to me. I could never drink it with skim, for example. Sugar can easily be replaced with Splenda (I love this product!), but imo there is no good substitute for the delicious taste of dairy fat and coffee.

If you are counting calories, I'd find out how many are in that McD drink before you drink too many...

Sassyangies, I am totally with you on loving full-fat lattes. I work as a barista and can have my way with free coffee and espresso drinks (AH!), which is a perk but also is so tempting and tests me most every day I go into work.

Anyway, lattes will definitely be more calories than a regular coffee because of the majority of the drink being milk. Like others before me mentioned, you can try flavored coffees which have a less intense flavor than darkly roasted black coffees, which is usually what people think of when thinking of plain coffee. Flavored coffees can actually be quite good! You can add fat-free half and half which will give it a bit of creaminess and some Splenda too. Also, a perk is that regular coffee is always cheaper than espresso drinks like lattes.

If you MUST get a latte, I recommend going to someplace other than McDonald's. If you go to a coffee shop designated for coffee specifically, they are likely to know more about the drinks they're serving you and will also have more sugar-free flavor options (chocolate, hazlenut, caramel, irish cream, etc.)! Also, you might try a café au lait (half coffee half steamed milk) and add a bit of sugar-free syrup, or if you really are trying to cut back on the calories caused by the milk, try an americano and add some sugar-free flavors in, then just a splash of fat-free half and half. Then again, I always think that if you are going to get an americano you may as well just get a flavored coffee because it will be less expensive.

Honestly, like Dezzie said, the plain taste of espresso or coffee is something your palate will just need to get used to, but it will be worth it once you notice a change!

I have a suggestion that I got from my Mother-In-Law. For about 10 years, I have always put two or three creamers and two or three sugars into my coffee. I had Starbucks Caramel Frappacinos and White Chocolate Mochas - basically candy in the shape of a grown-up drink.
Then my Mother-In-Law told me about how she switched to black. She was just like me - lots of cream and lots of sugar - for decades. Then a friend of hers told her to drink her coffee black ten times in a row, and she would never put cream or sugar in it again. At the time she was working in a remote location and didn't have a lot of options, so she tried it. After about 7 cups of black coffee, she was hooked and has only drunk it black since.
I was sincerely skeptical, but I wanted to cut calories where I could, so I tried it. I think it only took me 5 times. The first time I just gulped it down like medicine. The second time, too. The third time it wasn't horrible and the fourth time I was almost hooked. I drank it black ten days in a row, and then tried coffee with cream and sugar.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
Seriously.
I hated it.
This may not work for everyone, but I strongly believe that....
(You knew this was coming!)

If you go black, you won't go back.

I used to drink my coffee with lots of cream and about 3 sugars. then I cut back to double cream and double sugar. I gradually just put less and less sugar in my coffee and then totally gave up the sugar about 6 years ago. Now I still use cream but less of it and no sugar. A 16oz coffee is about 60 cals which I am fine with.

I used to also love vanilla lattes and again I started with ordering them fat free (made with skim milk) and counting it as one of my milks. Then I stopped with the vanilla syrup (I do not use artificial sweeteners) and just started having non-fat lattes (about 100 calories for a 14 oz latte) My nutritionist said that having a non-fat latte without sugar is a great way to get some milk in.

Now I rarely (like never) buy lattes due to the cost. However I want one now

I agree with ironlove handles. I drink my coffee black, except for the very occasional tall non-fat, 2-pump, no whip pumpkin spice latte (200 cals.) If I'm drinking my calories, I'd rather they be from wine.

If you drink your coffee black, I'd suggest splurging on good freshly-roasted coffee. If there is a local roaster, I'd go that route. Fresh coffee beans make a completely different beverage. Oh, and Starbucks isn't as fresh as you think. Yes, I'm a coffee snob. Can you tell?

OMGosh.. this is so funny. I was thinking it all the way through reading it! You are so funny. Thanks for making me laugh. I definetely needed it!! And you know what I think I am going to try the black coffee for 10 days. See what happens. I think I'm going to buy some good coffee and brew it at home though.

Thanks for the suggestions! And the laugh.

Thanks for the tip! That's exactly what I'm going to do.

Let me know! It worked for my husband, too. But for whatever reason he went back to cream and sugar after about 6 months of drinking it black. I think it's because he's sick of hearing me tell other people about it. He can be a bit stubborn.

Seriously. You rock! That was awesome

I haven't tried it yet, but I haven't bought a coffee for myself in a few days either so even better!

Well, I gave up sugar and Splenda in my coffee, and that was hard. Don't know if I can give up my half and half, too. Maybe I'll try it.