Anyone out there a big coffee drinker? If so, how do you take yours now that you're going for a healthy alternative? I know a big portion of my calorie intake is in my coffee. I'm a morning person-I get up at about 4:30 everyday because it gives me some "Manda Time" to either relax and catch up on a book, online, a game, my DVR'd shows, or as of late-Get my lazy booty to the GYM!
Now, with that said, it takes me a good pot of coffee to get up and going. Before getting back to doing things the right way, I would put a LOT of flavored creamer in it too. Not the fat free or sugar free kind either, the REAL DEAL here. Well, that stuff is about 50-60 cals a serving and I know my cups were at least 2 servings each at around 4 cups each day. That's around 400 cals in coffee alone!
I also have to admit I have a deep, deep love for Starbucks. Give this gal a venti white chocolate mocha, a gingerbread latte or a pumpkin spice latte and I am set! Well-those are pretty hefty in the calorie division too! We're talkin' about 400-620 cal! Yikes!
Now, if I couldn't hit up a starbucks, I was also known to down either a large bottled coffee frappucino or a starbucks double shot. Yeah-anywhere from 200-350 cal each!
Now, with that said, I don't like splenda. Just don't. I can't get used to it! Anyone know of another alternative to that for this coffee "enthusiast"?
I did find one thing that I love and can replace my iced white mocha "treat" with and that's the new starbucks via iced coffee packs. You mix a pack with 16 oz of ice water and it's wonderful! Tastes like the doubleshot in the can and it's only 100 calories!
I am a naughty naughty girl when it comes to coffee! In the past I have found that weening myself off of creamer worked well, just using a little bit less each day untill I wasn't using much at all, but I could never make it to black coffee - just too bitter for me. I am a huge fan of Splenda and find now that real sugar just doesn't do anything for me, I feel that I have to use so much of it to match the sweetness I am used to with just one SPlenda packet.
These days (at work) I drink about 4-5 coffee travel size mug with a 'splash' of creamer and 2 splenda packets each. Baaaaad girl. I am looking forward to reading a few alternatives for us coffee girls!
coffee is a hard to give up addiction of mine, and I love those stupid flavored creamers. FML those things are horrid for you, but I have to have really light coffee, or i get heartburn (or i'm too much of a weenie to drink it black)
In lieu of flavored creamers, I brew flavored coffee mixed with regular and use fat free half and half vanilla creamer.
I am not a splenda fan for beverages so I will use an occasional packet of Truvia when I run short of creamer. I also use Truvia on fresh fruit when needed.
Blue Star - coffee should be smooth not bitter; maybe check into a different brand or blend. I love Kona (can't always find it or afford it) Jamaican Blue Mountain (ditto) Columbian or Costa Rican. Buy the little one or two use packets to find a good one!
I am born and raises in Seattle and started drinking coffee when I was four years old. My mom taught me how to use the coffee pot and I'd make enough for her and some that I'd add some nestle quick to to make a "mocha". My weakness is eggnog lattes and they're so easy to justify cuz eggnog is NOT available in stores all year round.
But like you I realized how big of a difference coffee drinks were making on my weight loss. So I started by having them put half as much chocolate in my mochas and just a tiny bit of whip cream. After that was tasting good I started telling them to make it nonfat. Then I stopped getting any whipped cream on it. And now my mochas are nonfat milk, one pump of chocolate and no whip. I also get talls instead of venti or Grande because you get more of the yumminess in a small cup.
I am loving International Delights Mint Chocolate Truffle creamer, but truth be told I am perfectly happy with FF vanilla. I have just had it stuck in my head that coffee should be creamy, without all the creamy additions it feels like gross water in my mouth. I feel the same way about tea unfortunately.
DixC - this is true, I really did enjoy coffee that I had in Italy and France - that was smooooth....but I haven't ventured far from Folgers since then, maybe that has been my problem! I'll be sure to keep my eye out for those types on my next grocery trip
Last edited by BigBlueStar; 01-04-2011 at 06:33 PM.
I am a coffee add-er-enthuisiast. Thankfully, I drink it with 2% milk and I use splenda instead of sugar. I think the sugsr is prolly a better choice but I will take the processed fake stuff over the calories, at least for now. I really like Berres Brothers flavored whole bean coffees. You can get them on amazon, and I make them very strong, so I can do without the flavored creamers if I want a flavored coffee.
For those who are really attached to 1/2 and 1/2, try the fat free kind. I use it for cooking all the time and doesn't taste any different. One of my friends used to always serve it to her b&b guests and nobody the wiser, so it must be an adequate substitute.
I can't imagine doing without my couple of pots a day. Even with 2%, it's still 244 cals most days to lighten it up (sometimes I drink less, so use less, but I always budget for the 244). To me, it's worth the cals and I feel better about using real dairy instead of coconut oil based creamer. Helps me justify the Splenda ;-)
If you want a hybrid blend between real sugar and Truvia, try Sun Crystals. Pretty good.
I'm not much of a coffee fan, I like it in the winter, I usually use fat free creamer and measure out a serving. I mainly drink tea. My hubby drinks it at work, so we usually will have it on the weekends.
Starbucks does a skinny vanilla latte. Not too bad, the smallest size is only 200 calories or so.
Sugar is 15 calories a teaspoon. Half a tsp sugar, splash of milk (1%, I can't do skim) and I'm good to go for under 20 calories.
I've known several coffee drinkers who have stepped down their add-ins from half-and-half, to half-and-half mixed with whole milk, to whole milk alone, and so on. With time and motivation your palate can change.
I like to buy fat free or reduced fat milks that are enhanced to taste more like whole such as Smart Balance. I also buy the Starbucks home brew flavored coffee (caramel is my favorite) and I can add less sugar and get more flavor. Usually I just don't add sugar, the flavor of the coffee with the sweetness of the milk is good enough for me. Eventually you'll get used to the less sweet taste and next time you get some coffee loaded with sugar it'll taste gross to you.
Last edited by luckyme0510; 01-05-2011 at 09:36 AM.
In the past few months I started drinking coffee whenever I feel at all stressed or upset (instead of eating - Yay!), but it has to be very sweet & milky. I personally love aspartame as a sweetener (don't like Splenda at all), so I use 2 pks. a cup plus a squirt of liquid saccharin. For milk I use a tablespoon of powdered milk - only 15 calories!
I've also been experimenting with lots of different flavors. Sometimes I use flavored coffees, usually mixed with regular. Sometimes I add a teaspoon of Hershey's cocoa powder - less than 5 calories! (Only add this to already brewed coffee. I tried adding it to the coffee grounds in the filter & the water wouldn't run through.) With that I might sprinkle in a little powdered drink mix (the kind you use to flavor a bottle of water) - also less than 5 calories, orange & raspberry are my favorites - love those chocolate/orange & chocolate/raspberry flavors. You can also put in a little cinnamon powder or mint extract, with or without the cocoa. The possibilities are endless! If you want to make it really special, maybe when you're feeling really down, Reddi wip (that is how you spell it, I looked on the can) makes a fat free whipped topping, only 5 calories a serving (though my servings are probably more like 15 calories) & it's good!
I've been struggling switching to fat free creamer...it just doesn't taste very good to me...it has a funny aftertaste, but I found that they make Italian Sweet Cream in a fat free version and I'm really liking it!
Coffee addict-er' I mean enthusiasts?
