Dark Roast Coffee, Sweeteners and Weight Loss

samanthafayeh

I have just started to LOVE dark roast coffee (sometimes I drink medium roast, but not often)! I usually put either two packets of Sweet n Lo in a venti cup of dark roast at starbucks,or I'll put regular sugar in it when I make it at home. I have been losing weight at a steady rate for a couple of months now, and started drinking coffee 3-4 times a week about 3 weeks ago.

Anyway, I am still loosing weight, but I feel very bloated some days, and other days I'm fine. It's usually after I drink coffee. I am at a 1200 a day calorie intake and the MFP says that a venti coffee is 5 calories. Does anyone know if this is accurate? Also, does anyone else drink coffee and if so, what do you use to sweeten it? I can't have dairy so I don't use creamers. Thanks

chimaerandi

5 calories sounds right--it's what I use. It's pretty negligible.

I use liquid sucralose in my coffee, but I don't seem to have any bloating problems like you describe

Machka9

Personally, I don't sweeten my coffee. I like it black and happily it is one of the things which I've been able to keep in my diet. I might not be able to have anywhere near as much chocolate as I used to ... but I can have my delicious black coffee.

If I do sweeten it, on the rare occasion, it's sucralose.

Cynsonya

I'm not a fan of artificial sweeteners. If I'm gonna have coffee I figure 4tsp sugar (60 cal) into my daily deficit.

lisawinning4losing

A great natural sweetener is stevia.

BarbieAS

I drink a butt ton of Diet Coke, but other than that for whatever reason I hate artificial sweeteners. I too just make the sugar work in my day. I don't overly sweeten my coffee (typically 1 tsp per 8oz cup, so generally 2 tsp per day, up to 4) so I can make that work without too much issue. The calories in the coffee itself are definitely barely significant.

Some people don't do well with artificial sweeteners. There's very little scientific evidence that in typical doses (a few packets a day, like you're talking about) it would be in any way harmful, but some people don't react well, just like any other food might not sit well with someone. If sweet n low isn't working for you, try Equal or stevia or Splenda. Or just see if you can get a bit of sugar in your day. Or you could try a little flavored non-dairy creamer - I've had some really good nut milk and coconut milk based ones.

Yisrael1981

I love splenda in my coffee and it definitely does not make me feel bloated

Lovee_Dove7

samanthafayeh wrote: »

I have just started to LOVE dark roast coffee (sometimes I drink medium roast, but not often)! I usually put either two packets of Sweet n Lo in a venti cup of dark roast at starbucks,or I'll put regular sugar in it when I make it at home. I have been losing weight at a steady rate for a couple of months now, and started drinking coffee 3-4 times a week about 3 weeks ago.

Anyway, I am still loosing weight, but I feel very bloated some days, and other days I'm fine. It's usually after I drink coffee. I am at a 1200 a day calorie intake and the MFP says that a venti coffee is 5 calories. Does anyone know if this is accurate? Also, does anyone else drink coffee and if so, what do you use to sweeten it? I can't have dairy so I don't use creamers. Thanks

Stevia powder.
Just curious, how do you know you can't have dairy?
Coffee raises cortisol levels, which is not necessarily bad, but perhaps your gut is tightening due to the stress hormones? Just a thought. I love coffee. I drink it every morning, only in the morning. What time of day are you drinking it?

sndrd49

I love coffee, bit of a coffee snob and dark roast all the way. I used to sweeten it but stopped using sweeteners of any kind. It took no time at all and now I can't stand the taste of sweetened coffee.

seahorsepenguin

Have you noticed that you are not drinking as much water as you were before you started drinking coffee more often? I always try to drink an extra cup of water for every cup of coffee I have. I haven't felt bloated but I will just realized that if I am drinking coffee and not replacing with water I feel really thirsty the next morning.

samanthafayeh

I have had bad reactions to cheese and creams for a couple of years. Also, I usually only have coffee in the am.

RoxieDawn

I make medium roasted regular coffee (caffeinated) in the morning, and I sweeten it with liquid stevia and use SkinnySyrup in different flavors. All 0 calories. My regular coffee is 25 calories a cup.

Later in the day I will make an herbal vanilla nut coffee all decaf (made from Teecino) and use the liquid syrup and liquid sweetener. This coffee is 25 calories a tablespoon (out of the bag) and ends up around 5-6 calories a cup.

I do diary so when I need it to be creamy and just want creaminess I have to use heavy cream or any milk I have on hand and this is usually a cup not worried about making it with extra calories.

I do not have bloating problems from drinking any type of coffee laden with stevia or using the skinnysyrup.

janejellyroll

I drink 1-2 cups of coffee a day, log them at about 5 calories each (depending on how many ounces are in them) and drink them black or with Splenda. I also have 1-2 cups of black tea a day (sometimes also with Splenda). I haven't noticed any association with bloating.

If you don't do dairy and you want to try a creamer, they make amazing soy, almond, and coconut milk creamers now. I don't take it myself usually (I like black coffee and I prefer to spend my calories on other things), but So Delicious is a really good brand.

Lovee_Dove7

samanthafayeh wrote: »

I have had bad reactions to cheese and creams for a couple of years. Also, I usually only have coffee in the am.

You may want to look at the cheese and creams you were consuming, they often contain the food additive called carrageenan, which is a GI irritant!! It is commonly used in foods and if I take ONE bite of that stuff, my gut swells for a week. But I have NO reaction to dairy otherwise.

samanthafayeh

@Lovee_Dove7 thanks! I'll try that

tryin2die2self

My dark roast coffee is fatty now, though I use to sweeten it pretty heavily. However, put too much fat in your coffee and you will be stricken with "Magic Pants". Especially detrimental to gym rats All that said, with the morning cup of joe being fatty... GI problems don't exist for me anymore

If you are having GI problems then look to your diet. Eating a lot of processed foods can lead to problems but that also holds true for eating a lot of protein supplements. If you are taking a lot of protein supplements, them Magnesium Caltrate might be helpful. Whatever the dosage is on the bottle, half it for the first few days. Also, be near the loo for next hour. The first few times you take it, it can really hit you fast and hard.

Looking back to diet alone, take a hard (ahem) look at your fiber intake. Are your taking in 20g+ of fiber daily?

WholeFoods4Lyfe

I either drink my coffee black or use coconut milk or coconut oil. I've never had GI issues from it. Have you made any other changes to your diet?

blues4miles

Drink my coffee with two packets of aspartame. Haven't noticed any bloating issues related to the coffee. Bloating seems more based on my water intake. Is drinking the coffee causing you to not drink water you would normally drink during that time? I mean yeah coffee counts towards your water intake, but maybe make sure you haven't cut back water unintentionally. I seem to bloat up and down all day every day, there's no logic in my bloating, and isn't typically food related.

brb_2013

lisawinning4losing wrote: »

A great natural sweetener is stevia.

I don't know what it is about stevia products but I absolutely cannot stand them. When in my coffee it just ruins the whole thing.

Are you asking if coffee itself caused bloating? I'd guess not. The calories from the coffee itself are very low, 5 would be fine. I used to log a 16oz as 10. Adding sweeteners could be the issue, maybe you're chosing one that gives you gas. I've found that I have bowel issues with artificial sweeteners. I'd go for real sugar to figure that out.

loulamb7

I drink 4-5 cups of dark roast coffee per day, usually sweetened with 1 tsp of sugar. As a treat I sometime have an espresso sweetened with sweet condensed milk.

NaturalNancy

I drink dark coffee, I sweeten mine with Organic Valley Soy creamer, trader joes also has a tasty hazelnut soy creamer that's really good.
I personally can't drink artificial sweeteners, I feel bloated afterwards, now I avoid them.