Coffee alternative.

yellingkimber

I only skimmed, so sorry if someone's said this already! Have you looked into coldbrew? It's sweeter / less bitter than drip coffee, so it's much easier to drink black. I swear by it.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

ccsernica

MrsSeager wrote: »

I usually just eyeball the amount of cream I put in, I know if you go to Dunkins a regular coffee has 4 cream and 4 sugars. So when I did my stats i just put in that I was taking 4 servings of coffee mate coconut cream. I took some time tonight and actually measured (!) and found that to get the "color" I like takes two servings, not 4..so I've been overestimating. I'm going to switch to a lighter roast and slowly will cut back the cream. Hopefully I'll get to the point where I can eliminate it all together! Thanks for all the support!

Or switch to real half-and-half. Maybe you like the flavor of this stuff, but you're doing yourself no favors. A serving of 1 tbsp/5ml/15g has 35 calories and 5 grams of sugar. That sugar accounts for all the carbs in it, and at 4 cal/g it comes to 20 calories -- that is, most of the calories in it come from sugar! And here you may have thought you were avoiding sugar by sweetening with Splenda.

The same amount of half-and-half has 20 calories total, nearly all of which come from its 2g of fat, and it contains no sugar to speak of.

crazyycatlady1

Davinci 0 calorie syrups are great-I alternate between the French vanilla and the caramel options (1tbsp per cup), with 2 tbsp of 2% milk. One cup this way is around 15 calories

MrsSeager

MoiAussi93 wrote: »

ccsernica wrote: »

How on earth are you getting 148 calories out of a coffee with cream and Splenda? I use what I think of as a decent amount of half-and-half, about 1.5 tbsp, and it comes out to less than 30.

I mean, usually we have issues with people underestimating calories, but I wonder if you're not overestimating? This is equivalent to almost half a cup of half-and half! You'd only get 4 servings out of a pint. That can't be right.

She's not overestimating. She doesn't use half & half...she uses actual cream which is about 50 calories per tablespoon. I'm assuming she takes 3 tablespoons...which is a lot of cream.

I like cream, but I don't like to use THAT much because it makes the coffee too rich.

I was actually overestimating, I just measured. I've really been using 2 tablespoons of coconut creamer that has 70 calories. Not good, but definitely better than 140! I recently switched to a darker roast, it's pretty strong so I've been adding Splenda to "hide" the bitterness. I'll likely switch to a lighter roast, or try one of the many other options everyone has given me here

edendylana

I drink Yerba mate every morning instead of coffee. I find it to be a much clearer upper as coffee can sometimes make me dizzy.

enfieldbabacustoms

Chai With Ginger & Stevia

TimothyFish

When you are drinking "coffee" with that much cream, it is milk you want, not coffee.

MrsSeager

TimothyFish wrote: »

When you are drinking "coffee" with that much cream, it is milk you want, not coffee.

No, it's coffee. Like I said in previous posts, I overestimated the amount of cream I was adding.

JPotamus

You might consider buying a better quality coffee, fresh roasted whole beans, and grind it fresh, with a good grinder. You won't need the cream to mask any bitterness. Craft is a company I order from regularly online. I make pour over and use a burr grinder. I do still like half & half in mine, but sometimes I just want to taste the coffee.

jasonpocorus

Don't give up your coffee. Change the way you prep it.

According to MFP, my morning cup of Joe is a massive 8 calories.

I like Folgers Classic medium roast. I use one heaping teaspoon of that zero calorie diabetic sugar substitute (my dad switched us years ago and now I prefer it) and that's it really. Two massive scoops of grounds for about 16 oz of water.

Coffee is my first priority every day. As soon as I finish swearing at my alarm clock, I make coffee.

It's the rest of my diet that's hard. Come home from the gym after work, and I hate cooking so, I'll open up a can of Campbell's or Progresso or Chunky and eat it straight outta the can.

And I live kiddie cereal like Fruit Loops and whatnot.

I digress

Point being, enjoy your coffee. Just modify it.
My dad switched to skim milk because the price of liquid creamer has become obscene.
Try 1/2 & 1/2
Try it black with sweetener
Look at the label on other brands to see if there's a diet version
Reduce the amount of creamer.

I went from 2 heaping tablespoons down to 1 and eventually cut it out. Creamer is a luxury I don't need.


Anyway, that's my $0.02

cityruss

Stop drinking coffee flavoured cream.

Start drinking coffee with something else in it, like milk.

trigden1991

Black coffee has negligible calories.

mitch16

My physician said that there was no reason to give up coffee if I think I need the caffeine... I use flavored almond milk creamer (15 cal per tbsp) or skim milk and sugar-free Torani syrup.

cozytimes

maybe coffee with cashew/plant based milk? i drink coffee with 100ml of cashew milk, which is 21 calories.
other nice options can be tea, chia seeds, or sparkling water as it always wakes me up.

leggup

I used to drink coffee that was turned light brown by cream and sugar. I switched to splenda first, then from cream to vanilla soy milk, then slowly started reducing both. Now I take my coffee black with a little water (an americano) to cut the bitterness. I still drink iced coffee with some sweetener.

In terms of coffee alternatives, there are zero calorie energy drinks galore on the market. I take caffeine pills if I need to stay awake until 7 am sometimes. I also like the mio zero calorie water enhancers with caffeine added.

For hot beverages-- have you tried yerba mate tea? It's a type of tea, not a brand. It has a chocolately, coffee-like taste.

cwolfman13

MrsSeager wrote: »

I've been on MFP for about 5 weeks, I've lost 6lbs and am happy with the progress. Before I started the journey, I was drinking about 4 cups of coffee a day. Now that I've adjusted my diet, I have a lot more energy and have brought my daily coffee consumption to one cup in the morning. I have my coffee with cream and a couple Splenda, totaling about 148 calories. Every once in a while if I'm up with my kids late at night I'll have a second coffee in the afternoon, coming in at like 90 calories. I want to kick my coffee consumption all together, freeing up those calories for maybe a little more food at dinner or an afternoon snack. My only problem is I feel like I need the caffeine first thing in the morning. Other than drinking it black, what are some other options I should try for a morning pick me up?

148 calories? How much cream are you putting in your coffee? Maybe just switch to 1/2 & 1/2...couple Tbsps is like 40 calories.

MrsSeager

cwolfman13 wrote: »

MrsSeager wrote: »

I've been on MFP for about 5 weeks, I've lost 6lbs and am happy with the progress. Before I started the journey, I was drinking about 4 cups of coffee a day. Now that I've adjusted my diet, I have a lot more energy and have brought my daily coffee consumption to one cup in the morning. I have my coffee with cream and a couple Splenda, totaling about 148 calories. Every once in a while if I'm up with my kids late at night I'll have a second coffee in the afternoon, coming in at like 90 calories. I want to kick my coffee consumption all together, freeing up those calories for maybe a little more food at dinner or an afternoon snack. My only problem is I feel like I need the caffeine first thing in the morning. Other than drinking it black, what are some other options I should try for a morning pick me up?

148 calories? How much cream are you putting in your coffee? Maybe just switch to 1/2 & 1/2...couple Tbsps is like 40 calories.

Two tablespoons (70 calories,) I generally use the Coffeemate Coconut creamer. I usually just eyeball the amount I put in, but measured last night and realized I overestimated the amount I actually use. Lots of great advice and alternatives, thanks!

MrsSeager

cityruss wrote: »

Stop drinking coffee flavoured cream.

Start drinking coffee with something else in it, like milk.

Like I've said, I was overestimating the amount I was adding.

ccsernica

MrsSeager wrote: »

cityruss wrote: »

Stop drinking coffee flavoured cream.

Start drinking coffee with something else in it, like milk.

Like I've said, I was overestimating the amount I was adding.

I'm guessing no one is going to bother to read the whole thread at this point.

clicketykeys

I use about an ounce of an Atkins French Vanilla protein shake instead of creamer. Super tasty and not all that calorie heavy.

EternalSnow627_

Tea is so much better then coffee. Green tea is the best tho and u don't need to add sweetener or sugar to it plain is best.

EternalSnow627_

MrsSeager wrote: »

I've been on MFP for about 5 weeks, I've lost 6lbs and am happy with the progress. Before I started the journey, I was drinking about 4 cups of coffee a day. Now that I've adjusted my diet, I have a lot more energy and have brought my daily coffee consumption to one cup in the morning. I have my coffee with cream and a couple Splenda, totaling about 148 calories. Every once in a while if I'm up with my kids late at night I'll have a second coffee in the afternoon, coming in at like 90 calories. I want to kick my coffee consumption all together, freeing up those calories for maybe a little more food at dinner or an afternoon snack. My only problem is I feel like I need the caffeine first thing in the morning. Other than drinking it black, what are some other options I should try for a morning pick me up?

Also spenda is just bad. Try equal instead

WVWalkerFriend

clicketykeys wrote: »

I use about an ounce of an Atkins French Vanilla protein shake instead of creamer. Super tasty and not all that calorie heavy.

I like this idea.

halfninja2

Maybe flavored water packets that include caffeine are also an option. Zero calorie and inexpensive. The ones I get at Walmart or Kroger cost about $2 for a box of 10. I'm sure they also have the liquid kind with caffeine, but they're a lot pricier. That's the best thing I can think of besides coffee.

angmarie28

I use walmart brand original creamer, its only 15 calories a tbls, I drink 4-6 cups a day and it comes out to about 100 calories a day, totally worth it

RobertSlobodaUSA

From personal experience, Green Tea or especially Ginseng is best for staying alert. Coffee has the best flavor, more like a dessert with soymilk, almond, milk, creamers, generally have some sugars which is what makes the coffee taste so good. There's some debate and also good evidence regarding the safety of chemically synthesized sweeteners - health, brain, digestive, and metabolic - side-effects. Zero calorie does not necessarily imply healthier.

Ginseng helps with all day mental alertness and for many there's no coffee-caffine jitters or coffee crash.

Most of us will miss the coffee-dosing along with the addictive additives-sweeteners-creamers - these are the serotonin-booster "food-like drugs" stimulating your brain, even the zero calorie, sugar-like synthesized chemical compounds

wbur.org/hereandnow/2015/01/07/sugar-health-research

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/effect-of-sucralose-splenda-on-the-microbiome/

yskaldir

Caffeine pills, they are super cheap