Coffee drinkers...HELP!

WaterLily82
WaterLily82 Posts: 165 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am a coffee drinker. Not tea. Not soda. Coffee! I need my shot of caffeine in the morning like I need air to breathe! However, I absolutely despise drinking my calories! Why drink them when I can EAT them!? I’d rather chew and savor and enjoy my calories rather than slurping them down.

But. I. Cannot. Do. Black. Coffee.

I need creaminess. I need some sweetness. I need the jolt to get me moving.

I’ve been trying for a months to find a solution. First I thought about the health benefits of tea and thought I’d give that a try. I tried tea, black. I tried tea with just milk. Tea with a little cream. Tea black with a Splenda or Truvia. I’ve tried different kinds and flavors of tea. No. No. No.

I’ve went back to my tried and true coffee, this time black. Ick! Coffee with milk only. Nope. Coffee with fat free creamer only. Eh. Coffee with fat free creamer and Splenda or Truvia. Ehh. Coffee with no sugar added flavored creamer. Ehh.

Now I’m back to my flavored coffeee with a good spoonful of sugar and enough cream to make it a dark caramel color. Delicious! Hits the spot! Makes my whole morning!!! BUT....it’s something like 150 empty calories!

Is there any solution or am I destined to learn to enjoy drinking hot, liquid dirt for the rest of my life?
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Replies

  • Safari_Gal_
    Safari_Gal_ Posts: 1,461 Member
    Once I started drinking black Americano or espresso .. I could tell the difference in various types of beans. Some varieties are just more bitter.

    Some of the least bitter I’ve found are Hawaiian Kona beans. Also found the lighter roasts are less bitter. If making espresso - look for beans that say crema— it makes a nice froth on top after brewing.

    ☕️ typing as I caffeinate.☕️
  • WaterLily82
    WaterLily82 Posts: 165 Member
    I use my keurig and tend to like flavored coffees like French vanilla or hazelnut or mocha mint...yummy! Maybe I could try different types of coffee black (or with significantly less cream and sugar) until I find one that tastes better...
  • Nikitah25
    Nikitah25 Posts: 1 Member
    https://coffeeovercardio.com/
    Maybe check out this website! I have not tried the coffee creamers. I usually do my coffee with protein powder in the mornings with ice.
  • WaterLily82
    WaterLily82 Posts: 165 Member
    Wow! I appreciate all your input!! I think I’ll try out some different brands to find a coffee that tastes less bitter, try unsweetened nut creamers and lower my sugar little by little.

    It’s true that if I want this to by my life I need it to work for my life otherwise I won’t want to stick with it. If I can’t find a great alternative I may just have to accept the fact that my coffee will cost me calories and just enjoy it, track it and move on!

    Thanks for all the great tips & support!
  • WaterLily82
    WaterLily82 Posts: 165 Member
    I like the protein powder idea, too! That might be a good solution for me. I’ll have to give it a try!
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    I blend 1/4cup milk with 1tbs protein powder. If the protein is sweet, I don't add sweetener. My levels chocolate mocha protein is not sweet, so I add a tsp of sugar free caramel(or other flavor) skinny syrup and blend with my stick blender. I do this while brewing my favorite coffee in my brew n go. I heat my blended milky protein in the microwave 15 sec and then pour it into my mug of freshly brewed coffee. Tastes like a flavored latte, but only about 60 calories.
    I've also tried it with unsweetened soy milk, a tsp of ginger paste, and a tbs of quest cinnamon protein... tastes like gingerbread latte.
  • JustaNoob
    JustaNoob Posts: 147 Member
    Girl, I feel you in this struggle! I just posted about this last week and here is some of the responses I got: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/45781285#Comment_45781285

    This week I am tapering down with Half n Half. I find that it is much creamer than anything low fat and therefore I use much less of it. I'm at 4 TBSP this week-- which is 80 per cup. But I'm hoping to slowly go down to black. OR I may just have one good coffee in the morning and no more after that. Right now, I am a 3-4 cup drinker!
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    Seconding cashew milk. I use a whole cup of the stuff + stevia. That leaves me with a 25 calorie cup of coffee I enjoy.

    Sometimes if I'm feeling fancy I do a packet of swiss miss reduced calorie (40 calories) with a half cup of cashew milk and skip the stevia. Which is a whole 55 calories.
  • jennacole12
    jennacole12 Posts: 1,167 Member
    wunderkindking wrote: »
    Seconding cashew milk. I use a whole cup of the stuff + stevia. That leaves me with a 25 calorie cup of coffee I enjoy.

    Sometimes if I'm feeling fancy I do a packet of swiss miss reduced calorie (40 calories) with a half cup of cashew milk and skip the stevia. Which is a whole 55 calories.

    Freaking genius idea on the hot cocoa doing that now!
  • goal06082021
    goal06082021 Posts: 2,130 Member
    Buying fresh whole beans, grinding them yourself as-needed, and brewing your coffee one cup at a time will drastically improve your coffee drinking experience. If you're buying pre-ground beans (especially a dark roast), and brewing them in a coffeemaker you haven't cleaned in a while, particularly a drip coffeemaker with a hot plate, that's a recipe for gross beanjuice. Coffee gets DISGUSTINGLY bitter if you keep it on the heat for too long - if you've ever gotten the last pour out of a pot of diner coffee that's been sitting on a hotplate for 20 minutes, you know.

    If you have a local coffee shop that roasts their own, buy from them - it's good to support small businesses anyway, but especially right now. Otherwise, you may be able to order beans online from independent roasters, or perhaps consider a subscription service like Trade to try new beans. (NB: I have never used Trade, I cannot speak to the experience of using the service)

    You can get a manual burr grinder for a nice little arm workout in the mornings, or pick up an electric one. Electric coffee grinders basically come in two styles, burr and blade. Burr is better, it results in a more uniform grind, but blade will still work, and the resulting coffee will still be a step up from buying pre-ground Folgers or whatever. My first coffee grinder was a Hamilton Beach blade grinder that was probably $15, $20 tops.

    There are lots of inexpensive coffee making devices - I love my Aeropress, I think they retail for like $30? and the learning curve isn't too steep. I keep meaning to pick up a pour-over cone (as if I need more coffeemakers), but those seem simple enough to use and they can also be found cheaply.
  • Amanda_mermaid
    Amanda_mermaid Posts: 25 Member
    I blend my coffee with a little almond milk, honey and ice in the blender. I absolutely love it!
  • JustaNoob
    JustaNoob Posts: 147 Member
    Okay so I did some investigating...

    lol actually, I went to look for cashew milk or Fairlife and my store had neither. It did have International Delight Zero Sugar and it is pretty dang good.

    Many sugar-free creamers are also fat-free, which means I have to put more creamer to get the color I like. Then it is too sweet.

    This one isn't low-fat so I don't have to use as much of it. 2TBSP for 40 calories-- just enough for me. The only downside is that there are just two options: Hazelnut and Caramel.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I currently make my coffee with half Starbucks Hazelnut coffee and half Teeccino Chicory Herbal Coffee, Almond Amaretto, so it's not very bitter to start with.

    https://smile.amazon.com/Teeccino-Caffeine-Free-Herbal-Mediterranean-Amaretto/dp/B00N9ULGOC/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=teeccino+almond&qid=1614279514&sr=8-4

    I use just 1 teaspoon half & half and about 50 g of 1 % milk, so it is lighter colored for less calories. And 6 g of sugar. This is plenty sweet and creamy for me :)

    For the longest time, I added protein powder, chia seeds, and coconut shreds and called it breakfast.

    0c7l5qlejje2.png
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,453 Member
    I’ve never heard of 25 calorie creamy cashew milk. Am going out this afternoon to get some. Fingers crossed!!!!!
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,453 Member
    This chai is topped with a quarter cup of skim milk frothed with a Ninja hand pump frother, and microwaved 20-30 seconds to give it more loft. It makes quite a bit, lasts a long time, and gives the impression of “creamy”.

    mmzcli3uxayi.jpeg
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    springlering62 wrote: »
    This chai is topped with a quarter cup of skim milk frothed with a Ninja hand pump frother, and microwaved 20-30 seconds to give it more loft. It makes quite a bit, lasts a long time, and gives the impression of “creamy”.

    mmzcli3uxayi.jpeg

    🤤
  • TamLam99
    TamLam99 Posts: 247 Member
    I just grind up some flavored coffee beans (hazelnut), add splenda, and 1 tbsp of half and half - 20 calories
  • AmunahSki
    AmunahSki Posts: 210 Member
    edited February 2021
    Reducing sugar in your coffee takes time... in my experience, I would say months rather than weeks.

    I used to take one teaspoon of sugar, and I could taste the difference between a heaped or flat spoonful: I decided to give it up (and go cold turkey). The first day was Yuk. The first week was Eww. The first month was Bleugh.

    Start to enjoy the fafflessness of not having to try and estimate the amount of sugar needed in different sized cups when getting a takeout coffee. Then, someone makes you a coffee and accidentally puts a teaspoon of sugar in... Yuk! Now you’re stuck - because either way your coffee will taste bad!

    Continue with Bleugh since it’s very slightly better than Yuk. Some months later, you realise it went from Bleugh to Hmmm to Mmm without you really noticing... Congratulations!

    Now - if you want - repeat the above, omitting milk/cream/creamer instead of sugar...
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    WaterLily82 wrote: »
    I am a coffee drinker. Not tea. Not soda. Coffee! I need my shot of caffeine in the morning like I need air to breathe! However, I absolutely despise drinking my calories! Why drink them when I can EAT them!? I’d rather chew and savor and enjoy my calories rather than slurping them down.

    But. I. Cannot. Do. Black. Coffee.

    I need creaminess. I need some sweetness. I need the jolt to get me moving.

    I’ve been trying for a months to find a solution. First I thought about the health benefits of tea and thought I’d give that a try. I tried tea, black. I tried tea with just milk. Tea with a little cream. Tea black with a Splenda or Truvia. I’ve tried different kinds and flavors of tea. No. No. No.

    I’ve went back to my tried and true coffee, this time black. Ick! Coffee with milk only. Nope. Coffee with fat free creamer only. Eh. Coffee with fat free creamer and Splenda or Truvia. Ehh. Coffee with no sugar added flavored creamer. Ehh.

    Now I’m back to my flavored coffeee with a good spoonful of sugar and enough cream to make it a dark caramel color. Delicious! Hits the spot! Makes my whole morning!!! BUT....it’s something like 150 empty calories!

    Is there any solution or am I destined to learn to enjoy drinking hot, liquid dirt for the rest of my life?

    Not all coffee is created equal. Have you tried good coffee? Whole beans that you grind fresh right before you brew? Have you tried different roasts? IDK...IMO, good coffee is enjoyed black.

    On the other hand, 150 calories isn't a whole lot if that's what you enjoy. You could also just start putting a little less in and ween things down to less calories and still having the flavor you enjoy.
  • Lynatea
    Lynatea Posts: 311 Member
    K-cups taste plasticy go me. Fresh ground coffee is soo much better. I had to wean myself down over about a 3 month time period, but can now drink it with 1 splenda and half TBSP of a Skinny syrup. Less than 10 calories for my mug!
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    Also try cold brew and a lighter roast. If the bitterness is the problem both/either of those can lighten it up so you need less to doctor it.
  • chris89topher
    chris89topher Posts: 389 Member
    springlering62 wrote: »
    Jordan’s skinny syrups made me a believer. You can usually pick some up cheap at TJ maxx or World Market. It runs about $3.99 a bottle at TJM so No great catastrophe if you don’t like it.

    That's all I use and it's sooooo good.
  • WaterLily82
    WaterLily82 Posts: 165 Member
    Thanks everyone for so many great ideas and tips!! I’ve got a few things to try and I’m sure I’ll find my perfect cup thanks to all of you ❤️
  • GlowskiMcGlitter
    GlowskiMcGlitter Posts: 30 Member
    I used to prefer black coffee 😄😄 because I cant drink dairy milk honestly, so I got used it and hooked on caffeine. I hated soy milk, and have a nut allergy so almond milk wasn't an option, BUT I recently tried oatmilk and love it. I brew Maxwell House Dark French Roast coffee and it is my very favorite. I also add collagen powder and consider my morning coffee as an important part of my breakfast as a whole. The collagen powder adds 18g of protein, 70 calories, and is tasteless and dissolves fully (unlike most protein powders that are chalky), 1/2 cup of oatmilk is only 45 calories and is low in sugar, and I ALWAYS eat a breakfast when I drink my coffee. Drinking coffee without any other food can make you feel jittery, give you worse cravings later, and bc you are only having coffee you only focus on the taste of the coffee and it's easy to add a bunch of cream and sugar bc you are craving flavor. I am assuming you don't eat with your coffee, but if you do, and you still just are craving that sweet rich coffee flavor profile. I still recommend adding collagen powder, bc the extra protein will at least balance the macros and keep you satiated for longer. 😊

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