Coffee, coffee creamer and MORE COFFEE

danaberge

So, I really want to cut down on sugar. However, splenda, which I love, gives me massive body pains and i'm off of that. The headaches have went away and I feel a lot better on the natural stuff. Yet, I believe the sugar intake is causing me not to lose as much weight as I would like to be. I'm over obese and am counting everything... weighing meat. (it's only part of my reason)

Anyway..............

Will flavored coffee be better to buy.. and give me a better flavor that I might not even need to add sugar to it.

Is this worth trying???

Opinions, two cents and recommendations welcome

mamahannick

Coming from someone who used to love her coffee creamers as well...adjusting to drinking any kind of coffee unsweetened, flavored or unflavored, takes time. I have found that since cutting out the creamers I can better notice the flavors of all those flavored coffees. Before I couldn't really notice that much because the creamer masked it. It is still black coffee though, so it's a shock to the taste buds if you're used to sweetener!

GRUNO

I went from drinking a large iced caramel macchiatto from Starbuck's every morning to drinking non-sweetened iced coffee. If you can't use Splenda or the like, I would make my own sugar syrup (equal parts water and sugar, simmer on stove until sugar dissolves) and use that. Make your coffee with milk or low fat half and half (or even fat free half and half) and a teaspoon more or less of the sugar syrup to get the taste you like. Then over the course of a few weeks gradually lessen the amount of sugar you put in the coffee. I usually have a full cup of milk and about 1/4 cup of coffee. If you like flavored coffee, buying the flavored coffee beans is a good idea. To me, those do tend to fool you into thinking the coffee is sweeter and less bitter without adding more sugar.

It does also help to limit other sweet treats in your diet. Once you're out of the habit of always having your food taste sweet, a very small amount of any sweetener is more than enough. Eventually, you'll prefer your foods to be less sweet.

I didn't believe it would happen but it will.

kickivale

I keep posting this same thing in the forums…
A shot of espresso plus about 3/4 cup of almond milk plus a half scoop of vanilla protein powder is really really delicious. I add a small packet of Stevia too (0 cals)
You could do the same with coffee of course.
No bitterness, lots of sweet flavor, very very low cals.

Leopardfish1

This is an interesting subject. I drank flavored lattes from the coffee shop back in the mid 90s but quickly got away from that. I just thought the syrups along with whole milk were just overkill. Once I left Portland OR in 2007 I stopped drinking my plain, soy lattes because I was ruined for anyone else's attempt at a latte having become a coffee snob. I'm a big fan of Americanos now yet my lingering vice is half and half. I simply have to put down the creamer all together. It's about 100 calories I could remove completely.

But I've also wondered exactly what is in those powdered, non fat, non dairy creamers?? Geez...That just can't be good...

hitaks00

Hello,

When I started to drink my coffee black , I had some hard time adjusting to the "bitter" taste. I kept at it and alternated with herbal teas ( unsweetened) because I think I needed to try to get rid of the sugary taste memories more than anything else. Somehow it seemed to help by doing so.
I also had a chance to talk to a master roaster and that person told me that if I do taste the coffee to be too bitter I am drinking the wrong roast level. If you can find a shop that sales bulk coffees and you have your own grinder, you should buy small quantities of several different levels of roastness ( I know, no such word but I had to come up with one) and determine for yourself what you really like.
I hope this helps.

birdiecs

I use flavored coffee, usually Hazelnut and add cream to it. Don't miss the sugar, it's a compromise for me. I make room for the calories of heavy cream.

Leopardfish1

Try different unflavored coffees. Once you take away the flavorings and you're just drinking the 'bean juice' you will begin to really notice the flavor of the coffee itself and you will find that there are some very interesting flavors and aromas associated with beans from different parts of the world. Also, different blends of beans, different roasting methods and techniques for aging the fruit from the plant before removing the beans.

Coffee is far more interesting and complex than the average person realizes and it can be very rewarding to explore the various flavors and the stories behind the creation of those flavors. I'm a huge fan of Stumptown Coffee which can be found online but there are a lot of others. For that matter, Starbucks doesn't do a bad job of putting together some interesting flavors.

Greytfish

Buy better coffee. Then just back down your sugar or creamer use slowly, over time.

A flavored coffee is going to be more bitter because of the flavoring process, and not better for you.

fitandfortyish

I keep posting this same thing in the forums…
A shot of espresso plus about 3/4 cup of almond milk plus a half scoop of vanilla protein powder is really really delicious. I add a small packet of Stevia too (0 cals)
You could do the same with coffee of course.
No bitterness, lots of sweet flavor, very very low cals.

I totally want to try this...I've been pondering putting protein powder in my coffee. Do you need to mix the protein powder with the cold milk first?

runfatmanrun

Typically, looking at your diary, you are under your cals for the day meaning that your current creamer intake is no causing you to ruin your day and thus in my opinion still ok. There could be a number of reasons your are not losing like you want and the sugar may one of them but then again...see previous sentence. If you want to reduce your sugar you could always just cut the amount of creamer you use in half.

mbeuchert24

I used to only drink coffee with flavored creamer (and sometimes half & half, and sugar). But when I was pregnant with my first having creamer in my coffee gave me the worst heart burn. So I started drinking it black and now I rarely have creamer in my coffee...it's usually as a "treat" but then I can barely drink half a cup with creamer in it. And I pretty much only drink flavored coffees. There are a few non flavored coffees I like, 8 O'Clock is my favorite.

hopper602

this is probably the only item i haven't changed in my diet granted I plan to make the change later as I adjust to other cutbacks.

1 cup of coffee and some coffeemate flavored creamer and im set for the day : )

kickivale

I keep posting this same thing in the forums…
A shot of espresso plus about 3/4 cup of almond milk plus a half scoop of vanilla protein powder is really really delicious. I add a small packet of Stevia too (0 cals)
You could do the same with coffee of course.
No bitterness, lots of sweet flavor, very very low cals.

I totally want to try this...I've been pondering putting protein powder in my coffee. Do you need to mix the protein powder with the cold milk first?

Yup, put the powder in the milk and shake or stir really well.
I actually ice the whole thing after putting it all together because that's my favorite…took a little trial and error to avoid any weird clumps of powder but the mixing with the milk first took care of it.

TFaustino67

I like the idea; will try with Cappuccino flavored protein

Naener

Typically, looking at your diary, you are under your cals for the day meaning that your current creamer intake is no causing you to ruin your day and thus in my opinion still ok. There could be a number of reasons your are not losing like you want and the sugar may one of them but then again...see previous sentence. If you want to reduce your sugar you could always just cut the amount of creamer you use in half.

This is where i am as well... i LOVE coffee... i gave it up for almost a year but came right back... id rather make cuts in other areas of my diet. when i make my own coffee, its got three TSP creamer and one of sugar anyway, now...if only i could let go of starbucks...

Sparlingo

I still love sweet things, but since I love my coffee even more, I just decided to take it slow.

My double double (2 cream, 2 sugar) became 2 cream 1 sugar, and now just 2 cream. It was weird at first, but honestly my husband still drinks a double double and I gag when I accidentally take a sip of his coffee. It's just so SWEET!

I have no intentions of cutting out my 18% cream though. That's why I drink an extra-small coffee. Cutting down my added sugars was important to me because I get enough of that in my diet, but I'd rather use portion control than cut down my cream to address the saturated fat.

Find a balance you can live with . Sweetness and saltiness are preferences that can change with time and exposure, in my experience. If I stop adding salt to dishes they taste really bland for a while, but pretty soon I can't stand the amount of salt on a fry from a restaurant and wonder how anyone can tolerate it.

linkirving

When I started MFP last week, I switch to black coffee with a packet of Stevia. It seemed bitter at first, but now I am learning to love the straight up coffee taste. I wouldn't go back to using creamer now, even if for some reason I stopped logging calories.

Flavored coffees could be perfect for you. Try Stevia!

eddiesmith1

Buy better coffee. Then just back down your sugar or creamer use slowly, over time.

A flavored coffee is going to be more bitter because of the flavoring process, and not better for you.

^^^ yep Good Coffee is not really that bitter. I drink less now but always black usually a double shot of espresso sometimnes with a little hot water to lengthen it (americano) and at most half a teaspoon of raw sugar. it tastes fine
Tea I have always drank sweet and black so I now use stevia with it but I am slowly backing off there as well
I haven't had milk or cream in coffee in 7-8 years (and I haven't had cheap regular drip coffeee in almost the same length of time)
I haven't had milk in tea for 30 years (but sugar has been as high as 2 teaspoons in an 8 ounce cup)

eddiesmith1

I still love sweet things, but since I love my coffee even more, I just decided to take it slow.

My double double (2 cream, 2 sugar) became 2 cream 1 sugar, and now just 2 cream. It was weird at first, but honestly my husband still drinks a double double and I gag when I accidentally take a sip of his coffee. It's just so SWEET!

I have no intentions of cutting out my 18% cream though. That's why I drink an extra-small coffee. Cutting down my added sugars was important to me because I get enough of that in my diet, but I'd rather use portion control than cut down my cream to address the saturated fat.

Find a balance you can live with . Sweetness and saltiness are preferences that can change with time and exposure, in my experience. If I stop adding salt to dishes they taste really bland for a while, but pretty soon I can't stand the amount of salt on a fry from a restaurant and wonder how anyone can tolerate it.

A Timmies fan then - I used to drink double double, I eliminated the cream first and got to 1 sugar but i switched to espresso primarily a decade back

jlynnm70

I make my own carmel syrup for my coffee - I boil brown sugar with equal part water (I use a cup of each and keep in fridge). I figure sugar is better than all the chemicals in the fake stuff.

Your nutritional values are 1/2 of what the package is (because now it is 1/2 water) I use this in my coffee everyday along with non fat creamer and drink 2 iced coffees (16 oz each) every day and have been consistently losing! Slowly reduce the amount you use every few days so you get used to the more bitter taste over time.

Also if you cut sugars in the rest of the day the amount in a couple cups of coffee shouldn't be killing you.

suremeansyes

Coffee creamer is one of my last holdouts! I only use a tbs of it now in my coffee. Today I added half a scoop of whey protein (plain) into my coffee along with the tbs of creamer.

Tomorrow I might cut down to the half scoop of whey powder and half tbs of creamer.

I'm not cutting out creamer to save calories, but just to lessen my need for sweet coffee, and to taste the coffee flavor more. My goal is to start drinking it black eventually.

stutba

I drink my coffee black, on occasion a little half and half. I used to drink it with sugar. Once you drink it black you will never ever want to add sugar again. YUCK!
My favorite flavored coffee is raspberry. Raspberry cream is good too. Door County Coffee is my favorite brand. In the grocery store you can buy single serving pouches. (I usually make two cups at a time, my treat, I think a packet makes 8 to 10 cups of coffee)

I don't like many of the mocha flavored coffee. I find it leaves a nasty after taste.

Doc_V

I have developed a new addiction...those ridiculous flavored coffees. Right now I'm alternating between DD Caramel Coffee Cake, New England Blueberry Cobbler, and Target brand Dark Chocolate Cherry.

They. Are. Addictive.

Coffee+ a little coconut/almond milk blend makes a cup right at 25 cal. Up to 50 if I use a little sugar. I find I need less sugar with the flavors and it tastes like cake for breakfast.

templeforlife

Going to try the protein mix in my coffee, not a fan of almond milk - gonna try it with the coconut milk. Thanks for the idea.

hollyk57

I would never use artificial sweeteners - They make me terribly sick to my stomach and trigger horrible migraines. Plus - they taste like poison - because they are. I used to load my coffee with sugar - now I use very little with cream. I can't honestly imagine drinking black coffee without sugar or cream. I do find though, that with cream (not creamer or fat free) - I can add very little sugar and actually prefer it less sweet now. There's less sugar when you add it yourself, too, vs. using one of those flavored coffee mate type creamers. Artificial creamers also upset my stomach, so I just prefer to stick with the real stuff in moderation. I also like to add a little splash of flavored extracts (NOT syrups - these are just the flavor with no sugar) - like pure almond or vanilla extract - and that really helps.

danaberge

So i'm going to try the flavored coffee route and see if this helps. I'm probably going to finish out the creamer in my fridge by next Sunday.

I'm also going to purchase some stevia and see if this helps.

I have a keurig.. but I have one of those non-disposable k-cups that I can add whatever coffee to ... and get the perfect cup. Well, I run it twice, since one cup doesn't get me going. I'm the 24oz coffee queen.

Thank you all for so much advice. :flowerforyou:

meaganorton123

Silk soy french vanilla creamer!!

Slaintegrl

In my 2 cups a day, I use skim milk and stevia. Sometimes, it's a flavored coffee and sometimes regular, but always skim milk (and I put in just as much or as little as I want) and stevia. I've recently discovered flavored stevia and now use that too! Yummy. Stevia has never given me any problems - no headaches or anything.

danaberge

Awesome. Yes, I use to love my splenda... but realize how much better I feel without it. I never bought into the poison option.. but I'm sure it is now.

Flavored stevia!! Must find!

happysherri

Yes, the quality, type and flavor of coffee matters (taste). I'm also trying to cut back on using so much creamer and I find if I spend a little more and get 'Good" coffee, I can do less creamer!

mmmm... coffee