Help, I want my coffee....other options?

kimmyh70

Does anyone have any warm morning drink suggestions that don't have so many calories?
I'm really missing my coffee, I'm on my 4th day not having my morning cup. I'm sure I'm going through a lil withdrawal, but I decided to stop because my coffee usually contains LOTS of cream and sugar (tho i have cut back on the sugar a bit). I've tried sweetners, but don't care for any of them. I'm trying to work w/ black tea since I don't put nearly as much cream or sugar in it, but it's just not the same. I love hot chocolate, but there's so many calories and sugar in that as well. Any advice???

Healthyby30

I like swiss miss no added sugar hot cocoa. Its about 25 calories I think?

Tia_Connelly

I like hot water with freshly squeezed lemon. Try it with an artificial sweetner. Might be just the kick you need. I also use hot low sodium chicken broth if i need something warm.

BrentGetsFit

I weaned myself off cream and sugar and now enjoy my coffee black. i wasn't a pleasant person to be around during that transition period, lol. Good luck

guardup

Try adding raw cocoa and some cinnamon to your coffee... then sweeten with Stevia (a 0 calorie all natural sweetener).

The cocoa and cinnamon add a small amount of calories (under 20) and add a very nice array of tastes for your palette.

HEATHERB500

If you like the sweet drinks, Stash makes a decaf chai spice tea if you ad unsweetened silk almond milk to it it makes it only 35 calories. The tea is naturally kind of sweet. It won't be the same as coffee but now that I changed over I can't go back. (The reason I like the silk brand not blue diamond is that it is thicker and creamier than the blue diamond a little cheaper here too.)

FlyingFeet79

Can you use 1% milk and less sugar? I can't give up my coffee....
I know some like green tea...and there's caffeine in that too.

catherine1979

I still drink my coffee, but now I use skim milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar. I also drink a lot of tea, you can get some really delicious flavours at David's Tea, if you have that near you... my personal favourite is Creme Brulee, and it has no calories!

stella77

Coffee with skimmed milk and artifical sweetener - its only 30kcal.
I treat myself to starbucks skinny latte (120kcal) some mornings.

Then the rest of the day black coffee or tea with artificaial weetener. I don't use sugar in my drinks. I have managed to replace most of my coffee with black or green tea. It works once you get used to it!

Yleija

I still drink coffee, but now it's decaffeinated. :ohwell: I use powder creamer and sweetener since they have very little carbs.

tallib

I feel your pain! I was advised by m doctor to give up all caffeine, Ive managed it but I was not a nice person in the mornings especially for a while. I now have either decaff coffee with lactofree milk (27 calories a cup) or black tea and 3 sweeteners (2 calories a cup), Im still not quite in love with the black tea taste but Im getting used to it. I find the more you have something the less you dislike it lol.
Ocassionally I have some organic Green & Blacks Hot Chocolate, which is about 60 calories-if Im in desperate need of some sweetness lol
Im always on the lookout for more warm drink ideas though, so awesome thread!

Yleija

I weaned myself off cream and sugar and now enjoy my coffee black. i wasn't a pleasant person to be around during that transition period, lol. Good luck

I tried that...couldn't handle it. Lol!

mzw00dy1964

For myself...I learned to like the artificial sweetners, that way I could do more to the coffee. I use 3 TBLS sugar free french vanilla (International Delight) 1g carb per tablespoon. Then I use DaVinci Sugar Free vanilla Syrup 1 TBLS no carbs per serving and a splenda vanilla sweetner packet. Replaces the 25 carbs of creamer I used to use, lower calorie and lower sugar

valerierackly

can you not drink your coffee with cows milk in it. i have coffee with semi-skimmed milk with a half sugar and its only 19 cals. full milks not that much more. have you tried different types of coffee, some are less bitter to start with so you don't need as much sugar or milk. can you get coffeemate/ coffee whitener, where you are?, thats fairly low calories too.

Healthyby30

If you like that much cream and sugar have you thought of maybe trying those cappuccino mixes that are sugar free? They also make caffeine free sugar free if you're looking to get rid of the caffeine as well. They have lots of flavors. I love the french vanilla!

goron59

Coffee without milk or sugar!

A double espresso should give you the caffeine kick, or maybe a skinny macchiato if you really need a little bit of milk/creamer.

Mine are about 15kcals.

The trick, I find, is to get used to not having cream/sugar in your coffee. It might take a while, but it's worth it. Good coffee tastes much better without all the extra stuff thrown in !

polo571

Try a little hot swanson broth. It warms yah up

Caffeinewitch

I do my coffee with 2% milk and a packet of splenda. What you might want to try is skim or 2% milk, with honey. Oh yes, honey. I saw several customers do it when I worked at starbucks and if I could safely stash a jar at work you bet I would have it myself!

skinnywithin

I STILL HAVE COOFE TWICE A DAY !!!! It is a must and I use splenda or sweet & low and I have leardened to cut down on the cream. and its only 30 calories.......I tried to give it up and the headaches were unbearable!

skinnywithin

the hot lemon water in the morning is a MUST have !!! I was taught this years a gon in a weight loss class that this should be the first thing you drink everyday!

katbass

I get a headache if I dont drink my morning coffee Its just one big cup, but its sooo needed with a toddler running me ragged all day
I used to put 5 scoops of sugar and a little bit of milk in my coffee. It was SUPER sweet, and I looooved it. I never thought I'd be able to move away from the sweetness, but I kicked the milk easily, so I decided to try Splenda. I now put a ton of Splenda in my coffee and it tastes exactly the same as the coffee from my "former life". Sure, Splenda isnt great for you, but its the ONLY sugary thing I drink (I only drink water after my cup of coffee), and I feel deprived if I cant have my coffee. And the minute I feel deprived, I feel like Im on a diet...and if Im on a diet, Im setting myself up for failure.
If you dont think you can completely give up your coffee as a lifestyle change, then I would work to find ways to alter it to make it healthier. It doesnt have to be perfect, but if you love it that much, you can find a way to make it work in your new lifestyle

alantin

How about some Chinese or Japanese green tea? They don't usually add anything to it so it's virtually 0 Calories.
The Japanese sencha can be a bother to brew but I have some chinese stuff with which you just put some leaves to the cup and add hot water. You can get many cups, just by adding more water, too!

By the way. Caffeine and grean tea are metabolism boosters so a cup of coffee in the morning and many cups of green tea during the day can really help weight loss!

UpToAnyCool

I find that I don't mind skim milk in my coffee if I warm it up and put it in one of those frothers.
The texture is then so much more similar to that of whole milk...

One of my favorite teas is loose leaf green tea w/ puffed rice and matcha powder. <== the matcha is unroasted green tea and it adds a very slight bitter flavor. It is super yummy w/ the nuttiness from the puffed rice...

Robin1117

I would say, why compromise on something you love? I still have 2 cups of coffee w/half and half every morning. I'm on maintenance now, but did this while I was losing as well. I use about 2 tablespoons of cream in each cup, and it's only about 80 calories altogether for the morning. In the afternoons sometimes I have a cappachino that includes coffee and 1/2 cup of 2% milk. If worked into your calorie allotment, go for it. I'm sure there are other things you eat throughout the day that you can push aside for something you love. MFP is about making choices and enjoying yourself too, that's how you can stay with it in the long run. Play around with the numbers and measure what you are really using and see how many calories might work within your goal. Maybe you can make it work but just cut back on quantity a little? Good luck!

OGFleabag

I love coffee too much to give it up. I trained myself to drink it black. took a couple of weeks to get used to it, now I have a coffee fetish and the cream and sugar actually grosses me out.

tn2010

Try adding a small piece of cinnamon stick or a sprinkle of ground cinnamon to the coffee grounds before it brews. Top it off with some fat free half and half, or a lower-fat milk. Also, try frothing some warm milk in your mug (they have those little hand-held/battery-operated milk frothers at Bed Bath and Beyond or other housewares stores) and add your coffee...it makes it creamier!

brityn

Try either a pack of sugar free cocoa mix or fat free evaporated milk and splenda. The evaporated milk is close to cream (for me at least) you might try half sugar and half splenda or try brown sugar blend (made by splenda)

amysj303

I used to drink black tea with cream and sugar but when I started drinking green tea it's just a different flavor and I didn't want it sweet. Now I drink black tea for a treat, it seems so sweet but it was really only a spoonful of creamer and a spoonful of sugar.

kimmyh70

Thanks so much for all the responses and great suggestions! I'm definitely gonna try some of them and see what works best for me! Thanks everyone, hope you have a wonderful day and make it through whatever your "treat" is that you struggle with.

:drinker:

kimmyh70

I would say, why compromise on something you love? I still have 2 cups of coffee w/half and half every morning. I'm on maintenance now, but did this while I was losing as well. I use about 2 tablespoons of cream in each cup, and it's only about 80 calories altogether for the morning. In the afternoons sometimes I have a cappachino that includes coffee and 1/2 cup of 2% milk. If worked into your calorie allotment, go for it. I'm sure there are other things you eat throughout the day that you can push aside for something you love. MFP is about making choices and enjoying yourself too, that's how you can stay with it in the long run. Play around with the numbers and measure what you are really using and see how many calories might work within your goal. Maybe you can make it work but just cut back on quantity a little? Good luck!

Thanks for your post and you are right, everything's about balance and trying to find a way to make it work. Maybe I can still have my coffee and drink it too!! :happy:

charliex2202

i am also a coffee addict. latte's were my vice but now i find them very sickly, I have a coffee, milk and half sugar 1st thing then during the day i have turned to green tea, Its about 1 cal per cup and i find it also helps me to stop feeling hungry.