5 year addiction to Starbucks

dorismorris1265
dorismorris1265 Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Everyone! I am new to this. I have been tracking my diet and exercise for about 15 days now and am not seeing ANY weight loss.

I am currently 5'2 and 120lbs, with a goal of 110lbs. My goal calorie intake was set to 1200, and I have done OK at staying close to that. I fluctuate between 1000-1600 a day, with 1600 usually being on the weekends when it's harder to pay attention to.

ANYWAYS, a few years ago I gave up coca cola....major vice....I lost about 5lbs almost immediately.

Soon after though, I replaced it with Starbucks Iced Tall Vanilla Chai's....which have about 40 grams of sugar in them. I have had 1 every day for about the last 5 years....except when I got my wisdom teeth out. I am in a committed relationship with Starbucks.

I eat pretty well. I don't exercise A LOT, but I think I am pretty healthy (I ballroom dance). But I have been doing that "last 10 pounds" thing FOREVER.

I read that if I give up my starbucks I could lose up to 20lbs a year....which is too much....BUT...has anyone REALLY had success with giving up their one sugary drink and seeing weight loss?

Replies

  • makemewannadie
    makemewannadie Posts: 401 Member
    I am SO with you on the starbucks addiction, everyone always comments on how i'm always in (or used to be in) Starbucks, it actually got quite embarrassing haha. I used to drink 2 lattes there a day, then cut down to 1 because of monetary issues, now I very rarely have them (a couple a month max). I don't know how much it'll affect your weight loss journey if you just cut that one drink out a day, combined with other efforts i'm sure it would make a difference!

    If you need me for moral support re. breaking the starbucks addiction, i'm here (; haha
  • CalJur
    CalJur Posts: 627 Member
    Starbucks lifer here. Great protein meals/ snacks. I did give up most of my fav drinks with all that crap in them to make them taste good. Now its just straight coffee with moderate sugar/cream or a tall sugar free vanilla soy latte. The ambiance, etc. of Starbucks is something I enjoy so just be smarter about what you order there. Very helpful to view their nutrition guide for not only calories but the high sodium content in most of their drinks and food.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    40 grams of sugar?? Wow. Can you find something on the menu without all that sugar?

    ps: don't switch to green tea lattes, they are packed with sugar too (at starbucks, no where else).
  • MissNations
    MissNations Posts: 513 Member
    Try just getting a regular chai--no extra vanilla to start. Then try cutting down to every other day.
  • RealWomenLovePitbulls
    RealWomenLovePitbulls Posts: 729 Member
    well, take 3500 divided by however many calories are in ur starbucks drink and that will tell you how many starbucks equal a pound.... subtract that many drinks from your diet (replace them with water) and subtract said pounds
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    I love Starbucks. Drink it every day! I am addicted and have no plans to stop.

    I've had success not giving it up. Like everything else.
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
    You should try eating more and lifting weights. If you search the forums for "eat more to weight less" you'll see that you can easily fit your daily starbucks in to your diet if you're smart about it.
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,689 Member
    You said when you gave up coke, you lost 5 pounds. Then you said you currently consume something with roughly the same amount of sugar every day. Based on your experience giving up coke, what do *you* think is going to happen if you give up your fuffy Starbucks drink?
  • dorismorris1265
    dorismorris1265 Posts: 3
    I KNOW! It's an unbelievable amount of sugar. The only reason I know that is because my dad has been making fun of me for years and I guess finally decided to google it....he has been trying to get me to give it up for MONTHS.

    The thing is, if I give up the Starbucks Chai...that's it...I really don't like coffee, so I won't switch to something else.

    If I break up with starbucks, we won't be going on again off again...

    Which is a silly question right....I obviously just shouldn't drink it for a million reasons regardless if it helps those last 10lbs... such is addiction I suppose.
  • JESSJESJ
    JESSJESJ Posts: 121 Member
    I love starbucks, the vanilla chai probably has vanillla syrup in it - maybe try 1/2 sugar free & 1/2 regular syrup. I recently (about a month ago) started doing it with my iced coffee from starbucks. after 2-3 days you dont notice. One day a different girl made my drink and didn't do the 1/2 sugar free and the coffee was too sweet.

    Also, try skim instead of whole or 2% milk. There probably is enough flavor that you wouldnt notice.

    Finally, just enjoy it! if its your thing, just enjoy and park a little farther way, spend 10 more mins on the treadmill, lift a few more weights, etc. make it up in other ways!
  • x_Shruti_x
    x_Shruti_x Posts: 21 Member
    what about starting out by trying it with skimmed milk and getting the sugar free vanilla syrup? x
  • Barbellerella
    Barbellerella Posts: 1,838 Member
    You should try eating more and lifting weights. If you search the forums for "eat more to weight less" you'll see that you can easily fit your daily starbucks in to your diet if you're smart about it.

    THIS!!

    And why don't you ask for half the pumps, you'll save a lot there and you will get used to the sweetness soon. 1200 is too low for most people.
  • dorismorris1265
    dorismorris1265 Posts: 3
    Ha! I'm not alone!
  • jillcwhite
    jillcwhite Posts: 181 Member
    I have never had sucess giving something up and losing weight. I know some people have but not me. I have given up diet coke no loss. I gave up dairy - no loss. I gave up white bread - no loss. I do go to starbucks every morning but my drink is either 130 or 170 calories a day. No reason to give it up, first off I wont lose weight and second off the energy it gives me keeps me moving well into the late afternoon. which burns calories
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    I am currently 5'2 and 120lbs, with a goal of 110lbs. My goal calorie intake was set to 1200, and I have done OK at staying close to that. I fluctuate between 1000-1600 a day, with 1600 usually being on the weekends when it's harder to pay attention to.

    You're quite fit already. So you want to be extremely fit? How bad do you want it?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSC2vx7zFQ

    I totally gave up wine. Now that's a sacrifice.
  • enchantedbunny
    enchantedbunny Posts: 88
    Try getting your chai skinny with less syrup. Little changes can add up too :)

    Random thought, but after all these visits I hope you've gotten a Gold Card!

    BTW - to the person who brought up the green tea lattes, just get them with no syrup and it still tastes great (more matcha-y which I prefer).
  • jmarin922
    jmarin922 Posts: 4
    I am such a Starbucks addict! I have a Gold Card and everything. I used to always get either a caramel or a java chip frappucino. For a grande size, that's over 400 calories for each of those! I still go to Starbucks fairly frequently I just make different choices. Nowadays, I love the grande iced skinny vanilla or mocha latte. The skinny versions are made with nonfat milk(you could also ask them to use soy milk) and sugar-free syrup. And they're both around 80 calories. And they taste really good! I was hesitant at first because I didn't know how I would like the taste of the sugar-free syrup but it's very similar to the regular, at least for the mocha and the vanilla. If you have the Starbucks app on your phone it's really helpful because it lists the calories for all the drinks and you can make customizations and see how that affects the calorie count.

    I lost a lot of weight when I cut juice and sweetened iced tea out of my diet. I used to have 6 or 7 cups a day! Ridiculous. So cutting down on your Starbucks could definitely help with weight loss, as could just making smarter choices there.
  • aliciamoliver
    aliciamoliver Posts: 1
    I have a question about Starbucks. Where do you find nutrition information / facts for Starbucks drinks and foods? I am trying to figure out what I had today and breakfast was Starbucks! Thanks.:drinker:
  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
    I"ve never liked sweet drinks, but I have friends who've given up soda, and it's made a huge difference to their sense of wellbeing. Not sure about their weight - it's always hard to tell if one thing has been the cause of someone's weight loss.

    I love Starbucks, because the one local to me has a lovely comfy lounge area with sofas. I always order black coffee, because that's the drink I like best. You could in theory continue with your Starbucks addiction, but get a different drink. I don't know how much weight you'd lose, but you'd save quite a bit of money over time if you just order black coffee - I've noticed it's quite a bit cheaper than the sweet drinks!
  • blackcoffeeandcherrypie
    blackcoffeeandcherrypie Posts: 486 Member
    You don't have to quit Starbucks, you can just quit that drink, or figure out a way to have it healthier.

    I was packing away 1000s of calories every day working opposite a costa coffee - 3 sugars plus full fat milk in their lattes! I took my coffee machine to work, I learned how to make steamed milk and I cut the calories down to about 40 per cup, if not less (steamed milk takes up a lot of room, but is not much more than the milk you'd add to a normal cup of coffee).

    I also quit adding sugar about a month ago - got used to the taste in about 1-2 weeks, don't miss it at all now. You can quit that drink if you want to :-)
  • dawlschic007
    dawlschic007 Posts: 636 Member
    I'm a Starbucks addict, too. I did switch from mochas to iced coffee with breve which only has about 80 calories in a grande instead of the 480 something I was consuming for grande drinks. It took awhile to adjust but now I love them.

    Like others suggested, try switching to soy or nonfat milk and ask them to use the sugar free syrup instead. That will save you quite a few calories.

    Also, even though I know how hard it is, you can try cutting back on it and just going 4 times a week, then 3 times, until you're down to just once a week so splurging on your favorite drink doesn't ruin your whole week. I used to go every day and was earning free drinks like crazy but now I've trimmed it down to just once or twice a week.

    Check out their website for all the nutrition information: http://www.starbucks.com/menu/catalog/nutrition?drink=all#view_control=nutrition
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    I have a medium cappuccino most days, but usually from Costa, only occasionally from Starbucks. I try to sometimes swap it out for tea or just americano, but I must admit, I have a bit of a cappuccino addiction myself. I just enjoy sitting in cafes, for a start, and love the frothy tops.
  • jlwbeans0823
    jlwbeans0823 Posts: 178 Member
    Addict here too. I won't be giving up the habit though...I enjoy it way too much. I'm not that concerned with what I normally get because I don't drink the sugary drinks with lots of flavors or caramel/chocolate drizzle. I like my coffee strong and black. If I get anything else it's a soy latte. The max amount of sugar in the grande soy latte is 17 grams and around 170 calories. You could always try the sugar free vanilla syrup or just no syrup at all in your chai latte. It may be beneficial to ask how many pumps of chai they use as well. I asked how many pumps of vanilla syrup went in to a venti vanilla latte and was told 6. That seems like a lot.
  • dawlschic007
    dawlschic007 Posts: 636 Member
    I believe venti drinks typically have 6 pumps, grandes have 4, and talls have 2 pumps.
  • tommygirl15
    tommygirl15 Posts: 1,012 Member
    This is just me, but I don't think it's worth paying 4+ dollars for a drink where I'm getting less pumps. I just cut back my visits to Starbucks, and when I do go for a treat I get the drink exactly the way I like it and enjoy it to the last drop.

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