Watch the cream in your coffee!

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sallyleebooks
sallyleebooks Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
I have sort of plateaued for a while and I have been thinking, what am I doing wrong? And then after logging what I have been eating since January, I realized once of my biggest vices has been cream in my coffee every morning at MacDonald's. I have been doing this for 20 years! So I stopped that. i still use a little half and half but there is a big difference. I know I should go to milk but this may take a while. So I am passing this along to those who may not realize how this is a hidden devil in our lives sometimes. :)

Replies

  • Morninglory81
    Morninglory81 Posts: 1,190 Member
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    It is only hidden if you don't log and account for it in your daily goals. I measure 1/2 cup whole milk into my cappuccino and enjoy but it all goes in my diary.
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
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    i drink mine black- 2 calories
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
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    It is only hidden if you don't log and account for it in your daily goals. I measure 1/2 cup whole milk into my cappuccino and enjoy but it all goes in my diary.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I do watch it - it swirls around and down into the coffee and looks so pretty! :tongue:

    Thankfully I drink my morning coffee black, but do have an afternoon iced coffee addiction, and add sugar and half and half, and sometimes even whipped cream to it. It fits into my daily goals (most of the time anyway), but if I'm trying to be extra careful, then yeah, I'd probably skip that afternoon treat.

    But you're right - sometimes it's just one little adjustment we need to make in our daily habits.
  • ktsmom430
    ktsmom430 Posts: 1,100 Member
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    It will add up. If you really want it, just allow for it in your calorie intake.
    Alternatives are sugar or fat free coffee creamers. Coffeemate French Vanilla sugar free is only 15 calories/TBSP.
  • sallyleebooks
    sallyleebooks Posts: 9
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    Thanks for all the tips!
  • JustPeachy044
    JustPeachy044 Posts: 770 Member
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    I learned the hard way to measure it too. 2 T of half and half or cream is not very much, and if I just dump without measuring, I find my 16 servings in the carton lasts only 5 or 6 days....
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    I log everything so this very thing doesn't happen. That being said, I also just came off a long plateau (almost 1.5 months). I didn't change anything and just the other day I dropped 4 pounds. Sometimes plateaus aren't a result of anything we are doing wrong but it can be very hard to make ourselves accept that possibility.
  • dawnna76
    dawnna76 Posts: 987 Member
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    Half and half is actually better in your coffe than milk. It has less sugar and carbs than milk
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,454 Member
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    I've found that you gradually get used to whatever you use. I have a dash of skimmed milk in tea and coffee now and even semi-skimmed milk tastes too creamy now! I don't think there's anything wrong with having cream and logging it - but for me, skimmed milk saves me quite a few calories to "spend" on something else.
  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
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    I don't worry about it, because I log the creamer that I use, but I don't usually use that much, anyway. I tend to like my coffee more black than anything, so I add just enough to get some flavor, but definitely not enough to cause me to go overboard on my calories for the day.

    Really, creamer is fine, so long as you keep track of it. So is butter or other additives; you just have to remember to be really on top of adding it in to the daily calories. :)
  • Gwen_B
    Gwen_B Posts: 1,018 Member
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    I never go over my calories, so I just use fat free flavored cream. Works for me, since I don't like unflavored coffee.
  • Danilynn1975
    Danilynn1975 Posts: 294 Member
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    I have lost 52 pounds and counting.

    I have not yet ever logged the 3 teaspoons of sugar or the creamer poured into my coffee on any day. It's the one and only thing I refuse on any level to modify, get rid of or log. Sometimes I have 3 or 4 cups of coffee a day like this.

    I'm cool giving up sweets, fried foods, junk processed food and fast food and to log my calories daily for the rest of my life to stay at weight once I reach it in 12 more pounds or so. But I do not want to know my coffee calorie count, nor do I intend to take the pleasure out of it. I view food as numbers, I eat and eat enough and generally like what I eat, but after a year of this I tweak things down to lower calories, coffee remains my pleasure.

    Peanut butter used to be bliss, now I view it as a way to eat more on days I find myself short on calories. I am not going to reduce my coffee to the same level.

    I'd only be willing to do it for the short term, and this has to be something I can do long term or the weight will not stay off.

    So my coffee remains a mystery, creamer, sugar and all.
  • ripemango
    ripemango Posts: 534 Member
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    i have half n half & measure what i put into my coffee. w milk i end up using more calories than half n hjalf to make it taste right.

    I'm a coffee every morning kind of person.
  • sallyleebooks
    sallyleebooks Posts: 9
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    This is so helpful, thank you! I just went to the market and bought fat free 1/2 and 1/2 so we'll see. I think all I was trying to say is that I have no control how much cream they put in at McDonald's and I think they put in a lot because they are trying to see coffee so in a way even though I was counting it, I think it was a lot more than what I was counting. So now I ask for black and bring my own 12 and 1/2 and that way I have control and I don't mind the change in taste. Maybe one day, I will get down to just a dab in my coffee. :)
  • sallyleebooks
    sallyleebooks Posts: 9
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    I meant to say they are trying to SELL coffee. :)
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    I have not yet ever logged the 3 teaspoons of sugar or the creamer poured into my coffee on any day. It's the one and only thing I refuse on any level to modify, get rid of or log. Sometimes I have 3 or 4 cups of coffee a day like this.

    I have 3-4 cups a day too, with 1T demerara sugar and 1oz Half & Half creamer. I log them all and account for them. But honestly if that is consistent and you don't log them, it's the same thing. Just know that whatever you're consuming, you're probably consuming more like 250-350 extra calories daily.
  • EDollah
    EDollah Posts: 464 Member
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    I only started adding flavored creamers in the last year. I noticed my big bottles that were supposed to have 32 servings only lasted about a week, so when I changed my eating habits recently, this was the first to go. I've just upgraded the quality of my coffee and don't miss the cream & sugar at all. Well, maybe a little.
  • blleadon
    blleadon Posts: 187 Member
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    I use the individual creamer packets at 30 calories each and stevia sugar packets. I just count it along with my breakfast. In fact drinking coffee is relatively new to me and hasn't hurt my weight loss. Now, wine is a different story lol
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
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    I have lost 52 pounds and counting.

    I have not yet ever logged the 3 teaspoons of sugar or the creamer poured into my coffee on any day. It's the one and only thing I refuse on any level to modify, get rid of or log. Sometimes I have 3 or 4 cups of coffee a day like this.

    I'm cool giving up sweets, fried foods, junk processed food and fast food and to log my calories daily for the rest of my life to stay at weight once I reach it in 12 more pounds or so. But I do not want to know my coffee calorie count, nor do I intend to take the pleasure out of it. I view food as numbers, I eat and eat enough and generally like what I eat, but after a year of this I tweak things down to lower calories, coffee remains my pleasure.

    Peanut butter used to be bliss, now I view it as a way to eat more on days I find myself short on calories. I am not going to reduce my coffee to the same level.

    I'd only be willing to do it for the short term, and this has to be something I can do long term or the weight will not stay off.

    So my coffee remains a mystery, creamer, sugar and all.

    I absolutely love your logic. Some things should stay pure.

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