coffee and creamer vice

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leahmarg
leahmarg Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So my therapist says I'm addicted to coffee. I agree, but I'm not entirely ready to give it up. Of course, I don't have to give it up completely, but I really like it...with creamer. I do drink fat free creamer, but have already had 8 tablespoons of it this morning (that's four cups of coffee. Of course, it is a Saturday and I'm home. Usually, I drink 2-3 cups in the morning, and then another 2-3 in the afternoon, and often add a coffee shop coffee (with syrup and cream) to that. I know I'm "drinking" a lot of my calories. I started MFP two weeks ago and have lost 3.8 pounds, so I'm satisfied with that. I'm wondering if there's anything I can replace the coffee with that I don't have to use creamer and probably still has the caffeine (for now anyway). Thoughts? Thanks.
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Replies

  • leahmarg
    leahmarg Posts: 11 Member
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    I forgot to say that 8T of creamer is 200 calories.
  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
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    Do you have to use so much creamer? I don't log my creamer, but I use less than a tsp/2g. for a 12 ounce cup, I drink coffee all day.
  • cakelight
    cakelight Posts: 9 Member
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    My first change was to cut all sweeteners because usually the creamers have enough sugar on their own. I didn't notice the difference at all. Then I slowly lessened the amount of sweetener used, then switched to a vanilla soy creamer. Cutting one coffee out of your day per week might help too. Take it slow!
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
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    Wait, why does your therapist have a problem with your caffeine addiction???

    I would start drinking tea, hot or iced, just to get away from coffee entirely if I had to have creamer in my coffee.
  • nanavigil
    nanavigil Posts: 1
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    I switched to using the chemical-laden powdered creamer which also buffers the acid in the coffee. Also learned if I make the coffee slightly weaker I can useless creamer (not that I like weak coffee, but you can try some adjustment).
  • Dort68
    Dort68 Posts: 36 Member
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    use skim milk to replace some of the creamer.
    Switch to sugar free instead of fat free.
    Also, are you actually weighing/measuring the creamer?
    A friend IRL noticed how much creamer I was using via my MFP diary and she pointed out how much more I could eat if I cut back on the creamer. I started weighing it and slowly increased the milk and decreased the creamer. I drink about 8 cups of coffee per day with 1/2 C of milk (in total). And only 2 T of creamer. Saves me a TON of calories and while it took some getting used to, it's been worth it.
    And who cares what your therapist says about your caffeine addiction.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
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    Each week, I slowly cut back on how much creamer I was adding to my coffee. It took a little while, but now I don't put any creamer in. Saves me a few calories.
  • penneysfit
    penneysfit Posts: 97 Member
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    I get the sugar-free french vanilla "Mini-Ids" for my coffee -- they are 20 calories apiece and I put just one in, instead of 2 or 3. My creamer is one thing I'm not willing to let go yet. I won't as long as I can fit them into my daily calorie allotment.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
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    emily_stew wrote: »
    Better quality coffee will require less creamer, tastier coffee, fewer calories. Huzzah!

    PS. If a therapist told me I was addicted to coffee, I'd probably tell them "no *kitten*", and ask them what other blatantly obvious statements they'd like to drop on me. And then probably leave.

    Lol truth- I feel like a coffee addiction and a nursing license go hand in hand
  • leahmarg
    leahmarg Posts: 11 Member
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    Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. I will ponder.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
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    I swapped out carbs for fat It means no sugar but little limit on the cream. I grew up not drinking coffee and my dad would say I liked a little coffee in my cream when I did start drinking it after I got my drivers licenses. :)
  • KETOGENICGURL
    KETOGENICGURL Posts: 687 Member
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    Leah- GaleHawkins, etal…. I switched TO heavy whipping cream and a VeryLowCarb diet, so having the richness of real cream in my one big cup of coffee means I don't get cravings, am not hungry. Current research (by J. Volek, S. Phinney) proves converting to a 'fat-burn' diet- by decreasing all carbs (especially bread & desserts) lets you burn your stored fat . it IS a commitment to 2 weeks+ to kick start the change over, but it worked for me decades ago BEFORE al the "super low fat/high carb" became doctrine. and it works now. Look into ketogenic or LCHF online to learn more. and enjoy your coffee!
  • Justcallme_J
    Justcallme_J Posts: 28 Member
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    I was the same way and absolutely refused to give up my coffee. I also thought all of the low fat, artificial sweetener substitutes tasted terrible, so those weren't an option either. What I did instead was to taper down the amount I used in small enough increments that I wouldn't notice. I started with 6 tbsp per cup several times per day. I know how ridiculous that sounds to some people, but I was really hooked on it. Every few days I decreased the amount used by one tsp. because I knew that amount was so small that I couldn't really notice it. There have been times that it has taken me more than a few days to cut down again, but I keep trying. I measure the coffee and the creamer every time I make it and use the same brands of everything so that I basically have a control cup to judge by. I also started waiting longer in between cups, at first just making myself wait an extra 15-30 minutes when I wanted one. Now I'm down to two cups per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with 1 tbsp in each cup. I'm still trying to completely give it up, but I'm okay with where I am in the meantime. Another thing that may help is to add spices to the coffee before you brew it. I add cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice to the basket or a drop of vanilla or almond extract to the brewed coffee. It tastes great without any extra calories.
  • barby6011
    barby6011 Posts: 21 Member
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    Get a frother. It heats and makes a latte in no time.
  • leahmarg
    leahmarg Posts: 11 Member
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    JustCallMe:
    Thank you. I like the idea of spices. I have done that before. I like my sweetened creamer, though, and would likely "need" to add sweetened creamer anyway. I have such a sweet tooth. KetoGenicGurl, I did a low-carb diet for a few months a few years ago. It curbed my sweet tooth. So, I get what you're saying, but I'm not ready to do that again, I guess.

    I will try the spices or vanilla and maybe add some fat free half and half. I could probably cut down how often I get a coffee from a coffee shop, too.

    Good to have goals.

    Thank you to all.



    Justcallme_J wrote: »
    I was the same way and absolutely refused to give up my coffee. I also thought all of the low fat, artificial sweetener substitutes tasted terrible, so those weren't an option either. What I did instead was to taper down the amount I used in small enough increments that I wouldn't notice. I started with 6 tbsp per cup several times per day. I know how ridiculous that sounds to some people, but I was really hooked on it. Every few days I decreased the amount used by one tsp. because I knew that amount was so small that I couldn't really notice it. There have been times that it has taken me more than a few days to cut down again, but I keep trying. I measure the coffee and the creamer every time I make it and use the same brands of everything so that I basically have a control cup to judge by. I also started waiting longer in between cups, at first just making myself wait an extra 15-30 minutes when I wanted one. Now I'm down to two cups per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with 1 tbsp in each cup. I'm still trying to completely give it up, but I'm okay with where I am in the meantime. Another thing that may help is to add spices to the coffee before you brew it. I add cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice to the basket or a drop of vanilla or almond extract to the brewed coffee. It tastes great without any extra calories.

  • sodakat
    sodakat Posts: 1,126 Member
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    Flavored coffee creamer (not low-anything) makes me happy. After a year using MFP, I now drink just one cup of coffee in the morning with 1T of creamer. Once in a while I 'need' more creamer so use 2 Tablespoons. I've mentioned in other threads that when I realized I could still have my flavored creamer in my coffee it was the "thing" that convinced me MFP and counting calories would work for me. It has!

    I should add, on days when I want additional cups of coffee, I do drink them black. Mostly that is at work or at restaurants where the coffee is crappy and they don't have my creamer anyway. Those cups are more social events than the coffee satisfaction I get from the strong coffee I brew myself. Works for me.

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  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Start weening down until you drink it black.
  • hawaii256734
    hawaii256734 Posts: 1
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    I buy torani sugar free syrups online and use skim milk. If i really need a boost caffeine i drink it black. No more than 4 cups and stop coffee and switch to water at noon
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited February 2015
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    Drink it black or with fully skimmed milk

    Ya know that creamer doesn't even exist here, so I can't even imagine what it is you're drinking

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