Starbucks is my downfall

RespectTheKitty
RespectTheKitty Posts: 1,667 Member
edited March 2016 in Food and Nutrition
Seriously, I am like, addicted to Starbucks. I have to have a latte in the morning. I log it as part of my breakfast, and the milk in it does help keep me feeling full until lunch (I also have a Luna bar with it), and the caffeine helps me get through my workout. I go nonfat, which helps knock out a few calories. My morning grande nonfat latte is 130 calories, which isn't terrible I guess to fit into my current goal of 1700 calories/day.

I also love their hot chocolate... but a tall hot chocolate, even with nonfat milk, is 250 calories! Oh, the agony...

When I absolutely cannot afford any calories but still want a Starbucks fix, I'll get unsweetened iced tea.

Anyone else a Starbucks nut? What are your favorite low-cal drinks?
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Replies

  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    I enjoy a Starbucks drink.

    No drama though.
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    I don't go to starbucks often, but when I do I get the chai tea latte with coconut milk. Not sure if low calorie. Probably not very much.
  • RespectTheKitty
    RespectTheKitty Posts: 1,667 Member
    cityruss wrote: »
    I enjoy a Starbucks drink.

    No drama though.

    I guess it's because I'm relatively new to the MFP world and logging calories that I'm hyper-sensitive to how many calories are in things. I agree, there really shouldn't be any drama associated with any food.
  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
    It doesn't appeal to me at all other than an occasional cappuccino if I haven't been somewhere else I could get one.

    I see a lot of people carrying Starbucks around more as a lifestyle and social status thing cuz seriously you can make most of it at home much cheaper. I know people who don't even like or drink coffee go there and get things just so they can join in a conversation about what they order at Starbucks (and then don't drink lol).
  • majigurl
    majigurl Posts: 660 Member
    You don't have to cut out things you love!

    If you love it, and you are being smart about it, why stop it?

    If you feel it's too many calories, can you push yourself to move more to burn it off? If you can fit it into your calories for the day, I don't see the problem.

  • RespectTheKitty
    RespectTheKitty Posts: 1,667 Member
    majigurl wrote: »
    You don't have to cut out things you love!

    If you love it, and you are being smart about it, why stop it?

    If you feel it's too many calories, can you push yourself to move more to burn it off? If you can fit it into your calories for the day, I don't see the problem.

    Very true! Right now it fits okay into my overall eating plan of 1700 calories. I just worry that, as I lose weight and my calorie needs go down, I will eventually not have room for it. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
  • GreenHeather2014
    GreenHeather2014 Posts: 74 Member
    I don't think 130 calorie latte and 180 calorie Luna bar counts as a "downfall." Don't beat yourself up over a harmless - maybe even healthy - breakfast routine. As a 4th generation Seattlite, I naturally have a coffee habit and consider it part of a nutritious breakfast. :P I mainly drink black coffee, and I have a cup every morning and every afternoon around 3 or 4. I love a double tall soy latte before the gym (or any major physical activity), but can't always afford it. Also, they have a frappuccino I love after a long hike - it involves soy milk, coffee, an extra shot, and no whip cream. The double tall soy has only 130 calories, and the frappuccino only 170.
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
    Too dang expensive. Took my daughter there and I got a large coffee, she got a small vanilla frappucchino and we got my son a small hot chocolate. Three drinks came to 15 bucks! I realized right then why I never go to Starbucks.
  • majigurl
    majigurl Posts: 660 Member
    RespectTheKitty wrote: »
    majigurl wrote: »
    You don't have to cut out things you love!

    If you love it, and you are being smart about it, why stop it?

    If you feel it's too many calories, can you push yourself to move more to burn it off? If you can fit it into your calories for the day, I don't see the problem.

    Very true! Right now it fits okay into my overall eating plan of 1700 calories. I just worry that, as I lose weight and my calorie needs go down, I will eventually not have room for it. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

    Yep, worry about the today's weight loss. You may find time to do more workouts to still create the deficit you need later.

    I love my latte's. I take a smaller size with skim milk now compared to before. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. lol

    I don't eat chips or pop anymore. I don't eat chocolate bars anymore. I don't drink my calories other than one coffee type in the mornings. The rest of the day is water now.

    You pick and choose what is right for you and what you want to change.

  • MarziDeThrall
    MarziDeThrall Posts: 98 Member
    Tall Skinny Mocha...110 calories.
  • generallyme2
    generallyme2 Posts: 403 Member
    Whenever I hear the cals in some of those coffee drinks, I'm really glad I hate coffee haha! That said, I do love hot chocolate and hot tea. I don't get starbucks hot chocolate because it's bitter to me but I usually get a peach tranquility hot tea, no milk/no sugar because it just doesn't need it.

    I have tricked my brain into thinking I like the desserts and pastries starbucks offers because they're so pretty and look good but then when I actually taste them, they aren't that great and definitely not worth the cals. While I always leave room for dessert or whatever I want daily, I have learned not to eat something I don't really enjoy and that made a lot of difference.
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
    I am a sucker for a cup of coffee and I do love Starbucks, but I just can't afford it so I make my coffees at home. Strong brew with 4tbsp of half and half for 80 calories. Maybe round to 90 to include any error in measuring and to account for the minimal coffee calories.

    I always have Starbucks when I have a babysitting gig after my normal work day. A small skinny latte and a spinach feta wrap and I'm all energized up for another round of kid wrangling :)
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    I rarely visit Starbucks. The closest is about 90 min. drive away, but I live in a rural area and am in an area with a Starbucks almost weekly. If I get something at Starbucks, it will be Beast Mode Frappucino with no caramel and no whipped cream.
  • vegmebuff
    vegmebuff Posts: 31,389 Member
    Love my Starbucks...but I only get a black coffee and add my own Stevia to it now. Boring but it sure is a far cry from what I use to order from there going through university. Cappuccinos, frappes, lattes...never 'just' black coffee! Plus one of the baked items to go with it. No wonder I weighed a lot back then!
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    edited March 2016
    I just get a black coffee and pick up some food if I want something. I've been meaning to try their cookie dough cake pop.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    I almost never go to Starbucks. Too expensive and I'd rather eat solid food than drink my calories.
  • sylkates
    sylkates Posts: 173 Member
    I liked the sugary drinks at first, but then I started drinking coffee every day.

    Now I want that pure coffee taste, the milkshakes just taste like ice cream now, so I go for an Americano or a shot of espresso. I usually stir a packet of sugar and a teaspoon of cream into it but that's way less than their pre-made drinks have.
  • Smccabe8
    Smccabe8 Posts: 129 Member
    I just do a Grande brewed coffee with sugar free caramel syrup from Starbucks. I think it's like 5 calories for the coffee? The syrup has 0 cals.

    It's really good iced too.
  • meganmoore112
    meganmoore112 Posts: 174 Member
    My regular order that I get about once a week is a grande skinny vanilla or skinny cinnamon dolce. On long run days, I sometimes get a treat drink like the new smoked butterscotch. Even with non-fat milk, a grande is almost 300 calories! But it is delicious.
  • Smccabe8
    Smccabe8 Posts: 129 Member
    Not saying I wouldn't rather have a Caramel Frappuchino with extra caramel sauce, but yikes... the calories.
  • rsngmn
    rsngmn Posts: 57 Member
    For winter caffe Americano, for summer iced Americano, pretty low on calories :)
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    edited March 2016
    I love the Starbucks app where I can customize and order my drink before I get to the store - this way I can avoid the impulse purchases in the store and just go right to the pick up area and grab my drink and go. I've been getting an iced coffee with Sugar free caramel syrup and a splash of non-fat milk. My other faves when I have more calories are a Skinny Vanilla Latte or a Skinny Caramel Machiatto.

    I got a Ninja Coffee Bar for Christmas though and it has seriously decreased my Starbucks consumption. It makes the best iced coffee!
  • biscuitnow
    biscuitnow Posts: 141 Member
    I love Starbucks, but as I lost more and more weight, I learned to go there less often. It's become a special treat and/or social thing by now. The cash I saved in the process was a pleasant side effect, which I am unfortunately used to by now. ;) I wouldn't stress over it if I were you. As long as it fits into your calories, it's no problem, and maybe your preferences will change at some point anyway.
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
    I used to like Starbuck's but it just isn't that good anymore. I'd rather go to a local indie coffee shop with better bean and better baristas who really know their stuff. Our local Valley Java uses all organic bean, and their drinks taste like coffee and heaven, not watered down instant junk. :) Costs a little more, but if I'm going to spend some calories on a caramel latte I want the good stuff.
  • majigurl
    majigurl Posts: 660 Member
    ElizabethOakes2 wrote: »
    I used to like Starbuck's but it just isn't that good anymore. I'd rather go to a local indie coffee shop with better bean and better baristas who really know their stuff. Our local Valley Java uses all organic bean, and their drinks taste like coffee and heaven, not watered down instant junk. :) Costs a little more, but if I'm going to spend some calories on a caramel latte I want the good stuff.

    I go to Bridgehead. I can't have a latte anywhere else now. They all just taste like chemicals now.. lol
    It is a little more than even a starbucks, but I cut down how often I go, so I figure I can now and then.

    I do agree, if I'm going to spend my money and my calories on something, it better be good and I better be enjoying it.

    Eating or drinking food I don't link just isn't worth it.

  • Redbeard333
    Redbeard333 Posts: 381 Member
    edited March 2016
    I go to Starbucks a couple times a week, mostly on the weekends, and another couple local coffee shops. Always order the same thing no matter what time of year: large hot black coffee. I used to put cream and sugar in it, but have pretty much stopped adding anything to my coffee since early last year. How can you beat 10 calories and caffeine?!?!
  • acbraswell
    acbraswell Posts: 238 Member
    MarziDeThrall wrote: »
    Tall Skinny Mocha...110 calories.

    Agree with this! Cross between a latte and hot chocolate.
  • mattyc772014
    mattyc772014 Posts: 3,543 Member
    When ever I go to Sevenbucks, I get a Skinny Latte with 5 shots of espresso. Best part is giving false names for my cup. Like Mother Theresa. That's usually a hit.
  • vegmebuff
    vegmebuff Posts: 31,389 Member
    just don't order this to go with that coffee!

    http://www.popsugar.com/food/Starbucks-Breakfast-Sandwich-Recall-Listeria-40490575?utm_source=living_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=living_newsletter_v3_03092016&em_recid=6553064&utm_content=placement_1_title
  • erinmacchio
    erinmacchio Posts: 2 Member
    I am a Starbucks junkie also. I found that replacing the latte with a misto has helped. No Espresso. It's just coffee with steamed milk. Since most of the calories in the latte are from the milk, this reduces that.

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