Cutting sugar
charis2979
Posts: 38 Member
I have not been able to cut sugar out of my morning coffee. I've tried every other artificial sweetener and just can't do it, they all make my coffee taste terrible. I suppose I could cut out morning coffee altogether, but I really enjoy drinking it. Not even necessarily for the AM pick me up. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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Replies
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charis2979 wrote: »I have not been able to cut sugar out of my morning coffee. I've tried every other artificial sweetener and just can't do it, they all make my coffee taste terrible. I suppose I could cut out morning coffee altogether, but I really enjoy drinking it. Not even necessarily for the AM pick me up. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Is there a specific reason you feel you need to cut the sugar from your morning coffee? How much sugar are you using and how many cups of coffee?
If this is simply to reduce total calories, and the coffee with sugar is important to you (which I totally get!), then look for other areas to reduce calories?
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How much sugar?0
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One teaspoon of sugar has 15 calories. Is there a reason you need to cut it? If you really want the sugar, why not just cut from other areas to make up for it?0
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janejellyroll wrote: »One teaspoon of sugar has 15 calories. Is there a reason you need to cut it? If you really want the sugar, why not just cut from other areas to make up for it?
This.
Or you could try drinking your coffee black. I use sweetener, but others who have switched to black have slowly weened themselves off buy decreasing how much sugar they put in each week until they no longer add any.0 -
You can't go cold turkey. Try slowly cutting back on how much you're using, then try taking it out altogether. The thing about sugar, I have found, is that once you reduce your intake, you will not miss using so much of it. It happens eventually, but it takes time. I try not to add sweetener to my coffee, but I allow myself some half and half. I can actually taste the coffee this way.2
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charis2979 wrote: »I have not been able to cut sugar out of my morning coffee. I've tried every other artificial sweetener and just can't do it, they all make my coffee taste terrible. I suppose I could cut out morning coffee altogether, but I really enjoy drinking it. Not even necessarily for the AM pick me up. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Try half artificial and half sugar and see if that helps.
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There is no need to cut a tsp of sugar from your diet, if that's the way you like your coffee, then go ahead. Plenty of places to trim the fat so to speak.1
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I used to drink 6-8 tsp of sugar in my coffee with cream in the am so I shaved 120 calories from my morning beverage by switching over to sweet n low (which is totally worth it to me). For others, not so much.
Unless you you have a medical issue, there is no reason why you would have to cut out your sugar, but you do need to log it into your daily calories. Once you see the total you can decide whether or not it's worth it to you to:
1. Keep drinking coffee with sugar which you enjoy.
2. Adjust your sugar levels or try with skim milk.
3. Try other types of artificial sweetners to see if a different one suits your palate better
4. Stop drinking coffee and get used to it.
You have options and time to experiment with which option you are willing to live with. There is no wrong answer.1 -
I was the same as you, OP. I couldn't stand my coffee without sugar so I quit drinking it all together. Six months later I tried it again with just a touch of cream and it was great. And a year after that for some reason the cream lost its appeal and now I drink my coffee black -- and enjoy it! Never in a million years would I have thought I'd end up preferring my coffee black when I used to pour sugar in to the point almost no more could dissolve. Sounds revolting now but at the time I loved it.
Long story short, if cutting sugar out of your coffee is non-negotiable and something you have (or want) to do, know that your tastes do/can change. Best wishes.2 -
I'm sure you feel same as me except I've never had a sweet tooth. My issue is savoury foods. Crisps and take aways0
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I also like my coffee with cream and sugar and don't like artificial/substitute sweeteners. So I cut it down to a cup or two per day. However, over time I've been able to slowly decrease the amount of sugar I use as well. So just measure how much you use now, and try to cut it down by a gram or two every so often. I slowly went down from a tbsp (12g) to < a tsp (3g) per cup. When I make iced coffee with vanilla soy milk, sometimes I don't even feel the need to add sugar.0
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charis2979 wrote: »I have not been able to cut sugar out of my morning coffee. I've tried every other artificial sweetener and just can't do it, they all make my coffee taste terrible. I suppose I could cut out morning coffee altogether, but I really enjoy drinking it. Not even necessarily for the AM pick me up. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I used to consume 120+ grams of sugar per day...mostly from coffee drinks. There are substitutes, I promise. Now, I have limited my intake to 40 grams or less per day (usually around 20 grams) and after a while you actually adjust to the less-sweet life. You also realize just how much sugar is packed into syrups and sweets. My ultimate coffee shop hacks are below:
Starbuck's
If you like iced coffee
Grande Cold Brew (with no water and half ice) - 15 cals
Coconut milk - 30 cals
6 pumps SF Vanilla - 0 cals
* you can also add protein powder to this, I suggest IsoPure Whey Zero Carb Vanilla Creme *
If you like hot coffee
Grande Americano - 15 cals
Skim milk - 20 cals
6 pumps SF vanilla - 0 cals
2 packs sugar - 30 cals (Note: this is plenty enough to sweeten it up a bit and it's only 30 cals, crazy right?!)
If you like lattes
Grande latte (with skim milk and no whip) - 45 cals
6 pumps SF vanilla or cinammon dulce - 0 cals
Dunkin Donuts
Dunkin tends to have higher calorie syrups and a more watered down, bitter flavor to their coffee but if that's what you prefer, then go for it!
Cold brew coffee - 15 cals
1 pump caramel swirl - 50 cals
2 pumps vanilla Flavor Shot - 30 cals
1 packet sugar - 15 cals0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »One teaspoon of sugar has 15 calories. Is there a reason you need to cut it? If you really want the sugar, why not just cut from other areas to make up for it?
This.
You mention trying artificial sugar but not black, however. Maybe reduce the amount of sugar until you have an amount you can fit in comfortably or even try tapering to black. I actively dislike sweetened coffee (not sure why, it just seems weird to me), but I used to drink it with milk when I was in college, and when I decided to learn to like it black (not weight loss related), I tapered over time. Getting good coffee makes this easier, too.
But if it's just a little sugar and a cup or two, probably no reason to change.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »One teaspoon of sugar has 15 calories. Is there a reason you need to cut it? If you really want the sugar, why not just cut from other areas to make up for it?
This.0 -
The key is to make coffee that doesn't need sugar or milk. It is very possible to make coffee taste good.
Some important factors are:- How fresh the beans are
- Grinding them before brewing
- filtered water - probably the most important because coffee is mostly this.
- water temp
- how much coffee per cup ratio (google it for what is recommended)
- how clean your equipment is
- Don't let it burn (if it sits on the coffee heater for longer then 15 minutes it burns)
It sounds like alot but it really isn't. But the difference it night and day. If you make a good cup of coffee you won't need to add anything. Your other choice is getting use to the way stale burnt coffee tastes.0 -
The key is to make coffee that doesn't need sugar or milk. It is very possible to make coffee taste good.
Some important factors are:- How fresh the beans are
- Grinding them before brewing
- filtered water - probably the most important
- water temp
- how much coffee per cup ratio (google it for what is recommended)
- how clean your equipment is
- Don't let it burn (if it sits on the coffee heater for longer then 15 minutes it burns)
It sounds like alot but it really isn't. But the difference it night and day. If you make a good cup of coffee you won't need to add anything. Your other choice is getting use to the way stale burnt coffee tastes.
French press for the win!1 -
charis2979 wrote: »I have not been able to cut sugar out of my morning coffee. I've tried every other artificial sweetener and just can't do it, they all make my coffee taste terrible. I suppose I could cut out morning coffee altogether, but I really enjoy drinking it. Not even necessarily for the AM pick me up. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Buy quality coffee....whole bean and grind it yourself. Good coffee doesn't need a damn thing. Make sure you're using good water. Also, try different roasts...I prefer a medium roast personally...if I have a dark roast I almost have to have a splash of milk to cut it.1 -
The key is to make coffee that doesn't need sugar or milk. It is very possible to make coffee taste good.
Some important factors are:- How fresh the beans are
- Grinding them before brewing
- filtered water - probably the most important
- water temp
- how much coffee per cup ratio (google it for what is recommended)
- how clean your equipment is
- Don't let it burn (if it sits on the coffee heater for longer then 15 minutes it burns)
It sounds like alot but it really isn't. But the difference it night and day. If you make a good cup of coffee you won't need to add anything. Your other choice is getting use to the way stale burnt coffee tastes.
French press for the win!
+1! Unfiltered coffee is less acidic and just tastes better.0 -
At the moment I drink coffee free from the office. I drink 2 6oz cups before lunch, each with 2 Tbsp which is 150 cals and 50 g of sugar. This is the only place that sugar really gets me. I stay under or at my calories no problem elsewhere, but am concerned that I go over on my recommended sugar everyday.0
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charis2979 wrote: »I suppose I could cut out morning coffee altogether, but I really enjoy drinking it. Not even necessarily for the AM pick me up. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
That's how I managed to get used to sweeteners. I quit it completely for almost six months. My wife and I liked strong coffee with lots of creamer and sugar, so when I went back to drinking it I found it bitter as hell without sugar and cream. So now I simply use Stevia packets (like Truvia), three per cup and it sweetens it just fine even without creamer. The rub is I rarely drink more than one large cup a day now after my workouts. Before my workouts I use a pre-workout drink so no coffee needed in the mornings. But at first I could not stand the sweeteners either, I just had to cut out sugar all together for a while, then I found that if you use the sweeteners they do taste sweet and you can use less of them to avoid the aftertaste. But if you're used to a lot of sugar it's going to take time to adjust.0 -
charis2979 wrote: »At the moment I drink coffee free from the office. I drink 2 6oz cups before lunch, each with 2 Tbsp which is 150 cals and 50 g of sugar. This is the only place that sugar really gets me. I stay under or at my calories no problem elsewhere, but am concerned that I go over on my recommended sugar everyday.
Have you considered possibly cutting coffee out of your sugar? Maybe just suck on a hard candy?1 -
charis2979 wrote: »At the moment I drink coffee free from the office. I drink 2 6oz cups before lunch, each with 2 Tbsp which is 150 cals and 50 g of sugar. This is the only place that sugar really gets me. I stay under or at my calories no problem elsewhere, but am concerned that I go over on my recommended sugar everyday.
As long as you don't have a medical reason to cut out sugar, going over your recommended daily allowance on MFP is not a big deal (as long as you can keep it within your daily calorie budget).1 -
Thank you ccrdragon, that's what I was hoping for!0
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charis2979 wrote: »At the moment I drink coffee free from the office. I drink 2 6oz cups before lunch, each with 2 Tbsp which is 150 cals and 50 g of sugar. This is the only place that sugar really gets me. I stay under or at my calories no problem elsewhere, but am concerned that I go over on my recommended sugar everyday.
I would start with trying to reduce down the 2Tbsp - have you tried 1 Tbsp? Do you use creamer? Have you tried any of the flavored creamers? I use the Coffee Mate liquid creamer, it is 35 cals/tbsp and 5 g of sugar. I typically consume about 3 tbsp of that in my morning cups of coffee so it's not significantly lower calories than what you are consuming, unless you are adding cream too and then I guess it could be.
Besides that, the MFP sugar goal is notoriously low, and without a medical reason to restrict sugar, many people don't even track it and opt for tracking fiber instead. Because MFP doesn't differentiate between added sugar and natural sugar, it's possible to exceed that goal with just fruit.1 -
Thanks for all of the feedback folks. It's really great having such knowledgeable and supportive folks along this journey!0
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