Is Starbucks Coffee bad?
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Just wondering, can you tell the difference between iced Americano and regular iced coffee?ThatLadyFromMN wrote: »As I sit here drinking my iced Americano... lol. If it fits why not? I used to drink the calorie bomb drinks but switched to an iced American with 2 pumps white mocha and it's only about 75 calories.
I can! Love the taste of the americano vs drip coffee.1 -
Another question is, of course, if the drinks are measured and poured correctly - are they actually skim if you order skim? Are they putting in syrup? Are they filling the cup fuller than the calorie calculations on their website suggest? Are you picking the right size of the right drink, and does it match the information on their website? There are a lot of incorrect database entries.3
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Most of the drinks I see on the Starbucks menu are 400-600 calories each. I can definitely not afford those in my diet. A whole meal of mine is less than 500 calories!!!
I need to drink my coffee black, or with a little milk. I don't think anyone can lose weight drinking almost anything on their menu if they do it daily. You can't have 40-50% of your calorie allotment on ONE drink and expect to survive the day under calories.
It can be a treat, or a daily thing if you're at maintenance, but not on a diet.
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It's calories in vs calories out. Just remember your body is pretty much in a constant state of change (especially when you're on the road to losing weight), so you'll need to modify your intake occasionally.0
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I think the first time an employee decided to make my drink however they wanted would be the last time I ordered.1
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No, Starbucks is not "the reason" you're not losing weight. You're not losing weight because your calorie total is too high to lose weight (if you've been plateaued for a while- with less than 10 lbs to go you should be targeting .5 lbs lost per week). You can open your diary to have us weight in (hahahaha) on why you might not be losing any more.3
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Some of those frapps can be well over 600 calories. I LOVE them, but can't afford that as a coffee drink. I was putting on a good bit of weight because I wasn't looking at how many calories were in them, and I was drinking them at least 3x per week.2
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YvetteK2015 wrote: »Some of those frapps can be well over 600 calories. I LOVE them, but can't afford that as a coffee drink. I was putting on a good bit of weight because I wasn't looking at how many calories were in them, and I was drinking them at least 3x per week.
The light ones (which is what OP is ordering) have significantly less. You still need to account for them, obviously, but 110 calories for a grande (which is what a light coffee frappuccino is) is something that could fit into many plans.2 -
so i worked next to a Sturbucks and i love the moccha and coffee frappucchinos, i get them light but im noticing im not losing or gaining weight. im stuck. im trying to lose the last 10 lbs as they say.. but im not .. i never go past my recommended calories.. Could starbucks be the reason im not losing anymore?
Yes and no. So yes in the sense that reducing calories from simple sugars is a good way to make deficit, but not because we can look at some numbers. Let's standardize on a Caffe Mocha.
If you drink 1 Venti Caffe Mocha (25 milk, with Whip) a day (450 calories), 7 days per week that is 3150, or almost a pound worth of calories from sugars in your diet. Simply cutting to a Tall (290 calories) each day reduces your caloric intake by 1200 calories, which is more than one days deficit if you wanted to lose 2 pounds per week. Cut out the whipped cream and you drop another 350 calories per week, or the equivalent calories of a hour walk for the average person. Go with Almond milk instead of 2% and you drop another 420 calories per week, or one decent hamburger worth.
So yes the additional calories factor in and can be some of the reason you are not losing weight, but you could moderate how much you have and how you have to still enjoy and reduce your calories there. The biggest thing is whatever you are eating the overall intake each day, all week, every month needs to be in deficit for the scale to budge.
Good luck.
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Several of us have wondered whether the barista is actually making them "light". The "Coffee Light" and "Mocha Light" frappuccino drinks on the menu are low, as you say. But what she is actually getting might be different. A change here or there and the calorie count could be two or three times higher. At the very least, it's probably worth checking to make sure what she's getting is what she thinks she's getting.janejellyroll wrote: »...The light ones (which is what OP is ordering) have significantly less. You still need to account for them, obviously, but 110 calories for a grande (which is what a light coffee frappuccino is) is something that could fit into many plans.1 -
so i worked next to a Sturbucks and i love the moccha and coffee frappucchinos, i get them light but im noticing im not losing or gaining weight. im stuck. im trying to lose the last 10 lbs as they say.. but im not .. i never go past my recommended calories.. Could starbucks be the reason im not losing anymore?
Are you counting your calories accurately?1 -
I drink their regular coffee, but I dont add dairy or sugar to mine.. Just straight up!! And I stay away from their mocha chocha gijjy goo goo coffees.. Just full of empty calories and carbs.. But they are delish...lol
Yup. I never drink any of those "fru-fru" drinks. To freaking many calories. Just coffee for me thanks.2 -
Several of us have wondered whether the barista is actually making them "light". The "Coffee Light" and "Mocha Light" frappuccino drinks on the menu are low, as you say. But what she is actually getting might be different. A change here or there and the calorie count could be two or three times higher. At the very least, it's probably worth checking to make sure what she's getting is what she thinks she's getting.janejellyroll wrote: »...The light ones (which is what OP is ordering) have significantly less. You still need to account for them, obviously, but 110 calories for a grande (which is what a light coffee frappuccino is) is something that could fit into many plans.
I agree -- that's a legitimate issue worth checking out. I'm just responding to someone who was saying they were around 600 calories and that they couldn't afford that. If they actually are light, they're significantly less.2 -
Expensive, but not all of them are bad.
Right now they have a toasted coconut cold brew,
Only 50 calories for a grande, just work it into your calories and it shouldnt affect your weight loss.3 -
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Dark roast, black, no sugar. But I usually drink the Keurig version of Starbucks. It may seem un-Canadian, but I can't stand Timmy's so Starbucks is my goto for coffee.2
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Are you counting the calories in the Starbucks orders you get?
But yes, Starbucks coffee is bad. They burn the beans and you can tell.
I like their skinny cinnamon dolce lattes though.
FYI, most restaurant items (incl. Starbucks) have 20% more calories in them than they say. So you can try logging all the drinks as 1.2 servings and see where that gets you.
I have a friend who drinks mistos with more milk than coffee between 1 - 3 times a day. And I know she makes more when she gets home. Girl loves her milk. Yet she's always like "boo my body just stays this weight" and I am thinking.. well... maybe if you didn't have 800 calories of just milk everyday? But I digress. Maybe consider having them a couple times a week instead of every day.0 -
I used to drink a White Chocolate Mocha (Medium) every morning after the gym and did not gain a pound. There is nothing "bad" about them; they are just typically high calorie. If you can fit them in and enjoy them, go for it. I thought I was losing weight on them; I discovered it was just my wallet getting lighter.3
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TavistockToad wrote: »
because i will try to stop drinking them for a while1 -
I had to stop going so often for the same reasons. I get a smaller size when I go and now only get the skinny soy vanilla iced latte. 120 calories for grande.0
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starfruit132 wrote: »I had to stop going so often for the same reasons. I get a smaller size when I go and now only get the skinny soy vanilla iced latte. 120 calories for grande.
exactly i go like 3 times a week and its probably too much sugar.. i have to say goodbye to my beloved moccha Frappucchino for a while .. at least until i lose those 10 lbs0 -
Maybe cut it to a once a week treat for the time being?
and check you are getting the low version you order. and check rest of your logging.
and set your goal realistically - only 0.5lb per week now.
But not getting the posters who say have plain black coffee or have salmon fillets and broccoli instead - if OP likes starbucks frapppacinos she is hardly likely to suddenly want a plain black coffee or a salmon fillet instead???!!!3 -
LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »I think the first time an employee decided to make my drink however they wanted would be the last time I ordered.
IT's not always on purpose. In a busy/loud cafe, an oral order of "skinny" might not get passed down to the person who pumps diet vs. regular syrup, for example.
More to the point, restaurants base their calorie counts on some kind of mythical serving size, and studies have found that cooks and/or waitstaff actually often pile on up to 20% more than the dieticians and accountants have measured out as "what we sell." I know that the size of a Starbucks cup serves as an ultimate limit on portion size, but I'd bed that the cups are skimpily filled for the calorie measurements and are generously filled on a daily basis.3 -
LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »I think the first time an employee decided to make my drink however they wanted would be the last time I ordered.
IT's not always on purpose. In a busy/loud cafe, an oral order of "skinny" might not get passed down to the person who pumps diet vs. regular syrup, for example.
More to the point, restaurants base their calorie counts on some kind of mythical serving size, and studies have found that cooks and/or waitstaff actually often pile on up to 20% more than the dieticians and accountants have measured out as "what we sell." I know that the size of a Starbucks cup serves as an ultimate limit on portion size, but I'd bed that the cups are skimpily filled for the calorie measurements and are generously filled on a daily basis.
I like to watch the coffee being made and interject if I see something I am unsure about. No barista has ever given me crap for asking a question. I will say, I try to avoid high volume times so this may not be feasible at all times.
Skinny vanilla latte is my current addiction
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TavistockToad wrote: »
because i will try to stop drinking them for a while
I think you are missing the point of what many people are saying. There is nothing bad, or forbidden about drinking Starbucks drinks. They aren't the cause of your plateau, you simply are consuming the same number of calories as you are burning. The Starbucks drinks are no more responsible for this than the chicken, rice and broccoli that you might eat for dinner, or the oatmeal and hard boiled egg you eat for breakfast. If you aren't losing, you are not in a calorie deficit.
You have not addressed whether you are logging all of your consumption as accurately as possible, ideally using a food scale. If you tighten up your logging, and look at your overall daily intake - you may find that you can still work in the Starbucks drinks regularly. Or you may decide that they are not worth the calories and cut them out, have them less often, etc.
Until you get a handle on your total consumption and understand that it is about creating a calorie deficit overall, not one individual food/drink that is good/bad then it's likely you will continue to struggle with long term success.4 -
LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »I think the first time an employee decided to make my drink however they wanted would be the last time I ordered.
IT's not always on purpose. In a busy/loud cafe, an oral order of "skinny" might not get passed down to the person who pumps diet vs. regular syrup, for example.
More to the point, restaurants base their calorie counts on some kind of mythical serving size, and studies have found that cooks and/or waitstaff actually often pile on up to 20% more than the dieticians and accountants have measured out as "what we sell." I know that the size of a Starbucks cup serves as an ultimate limit on portion size, but I'd bed that the cups are skimpily filled for the calorie measurements and are generously filled on a daily basis.
A mistake I'll overlook since I've been known to make them myself
. If someone gets busy and grabs the wrong thing, I'll let it go and just be more diligent about paying attention the next time. I generally see no point in being a jerk to some person working hard for probably not a lot of pay. But if I found out someone deliberately chose to make it wrong? Nope, I'll go elsewhere unless they make it right. Of course, PROVING they did it deliberately might be hard to do, so most likely I'll let it go. 1 -
starfruit132 wrote: »I had to stop going so often for the same reasons. I get a smaller size when I go and now only get the skinny soy vanilla iced latte. 120 calories for grande.
exactly i go like 3 times a week and its probably too much sugar.. i have to say goodbye to my beloved moccha Frappucchino for a while .. at least until i lose those 10 lbs
Why are you concerned about sugar?0 -
starfruit132 wrote: »I had to stop going so often for the same reasons. I get a smaller size when I go and now only get the skinny soy vanilla iced latte. 120 calories for grande.
exactly i go like 3 times a week and its probably too much sugar.. i have to say goodbye to my beloved moccha Frappucchino for a while .. at least until i lose those 10 lbs
In my experience, people who make changes in order to "lose those 10 lbs" and then intend to incorporate foods/beverages they love back in, are not successful at long term maintenance of the weight loss. This kind of attitude tends to result in yo yo dieting. If you love mocha frappucinos and don't intend to give them up forever (and you don't need to) then you need to find a way to work them in - in whatever frequency you can accommodate while still achieving your calorie deficit.
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I love Starbucks but would never get the fraps, macchiatos or anything like that. Our SB has the calorie counts up on the board. OMG, no thanks.
I'm short, old and I don't get that many calories as it is, I sure as hell am not going to drink 400 of them!
So I usually get a decaf Americano (or a regular coffee if it's early in the morning) with two pumps of sugar-free something - either mocha or vanilla, or in the fall it's usually caramel or cinnamon dolce - and one Splenda (because I'm a sweetness junkie), and a splash of non-fat milk. Seriously, the mocha that way tastes like grown-up chocolate milk. It's sweet, it's a treat, it's filling and the calories are very low. (10 calories in an ounce of milk, I think 4 calories in the Splenda - can't remember, something like 5 calories for two pumps of SF syrup.) Make sure you're NOT getting the latte (more milk, so more calories...unless you count them and want to spend the calories that way) or a "skinny" whatever. The tall Skinny Vanilla Latte is 120 calories.
I'm getting a Starbucks this morning, because I need to take my walk and pick up some vitamins so I'll circle around to SB along the way.
Oh Starbucks, how I love you.
(BTW, I also count my coffee calories. I mean...just the actual coffee itself. These are VERY low but I add them in anyway. Just sayin'...)0 -
I was enjoying Starbucks coffee for quite awhile before joining MFP. I don't even do the fancy ones but my "unfancy" peppermint hot chocolate would have 400 calories to it which I was not willing to drink after starting MFP. They have a venti strawberry acai refresher that has 130 cals in it that I have come to love. I am not a tea drinker but that stuff does not taste like tea. While its got sugar, I can have it and not kill my day with the calories. I will even have them water it down further sometimes so I'm probably getting a few less calories then the 130 on those days. Maybe find a substitute for what you normally have that is less then 200 cals?0
why are the best things in life forbidden
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