Coffee Calories |
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There was a time when, calorie-wise, you could drink coffee to your heart's content.
Black coffee has zero calories...just like water!
But then along came cream and sugar. Adding a tablespoon of cream and a teaspoon of sugar means 31 calories. No biggie. (That is, if you limit yourself to that and have only one coffee.)
Then along came Starbucks. (More information about Starbucks coffee calories.) Where a grande lowfat white chocolate mocha packs the same amount of calories as a McDonald's triple thick chocolate shake.
Let's face it: when coffee starts acting (and tasting) like a milkshake, it's kind of misleading to think of it as just having coffee.
Hidden coffee calories
I think of coffee as a form of hidden calories. If you grew up drinking coffee and it had no effect on your weight, but then you found yourself drinking Starbucks (or some other brand of calorie-loaded coffee beverage), chances are you've begun paying a price. And I don't mean the 5 bucks you hand over to your barista!
I have a friend who never liked coffee...until he discovered coffee tastes especially good when loaded up with cream and sugar. This man, I should mention, is a scientist, and was also a well-conditioned athlete.
Well, this scientist started packing on the pounds and didn't know why. After all, all he was drinking was coffee!
Well, I had him do the math. This new addition to his diet - which tasted so good and perked him up too - was amounting to over a thousand calories a day.
How fast do you think the weight came off when he cut out the coffee altogether?
Fast. Double digits in a few short weeks. (He also stopped eating his kids' leftovers.) And you know what? He reported feeling better too. Caffeine was actually sapping his energy, and just like with any other drug, he needed more and more to get his energy boost!
That's the double whammy that sweetened, fattened coffee poses. It tastes so good, and it makes you need more.
Do yourself a favor
If weight loss or weight maintenance are issues for you, figure out how many coffee calories you're getting from your daily habit. (Want to really do it right? Keep a food journal.) If you're like most people, the number will surprise you.
Now formulate an action plan for reducing your coffee calories. Here are some ideas:
Stop going out for coffee. Limit yourself to coffee you make or that you get at work. Enough with the "coffee drinks" (with junk like mocha syrup, whipped cream, caramel, chocolate and sprinkles. If you want coffee, drink coffee!).
Control your additives! A level teaspoon of sugar has 11 calories. A tablespoon of cream (half & half) has 20. Reduce, eliminate or replace! (A packet of Equal has only 2 calories. A tablespoon of skim milk has less than 1.)
Reduce your coffee consumption. Reducing your caffeine intake can have additional health benefits. It is a drug after all!
Think about WHY you drink coffee. I know lots of people who think they NEED coffee to "get through" the day. But your mind could be telling you you need coffee just because your tummy wants a yummy coffee milkshake! Try this: imagine yourself taking caffeine pills...
Does that have less appeal than a fatty, sugary coffee? Does it make you consider the fact that caffeine - as well as coffee - is really a drug? (If you don't believe that caffeine is a drug, then read these caffeine pill warnings.
Yes, kicking coffee can be hard. But it can benefit your waistline, your pocketbook, your energy level and your overall health. And it might be the easiest way to lose weight out there!
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