No, no, no. Americans do it all wrong

You order (or make yourself) an expresso. Tiny cup. Put in some sugar. Even if you make it very sweet, since the cup is tiny, it's not a lot of calories. Same for the cream. In a tiny cup, a drop goes a long way. Heavy jolt of caffeine, though, maybe more than those bladder-distending thick concoctions at Starbucks, and you have room for a healthy cleansing drink of water afterward!

And it's like this for food as well. Small portions, but flavorful.

This is how you keep the weight off in France.
Add lots of walking around (in Paris you take your life in your hands whenever you drive and the Metro stinks, literally), and you're suddenly skinny!

When you make it at home, or when you order it out, take a few sips of it black, before you put the whole milk or half and half in. You'll get acclimated to the taste. Then, as you put in the milk or half and half, gradually try putting in less.

Eventually you'll acquire the taste of it black. It's really a lovely taste once you get used to it.

And banish all sweeteners. It's not that hard to get used to unsweetened with half and half. Go from there.

Watch out on iced coffee, though - many places it sweeten it by default.

I've never put anything in my coffee. Embrace the coffee taste on its own. Give it a chance.

I prefer medium roast black, but if you just cant handle the acidity go with a cold brew. Easy to make a pitcher for yourself.

I put in two tablespoons of half and half and a teaspoon of sugar for a total of about 55 calories (in a big mug).

Anonymous wrote:
Drink coffee with full fat half and half - no sweetener (either natural or the fake stuff). Much more satisfying.



Sorry for my stupidity, but can I just order that at DD or Starbucks? Any idea how many calories it has?

Just order a coffee and then go over to the counter where the milk is and dump in some whole milk or cream. Coffee with whole milk is much better than coffee with skim milk, and a splash of it isn't going to set you back. You can add some sugar or sweetener too, and gradually wean yourself down over time if you need to. It's when you order the specialty drinks that calories really start to add up.

Also, PP is right - starbucks coffee is more bitter than most, so you might have a harder time with it than other coffee. The iced coffee suggestion is great too - half low-fat milk, half coffee if you need to.

I used to put a ton of sugar in my coffee and not much milk or cream, but I've switched to putting half and half in with no sugar.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Drink coffee with full fat half and half - no sweetener (either natural or the fake stuff). Much more satisfying.

Sorry for my stupidity, but can I just order that at DD or Starbucks? Any idea how many calories it has?

Yes, just order your coffee black with a "little bit of half and half" at DD, or order black at Starbucks and add half&half at the self-serve counter. I think one oz of h&h has about 40 calories, but you could look it up. I agree with PP--way more satisfying that trying to add skim milk. It changes the texture and gives a more "luxurious" mouthfeel, while killing some of the bitterness of coffee. Also a blonde roast at Starbucks (or regular at DD) will probably suit your tastes better than a french or other dark roast.

I drink black flavored coffees like vanilla or almond.

Anonymous wrote:Drink coffee with full fat half and half - no sweetener (either natural or the fake stuff). Much more satisfying.

Sorry for my stupidity, but can I just order that at DD or Starbucks? Any idea how many calories it has?

Slowly back off the amount of sweetener - you'll get used to it. Also, I can't drink Starbucks drip without sugar, as it's so harsh to me, but I can drink their unsweetened, plain lattes. With coffee I brew myself, milk alone is enough.

I like iced coffee with milk (or half and half) and just a bit of sugar. Great for summer.

Drink coffee with full fat half and half - no sweetener (either natural or the fake stuff). Much more satisfying.

So I've recently started drinking coffee at age 36 (baby #2 put me over the edge). I'm trying to lose some weight (baby #2 again) and don't want a lot of extra calories, but black coffee or coffee with skim and artificial sweetener just tastes so bad to me. Every other drink I see at DD or Starbucks seems to be at least 100 cals. Any thoughts?