Coffee, good or bad?

**jcfiasco** · 10-14-2011 07:31 PM

I have a question and I'm not sure if this is stupid to ask or not but here it goes: Is a 4 cup cup of coffee with 3 tsps of sugar and about 3 of non-dairy powdered creamer bad for trying to lose weight? I am roughly 220lbs and 5'4"(i gained all the weight when pregnant and he is now 2

.) So I'm sure you ladies could understand the desperation of losing it, also what can I do to STOP eating bad things for me if my husband and son eat them I love cooking also so anything homemade is like frosted flakes(they're GRRRRRRRREAT!) ? Please help me figure this out, I have posted a couple of questions/ requests for advice and got no responses. Also if anyone has any other weight loss tips/criticism I am an open book.

**ItsASecret** · 10-14-2011 08:02 PM

Depends on the sugar. White refined sugar is garbage for your system and you can use things like Splenda or the other sweeteners but I mean some people can tell the difference in their coffee. Anything extra calorie is a problem if you are wanting to lose weight. Using cream instead of skim milk, using any sugared flavorings like coffee mate french vanilla (powder or liquid), though tastes good, adds up the calories.

**snooks** · 10-14-2011 08:16 PM

Good on you J for wanting to lose some of that extra weight. You will know that 220lbs is very unhealthy and any changes downward has t be good.

Two cups of coffee, or the equivalent per day is not bad for you, however any added sugar or saturated fats are and are just weight adding calories that you don't need.

Because losing weight is more about lifestyle than dieting a few small changes to your unhealthy food choices could make the world of difference. Try cutting out your sugary drinks such as soda and if not eliminating sugar from coffee, at least cutting it down by at least half or more. Snack on fruit or low fat yogurt instead of cookies and cake. Don't sample your cooking! That may take some discipline lol But worth the effort. Try grilling or baking instead of frying. Eat wholegrain bread instead of white. Try eating a little smaller sized portion when you do eat.

If you are able to do these then there are other changes that will also help. But get used to a few first. You don't want to be too restrictive and lose all heart and determination.

Oh, and do some moderate exercise most days.

If you wanted to you could check out sites such as loseit or calorie count where you can enter your goal weight and it will give you an indication of how many calories per day you need to have to achieve this. You can log everything (you will be surprized just how much this is!!) you eat or drink to keep track. You can also calculate calories burned in exercise.

Good luck in your efforts and don't be discouraged. Once you have lost some weight you will start feeling a huge difference in energy levels, mood and general well being. Keep us posted with your progress.

**jcfiasco** · 10-14-2011 08:48 PM

Thank you SO much for your responses I will definitely keep you posted on how I am doing with it, and actually I love that I have verizon because they have excercise programs on demand; yesterday I walked in my living room for 20 minutes(I know that doesn't sound like a long time but I don't walk anywhere usually so I got a horrible back ache from it). Also is healthier eating more expensive eating? We are on a strict budget I can't spend more than $200 a month usually so I just get the normal stuff that I usually get. Honestly I don't eat too many sweets I always feel like people are going to look at me buying it and say something like "Yeah that's the last thing she needs" or something like that.

**ItsASecret** · 10-14-2011 10:10 PM

Also is healthier eating more expensive eating?

Depends on how and where you buy. If you live in a hot area that has constant farmers markets then it can be substantially cheaper. However if you live in Canada like me when it can be frigid temperatures the majority of the year or snow in July then there can be few times to get good grown fresh food. Either way it will be of absolute unequivocal necessity that you buy your fruits and vegetables if you do not do so already. None of the processed, sugary, sweetened or heavily salted foods can come near you. That means no frozen dinners. Portion control will become a problem if you are like me and want to have a meal and not use a fraction of your palm as the size of your dinner for the day. I am not overweight (if anything I need to gain weight) but the thing I hear the most to help lose weight is to eat many snacks a day, but good snacks, not the sugary high calorie garbage that the media spreads for kids these days. Have that multigrain bar, have the yogurt and nuts, have the grapes and celery...whatever it may be you need to snack a lot so that you have enough nutrients in you to not feel hungry.