Beware The Coffee Creamer Pipeline

[Kukubari 16]

5 hours ago, Starwarsandcupcakes said:

Also, hi fellow ADHDer! I drink an insane amount of coffee/caffeine daily, although, I’ve cut down recently because it was making me sleepy instead of helping me focus.
Also, which kind of cup are we taking? The right or left because the left is actually about 2.5 standard cups of coffee. I drink one (or 2 if I’m working) of those a day about half filled with coffee and then the rest is a Protein Shake.

So I did try Protein Shake in my coffee when I was fresh off the OR table. Well, more like 2 weeks after. But yeah, it tasted so horrible. But I see now that I shouldn't use only a few table spoons of Protein shake as if it was traditional Creamer. I need to treat it like a latte. Mostly shake with the rest coffee. No wonders lol.

[pintsizedmallrat 473]

I don't know that I agree that using sugar free creamer is an automatic one-way trip back to Fattown. However, ANYTHING you consume that is a) easy to use much more of than you realize or b) previously didn't consider to be caloric or worth logging, can make you gain weight. Know what your limits and capabilities are, and if it's too much temptation, don't. At the risk of inciting the "I only eat 'real food'" crowd, I drink sugar free creamer every day, but it's measured and logged like anything else. I use 30 calories' worth, and I know that because I measure it.

TL;DR I don't think it's the creamer, it could be anything you don't consider to be "food". You could easily make the same mistake with Condiments, Salad Dressing, cooking oil, butter, or anything else. If it has calories, measure and log it.

[JHatcher 2]

On 9/6/2022 at 5:22 AM, Kukubari said:

I am about 1 1/2 years post op and I have an issue. I lost 100 pounds, going from 305 to 205 in 7 months and then..... I started coffee again. Sugar sugar sugar. That crack like Creamer, International Delight. I totally regret it because since that 100 pound loss, I've been going between 205 and 212, with no more weight loss and I have about 4 cups of coffee a day. Doing the math, that's 560 calories, 80g sugar, 80g cards a day.

I have a problem and I am only just now realizing the extent of it. I'm at the point where I want to stop cold turkey today. The reason I drink so much coffee is due to self medicating for my ADHD. I didn't realize that's what I was doing until recently. I started real medication for my ADHD and it helps with it a lot, but I'm still addicted to caffeine as a byproduct.

Additionally let me say this right now because I wish someone told me when I was first post-op:

Sweetened coffee creamer, whether artificial or real, will increase your desire for sweets and risk your post-op health.

Sorry for the scary text formatting, but this is important and I feel it needs to be said.

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Moving on, I now need to find a way to navigate this addiction and remove it from my life. Do any of you have experience with quitting coffee, especially cold turkey? I tell myself I like coffee not for the caffeine, but for the ritual and because warm beverages are comforting to my anxiety riddled brain. Coffee is my safe place, but I need to find a healthier replacement. What are some good bariatric friendly, creamy, hot beverages?

I use Califia Farms oat milk creamer with cinnamon roll flavor. It has 25 calories and 3g of sugar per tablespoon. I was able to cut down the Splenda I used per cup too. I know some people mix their whey Protein Shake mix into their coffee, but you need to treat it like you're tempering eggs to keep it from clumping (mix a little regular Water, stir, then a little hot water, stir, etc... Chef Irvine has a cinnamon bun Protein mix that works well in coffee.

On Amazon yesterday, I came across a jot chocolate drink, but haven't purchased it yet.