Question:
Cappuccino and Latte's - can we have them?
I'm 11 months post-op and down 97 pounds (5 pounds away from goal). I drink plain old black decaf coffee, but I've got quite a "hankering" for a cappuccino or a latte. But, I don't really know what all they put in them. Is there sugar in them? Is there any type I can ask for that I can drink? Standing at the counter of Starbuck's, what should I order? — Debbie C. (posted on March 31, 2004)
March 31, 2004
You might try having a decafe coffee with sugar free flavoring. They have
tons of different kinds of sugar free flavorings out now. If you get hungry
for a pumpkin pie they even have pumpkin flavoring.
— crjt
March 31, 2004
I have been getting the lattes at Dunkin' Donuts. Mmmmmm!! I get the
regular kind, w/o the flavoring, and ask for sweet and low and skim milk.
Not n=bad at all and cheaper than Starbucks. At Starbucks I get decaf
coffee with sugar free vanilla syrup. Not too bad either! Maybe I'm odd,
but I just don't think this post op eating is all that horrible. Then
again, I am lucky, I don't dump, but I simply allow myself to taste things
and limit the intake.
— Fixnmyself
March 31, 2004
We just had a thread about Satrbuck's over on the Grad list. Here's the
link to their nutrition
page.....http://www.starbucks.com/retail/nutrition_beverages.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1
Some of the sugar/calorie counts of these drinks are positively scary!
— Leslie F.
March 31, 2004
When I go to Starbucks (not everyday) I get a Tall, 2 equal, 2% or non fat
(depending on my mood), Latte. Sometimes I get it decaf and sometimes I
don't. It feels like a treat to me and I love that it has 12 g of protein
in it (unlike reg coffee)! I can't do sugar or the whole milk because I
get sick!
— Haziefrog
March 31, 2004
Oh, you're talking about the love of my life here! A plain latte doesn't
have any sweeteners - just espresso and steamed milk. A Cafe Au Lait (cafay
o lay) is half coffee/half steamed milk. Starbucks calls it a Misto
(meesto), but it's not on their menu! I've heard though that there's more
caffeine in coffee than espresso. Hmmm. You CAN get them both decaf if
that's an issue with you. The diuretic effect is mild and TEMPORARY. Here's
what I order at Starbucks: "venti (large) non-fat sugar-free vanilla
extra hot latte." My wife orders it decaf and iced. YUMMMMM! Your
Starbucks and other coffee bars may have other sugar free flavors. At home
I also use sugar-free Kahlua syrup. It's new to the huge selection of
sugar-free syrups by DaVinci. Good luck and enjoy, fellow java lover!
— Steve R.
March 31, 2004
I confess--I have become addicted to Starbuck's since my surgery. I order
a venti (biggest size) sugar free nonfat decaf vanilla latte with an extra
shot. Calories are from the nonfat milk. I sip and enjoy that all
morning. I usually order a nonfat decaf latte for a fellow teacher--she
has bout a few Starbucks cards for me and I buy the drinks with her cards.
— Margaret S.
March 31, 2004
Here's the Venti Skinny Latte at Starbucks: <br>
(that's espresso, and steamed SKIM milk.... and no flavors.)
<br>
Serving Size 20 fl. oz. <br>
Amt Per Serving <br>
Calories 210 <br>
Fat Calories 0 <br>
Total Fat (g) 0 <br>
Saturated Fat (g) 0 <br>
Cholesterol (mg) 10 <br>
Sodium (mg) 290 <br>
Total Carbohydrates (g) 30 <br>
Fiber (g) 0 <br>
<b>Sugars (g) 26 <br></b>
Protein (g) 20 <br>
Vitamin A 20% <br>
Vitamin C 0% <br>
Calcium 60% <br>
Iron 0%<br><br>
YIKES!
— kultgirl
March 31, 2004
I tried posting befrore, but I don't think it went through. I have started
making homemade Cafe Au Laits that are awesome. I use flavored coffee
(like Swiss Chocolate), steamed Carb Countdown milk (100 calories, 3 carbs,
12 g. protein) and a little squirt of whipped cream from my Cappuccino
machine at home. It really helps to satisfy sweet cravings, and as a bonus
keeps things "regular" if you know what I mean ;-) - No laxatives
necessary with a daily dose of espresso.
— Debra R.
March 31, 2004
This has been soooo helpful! Thank you all for responding - so much good
info! I'm off to Starbuck's now.
— Debbie C.
April 1, 2004
I'm a coffee house owner...so I will postulate on and on about coffee
forever... To be brief: 26 g of sugar in a latte is from MILK not from
sugar added to the drink. no need to freak about it. If you can manage to
drink milk you will be fine with a latte. Lattes and Cappuccinos are NOT
served with sugar, ever (unless you're in some funky place that has no idea
what a latte or cappuccino is -say for instance Dunkin Donuts or a
convenience store 'cappuccino' machine). If you order a flavored latte,
they come with suryp. Syrup has sugar. Ask for the flavors that are sugar
fee. When in dobut...ASK! Tell the barista you CAN NOT have sugar in your
drink. I've been drinking lattes and capps since 1 month postop, and I've
done wonderfully. Happy drinking! Lisa C RNY 11/18/02 306/143 (at goal and
beyond!)
— LMCLILLY
April 1, 2004
I had gastric bypass surgery on 7/1/02 and since then I no longer drink
sodas (and I was addicted to Diet Pepsi before) and water gives me trouble
still so I LIVE on Starbuck's Sugar Free Vanilla Lattes. They are so sweet
that you don't even need to add anything to them. Just be careful.
Because they do taste so sweet, you cannot tell if you have been given the
real thing. I have experienced dumping syndrome 4 times since my surgery.
Always quite unpleasant to say the least. Three of these times it was
because I was given a regular vanilla latte rather than a sugar free one.
I am very cautious with them now. I make a point of making them repeat the
order to me more than once. I also recommend Arizona Tea mix, the sugar
free one in the Lemon flavor. It is so good that my whole family drinks it
and guests don't even know they are drinking sugar free. Best of luck,
Jennifer
— jennifer S.
April 1, 2004
I do decaf coffee with half-n-half and splenda. I think a latte or other
espresso drink would be OK as an occasional treat, if you're OK with milk.
Congrats on being so close to goal!!
— lizinPA
April 1, 2004
I use fake Cappuccino mix (add to hot water) when I need a treat. Has 12
grams of sugar a serving, so I usally only do half a serving. Tastes
amazingly like the real thing...
— Renee B.
April 1, 2004
I have a skim milk latte with sugar free vanilla... your biggest problem,
if you don't add any syrup to the latte is the milk.. but I don't believe
milk in controlled amounts is deadly to you.. others do.. personally, I
believe most things in small amounts are ok. I don't use sugar -- it is a
problem for me. You can to pick and choose at a place like starbucks --
but with some careful thought you can find something you'll like I bet.
Good luck
— Lisa C.
April 1, 2004
I made my own version of cappuchino and I love it. I use decaf coffee but
simply because it is easier on my pouch. I mix about 2 ounces of fat free
half & half, 1/2 teasp vanilla flavoring, and one scoop of unjury
chocolate protein mix and 1 packet of splenda. I stir it all up well, in a
large mug, then pour the coffee over, giving it a bit of the foam. It
taste great, gets my protein in, and satisfies my taste for the flavored
coffee.
— Linda S.
April 1, 2004
What's wrong with skim milk? It's got protein. I was having problems with
getting in enough protein in a day, so my doc told me to drink a glass of
milk at the beginning of the day, and one at the end of the day. Those two
8 oz glasses of milk adds 14g of protein a day. And a decaf latte is milk
and decaf coffee.. What's wrong with having one? I seriously don't
understand. I guess I'm goin' to dieters hell, because I have a decaf
latte EVERYDAY. Michelle 10/13/03 425/306/200
— Michelle J.
April 1, 2004
I guess I'm the bad girl here. I order whatever I want, be it decaf, caf,
capuccino, latte....
And <GASP> I usually drink my coffee with half and half or Coffeemate
non fat creamer. When I order it out, I often get sugar in it. I don't
dump, never have, and never had a problem with milk products. Coffee is my
treat, nay, coffee is my LIFE, LOL!
— sandsonik
April 1, 2004
I've been a caffeine junkie all my life--any way I can get it! Recently
moved out to Seattle area post-op and there's Lattes and cappucinos
everywhere I turn. Starbucks and otherwise. Hard to go anywhere public
without smelling it and getting tempted. Obviously people and even doctors
differ in their opinion of the caffeine situation. I just wanted to let you
know that of all the dozens of coffee places I see everyday, I haven't
found one yet that doesn't offer fat free milk and something sugar-free.
Some places will accomodate more than others by stocking more in the way of
sugar-free flavoring alternatives. Check them out. Call them even. Took
awhile for me to find the places that carry what I like the best. We can
all be so picky in what we really like in the realm of the sugar-free!
— christied
April 1, 2004
We don't have a starbucks around here. Does anyone know how much sugar is
in Kwik Trips Latte's or Steamers?
— Mini Gadget
April 1, 2004
Hi Fellow Midwesterner!<br>
At Kwik Trip they have to produce that nutritional info if you ask- I know
that a lot of those machine have pre-mixed stuff that have the first
ingredient listed as CORN SYRUP... so be sure to ask :) <BR>
Good luck!
— kultgirl
April 1, 2004
Just playing the devil's advocate here, but a lot of people (myself
included), but maybe not the majority, can make the mistake of drinking too
many of their calories (especailly new pre-ops). Milk, like it or not, has
calories and sugar in it. Just because it is not cane sugar does not mean
some of us will not dump on it... and the 200+ calories count whether you
drink it or chew it. Yeah, I agree they taste great, but some people can go
overboard on them, and it took me a while to figure out why I was sick as a
dog after I went to Starbuck everyday. I dump on anything with more than 5
grams of sugar per serving. <br>
Soy milk like Soy Slender, or Carb Countdown is a great
alternative...<br>
Shelli, latte junkie :)
— kultgirl
April 2, 2004
I don't know what my doctor would say about this, but I get a 2 or 3 shot,
sugar-free vanilla, skim latte from Starbucks every day in the morning. I
love the stuff, it doesn't make me ill, and it helps me feel full. Milk
has sugars in it, but another post-op told me that milk sugars are supposed
to be okay, as opposed to processed sugars. I count the milk from the
latte as part of my protein intake, reducing the amount of protein powder I
need to drink the rest of the day. Good luck!
— Catherine A.
April 2, 2004
Have you considered Iced coffee? I get a small or medium Iced Hazelnut
coffee at Dunkin Donuts, I get it with half and half and Equal... They are
yummy! I confess I have become addicted to them.
— Suri
April 2, 2004
I order a venti skim sugar free vanilla latte every day as often as
possible. I'm over a year out and down 100 pounds and LOVE my lattes.
— [Deactivated Member]
April 4, 2004
Funny you should mention this....I just discovered Starbucks about a month
ago and they laugh at my order because they say I'm the only person they
know that they have to fill in every box on the cup. I order mine like
this: "tall (or venti) non-fat decaf half-shot espresso extra
sugar-free vanilla whip cream latte". As you can see, I like lots of
vanilla and light on the coffee flavor...they are great. Starbucks only has
the sugar-free vanilla, but other coffee shops have different flavors. A
local one here in Michigan also has sugar-free chocolate and caramel and it
would make a great cappucino using the chocolate (but I haven't tried it
yet). Good luck to you!
— Lynette B.
April 7, 2004
Venti decaf sugar free french vanilla capuccino. Yummy!
— Dragon G.
April 11, 2004
Debbie before WLS I hated coffee of any kind, but I became addicted to
Starbucks Carmel frapaccinos. after surgery and down 160 lbs my doc told
my I could start having caffine again and so I tried a carmel frap. I made
sure I had the smallest one and drank it very slowly. Oh boy was it good
and I can tolerate them just fine. I just make sure I drink them in
moderation and very slowly. Good luck Jodie
— Jodie S.
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