As mentioned in earlier posts, liquid calories are often forgotten, but the calories that add up the most quickly. With Starbucks and other coffee shops on almost every street, these liquid treats are another cause for holiday weight gain. Remember though, holiday drinks can really add up the calories and hinder your weight loss. Although you’ve done great at avoiding the gingerbread cookies and fruit cakes, caving in on your one-latte-a-day can still do a great amount of damage. Be sure to look up your own favorite drink. Here is a break down of Starbucks’ most popular holiday drinks:
All of these drink are at the ‘Grande’ 16oz serving size with no whipped cream* added.
Peppermint Mocha
330 calories 8g fat 63g carb 54g sugar 13g protein
Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha
440 calories 10g fat 74g carb 72g sugar 13g protein
Gingerbread Latte
250 calories 6g fat 37g carb 35g sugar 11g protein
Pumpkin Spice
310 calories 6g fat 49g carb 47g sugar 14g protein
Vanilla Latte
250 calories 6g fat 36g carb 34g sugar 12g protein
*whipped cream adds 80 calories, 8g fat, 3g carb, 3g sugar, 1g protein (not having whipped cream on your once-a-day latte can thwart off 8 pounds of gain in one year) Also notice the amount of carbohydrates in each drink. The grams of sugars is almost the same as the amount of carbs, meaning that the drinks mainly just consist of sugar. Talk about a blood sugar overload!
Dr. N’s personal favorite, an Americano coffee, is only 15 calories, or 30 calories in total when a splash of half and half is added. That amounts to 2g of fat, 1g of carbohydrates, and 1g of sugar.
A coffee a day amounts to 210 added calories in a week versus a latte a day can total to 1,750 calories a week or more…an easy 2 lb gain each month, just from visiting Starbucks.
Straight coffee or tea (with minimal sugar or creamer added) are excellent ways to enjoy a warm beverage at minimal calories, and even less of a weight gain!
