Is Coffee Making You Gain Weight?
Grinding out long hours week-in and week-out at work can be extremely demanding on both the body and the mind. It’s no surprise then that coffee is the most popular beverage in the world other than water, primarily due to the caffeine-hit that keeps the human brain alert and focused. For many people, coffee is a crucial element of a working-day, whether it be morning, noon, or for some, in the evenings.
Despite the popularity of coffee, it’s all too easy to overlook any potential downsides that it can have on one’s body composition. Specifically, when it comes to weight loss, understanding the difference between high and low calorie coffee beverages can be a significant factor in achieving your fitness goals.
The aim of this message is to provide some widely-overlooked insight into different types of coffee beverages and the impact they may have on your calorie intake. The below list is ranked from least calorie dense to most calorie dense.
1)- Espresso Shot/Long Black/Instant Coffee/Cold Brew
By itself, coffee has less than 2 calories, so if you love your black coffee (i.e just coffee and water) then you can rest assured that there is almost zero impact to your calorie intake.
2)- Piccolo/Macchiato
As soon as you add even a small amount of milk to your coffee (such as in piccolo and macchiatos), then the calories jump up. In fact, 50mL of full cream milk can add about 30-40 calories to your coffee while skim milk adds up to around 20-25 calories.
3)- Flat White/Cappuccino/Latte
Arguably the most popular forms of coffee in Australia, flat whites, cappuccinos and lattes add even more calories to your caffeine hit simply due to the milk to coffee ratio. A large full cream flat white or latter can have upwards of 220 calories. A large cappuccino can have around 160 calories. Although some people try to mitigate the calorie impact by having skim milk or soy/almond/oak milk, the truth is that there isn’t a significant difference in terms of calories between full cream and other milks.
4)- Frappes and sweetened coffee drinks
This is when we start heading into extremely calorie dense coffees. For example, a large chocolate frappe from McDonalds can have upwards of 420 calories in one hit. This is largely due to all the sugar, syrup and cream additives that sure may look appealing, but definitely aren’t friendly to your hips.
So what are the key takeaways?
A lot of people are very particular and even stubborn when it comes to their coffee order. This message isn't to deter you from consuming coffee at all. At Lockeroom Gym our members have on demand access to personal training services and can communicate 1-1 with our in house nutritionist for educational resources that assist with reaching their fitness goals! Our primary goal at Lockeroom gym is to educate our community on lifestyle changes that can lead to a healthier and fuller life. If you’re simply wanting a caffeine hit from a coffee, why not do so in a way that will ultimately allow you to ‘save’ potentially wasted calories that can be ‘spent’ elsewhere (i.e. a satiating snack or on a social work outing where calories can be abundant). This will ensure you won’t inhibit your fitness journey?
In our view, the key takeaways are:
Try to Avoid or Restrict any additive such as sugar, syrups and creams to your coffee order
Think about your daily calorie intake like a budget - is it necessary to spend large quantities of your savings on liquid calories that are not satiating? Or would it be wiser to save and spend calories elsewhere?
Consider what it actually is you desire from your coffee. Is it simply a caffeine hit or for something more? This should help shape your choice.
Coffee choice is just one small part of a wide-range of things that people can change to live a healthier life.
At Lockeroom our members have on demand access to in-house nutritionists, industry leading personal trainers and exercise physiologists that assist with tailoring the most sustainable nutrition approach and exercise regime for each of their business executive members.
Interested in Lockeroom Gym Personal Trainers Sydney? Enquire here: [https://lockeroomgym.com/apply](https://lockeroomgym.com/apply)
