Is coffee fattening?

by Rebecca C.
(Ormond Beach, FL, USA)

Coffee won't make you gain weight. Unless...

Coffee won't make you gain weight. Unless...


QUESTION:

A friend at work told me that drinking too much coffee is fattening. Is this true?

ANSWER:

Coffee itself is not fattening at all.

There are only about 5 calories in a 6-ounce cup of black coffee.

That same cup of coffee contains zero carbohydrates, no fat and zero sugars.

In other words, coffee is a wonderful beverage when it comes to watching your weight.

BUT...

That coffee can become a HUGE source of calories when you start adding cream, sugar, syrups and sprinkles.

As an example, a 12-ounce White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino contains about 370 calories.

How about a regular cup of coffee with cream and sugar? A 6-ounce cup with cream and one sugar is about 50 calories.

Coffee itself isn't fattening at all.

Just be careful how you prepare it!

You'll find some additional information on the health benefits of coffee on our coffee and health page.



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Comments for Is coffee fattening?

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Oct 20, 2012
 love my coffie and who drinks it
by: Anonymous

I've only ever drank coffie black as I don't like milk or cream thankyou coffie detective as I now no it actually isn't bad for me friends and family hate the stuff this would be something negative to tell them ;)
Sep 12, 2012
 Coffee isn't bad, if you can work your diet around it!
by: Taylor

Okay, I'm totally addicted to coffee. I have to have it. I don't drink heavy, like cappucinnos and frappes. I know my calorie limits on that. Just a homebrewed coffee, with a little bit of creamer. But im also trying to lose weight, and coffee is an appetite depressent.


if i drink one coffee for breakfast, eat tuna fish or a salad for lunch, have a cup of coffee for a snack, eat a light dinner, and another healthy small snack about an hour later, I will be consuming less than my goal amount of calories a day. 270 calories, like in the comments listed above, can replace a meal, or be replaced for a snack instead. It's not bad for you, you just have to know your limits.
Mar 04, 2012
 Better Way To Drink Coffee
by: Miss Onyx

I think the best way to drink coffee, is to drink it without cream or regular sugar. Splenda or Equal should be the way to go, if you must have your coffee sweetened. :)
Jan 10, 2012
 yeah coffee
by: guinto joy

i started drinking coffee at training school. it's good, and i dont think that it ts fattening
Feb 03, 2011
 coffee is a wonderful drink.
by: kizzy

thanks a lot, dis is grt news. I am on a diet and would sure reduce d cream i add to it till i'm able to drink it black. Cheerz
Nov 04, 2010
 is coffee fattening?
by: Micky Coen

I live in Thailand and my Thai girlfriend says that i drink too much coffee a day(around 6 cups) of 3 in 1,i do not think so.Am i right or wrong?Please say i am right.

Editor's Note: You're getting up there! Cut back to 4 or 5 a day, and make your girlfriend happy. : )
Sep 09, 2010
 Good Question
by: Peter Chen

There is actually a whole book on this -the decaf diet: is caffeine making you fat that talks about caffeine's cortisol and insulin spiking effects, in addition to loads of cream and sugar, as causing overeating. But like you, the author says to drink coffee black and in moderation...I personally was not aware that there are frapuccino drinks that are over 500 calories!
Jun 17, 2010
 GOOD TO KNOW
by: Anonymous

try black coffee and a packet of Splenda IT TASTES JUST AS GOOD TO MEE AS CREAM AND SUGAR!!
May 05, 2010
 coffee and estrogen
by: Anonymous

Don't drink coffee if you want a hard body.
To much estrogen in it.

Editor's Note: There is estrogen in coffee? First I heard of it.
Apr 25, 2010
 coffee drinker
by: Anonymous

Coffee is not fattening..u can drink like tea also with or without cream or sugar...if drinking 3in1 consider not frequent consume...1-2 cuppa a day is alright...thanks..somehow vegetarian coffee...minus sugar/cream is really work for diet/losing weight..
Mar 11, 2010
 Stright to the point and answered all my questions
by: Miguel B.

I searched this site because I started a diet yesterday and was weary about have a cup of coffee, paranoid that it was a bad idea. But after reading this, I think i'll have a cup. With cream and sugar...=)
Jan 20, 2010
 Thats a relief
by: Anonymous

I'm so relieved to hear that coffee is not fattening, as i have started dieting since last week & find I am craving for coffee more so these days and thought that maybe it was the wrong beverage to drink....Although I should drink alot more water in the day...but very glad that I can still have that odd cup of coffee in the day without feeling guilty.
Heres to coffee drinkers everywhere!!!!!
Dec 13, 2009
 I will never quit you coffee
by: John_in_DC

The elixir of life. And non-fattening too!
Dec 02, 2009
 good to know
by: Foxy_Rianne

the info is straight to the point. but i prefer coffee and cream, but now i'd live with black coffee. Thanks!
Oct 30, 2009
 to the point
by: Anonymous

Thank you for that info. It was straight and to the point; no excess mumbo jumbo that other sites give you that is useless info.
Sep 04, 2009
 coffee
by: Haley

someone who knows what they are talkin about yay thank u=]
Aug 22, 2009
 thank god !!
by: jolie

coffee is my best friend since i do go to college and i spend days awake!! working on my homework. but, i try to keep my diet, its peaceful to know coffee is there for me !! :)
Aug 12, 2009
 yay!
by: Anonymous

yay! coffee is teh best!
Aug 12, 2009
 to you all!
by: Anonymous

As a native of Colombian that I am, and knowing a lot about coffee. Please take your time and read this!
coffee is not fattening at all! one cup of black coffee has only 2 calories.
what is fattening is the cream, and sugar you add.

the powder creamer has 10 calories per teaspoon, but to be honest, everyone puts in their coffee a lot more than than. what is also fattening are the hydrogenated fats in it, and althought it says that "it is not a significant source of fat" WRONG! it so is when you have it everyday, and several times a day! and that's not adding the extra teaspoons than most of us add.

The sugar is 15 calories per teaspoon. period

so think about a coffee a small one,(from *bucks) that is not really a cup but 2 cups, thats 4 calories, plus 4 teaspoons = 40 calories plus 3 teaspoons of sugar = 45 calories
this all equals 89 calories per cup - so your 100 calorie snack/pack that you were planning of having with the coffee is gone!
and multiply it by the amount of coffee drinks you have per day!
87x3= 267 calories. that's almost a meal!

my advice to you all is to: little by little get your self used to adding less sugar and less cream until your coffee becomes straight black!
Or use substitutes like splenda, and use 1% milk in your coffee.
that way you'll be having only 6 - 10 calories per day on drinks.
now how bad is that?
I do it because I don't want to be putting the weight of an extra meal everyday in just "chick drinks" and I love love the caffeine!
hope this helps!
Jul 06, 2009
 full 2% milk coffee
by: Anonymous

I love coffee but only if it is made with 2% milk (no water) and a drop of brown sugar. For the past few months, I have been having 3/4 cup every evening after dinner. Is this fattening?
Jun 16, 2009
 is coffee bad for ibs
by: Anonymous

i have ibs can coffee make it worse.thanku
Jun 11, 2009
 Splenda!!
by: Tom

Ref the comment above about adding spleda, rather than sugar, for health reasons.

Before you do, you should check out splenda toxicity reports on the web. You may decide you would rather add an inch or two to your waste than massively increase your chances of cancer, amongst many other medical conditions.

http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/research-adverse.html
May 05, 2009
 coffee is good
by: allan

i have around 4 cups of coffee daily..i never use sugar,cream,or anything else other than skim milk just to lower the bitterness of the coffee and have not put on weight because of coffee...hic,hic,think i will have another one.cheers allan
Apr 24, 2009
 Good info!
by: Areceli

I noticed that I have gained just a tiny bit of weight (because my jeans don't fit as loose as they did), and I was wondering if coffee was the culprit. I add just a little bit of soymilk and about 1.5 - 2 tablespoons of sugar per cup, so I'm glad that my beverage is still under 100 calories per serving. Yaay, guess it wasn't the coffee... then I wonder if it's the Panda Express....?

Thanks,
TV antenna gal :)
Apr 21, 2009
 hello
by: Anonymous

I started drinking coffe five mths ago, because i was told it helps to speed up your metabolism.. after hearing soo many comments about people gaining weight, i decided to stop drinking coffe.. i only add 1% milk and 1 tspn of brown sugar, how bad can that be!!? now that I know you don't gaing weight drinking coffe, I don't plan to stop!!!! Thanks
Apr 07, 2009
 thanks for the info
by: Anonymous

you are exactly right too.
Mar 16, 2009
 coffee!
by: Anonymous

Thanks so much for having this up here! But im still a little confused? Like how much creamer is too much before the coffee starts getting fattening? Because I drink coffee every morning while getting ready for school, & i love it so it would be hard to give up. & there is no way i could drink coffee black! :P But this helps alot thanks!
Mar 02, 2009
 Coffee
by: Anonymous

I drink alot of coffee, I used to put two creams but now I drink it straight black...You'd be surprised how little difference the cream makes in taste. I always thought black coffee would taste horrible until I tried it; I barely noticed a difference. You get used to the aftertaste after the sixth or seventh cup.

Turns out, switching to black coffee along with a very strict diet is helping me shed the pounds like crazy. After 3-4 months my dress pants fall off without a belt, no visits to the gym or anything like that.

I recommend Maxwell if you're drinking black, you might want to add a bit of extra water or less coffee for your first few drinks.
Feb 27, 2009
 cafe'
by: melly

I am SOOOOOOO glad to hear this I just started a diet and coffe is one thing I CANNOT give up!!! thanks KUDOS
Feb 02, 2009
 COFFEE IS GREAT!
by: Anonymous

plain 'ol black coffee is just great! don't ruin it by adding all that cream and sugar for pete's sake!
Jan 12, 2009
 Thanks
by: Kat

thanks for the helpful info i love coffee!!! this info will allow me to keep on drinking it .. but careful with the cream and sugar thanks kisses!
Nov 11, 2008
 than you
by: juan

thank you all my co wworkers say it is i did not think so but you just confirmed it for me now ill drink coffe with skim milk and 2 splendas
fusion

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