It may not be what you eat but what you drink that’s making you fat. I had a client who recently told me that she couldn’t understand why she wasn’t losing weight. A food diary audit revealed that she consumed 2980kj a day in coffees alone. That equates to more than half the average recommended energy allowance for weight loss.
While most of us know that soft drinks and alcohol are full of sugar and empty kilojoules, many don’t realise that coffee (even if made with low-fat milk) may also be the cause of their inability to lose weight.
Coffee is an institution in Australia. Coffee is no longer a mug of instant grains with hot water and a splash of milk. In some circles it’s as revered as wine, with the same amount of snobbery attached to the brand of bean as there is to a type of grape.
Business deals, blind dates, make-ups and break-ups, hanging out with friends — all this takes place with coffee as the mediator. For some, until they get their first caffeine hit, the brain refuses to function.
Our Italian immigrants are responsible for Australia’s café society and thanks to them many of us now won’t even consider a chemically altered instant brew. It’s enjoyed by many, including myself, but if you’re trying to lose weight you must consider how much you’re drinking.
Coffee chains everywhere offer various cup sizes, milk options and added flavours. These days it’s not uncommon to see people walking around with vessels more reminiscent of a bucket than a cup.
While the Italians might drink a short black espresso at the start of the day, our global exploitation of this zero kilojoule heart-starter is a large or extra large latte or cappuccino.
Even without sugar it adds up, as the below shows, and while many people substitute a huge coffee for a meal, it is no substitute for a healthy life (or healthy weight loss).
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
