Java. Joe. Cuppa. Jitter juice.

Whatever you call it, there’s a good chance you may be one of the 66 percent of Americans who drink coffee.

With most coffee drinkers averaging about three cups a day, that adds up to more than 500 million cups of coffee every single day!

However, if you also happen to be one of the many individuals looking to limit your carbohydrate intake to help you meet your weight loss goals, you may be wondering if you can still keep drinking your precious cuppa joe when you’re trying to cut back on carbs.

Does Coffee Have Carbs?

How does coffee rank on the carb meter? Very, very low — if, that is, we’re talking about a cup of black coffee.

Of course this all changes the minute you start adding cream, sugar, whipped cream with sprinkles, and caramel drizzle.

How Many Carbs Are in Coffee?

Let’s start simple.

A 12-ounce cup of black coffee — the average small cup at most coffee shops — has less than one gram of carbohydrates.

Of course, if you’re using an extra large mug or regularly downing multiple cups, that number of carbs will edge slightly north.

Still, compared to other traditional breakfast foods, it’s negligible: A bagel clocks in at 55 grams, a small banana has 23 grams, and even an 8-ounce cup of orange juice has 27 grams of carbohydrates.

Fun fact: Caffeine doesn’t impact carb count so whether you drink regular or decaf, the carbohydrates in a cup of black coffee will be the same.

If you’re ordering something other than black coffee or espresso at your local coffee shop, there’s a good chance your carb consumption will be higher.

Black coffees, Americanos, and espressos all contain less than 1 gram of carbohydrates, but lattes, mochas, and cappuccinos all bump up that count.

Compare these tall (12-ounce) coffee drinks from Starbucks, all made standard with 2 percent milk:

Can You Drink Coffee On A Low-Carb Diet?

So can you enjoy coffee on a low-carb diet?

Yes, says Martha L. Lawder, M.S. R.D.N., a registered dietitian and coffee lover — especially if it’s black coffee, espresso, or an Americano.

If you’re in the habit of adding extras to your cup of joe, be mindful, says Lawder.

This is especially important when looking at creamers, which range from simple half-and-half to nut-based milk alternatives to highly flavored nondairy creamers — all with their own carb counts that can vary wildly.

When looking on the nutrition facts panel, don’t just focus on total calories, says Lawder, since this includes protein and fats as well.

“Under ‘Total Carbohydrate,’ look for ‘added sugar,’ because this lets you know if the carbohydrate comes from nutritious milk sugar or if it comes from non-nutritious added sugar,” Lawder explains.

The Best Coffee to Drink on a Low-Carb Diet

If you want to enjoy your coffee and you’re watching your carbs black coffee is your best bet, says Amanda A. Kostro Miller, R.D., a licensed dietitian nutritionist and member of the advisory board for Healing Daily.

“Keep in mind that creams, foam, milk, sugar, honey, syrup, juices, and other flavorings can all add carbohydrates,” Miller repeats.

She recommends these low-carb-friendly coffee options that are very low in carbohydrates:

• Unsweetened iced coffee, plain
• Nitro cold brew, plain
• Cold brew coffee, plain
• Espresso
• Blonde roast, plain

The Bottom Line

Coffee can definitely be a part of a low-carb diet. Just be careful about adding anything else into your cup besides the coffee.

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How often do you just grab a coffee on the go? Or drink your morning coffee in a rush as you get ready for the day? For most of us, our day-to-day cups of coffee are something that we need, and not something that we have time to savor. A coffee break is something that should be treasured. It’s a chance to take a little time for yourself in an otherwise hectic day. It’s something that can be enjoyed, and if you do it right, even short coffee breaks can be a powerful act of self-care, which energizes you and boosts your mood, before you get back to the grind.

Get Up A Little Earlier

If you want to take the time to enjoy your morning cup of coffee, you might need to get up a little earlier, especially if you are usually in a big rush to get out of the door in the mornings. Setting your alarm just 15 minutes earlier can give you time to sit down and sip a coffee, appreciating the taste and smell, instead of rushing it as you do other things.

Give Yourself Options

You wouldn’t eat the same thing for breakfast or lunch every day of the week, and nor should you. With so many wonderful foods available, you should enjoy as many different flavors as possible.

The same is true of your coffee. There are so many different types of beans, kinds of coffee, and extra flavors and syrups available nowadays, and you should try to taste a variety. Make sure you’ve got options for when you make coffee at home, and when you are out, don’t be scared to try something new.

Take The Time To Brew A Perfect Coffee

Pouring hot water over some cheap instant granules will never be an act of self-love. You deserve better than this.

When you take your time to get your coffee just right, you are sending a message that you value your time, as well as your coffee. This is empowering.

First, make sure you are storing your coffee correctly so that it keeps its flavor over time. You can read an article on how to store coffee beans from Cup and Bean to help you to get this right. Cup and Bean have plenty of tips on how to store coffee beans but also on how to brew coffee and the correct ratios to use. If you want your coffee to be an act of self-care, it’s worth a look.

Then brew the coffee that you’ve chosen using the correct ratios and times, instead of rushing.

Get A Favorite Mug

It might sound silly, but if we’re honest, most of us have a favorite mug or cup. In a cupboard filled with options, you’ve probably got one that you’ll always choose if it is clean.

You might think that your coffee tastes better out of your favorite mug, and while this is in part phycological, there’s some truth to it too. Different materials taste slightly different. So, coffee in an earthenware mug, for example, might not taste the same to you as China or glass.

If you don’t have a favorite mug, it’s worth heading to the shops to find one.

Make Each Cup An Experience

Make every cup of coffee you drink in a day an experience. Try not to drink them while you are working or on the go, but instead while you are resting, or doing something that you enjoy like reading or talking to a friend. This is an effective way to make sure your cups of coffee are pleasures, not necessities.

Drink Your Coffee Mindfully

Being mindful basically means giving thought to our actions and acknowledging and accepting our thoughts and feelings, instead of just skipping past things.

When you drink a cup of coffee, think about how it tastes, but also how it smells and how it feels in your mouth. Think about how the cup tastes, and how it feels in your hand. Think about how this particular drink will affect your day and take the time to ask yourself why you wanted a coffee in the first place.

Don’t Head Straight Back To Work

Try not to rush straight back to work, or any other task as soon as you’ve finished a coffee or any other hot drink. This can leave you feeling hot and even a little sick. Give it time to settle before getting up again.

Appreciate The Benefits Of Coffee

We can sometimes feel like coffee and caffeine are naughty and indulgent. But there are so many benefits to drinking coffee in moderation. These include benefits to your health and wellbeing, as well as your mood and energy levels.

Whenever you take time to do something for yourself you are performing an act of self-care, and even the small ones, like drinking a coffee, can have a powerful effect on your days if you let them.

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Do you normally throw away your leftover coffee grounds after you’ve made a delicious cup of coffee? If so, you should consider reusing them.

You may not be aware, but coffee grounds can actually be used to benefit your skin in several ways. They can also help your garden to flourish.

Exfoliating

If you’re a coffee-lover, there are various different types of coffee that you can explore. Simply look through a list of coffee box subscriptions to find the right option for you. You can then sample some of the best and most unique coffee from around the world on a regular basis.

But you shouldn’t waste the leftover coffee grounds after you’ve drunk the delicious beverage. Instead, you can beneficially use the leftover grounds on your body and in your garden.

Let’s begin by looking at how you can use coffee grounds to beautify your body.

One of the best uses is for exfoliation. Coffee grounds are great for scrubbing away dead skin cells. And because caffeic acid is an antioxidant, coffee grounds could boost your collagen levels and reduce your cells aging prematurely.

Furthermore, the caffeic acid in coffee has antimicrobial properties, which can potentially protect your skin against germs.

To make an exfoliating scrub with coffee grounds, mix a quarter cup of fresh coffee grounds with a quarter cup of brown sugar and a little lemon juice. Then simply scrub the mixture into your skin every few days. Leave it on your skin for a few minutes before rinsing.

Treating Acne

Because coffee grounds contain antioxidants and chlorogenic acids, they can be an effective solution for fighting acne.

By scrubbing your face with coffee grounds, you can unclog pores and clear away dead skin cells. And the chlorogenic acids could reduce inflammation and protect your skin against some forms of bacteria.

Protecting Your Skin Against The Sun

The antioxidants in coffee can also help to protect your skin against the dangerous ultraviolet rays of the sun that can cause aging of the skin and other skin problems.

Although more research is needed, a 2015 study published by the National Library of Medicine found that the participants who applied coffee grounds to their skin had fewer age spots on their faces caused by UV rays. The participants were all women between the ages of thirty and sixty.

Reducing Puffy Eyes

Coffee grounds could help you if you have puffy eyes. That’s because caffeine stimulates blood flow and dilates blood vessels. Applying coffee grounds around your eyes could help your skin to tighten naturally and reduce the buildup of fluid under your eyes.

Try it yourself. Dab coffee grounds that contain a little liquid from the coffee you made around your eyes. The skin around your eyes could soon become less inflamed.

Fertilizing Your Garden

OK, now let’s take a look at how you can put your leftover coffee grounds to good use in your garden.

First off, coffee grounds can make an excellent fertilizer. That’s because they contain several minerals that help plants grow, namely nitrogen, iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and chromium.

The coffee grounds could even absorb heavy metals that contaminate the soil. Furthermore, coffee grounds will help to attract worms, which are great for any garden.

Fertilizing your garden with coffee grounds is easy. Simply sprinkle your leftover grounds on the soil surrounding your plants.

Using Coffee Grounds In Your Compost

You can also put coffee grounds in your compost. They make excellent ingredients for compost due to the fact that coffee grounds contain nitrogen and other minerals that can help your garden grow.

Use coffee grounds in combination with brown compost material like dry leaves. Coffee grounds are called green compost material.

Other types of green compost materials include grass clippings and food scraps. You should use compost that has a four-to-one ratio of brown compost material to green compost material.

Feeding Worms

As mentioned above, coffee grounds can attract worms. So, if you use a worm bin in your garden, add coffee grounds to your bin every week.

Worms simply love coffee grounds! But don’t overdo it. One cup per week is the ideal amount. If you use more than that, the acidity of the coffee grounds could bother the worms.

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When you start on a new diet, you’ll take any simple tip to make it effective, right? Well, one purported weight loss trick stirred interest on social media this week when a TikTok user suggested adding lemon juice to coffee can help torch fat faster. A British nutritionist flat-out debunked the claim… but, a veteran registered dietitian tells us, depending on how you look at this, it’s possible some people could actually see some change on the scale from this coffee-lemon juice combo.

Karen Graham, RD, CDE is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator for over 30 years, as well as a winner of Canada’s National Health Information Award. This week, we asked Graham to weigh in on a TikTok post by Hilda Braso, as reported by Newsweek.

Keep reading to see what this dietitian had to say, and check out Adele Finally Reveals Her 4 Weight Loss Secrets for Shedding 100 Pounds.

@life.of.hildaFinally answers for y’all ##coffeeandlemonweightlosschallenge ##coffeeandlemondiet ##coffeeandlemongforweightloss ##viral ##fyp ##foryoupage♬ The Magic Bomb (Questions I Get Asked) [Extended Mix] – Hoàng Read

In her recent TikTok post, Braso seemed to indicate she’d been putting lemon juice in coffee as part of a growing online #coffeeandlemondiet challenge for users to lose weight.

After a week of trying this, she posted to report that she’d quashed the method because it hadn’t worked. According to Newsweek, Marcela Fiuza, a dietitian and member of the British Dietetic Association (BDA), said that’s no wonder: “There is no physiological explanation that would justify mixing coffee and lemon to lose weight,” she said.

Graham’s initial take? “My immediate thought is that doesn’t sound very tasty,” the dietitian told Eat This, Not That!. “I wouldn’t want lemon juice in my coffee.”

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Graham, who specializes in diabetes education, says, “We do know that [lemon juice] decreases the glycemic index, the rate at which blood sugar is absorbed into the blood.”

So, she adds, “If you include lemon juice with a meal—salad, coffee, sprinkled on fish—it slows down how quickly you absorb the carbohydrates from all the foods in that meal. That’s well known.” Graham says this means “your sugars won’t raise as quickly, so that’s good.”

One note on this, Graham advises: You typically have to use around at least half a teaspoon for the lemon juice to have this effect on your body’s sugar uptake.

RELATED: Ways Drinking Lemon Water Helps You Lose Weight, Says Science

However, lemon juice’s effect on blood sugar “doesn’t mean it’s going to help you with weight loss,” Graham says, adding that the lemon juice-coffee blend in and of itself is “questionable” as a dieting hack.

RELATED: One Major Effect of Drinking Seltzer Water, Science Says

Graham noted a few possible reasons this lemon juice in coffee weight loss challenge could show a difference on the scale. “Maybe that cuts [an individual’s] appetite and they don’t eat as much,” she said. “Maybe that’s because the blood sugars don’t go up as high, you’re a little more satisfied. It’s indirect. It doesn’t make sense unless it’s a secondary benefit on the appetite.”

“Usually when you add lemon into something, you have to add either salt or sugar to balance that flavor in terms of recipe development,” Graham notes. In the case of dieting, she says: “Make sure there isn’t added sugar added in there.”

RELATED: The Surprising Effect Reducing Sodium May Have on Your Blood Sugar, New Study Says

“Eating is so much our mind—it’s our whole perception of what is satisfying to us,” this dietitian reflects. “So if someone feels that having lemon juice in their coffee and they notice they’re losing a little bit of weight, maybe it’s because they’ve altered something else in their behavior. If you enjoy it, do it.”

And if you enjoy more food news, get it here:

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It’s the most-sipped beverage in the world next to water, and it’s no wonder so many of us love it: That’s right, it’s coffee. In addition to the recent discovery of the link between coffee and liver health, and the even newer study that suggests coffee may help prevent COVID-19, now a dietitian is giving us one more reason to pour that beautiful brew. If you’ve been curious about whether coffee can help you lose weight, you’ve been right. A dietitian for the Mayo Clinic is revealing how it happens.

Katherine Zeratsky, RD, LD is a registered dietitian at the Mayo Clinic. Zeratsky recently took to the renowned health system’s blog to reveal several ways coffee may play a role in boosting your weight-loss efforts. Keep reading to understand how coffee can support weight loss, and don’t miss One Secret Fitness Trick That Can Add Years to Your Life, Says Top Trainer.

Though we don’t suggest that the healthiest way to lose weight is to stop eating, you might find that quieting your appetite slightly when it’s growling can help you from overdoing it next time you sit down to a meal. Zeratsky says: “Caffeine may reduce feelings of hunger and your desire to eat for a brief time.”

RELATED: This Is the Best Coffee for Weight Loss, Says an Expert

Especially for those of us who work in some activity most every day, we all need a little rest on occasion. Thanks to its impact on the body’s thermogenesis process (more on that here), coffee can help your metabolism stay active when you do. Check out other ways you can help your body burn fat even while you’re taking it easy.

It’s true: As Zeratsky explains, just by definition, caffeine’s role as a stimulant can bring greater efficiency to the body’s calorie-burning capacity.

RELATED: The Most Surprising Drink for Weight Loss, Says Dietitian

You might be inspired to brew a fresh cup now… but, as you consider any habit that could impact your health—coffee-drinking and losing weight included—it’s always best to talk with your healthcare provider to choose the routine that’s right for you.

For more like this, get the Eat This, Not That! newsletter and read up on The 3 Best Drinks to Speed Up Your Metabolism, According to Experts.

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It’s well established that coffee can add a boost to your metabolism, based largely on the fact that caffeine revs the body to help you burn more calories. However, it only makes sense that this depends on how you take your coffee (since a mocha Frappuccino with extra whipped is likely to counteract the effect… you think?). It’s worth checking out what a registered dietitian has just revealed as the coffee drink that’s ideal for weight loss.

This week, Donald Mankie—a registered dietitian at Florida’s Sarasota Memorial Bariatric and Metabolism Center—shared, via Sarasota Magazine, insights on whether coffee supports weight loss. Put simply, Mankie told the outlet that coffee “definitely” has the capability to stimulate metabolism. Read on to learn which coffee is great for losing weight, and sign up for the Eat This, Not That! newsletter for nutrition and wellness news you need.

RELATED: The One Vitamin Doctors Are Urging Everyone To Take Right Now

In addition to giving you energy that can amp up exercise and more physical activity in general, Mankie attributed coffee’s weight loss effect to a fascinating physiological process known as thermogenesis. (You can read more about that here.)

Coca-Cola with Coffee is just one of many examples of the fact that if a maker adds sugar to a coffee beverage for flavor, in terms of its affect on nutrition, it becomes more of a sweet treat than a coffee drink.

RELATED: 20 Coffee Drinks with More Sugar Than a Can of Coke

A Dunkin’s seasonal butter pecan iced coffee and Starbucks latest Frappuccino—with cake—are other prime examples.

According to Mankie, when it comes to shedding pounds, “Black coffee is the best way to go for weight loss.” Mankie added that coffee “only contains two calories per serving” and contains Vitamin B12 and magnesium, both which some experts have credited with support in helping the body process food for fuel. But, of course, Mankie added, “The more sugar, cream or milk you add, the more calories you add.” Noted.

RELATED: One Major Side Effect Eating Sugar Has on Your Heart, According To Experts

Some diets, like those that employ intermittent fasting, call for black coffee or sometimes plain black or green tea as the only beverages besides water to sip between meals. Coffee has been shown to hold down the appetite and keep the body energized when it’s low on fuel from food, along with some other powerful benefits.

Keep reading:

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With summer and swimsuit season rolling in, you might be in search of some easy ways to make your everyday diet choices help you feel your best. Well, here’s some sunny news: According to a dietitian at a weight loss clinic in one of Florida’s hottest beach cities, your metabolism ramps up as soon as you take your first sip of coffee, which can set you up to eat healthier, burn more calories, and even lose weight.

Keep reading to find out how coffee helps you burn fat, even when you’re not moving. And for more, make sure to check out Making This One Change to Your Diet Could “Reprogram” Your Metabolism, New Study Says.

Donald Mankie is a registered dietitian at the Sarasota Memorial Bariatric and Metabolism Center who just spoke to Sarasota Magazine to answer the burning question about whether coffee fuels metabolism. Mankie told the local outlet: “The stimulating effect is definitely there.” (In fact, this has been demonstrated in a number of great studies.)

Related: Sign up for our newsletter for the latest healthy eating and weight loss news.

Mankie said that in the simplest sense, coffee helps your metabolism because its caffeine gives you more energy. He noted that “caffeine can reduce the perception of fatigue” during exercise, which might simply give you that extra “oomph” to power through your workout to maximize your output.

RELATED: Eva Longoria Reveals the Exact At-Home Workout She Uses to Stay Fit

According to Mankie, coffee can also keep your metabolism raised even when you’re not hard at work, thanks to “thermogenesis,” which is the body’s process for producing heat.

As Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian at the Mayo Clinic, has said, caffeine amps up the amount of energy your body uses even when you’re inactive… and this translates to the burning of a greater number of calories than baseline rest levels. (Read more about thermogenesis, and another drink that drives it, here.)

Anyone who’s ever hit pause on their exercise routine, whether for illness or any reason, might know how amazing it feels to complete that first workout after a break. Part of that is from the endorphins—mood-boosting chemicals—that the body produces during exercise.

Mankie said that similarly, coffee increases endorphin production, which can “produce an increased feeling of wellness and excitability,” as well as “improve concentration, energy levels, and mood.”

RELATED: Are You Unhappy? Walk This Far Before Breakfast, Says Science

These days, there are a lot of cool ways people are maxing out their coffee routine to make it work for their nutrition and well-being goals—like this creative coffee/protein shake combo.

For more healthy eating and weight loss news, keep reading:

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For many, going to a local coffee shop is an everyday occurrence. Hey, no judgment here! But that makes picking the healthiest coffee shop fare of the utmost importance—especially if you’re trying to shrink your gut.

To help you reach your goal weight sooner rather than later, we’ve put together this trusty healthy coffee shop guide. From Starbucks and Dunkin’ to your local neighborhood shop, it’s sure to keep you on track no matter where you find yourself sipping and snacking by avoiding these coffee shop habits that could be costing you. And while you’re making healthier choices, be sure your kitchen is stocked up with The 7 Healthiest Foods to Eat Right Now.

An egg and cheese sandwich will usually come in at under 400 calories no matter where you go. Plus, the protein hit helps temper your appetite as the day wears on. Eggs have tons of other health benefits, too.

Wait! Before you make that a trenta (that’s Starbucks-speak for 31 ounces), consider this: A research team in Washington found that downing more than five cups of java a day can double visceral belly fat. The good news? Thanks to its high catechin content, green tea has the opposite effect. So if you’re heading to the coffee shop for round two or three of Colombian bold, consider placing an order for a spot of tea instead. The powerful elixir helped our 7-Day Flat-Belly Tea Cleanse test panelists lose up to 10 pounds in one week!

Compared to many other snack bars, KIND  pretty low in sugar and thanks to their nut base, serve up a hefty dose of fiber and protein, as well as heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and omega-3s. The best part? Large coffee joints like Starbucks sell them in just about every store—and the trickle-down effect is pretty remarkable. Whether you’re grabbing a latte at a neighborhood shop or your corner 7-11, the odds are good you’ll be able to find one. Opt for one of the bars instead of your go-to pastry or bagel to amp up the nutritional quality of your snack or breakfast.

If you drink it every day, you may as well get the most health-boosting benefits out of your cup as you can. One of the best ways to do it: Place your order soon after they grind and brew the beans. Coffee is most Americans’ number one source of polyphenols—the weight-lowering micronutrients that make the Mediterranean diet so effective.

If you typically order a pre-sweetened or flavored coffee, slowly wean yourself off the sweet stuff by asking for fewer flavor pumps and adding fewer sugar packets to your cup. A regular 16-ounce iced coffee, for example, has about 5 calories and 0 grams of sugar, while the sweetened version has 80 and 20 grams of sugar—that’s the equivalent of five Domino’s packs! Asking for “light” syrup or “half the usual amount of syrup” could easily save you 40 calories and 10 grams of the sweet stuff! Eventually, you’ll be able to make the jump to plain, unsweetened drinks.

When regular brewed coffee is chilled and stored, two things happen: First, it begins to lose whatever nuance of taste it once possessed; second, it starts losing the polyphenols that give coffee its health benefits. The best iced coffee is cold brewed; it takes more time to make so it will be more expensive, but you’ll taste the difference. Most notably it will be less bitter, which means you can get away with adding less sugar. And less sugar = fewer calories.

One of the great health food imposters, bran muffins are simply excuses to get you to eat cupcakes for breakfast. Each can deliver about 440 calories, with nearly a quarter of them coming from fat. Pair it with a cappuccino and you’ll have blown through a quarter of the day’s calories before noon…

RELATED: 100+ healthy breakfast ideas that help you lose weight and stay slim.

They look innocent enough, but depending on which type you get—chocolate, almond, or good ol’ vanilla— this flakey, buttery crescent-shaped treat could cost you anywhere between 260 and 380 calories and half the day’s fat. Skip it and go for a slimmed-down alternative like a marshmallow bar or a cup of warm oatmeal—more on the oats later!

Coffee shops tend to smear more cream cheese on their bagels than you would at home, which turns a nutritionally-lacking but not diet-blowing 300-calorie breakfast into a 500-calorie monstrosity filled with 20 grams of fat. If you must get a bagel, ask for some cream cheese on the side and spread it on yourself nice and thin, or, better yet, skip the cream cheese altogether.

You already know that creamer is a no go. But when it comes to picking between whole, skim or something in between the choice is far less obvious. For decades, the USDA and numerous health authorities have told us that animal fat is a dietary demon that should only be eaten in moderation—if at all. Recently, however, researchers have begun to wonder if that suggestion should possibly be revised. One European Journal of Nutrition review of 16 studies concluded that consuming high-fat dairy products can actually ward off weight gain over time. Despite these findings, though, the USDA—and many nutrition experts—continue to recommend low-fat dairy over full-fat. The bottom line: It’s still hard to say what’s best for a flat belly, so we suggest mixing things up. If you reach for 1% or skim today, go for whole milk tomorrow—just scale back on the portion size to keep the overall calories about the same each day. You need a bit of fat to absorb some of the nutrients that are on your breakfast plate anyway.

One packet of sugar in the raw has five grams of the sweet stuff, and one packet of Domino’s refined variety has 4—not too horrible if you keep added sugars to a minimum the rest of the day. But let’s get real: most of us don’t do that. The white granular demon is hiding in everything from ketchup to bread, so cutting back wherever you can counts big time in the battle of the bulge. And though it might be tempting, don’t just switch to the artificial stuff. Findings suggest that it may amp up your hunger hormones. You’re best bet is to skip the sweetener altogether and cut the bitterness of your java with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa powder.

Glaze. It’s basically just a fancy name for a liquid sugar and fat mixture—the stuff is comprised of heavy cream, vanilla and sugar, after all. That said, any donut topped with the stuff can easily carry up to 480 calories and 27 grams of fat. If you’re craving something sweet, ask for a donut hole or two instead, and pair the minis with some fresh fruit or a small package of raw almonds. Yes, that’s right, we’re suggesting nuts for breakfast! Their healthy fats and protein content will help slow the absorption of the sugar and simple carbs in your donut holes, warding off those pre-lunch tummy rumbles.

Thanks to the ever-growing popularity of overnight oats and oatmeal, the slow-digesting whole grain is sold just about everywhere you can grab a cup of Joe. Choose a container of plain oatmeal (instead of the flavored varieties) and mix in some fresh fruit or nuts. Stay away from the sugar-spiked additions like dried fruit and brown sugar to keep calories and glucose levels in check.

The great buttery, flaky taste that makes a scone so appealing comes from gobs of butter, flour, and sugar. With up to 500 calories a pop, this pastry is better left behind the glass. If you can’t imagine forgoing a sweet treat altogether, find out the pastry you should order at every coffee shop.

Use this phrase whenever you order a “fancy” drink (like a cafe mocha or a Frapp) that you think may have even the slightest possibility of coming with the fat- and sugar-laden add-on. It will save you anywhere from 50 to 110 calories depending on what size you get.

Even if the rest of the menu is a sugar bomb waiting to detonate, most coffee shops sell bananas—mostly because they’re cheap, nonperishable and have a great shelf life. Big names like Dunkin’, Starbucks, and Pret A Manger all do, and many local spots have ’em for sale, as well. Don’t see them? If the coffee place makes smoothies, they may have some extra nanners in the back. Don’t be afraid to ask for one. A piece of fruit will always be better than any sweet treat that’s taunting your taste buds from behind the glass.

If you can’t bear to break up with your syrup-sweetened iced coffee or vanilla latte, at least scale back on the pumps; they add a ton of empty calories your body doesn’t need. For example, a regular 16-ounce iced coffee has about 5 calories, while the sweetened version has 80 and 20 grams of sugar—that’s the equivalent of five packs of sugar! Asking for “light” syrup or “half the usual amount of syrup” could easily save you 37 calories and 10 grams of the sweet stuff!

Not only do special sips like pumpkin spice and eggnog lattes pack excess calories and sugar, seasonal drink customers also tend to return to chains more often than those who skip the special beverages, according to a study of 35,000 customer receipts by market research firm, The NPD Group. They found that seasonal drink-sippers also tend to spend about 17 percent more during each visit, compared to non-buyers—and not because the special drinks cost more. Those who buy special drinks are also more likely to buy waist-expanding grub like pastries, bagels, and all of the other stuff we just told you not to eat. Not only does this hike up the check average, but it also tacks on additional calories, fat, and sugar, which is bad news for your flat belly goals and wallet alike.

You might be excited you’re able to actually hang inside your favorite coffee shops again, but don’t stick around too long nursing your beverage. Not only does hanging out increase the likelihood you’ll splurge for one of the cookies or sweets from behind the glass, it’s also a total waste of a caffeine jolt that could take your workout to the next level. According to a Journal of Sports Medicine study, hitting the gym after a few cups of coffee can boost your motivation and help you bang out more reps on the bench press. Similar results have been found in previous studies on endurance exercise, so sipping some coffee beforehand can help you get more from your workout and speed your weight loss—no matter how you like to break a sweat.

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