A flurry of recent articles suggests that quitting your daily or weekly latte will produce weight loss. These misguided and misleading claims irritate us coffee curmudgeons whose businesses and livelihood depend upon coffee and coffee beverage sales. Authors of these ideas ought to understand that consuming an overabundance of any source of calories will contribute to weight gain - or at least a failure to lose weight.? Quitting cappuccino and latte or even coffee will not solve any weight problems.

As a matter of fact, giving up a real latte - one made with real milk and not an artificial assemblage of derivative powders also means giving up the pleasure, energy (calories), calcium, vitamins, and protein that the coffee and milk provide. Some consumers of cappuccino and latte (many women who are prone to such problems as osteoporosis) would get little calcium in their diets otherwise. Then there is the idea of satiety. Most people feel quite satisfied after consuming a cappuccino or latte. We believe that the milk and coffee combination is both nutritious and satisfying - perhaps like a small meal; there is little need for anything additional; the beverage constitutes its own dessert. Finally, in relative terms, these beverages are affordable luxuries and flavorful pleasures which can help to reduce the stress of a difficult day or a difficult season. In essence, a well-made cappuccino/latte is a nutritious treat.

If you are concerned about an overabundance of calories in your diet, and in particular your coffee/milk beverage, please try asking for skim milk (a 'skinny') and a sugar-free syrup if you're having a flavored beverage. Finally, if you don't want calories and just want the caffeine stimulus, there's always the straight black espresso and the straight black drip coffee. For some, these are ideal choices for a non-caloric treat.

For further info on calories in coffeehouse beverages, please see the info below from: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/coffeecarbs.htm

How Many Carbs and Calories Are in Coffee Drinks?

A shot of espresso is an ounce (2 tablespoons) of liquid. Imagine 2 tablespoons in the bottom of your cup -- it isn't much! So the rest of the cup is filled up with something else. The rub, as far as carbs and calories go, is what that something else is. If it's milk, that's 11.4 grams of carbohydrate per cup (and 146 calories) for whole milk, 11.9 grams of carb (and 86 calories) for fat-free. Half and half is 10.4 grams per cup. This is not a lot of difference in carbs, but double the calories and three times the saturated fat of whole milk.  A cup of heavy cream has 6.6 grams of carbohydrate, and 821 calories and 55 grams of saturated fat.

As you have probably figured out, the nutritional information for coffee drinks that are mainly espresso and milk don't vary that much from shop to shop, but once you start adding things like sugar, whipped cream, and chocolate, there is more variation.

• Cappuccino 
  • 12 oz - 10 grams carb, 80-120 calories depending on milk (more for half and half)
  • 16 oz - 15 grams carb, 100-180 calories
  • 20 oz - 17 grams carb, 130-210 calories
• Latte 
  • 12 oz - 16 grams carb, 120-200 calories
  • 16 oz - 21 grams carb, 160-260 calories
  • 20 oz - 27 grams carb, 210-340 calories
• Mocha 
  • 12 oz - 28-37 grams carb, 170-358 calories (Dunkin Donuts 10 oz mocha has 37 grams of carbs for a mere 10 oz drink)
  • 16 oz - 33-42 grams carb, 210-433 calories
  • 20 oz - 43-56 grams carb, 260-490 calories

Other flavorings can add varying amounts of carbohydrates and calories. Fancy drinks like caramel whip extravaganzas can add many more carbs and calories. Even flavored syrups take their toll. One pump of flavoring from syrups with sugar has about 5 grams of carb and 20 calories. Usually 3 of these pumps are put into a 12 oz coffee drink, 4 into a 16 oz drink, and 5 into a 20 oz drink. So adding flavored syrup can add 25 grams of carbohydrate and 100 calories to a large drink. On the other hand, sugar-free syrups don't add any carbs or calories.

Suggestions

How can you enjoy your coffee and not overdo? Obviously, the best thing is to just drink regular coffee, putting a small amount of milk or sweetener in it. A plain espresso, caffee Americano or Macchiato (see above) are other options. If you want something fancier, cappuccinos have the least added carbs, and you can even add a sugar-free syrup for more flavor. If you are making lattes at home, or are willing to tote extra ingredients when you go out, try unsweetened soy milk. It has just 2-3 grams of carb per cup. (The soy milk in coffee shops is almost always sweetened.) You can order a plain espresso, which often comes in a 10 oz cup, and add your own soy milk and sweetener.

Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to get to know how they make the drinks at your favorite coffee haunt. Make friends with the barrista, and find out how they do things and how you can minimize your sugar exposure while enjoying coffee drinks.