Does Coffee Make You Gain Weight

Or to put it more bluntly, "Does coffee make you fat"?

Well, I don't think so, but the things you add to coffee sure can. Most people will think immediately of the sugar that they might add to coffee, but in my experience as someone who doesn't add sugar to his coffee, it's actually the milk in the cafe lattes etc. that causes you to gain weight.

You do realize that milk is not just protein and fat, right? It is actually a sugar too. Think of it this way: sucrose, fructose, glucose, and lactose. What do these four words all have in common? They all end in "ose" and they are all sugars. Milk contains lactose, or milk sugar. So if you drink a lot of espresso drinks with milk, such as lattes, cappuccinos, or flat whites, then you are consuming a lot of milk sugar.

When I went on vacation to New Zealand earlier this year I consumed the usual copious amounts of flat whites, glasses of wine, and tasty New Zealand cafe food. When I got back after 3 weeks I was 5 pounds (2kg) heavier, and the heaviest I've ever been. My god, my stomach was preceding me everywhere I went! So I decided I finally had to do something about it as in the 12 years since moving to the U.S. I had gone from 140 pounds to the 155 pounds I weighed in at when I got back from that trip. So I decided to cut back my consumption of milk in my coffee drinks. At that point I was making myself 3 or 4 big flat whites or lattes a day. I still start the day with a flat white, but every other cup of coffee I have after that breakfast cup is either an espresso or a traditional macchiato. Four months later I am down to 141 pounds! I couldn't believe it! So it seems pretty clear to me; whereas coffee won't make you gain weight, the milk in coffee drinks sure does make you fat.

How about you? Have you found that the milk in coffee has piled on the pounds for you? Has anyone else had the same experience as me, or is willing to put this theory to the test?