Starbuck-zy Drinks for the No Sugar Set

It's been a while since I've been on the blog, but I'm back again.  Teacher says I need to "write every day." 

Here's an interesting topic to most.   Weight Loss.   There are three types of people:  1)  People who think about food constantly with no discipline and reckless eating abandon (me, or the old me), 2)  People who think about food constantly, yet have discipline and 3)  people who eat "just to get it out of the way."  I no longer hate this third category of people, I revere them. 
I've recently cut out sugar from my diet (and white flour) as much as possible.  Just doing those two things resulted in a 10 pound weight loss rather suddenly.  And here's the crazy thing, I'm not difficult to be around.  Imagine that? Unlike WW and some other programs I've done in the past, I've found that I don't think about food as much and I'm rarely hungry.  Oh, one more thing...I cut out watching Food Network and the Cooking Channel.  Yep, it was time to break the addiction to food porn. I also quit getting magazines that were food porn focused.  All in tandem, it's helped. 

There are two things that I miss though, Iced Mochas (and pizza!)  Oh, the milky chocolately goodness of a coffee drink on ice with a kick.  So these days, I allow myself one a week (okay, maybe two) and at least one of those I try and make myself--just to be a smidgen healthier than the Starbucks, Panera and McCafe varieties.  Here's my recipe:

Iced Mocha (12 oz. size)
1 T of good quality chocolate syrup. By "good quality" get a kind with no High Fructose Corn Syrup. 
1 t of instant espresso (use 2 t if you want it strong)--At my Kroger, this is on the Italian/Mexican food aisle
1/8 cup of boiling water
1 1/2 cups of milk  (Lately, I've been buying Acidopholus milk...it tastes the same and has a healthy dose of pro-biotics.  Yes, I was even a dork and took my own milk to Bluff City Coffee the other day so they could make my requested drink with my own milk.)   
Ice

Directions: 
In a Pyrex cup or large plastic tumbler cup, combine the syrup, espresso and boiling water.  Stir to dissolve. Add milk and stir.   Pour concoction over ice in a plastic cup to feel "Starbuck-zy". Sip with straw. 

Calories:  190
Sugar:  25g (8 from syrup which is white sugar, 17 from milk or the less offensive lactose sugar)

As compared to the Panera version (which is delicious and we can see why--oh how I do miss you!) 
Calories:  380
Sugar:  42g

As compared to the McCafe version:
Calories:  260
Sugar:  28g

As compared to Starbucks version (non-Skinny--as those are inedible) BTW, I'm questioning their web reported accuracy here on the calories--seems like the milk alone would be this, what about the chocolate?

Tall size
Calories: 130
Sugar: 21g

Now...what if i could even cut back even a bit further?  Keep in mind, I don't do artificial sweeteners.  I then decided to switch to Iced Lattes. I can easily make these at work as we always have the world's strongest coffee around! 

Iced Latte (12 oz. size)
1/4 cup of brewed espresso (or very strong coffee)
1 t of sugar
1 1/2 cups of milk
Ice

Stir the coffee and the sugar together to dissolve.  Stir in milk, then pour over ice. And yes, put in a plastic cup and sip with straw to round out your cafe experience.

Calories:  180
Sugar:  21g (4 gs is the white sugar, the rest is milk sugar)

So a little bit better when it comes to managing sugar.  And every bit helps!  Plus, these home brews save money too.  Enjoy!