Coffee is one of the most hotly contested and passion infused drinks on the market. There are those who hate it, those who love it, and those who swear that they could absolutely never live without it. For those in this last camp, the idea of forgoing coffee during your weight loss program may seem a little more than far-fetched; it probably seems downright impossible. Making dietary adjustments is hard, finding time to exercise every day is even harder, but not having that cup of coffee in the morning to help you get going—that is the hardest sell of all.

The good news is that as a general rule, there is no reason as to why you need to cut out coffee from your diet to lose weight. Coffee can actually play a healthy role in a healthy diet, especially when it is consumed smartly and in moderation. In fact, the biggest issues that typically stem from drinking coffee don’t have anything to do with the coffee consumption itself, but instead from the many popular add-ins.

Want to keep your coffee habit up as you lose weight? Here are a few tips to help you make smarter choices with your cup of joe:

• Cut down the amount of cream that you are putting in your coffee. If you are able to drink it black, that would be best. Cutting out all the add-ins altogether is the best way to ensure you aren’t getting in any unwanted calories.
• If you can’t cut the cream altogether, switch it up. Non-fat creamers or alternatives like almond milk provide similar flavor without the calories and fat.
• Eliminate the sugar from your drink to really improve the health of your morning beverage. It may be a huge taste difference to do this cold turkey, but if you decrease the amount of sugar you put in little by little, then you may not actually notice too much of a difference.
• Stick to drinking coffee in its plain state instead of the fancy lattes and iced beverages, as these are typically loaded with excess calories in the form of cream and flavoring.

No one is going to take your cup of coffee away from you when you make the decision to start your weight loss program, but by making healthier choices with your coffee habit you can help enhance your weight loss progress without losing any of those caffeinated perks.