Weening off caffiene

sphyxy

I have been dependent on large amounts of caffeine for about 10 years now and really trying to cut back to one cup a day. If I drink one cup of coffee a day I will feel like a zombie! I can easily rack up 6-10 cups a day depending on how long I am out of the house.

I really hate depending on it and I hate the added calories of agave and soy creamer. I am not fond of black coffee so adding in that stuff just makes it worse.

Any tips for ditching the caffeine? I quit smoking a year ago and said that this habit would be next but I have been taking my good old time on cutting back.

returntorural

I'd also be interested in learning any tips to quit caffeine. I have a caffeine pill habit. I'm thinking that maybe switching to B vitamins or some more benign pill will help curb the pill-popping habit I've developed.

Renae_Nae

Wait til you have a 3-4 day weekend that you can just lay around and quit cold turkey! That works the best for me...the first 3 days are by far the worse but after that I feel so much better! Just watch out for your body trying to take on extra calories to deal with the lack of energy.

dkbaron

I was addicted to Diet DP and decided I needed to give up the caffeine for health reasons. I quit cold turkey. It was rough for a few days but I knew once I got through that I would be good to go. That was several years ago. 78 days ago I gave up drinking soda of any kind. I don't miss the caffeine at all but I do miss my Diet Caffeine Free DP... Good Luck...

melann1974

I also have (had) issues with caffeine. In the past, if I didn't have lots of caffeine, I was a real b****. My husband would go to the store to get me some if I ran out just so I could function. I've been that way since I was a teenager. I started a new diet in March (ViSalus shakes) and for some reason I don't crave caffeine. It is the first time in my life that I can go days without any caffeine and no one gets hurt. I am not sure why it helps. I hope you can find some help with this.

wild_wild_life

Wait til you have a 3-4 day weekend that you can just lay around and quit cold turkey! That works the best for me...the first 3 days are by far the worse but after that I feel so much better! Just watch out for your body trying to take on extra calories to deal with the lack of energy.

I quit caffeine cold turkey recently -- was probably drinking 3 cups of coffee/day on average. If you go this route, I agree, do not have anything important planned for the next few days. I had a headache and was draggy and useless for about 2 days, on the 3rd day I could function almost normally, and after that I felt great. I imagine it would be pretty much the same going from 10 cups to 1.

Acg67

Go cold turkey, when you get a headache, have a little and each day you'll need less and less

perfectstartingnow

I used to drink 4-5 cups of diet soda a day. I started drinking only one cup in the morning for a few days and then I just quit altogether. You will most likely get really bad headaches the first few days but after that you should be fine!

DeeDee2211

I used to drink 5 to 6 cups a day, had to cut out caffeine because of a medication, my Dr. told me I could have 2 cups of real coffee a day, I started drinking decafe and eventually I switched over to all decafe, took about 2 weeks. I had no withdrawal symptons at all. I feel 100% better, have more energy, it is great. Good luck!

AmyLRed

in November, i quit my diet dr pepper. It was tough! lol
I was drinking it from the time i got out of bed until bedtime each day ,every day. I drank nothing else....ever! Week one, i went to 1 planned soda a day, and for headaches in between, i would use excedrin (some caffeine as well as Tylenol and aspirin) and if i needed too, half a can or less of soda. Week 2, no soda, except that less than half a can at lunch each day. By half way through that week, i didnt even drink it at all anymore. The headaches were the worst of it, but i was determined to kick the habit as my first big step in making myself healthy. It can be done!

I now have an occasional diet coke if i am out to eat or something, but thats it.

wackyfunster

Coffee is the nectar of the gods! Start drinking good coffee, and learn to enjoy it black (good coffee is not bitter, and quite enjoyable without anything added). Problem solved!

barbaracoffing

You know what helped me? Green tea! I drank 3 (large) cups each morning, and I slowly replaced one cup at a time with hot green tea w/sweetener (the k-cup kind). Not only does green tea increase your metabolism and keep you from feeling hungry (has dieting benefits), I didn't get the headache this way. I'm down to one cup a day. In that one cup I now use the sugar free creamer (International Vanilla) and it's only 30 calories per Tbsp). I just can't give up that one morning cup!!!!

sugarbunnie

I just went through this! I had never been a caffeine user until about 7 months ago. I've always believed a good night's sleep and proper diet were much better than relying on a stimulant. But, I went through a pretty stressful 8 month period and in addition to putting on some weight, I also picked up the bad habit of coffee.
What started out as a half-caf iced americano or soy latte quickly became full caf, and soon I was drinking large iced americanos daily like a pro - what a nice compliment to the 15 lbs I put on! ugh

I decided to put all my new bad habits (caffeine, refined sugar, gluten, dairy) to a screeching halt, and gave up everything cold turkey and braced myself for the worst. What followed were 3 days of absolute misery - I had never experienced caffeine withdrawal before, and had I not looked up the symptoms on the 3rd day, I would have probably taken myself to the hospital.

Days 1 and 2 I was unable to get out of bed. I was shaky, lethargic, woozy, groggy, fuzzy, and suffering through 48 hours of migraines, I even threw up a number of times. I couldn't eat, I couldn't do anything. I awoke on Day 3 with a bad headache and terrible muscle aches in my legs, still queasy, I stayed in bed most of the day and forced myself to drink a lot of young fresh coconut water and fresh juices (I made pineapple and orange). I started to feel a little better. Days 4 and 5 the headache continued but I was able to be up and about at home, even ran a few errands (still feeling lethargic and fuzzy). Ate only raw fruits and vegetables, and lots of homemade fresh fruit and fruit/veggie juices, lots of coconut water. By Day 6, I was feeling so much better, and almost back to normal.

It's been about 3 weeks now, and I can tell you I will NEVER go back to caffeine again. For something to take such a toll on the body coming off of it, it simply cannot be good for you. My morning beverage of choice is back to freshly juiced pineapple, melon, papaya, and citrus (any of those or a combination of them!). It gives me all the jolt I need to get going, and is 100% good for you.

sphyxy

Wow, thanks to everyone for their responses!! My main worry is feeling tired without the coffee. I don't know what else would give me energy like coffee does.

I wish I could have a couple days off in a row but working swing shift at my job kills me.

30poundsofbeauty

Learn to drink it black! Coffee is really good for you! There are tons of studies that prove that.

It definitely is an acquired taste though. I used to drink coffee with cream and sugar but ever since I switched to black.. I've never gone back. It especially tastes good with something sweet - like a PB&J sandwich, a small cookie/brownie or those cake pops from Starbucks. Black Coffee + something sweet = heaven.

snaxandpop

Take a long weekend and go cold turkey, plan to lay around and do nothing but nap from time to time. Be careful with the pills to help in the weening process, they affected my liver.

Prahasaurus

What's wrong with coffee??? Buy a Nespresso machine and drink a proper espresso each morning without milk. Or three. Avoid overpriced, milky, flavored Starbucks. Avoid American brewed coffee.

Avoid all soft drinks. Just have coffee, tea (no sugar - green tea is fantastic), and water.

--P

caraiselite

i love coffee. i can't imagine giving it up. just drink less.

almond milk and stevia. less carbs =]

beachlover317

You know what helped me? Green tea! I drank 3 (large) cups each morning, and I slowly replaced one cup at a time with hot green tea w/sweetener (the k-cup kind). Not only does green tea increase your metabolism and keep you from feeling hungry (has dieting benefits), I didn't get the headache this way. I'm down to one cup a day. In that one cup I now use the sugar free creamer (International Vanilla) and it's only 30 calories per Tbsp). I just can't give up that one morning cup!!!!

This is the way I quit drinking 2 liters of Diet Pepsi a day. It really doesn't affect your calorie intake - but does the pocketbook! Plus I feel SOOOOOOOOOOO much better. Best of luck to you!!!

Crystalchaos72

I would not want to give up coffee unless medically necessary, I drink almost 3 pots a day and use half and half and fake sweetener. Quitting my 5# every 2 weeks sugar in my coffee was hard enough! I can survive without my *normal allowance* of at least 2 pots a day, drinking water, lots of it keeps the headache at bay:) good luck!

aquariumche

Hi sphyxy,
I used to drink a lot of coffee (like, instead of water) a couple of years back. I was so caffeine tolerant I was able to drink a cup and go to sleep. I manage to quit without effort for approximately a month. My way - the Shangri-La Diet (disclaimer: I was too lazy to check if it works as weight loss program but it definitely helps with quitting coffee). The idea is you need to drink only water for 2 hours a day and eat a spoon of sugar/oil in the middle. I work 2 hours before lunch and 6 after. So I had the morning window to do that (only water) but got distracted almost every day so I had to make another 2 hour window after lunch. After the 2nd 2hour window I got sleepy and drank a cup of coffee. After a week or two I noticed I did not get sleepy in the afternoon so I continued drinking water and/or tea.

Hope this makes sense and helps you You don't need the sugar/oil at all, just the 2hour window.

I still drink 1 espresso every morning but I don't feel guilty about it. The only downside - I love Coca Cola from time to time, but now if I drink more than 2 cups I cannot sleep.

Dave198lbs

there are many benefits to caffeine but adding sweetners can make it a calorie nightmare. I prefer black but you need to get a good coffee maker and good coffee but its worth it.

But if you are going to quit, the best way is to just do it. teasing yourself with weening and tapering off is a sure fire way to prolong your misery. if really needed during withdrawal, take a caffeine pill or an exederin and drink alot of water.

vypremik

I have weened off of caffeine a few times. It is hard to stay off because it is a drug. It may not be as powerful as some other drugs, but it still is a drug.

When I drink caffeine, I am tired every morning, tired in the late afternoon, and tired in the evening, but then can't go to sleep when I get into bed at night.

I hate it.

Here is my experience from the times I have done it:

First few days, as many people have said, you will have really bad headaches. The best treatment is sleep and painkillers (Ibuprofen, Aspirin, etc). If you drink a lot of caffeine, count on having almost no energy for two to three days.

You will continue to be tired for at least two weeks, possibly for three months or more. When you feel like you are too tired to move, you can give in to it and take a short nap, or you can fight it by getting up and doing something active. The longer you go, the better you will fell if you actually get active to fight your sleepiness.

Three times I have weened off of caffeine. Each time, it took about three months to feel like I was completely off of it. Each day was better, but it took that long for my body to recover.

Why did I go back? The first time for creativity. I am a writer and a teacher and I thought I had lost my creativity when I stopped caffeine. Since then I have learned more about it and found ways to still be creative. The next two times, it was due to a schedule change.

The benefits? I didn't feel tired during the day and I slept well at night. I also found that I could stay up later if I needed to or could get up in the middle of the night and be awake very quickly.

I currently have about 1 diet coke a day and am planning on stopping it soon. I just have to find the right time to do it.

It is a personal choice for me because I hate letting anything have that much control over me.