"Kicking the Coffee Habit"

FluffehMama

Hi Everyone,

I'm an extreme lover of coffee and expresso; but would love to kick the habit and have more "natural" energy than all the empty calories that I'm consuming each day. And that's not to mention the time that I could be saving in not having to have my "fix" each morning or when I'm feeling run down. And another thing...when I don't have it I tend to be ill and just run down and that is not a good thing. I would really love to feel perky without "perking" up that cup of java juice, lol.

Any tips, suggestions, experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Take Care,

Fluffehmama

P.S. I thought I could quit cold turkey; but I've tried that and I get these extreme headaches and feel way too sluggish during the day.

KimmyBee

Im also a coffe lover. But i dont think im quite ready to give it up yet.

Why dont you try weaning yourself off it. Every week swap one of your regular joes for a cup of decaff, then the next week swap two, then three and so on..

This way your body can adjust and you still get the taste and warmth a good old mug brings.

Eventually youll be completely off te habit drinking nothing but decaff and if you wish you can slowly cut down on those too. Only it will be much easier as there will be no caffeine in them to give you that buzz.

This method should also lessen those awful withdrawl symptoms of the headaches.

joeysmuse

you do realize coffee has very little calories if any

Hopeful4757

I give you credit - I love my coffee! My friend tried stopping when she was pregnant and would do half regular/half decaf for awhile. It's a pain if you make it at home though. It worked for her.

JamesGregory

I love coffee. I'm drinking it right now. Fluffehmama, what all are you putting in your coffee to have so many empty calories? I use skim milk and equal. That comes out to about 85 calories for the day for me. It is a drink I enjoy immensely; I'm not giving it up. NO way.

Good luck in your decision, James

shellgib

Yes, coffee itself has few calories, but the cream and sugar adds a lot. I, too, was addicted to caffeine and when I decided to make a change in my lifestyle this time around that was one of the things I chose to change as well. Not so much for the caffeine (although I did want to cut back on that) but more so for the creamer that added the empty calories and the artificial sweetener I used. I used to drink 2 cups of coffee in the morning and then have a diet pepsi in the afternoon. If I missed any of these "doses" I would get a headache. So I started by cutting out the 2nd cup of morning coffee and if I started to get a headache I would take tylenol. Then I stopped having the afternoon pepsi (mostly because of the artificial sweeteners that I was hearing could undermine weightloss) Then I switched from coffee to mint green tea, which still has a lot of caffeine, but I don't need to add creamer, and I switched from aspartame sweeteners to Sun Crystals, which don't have any chemical additives. I still have energy, don't get headaches and my skin complexion has improved! :happy: If I'm feeling a little sluggish in the afternoon or if I have a headache coming on in the afternoon, I will add a packet of Crystal Light "Energy" to my water, which has a tiny dose of caffiene. :drinker:

This has worked for me since January and I have come to really enjoy my mint flavored green tea, plus it's got all the great antioxidants! Hope this is helpful and that you find something that works for you! Cheers! :drinker:

stylistchik

You specifically said you love your espresso and very few places serve a good tasting plain espresso so I'm guessing all your calories are coming from lattes (milk) and flavorings (all sugar) and so on. Id's start by switching to a plain old cup o joe with some milk or cream or w/e and wean yourself down from there.

BrendaW1

I am a coffer lover too. Use to drink a whole pot in the morning and half of one at night but have cut way down. Sure wouldn't want to just quick. Not yet.


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods

FluffehMama

Thanks to everyone for your replies! I enjoyed the advice, tips and encouragement that you took the time to give. I'm still working on this "habit". Right now, (today) I had regular coffee instead of the expresso-which always includes loads of sugar- added. I know that all the sugar is not good for me so I've got to tackle that, too. I'm thinking about using honey, eventually. I'm a work in progress when it comes to my love for coffee. (At this point, it's a great NEED according to my body and that's not good.)

Taking it day by day,

Fluffehmama

Serenifly

[True True Coffee lover talking]

What are yer puttin' in yer coffee to make it high-[scoff]- Empty-colories? ! ? Hardly any calories in Coffee (does dehydrate you though)....

lol I'm a freaking stan-the-java-man addict though haha so don't listen to me ... But Coffee I will not give up! I'll give up condements, Sugar, Chocolate, Deserts, my left boobie .. Well before i give up my Italian Drip Coffee with two shots of Espresso added delight ..

/starbucks commercial

Rokssana

I kicked my coffee habit three months ago and haven't drank any since. I decided it was time to stop when I had to have at least 2 - 3 cups a day but thankfully I didn't get headaches, I was just really cranky. I now drink Tetley's British tea and its great! I have about 2 cups per week and it suits me just fine, I don't know it Tetley's British tea is much better than coffee but I don't feel the need to drink it and I feel much healthier.

Johnnyswife

Coffe has a good amount of potassium in it which I really need, so I'm not giving it up. Are you drinking green tea instead?

jesielin23

I hear ya! I LOVE my lattes...the only problem is that I don't like the sugar free stuff...so I end up consuming A LOT of empty calories..I'm trying to quit also..and it is HARD!!! One thing that helped me in the past ( I quit caffeine and sugar completely for 6 mos.) was herbal green tea...It's not the same by any means, but it has health benefits and helps not to get the caffeine withdrawl headaches so that you can slowly wean off without all the calories. Plus, it does taste ok with a little organic honey in it Good Luck, Like I said..I'm in the same boat and it is SO HARD!!

Modari

I used to be a major coffee addict also. I kicked the habit about 7 months ago. A Naturopath told me that coffee taxes the adrenal system and makes your body product cortisol (a stress response). When your body is producing too much cortisol it is near impossible to lose weight, tone muscles, get a proper night's sleep, etc. Coffee is also very acidic and creates an imbalance in your body's pH. Now I allow myself one coffee on the weekend as a treat. In the mornings I drink a green smoothie (usually with spirulina, blueberries, kefir yogurt, and almond milk). I have so much more energy now than I did when I drank coffee and I don't have the mid afternoon slump or the headaches associated with coffee addiction.

AnnieeR

I'm compromising, rather than giving up, because I just enjoy it too much! I have 2 - 3 cups, black, in the morning but I quit by noon and switch to green tea with lemon if I want something warm to drink. I also have upped my water intake a lot to counter act the dehydration factor. Sometimes I also blend half caf and half decaf....

Junisahn

I love coffee, but have always had it black, black, black, so I'm not looking to cut it out.

However, I breastfeed my daughter, and have cut out some of the caffeine by drinking 1/2 caff in the morning - I mix my own (because we already have regular hanging around for my husband, and I also drink decaf after dinner).

I probably drink 6-8 cups of coffee a day between the 1/2 caff and decaf, which ends up being 2-3 cups of regular strength. I drink about 12 cups of water a day, so dehydration is never a problem.

BiloxiBelle

I have been wondering if I should worry about my morning coffee as well, so I did some research just yesterday. Other people have already mentioned how the real negative of coffee is what you put in it. But in terms of just the coffee here's what I found:

Harvard published that you are 50% less likely to get liver cancer if you're a coffee drinker, as well as a decreased chance of colon, breast & rectal cancer. You're also half as likely to get diabetes if you're a pretty heavy coffee drinker. WebMD: coffee has more antioxidants than ANY other food or beverage & decreases chance of Alzheimers.

There can be negatives: iron deficiancy, decreased calcium absorption, cholestrol level increases, & of course the caffeine risks (heart burn, increased blood pressure, sleeplessness...)

So for me the pros outweigh the cons due to colon cancer & Alzheimers running strong in my family. I limit to 2-3 cups a day. I'm working on figuring out how to get rid of the coffeemate...thinking vanilla almond milk? ANyway, just my 2 cents...

rosesoflove1025

I too was a coffeeholic...I used to drink 2-4 8 oz cups a day. I stopped drinking coffee because my ob/gyn said that excessive caffiene can cause cysts on your ovaries. I stopped drinking coffee on May 31, 2009 and I have to say it was really hard the first two weeks, after that it got much better. I found that unsweetened tea or iced tea helped me overcome the carving for coffee and by September 2009, I didn't miss it anymore.

BiloxiBelle

I found that unsweetened tea or iced tea helped me overcome the carving for coffee and by September 2009, I didn't miss it anymore.

I'm sure you know this, but for those who may just be reading this...remember majority of tea has caffeine as well. SO if your reason for wanting to stop drinking coffee is just the caffeine, be sure you're buying tea w/no caffeine. :flowerforyou:

IrishChik

*raises hand*
Hello, my name is Chrys, and I am also a self proclaimed coffee addict.

I used to drink a LOT of tea, black and green. In time I just got bored of it. Although I still drink it (as a mid day booster, snack, or after dinner treat), I find myself loving my coffee even more.

My fiancé and I treat ourself to whole beans. It is one of the small indulgences we can afford. We will grind our own beans and brew the coffee. On the weekends we have his five year old daughter and it is a big deal for her to be able to make the coffee.

We have found that we do not need to make it full of calories to be able to enjoy it. And coffee in moderation can actually be quite healthy for you.

We have replaced sugar with Splenda and then replaced creamer with the new Almond Breeze almond milk as it only has 60 calories per cup, and we only use 3tbsp. We can enjoy a full cup of coffee for a very small amount of coffee. For us, it makes it worth it.

Aside from my occasional cup of tea, this is the only caffeine beverage I drink. I have to limit myself to just one otherwise I will be up all night. I have a low tolerance for caffeine.

We buy a light roast, usually breakfast blend or flavors for a nice treat.

I know it is hard to give up, but personally I do not see why I have to?

Our local coffee house has gotten to know us well, they brew coffee, have sugar free flavors and Splenda. Starbucks can make you a nice treat for pretty low in calories as well. You just have to ask them!