Today is day 5 of no coffee. Oh it's horrible, I'm getting terrible headaches and I'm not usually a headache sufferer. I decided to quit during my pre-op diet and it's been rough. I gave up soda cold turkey in December with no problems. I was hoping coffee would be the same.

I am a coffee connoisseur/addict and I, too, cut coffee out pre-op. Starting out slow like you are doing is the best way to do it. I would drink multiple cups per day, and could even drink it right before hitting the hay at night.

I started with only allowing one cup in the morning and another cup later when and if I wanted it. Then after a week I allowed only one cup in the morning and if I wanted more coffee later I had herbal tea instead. Then after another week I was only having a cup in the morning maybe 3-4 times a week, and over the next week weened myself off and drank lots of herbal tea.

For almost two months pre-op I was off coffee and only on herbal tea. Speaking of herbal tea. It 'saved my life' during the first month post-op. It was practically the only thing I could drink right away, and without it I would have never made my fluid intake requirements. I still drink it, but now that I'm almost five months out I am drinking coffee again.

There are some days that I go a little overboard, but I try to stick to 2-3 cups a day at the most. Sometime I only have one.

If you're not much of a tea drinker there is likely something you'd like considering the variety. I personally could only drink the red teas (like hibiscus, red zinger, raspberry zinger) plain. They were good and sometime I put a tad bit of Truvia in them. With others I drank (chamomile, berry teas, and so on) I needed 1/4 tsp of Truvia and 1/4 cup of light original soy milk (cream tastes funky in tea, IMO). Once I was okay'd for caffeine I started drinking Spiced Chai with the Truvia & soy milk and it is awesome!

Good luck. Coffee is so darn good.