Kickin Caffeine/Coffee Habit

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bebe3232
bebe3232 Posts: 43
in Food and Nutrition
Ok I want to stop drinking coffee because it adds unnecessary calories to my diet and I don't like feeling dependent on a substance even if it is just caffeine. I can't stand to drink it black, I use the flavored creamer which adds lots of calories, carbs, and sugars. I can not stop drinking it cold turkey because I am very addicted to it and I get an extremely bad headache and feel like a zombie with a hangover all day if I don't have a cup or 2. I don't drink pop anymore and was able to drop that habit easily with no backlash. My question is for former coffee addicts how were you able to kick the habit? I've been considering taking a caffeine supplement pill for now b/c its calorie free.

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  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
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    Ok I want to stop drinking coffee because it adds unnecessary calories to my diet and I don't like feeling dependent on a substance even if it is just caffeine. I can't stand to drink it black, I use the flavored creamer which adds lots of calories, carbs, and sugars. I can not stop drinking it cold turkey because I am very addicted to it and I get an extremely bad headache and feel like a zombie with a hangover all day if I don't have a cup or 2. I don't drink pop anymore and was able to drop that habit easily with no backlash. My question is for former coffee addicts how were you able to kick the habit? I've been considering taking a caffeine supplement pill for now b/c its calorie free.

    A caffeine pill doesn't solve your issue if you are trying to stop a caffeine dependence.

    Personally, I don't see anything wrong with a cup or two of coffee. You can try measuring your cream(regular old half and half) and using a sugar free syrup to get the flavoring you enjoy. Torani makes many of them and there are other brands.

    To cut the caffeine, try mixing regular and decaffeinated coffee to wean yourself off the caffeine. If you try to go cold turkey, expect some nasty headaches.
  • TS65
    TS65 Posts: 1,024 Member
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    I refuse to quit coffee - it's my on vice. Have you considered the sugar free or fat free creamers. I also mix in protein powder to up the nutritional value. My coffee ends up being 45 calories in the morning (with the creamer), or 122 calories (with the protein powder).

    IF you truly want to quit - why not substitute decaf (first 1/4, then a 1/2, then 3/4 until you're all the way down to decaf). Then 2 cups a day, then 1.5, 1, 1/2 - until you're not wanting it or drinking it.
  • LesliePierceRN
    LesliePierceRN Posts: 860 Member
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    I thought about kicking it too, when I first started here, but then I noticed some things.. first off, it's got potassium in it, and at 5 cals for two cups, that's an excellent trade. I don't drink mine black either, and the skim milk I add gives me calcium and protein. Again, good for me. Plus studies show that runners who drink at least two cups of coffee per day have more endurance. That means we can work out even longer to burn even more calories.

    But if you still feel like you want to be rid of the habit, anytime I've quit before, I deal with the sluggishness for the couple of days that it occurs and pop advil in the mean time to quell the headache.
  • JMun
    JMun Posts: 409
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    I'm drinking coffee right now!

    I drink it with sweetner and milk. I exercise a lot so I reakon I can blow 50 cals on a nice big cup in the morning :grumble:

    But if you're trying to cut it out why not switch to green tea. Natural green tea has a little bit of caffeine in it but its a great cleansing drink and will wean you off the hard stuff :laugh:
  • chasingskinny
    chasingskinny Posts: 54
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    Atlantique is right. A little coffee isn't necessarily a bad thing. But if you want to get rid of it altogether, and you don't want the headache/zombiness for a week or two, then do it slowly. Lower your intake by a cup every week. That's how I did it. I only drink 3 or 4 cups a week now.
  • thatgirlLeah
    thatgirlLeah Posts: 44 Member
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    Hey there! I'm a coffee lover too but, like you, don't want to NEED it! I do like black brewed coffee but used to indulge in sugary mochas and lattes fairly frequently. Now I don't get the sugary flavoring, I just get a skim latte and that is a perfect treat for me. I also don't have them every day. 1-2 per week is indulgence enough. I've gotten off of Coca Cola which is poison in a can and that's been hard but a great move toward a healthier body and life.

    As for getting off of the caffeine without the headaches, I remembered that some teas have caffeine so I googled it. I'm not a tea drinker but looking at the info (I posted what I found below), I think if you replaced your coffee with black tea for a week, then step down to green tea for a week, then reduce the number of servings per day, you could do it without the headaches. Just an idea.

    I used to use caffeine pills when I was in school and they are SO HARD on my body! I wouldn't recommend using them. Honestly, I'd rather stay addicted to Coca Cola than take them...that's saying something about how bad I think they are. Eeeks!



    Green tea at 15-40 milligrams per cup is low compared to:

    *the average cup of black tea at 40-80 milligrams
    *instant coffee at 50-100 milligrams per cup
    *drip coffee at 100-200 milligrams per cup
    *espresso at 100 milligrams for only two ounces (that’s 400 mgs. for the same 8 ounces)
    *soft drinks currently vary from 0 to 80 mgs. per 8 ounces
    *new energy/sports drinks average 80 mgs. per 8 ounces
    *over-the-counter caffeinated pain relief tablets vary from 30 mgs. to 100 mgs.
    *or caffeine tablets that vary from 100 mgs. to 200 mgs.

    Here is the link if you want to see the whole web page: http://www.green-tea-health-news.com/caffeine-content-of-green-tea.html

    EDIT: Ps. The milligrams listed above are milligrams of caffeine. I just realized it doesn't specifically say that in the part I cut and pasted. :wink:
  • 1234lbsgone
    1234lbsgone Posts: 296 Member
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    If you want to quit, do it on a weekend. The withdrawls only last a couple of days at the most. The second day is the worst. I give up caffiene every now and again for a few weeks. It gets easier every time. Now I drink it because I like it, not because I need it. My first time, I woke up and took Motrin immediately to tackle the headache before it began. It helped alot. Cold turkey seems worse, but it's actually easier. Once you get passed the tough part, it's a breeze. Just check your other foods and drinks. Once your are cleansed of the caffiene, a little chocolate could make you jittery. Or I'm just super sensitive, lol.
  • bebe3232
    bebe3232 Posts: 43
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    I like the idea of replacing coffee with black tea maybe I will try that and then wing myself off slowly. Thanks for all the tips guys!
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,954 Member
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    Can I admit that i was drinking my coffee while reading this? :D Clearly I am still addicted so you may not want to follow my advice but here goes.

    Slowly decrease the amount of coffee you have each day until you've weaned yourself off. If you want it to go faster, switch to black tea then decrease that. Other sources of caffeine would be in soft drinks, tea, chocolate and any energy supplements/drinks you'll want to read the ingredients carefully because most of them have caffeine too. If you are wanting to get off caffeine completely you'll want to make sure you've weaned out all sources.

    Drink lots of water while you're detoxing too. If you go carefully you should be able to avoid the headaches for the most part. I have gotten myself off coffee before but I really like the flavor and couldn't find any replacements that I liked well enough so I went back. I used to drink mine with lots of flavored creamer but over time I retrained myself to drink it with just a little half and half (the real stuff, not that chemical filled "fat free" garbage.)

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