Coffee - Benefits of quitting?

kshama2001 · January 2020

dougndebbi wrote: »

I would love to hear experiences from anyone who has stopped drinking coffee/regular caffeine.
After the addiction symptoms wear off, did you experience any benefits?
Thanks!

I'd need to know why you were quitting before responding.

TRIHARD36 · January 2020

None

feisty_bucket · January 2020

The general suggested limit for caffeine/day is 400mg. Within that range, there are cognitive benefits.

As for the coffee itself, it has lots of polyphenols that are good for you. Same for cacao and tea.

If someone's getting too much caffeine, it'd be a good idea to taper down to the 400mg range. Otherwise, carry on.

dougndebbi · January 2020

Thanks everyone for your responses.

I was intentional about not sharing why I was asking because I wanted to hear peoples’ personal experiences without any bias towards the reason I was asking.

I’m a pretty heavy coffee drinker right now. I have not measured it but would say approximately 600 to 800 mg a day.
I enjoy coffee, and recognize its health benefits, but would be willing to give it up if I had to.
For the past four months I’ve experienced extreme sadness the week of my menstruation. The rest of my life I feel great and am a happy person, but for about four days I am extremely down for no obvious reason. I have had a couple people in my life recommend that cutting back on coffee could be helpful.
I think I’m going to go ahead and cut back to 400 mg or less for a month, and see if that makes any difference.

(In case it matters for any further recommendations- I have drank coffee most of my adult life, am 39, at a healthy BMI (have always been), eat healthy most of the time but enjoy treats when I want to, and walk/run 12 to 15 miles a week.)

cwolfman13 · January 2020

dougndebbi wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your responses.
I was intentional about not sharing why I was asking because I wanted to hear peoples’ personal experiences without any bias towards the reason I was asking.

I’m a pretty heavy coffee drinker right now. I have not measured it but would say approximately 600 to 800 mg a day.
I enjoy coffee, and recognize its health benefits, but would be willing to give it up if I had to.
For the past four months I’ve experienced extreme sadness the week of my menstruation. The rest of my life I feel great and am a happy person, but for about four days I am extremely down for no obvious reason. I have had a couple people in my life recommend that cutting back on coffee could be helpful.
I think I’m going to go ahead and cut back to 400 mg or less for a month, and see if that makes any difference.

(In case it matters for any further recommendations- I have drank coffee most of my adult life, am 39, at a healthy BMI (have always been), eat healthy most of the time but enjoy treats when I want to, and walk/run 12 to 15 miles a week.)

400 Mg is roughly 3 8oz coffees, which is what I normally have in the morning when getting ready for work. I switched to decaf during both of my wife's pregnancies because she wasn't having caffeine and it just made things easier. I didn't notice a difference in anything, but I usually only have 3-4 cups in the morning.

kshama2001 · January 2020

dougndebbi wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your responses.
I was intentional about not sharing why I was asking because I wanted to hear peoples’ personal experiences without any bias towards the reason I was asking.

I’m a pretty heavy coffee drinker right now. I have not measured it but would say approximately 600 to 800 mg a day.
I enjoy coffee, and recognize its health benefits, but would be willing to give it up if I had to.
For the past four months I’ve experienced extreme sadness the week of my menstruation. The rest of my life I feel great and am a happy person, but for about four days I am extremely down for no obvious reason. I have had a couple people in my life recommend that cutting back on coffee could be helpful.
I think I’m going to go ahead and cut back to 400 mg or less for a month, and see if that makes any difference.

(In case it matters for any further recommendations- I have drank coffee most of my adult life, am 39, at a healthy BMI (have always been), eat healthy most of the time but enjoy treats when I want to, and walk/run 12 to 15 miles a week.)

1. Probably a good idea to cut back to 400 mg or less anyway
2. Probably has no relation to your menstrual blues. Does this happen beforehand, or during?

H_Ock12 · January 2020

Advantage - I dont drink plan coffee so cutting out coffee cuts down a host of calories for me.

Disadvantages - headaches, grogginess, sluggishness, lack of focus, irritation, constipation, the urge to go around ounhing people for no reason, decreased endurance in long runs

lynn_glenmont · January 2020

dougndebbi wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your responses.
I was intentional about not sharing why I was asking because I wanted to hear peoples’ personal experiences without any bias towards the reason I was asking.

I’m a pretty heavy coffee drinker right now. I have not measured it but would say approximately 600 to 800 mg a day.
I enjoy coffee, and recognize its health benefits, but would be willing to give it up if I had to.
For the past four months I’ve experienced extreme sadness the week of my menstruation. The rest of my life I feel great and am a happy person, but for about four days I am extremely down for no obvious reason. I have had a couple people in my life recommend that cutting back on coffee could be helpful.
I think I’m going to go ahead and cut back to 400 mg or less for a month, and see if that makes any difference.

(In case it matters for any further recommendations- I have drank coffee most of my adult life, am 39, at a healthy BMI (have always been), eat healthy most of the time but enjoy treats when I want to, and walk/run 12 to 15 miles a week.)

If it were the coffee, wouldn't you be sad all the time? It seems more likely it's a hormonal issue, and you might want to see a doctor.

lisa2113940 · January 2020

I stopped having so much nervous energy and anxiety attacks throughout the day. I stopped getting headaches from withdrawal when I waited too long to have my first cup or failed to drink enough. I basically realized that I'm actually a much more calm, stable person than I thought after drinking way too much coffee daily for years.

hesn92 · January 2020

I used to drink a ton of coffee all day long and once I stopped and just stuck with one or two in the morning I found I had more energy and stopped having that afternoon slump

Bluejay61 · January 2020

I used to be in love with coffee. The ritual of making it, the sipping of it, the jolt and sharpness I got from it, all were a deeply ingrained habit, and I had no real issues with it at all.

I had tried quitting coffee off and on for years, mostly to see if I could, but always drank tea too, so my whole adult life, I had some form of caffeine coursing through my veins. After menopause, though, I realized the effects of caffeine on me had changed drastically. For the first time, it made me really crabby and anxious, I wanted to tell off my boss all the time, my sleep was a mess, and I couldn't lose weight past 5 pounds (of the 30 I'd gained) and I was hungry a lot. (For the record, never drank anything but black coffee and plain black teas, no sugar or creamer.)

So, to improve my personality (ahem) I decided to approach it as an experiment. I got rid of coffee first, then switched to black tea, then green tea, then white tea....then NO caffeine at all, all over a period of about a month. As they say, here's what happened:

1. After the initial headache subsided...on the third day, I realized a new sense of calm. Hmm.
2. Without that certain chemical in coffee, I wasn't rushing to the toilet after that first morning cup anymore. My "movements" became normal again.
3. As I removed more and more caffeine (stimulant) out of my system, my appetite calmed down. Some people say that caffeine cuts their appetite, but for me (after menopause at least), it upped mine.
4. My hot flashes are now all but gone.
5. My sleep has vastly improved and become more normal now.
6. I finally got that ticker to move on the scale. Dropped 15 pounds in three months.
7. The sharpness I worried I'd lose without coffee was fake. I feel much more focused now than I ever did with caffeine.
8. And my doc says that my bone scans should improve because at the rate I was downing caffeine at my peak, it was leaching calcium from my body. Yikes.

Bottom line? I'm NEVER going back to caffeine. I feel liberated and free for the first time in a long time.

Now, in the morning, I drink Celestial Seasonings Rooibus and Madagascar Vanilla herbal tea. YUM.

kimny72 · January 2020

@Bluejay61 How many cups of coffee did you typically drink?

sulwen314 · January 2020

I had to quit all caffeine when I was 18 because it caused horrible stomach pain. As soon as I quit, the pain went away. It's a little weird to be completely caffeine free when 99% of people seem to be drinking it all the time, but honestly after all these years I don't miss it. I drink herbal tea when I want something hot and just water the rest of the time.

threewins · January 2020

I'm about 6 years without caffeine. I had issues related to addiction, tiredness, inner ear related plus a few other occasional things. Going without caffeine is extremely difficult initially, I would crave years afterwards. Is it worth it? Only you can find out, try going without and see what happens. I hope to never go back.

Danp · January 2020

The only benefit I can think of is when you come to the realisation that quitting coffee was the dumbest move ever that first cup back would be sublime!

kristen8000 · January 2020

I'm pretty sure me quitting coffee would have a more negative affect on others than it would have a positive effect on my health. But more power to you! My Mom quit cold turkey 15+ years ago (acid reflux issues) and hasn't had a drop since.

Coffee - Benefits of quitting?

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