Advice for cutting back on caffiene?

jennyonthespot
jennyonthespot Posts: 98 Member
edited October 2 in Health and Weight Loss
I want to cut back on my caffiene intake. I have an inner ear problem that it aggravates and I tend to consume a lot of aspertame with my caffiene. Not too healthy. I rely on my first cup of coffee in the morning and I drink at least two diet sodas a day. Anyone have any pointers for the transition process? I'm on day 1 and my head is killing me, so I had half a can of coke. I will do this, but I sure would love to make the process a little nicer. :-) Any advice??

Oh and something I'm really curious about is: Have you noticed any difference since you've cut caffiene out of your diet? More energy, less energy, better sleep at night?

Replies

  • Sweet13_Princess
    Sweet13_Princess Posts: 1,207 Member
    Not only does caffeine give you withdrawal symptoms, but sugar substitutes like aspartame can as well.

    I'm assuming your focus is caffeine from your post, not sugar substitutes, so I'll focus on that....

    I'm currently doing the same thing, as I've been having breast tenderness from too much caffeine. The main thing is to do it gradually, so you don't have the withdrawal symptoms.

    I've started alternating caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. I have one regular java for breakfast, then at lunch I have decaf. Then, the next one can be regular again. I go back and forth. I don't lose the deliciousness of coffee or have the withdraw symptoms this way.

    Some people buy half-caf coffee too. I figure I'm doing basically the same thing by alternating. Eventually I'll be all decaf.

    Shannon
  • bmmarti3
    bmmarti3 Posts: 53 Member
    You can take Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen at the same time. It's killer on the liver, but I had to do it for a few days to get past the caffeine withdraw. They work in different manners so it's not doubling up, but read it's still bad for your liver so don't do it for more than a few days, and don't exceed the recommended doses listed on the bottles.

    After that just stay off the caffeine fora few weeks. Once you're off caffeine if/when you start back up, just consciously decide to make sure to limit yourself no no more than 1 or 2 drinks per day.

    I'm averaging about 1 or two during the weekdays and 0 or 1 on the weekends now. No more withdrawal headaches. It's nice.
  • Dtrmnd86
    Dtrmnd86 Posts: 406 Member
    I had to cut caffeine out of my diet because of stomach problems. I used to drink 3 cups a day. Instead of stopping cold turkey, I switched to half decaf half regular. Then I went to 2 cups, then 1 and so on. I never was a big soda drinker though so I'm not sure on how to cut that caffeine out. Good luck. You may have a headache for a week or so, but it will go away.
  • moondust7
    moondust7 Posts: 109 Member
    Coffee and some sodas really bother my stomach, so I make sure to only have 1-2 cups of coffee per week (I love it, and I've found that's a good amount for me to have and not bother my stomach or my sleep), but I've found that I can have a cup of tea every day. There's some caffeine in there, but it doesn't seem to be as much. If you're trying to cut down, tea might be an option (hot or cold, black or green). I love drinking it with sugar, but while I'm dieting I drink it plain and after a couple days it's pretty good that way and I don't need the sugar!
  • HollyMac20
    HollyMac20 Posts: 259 Member
    I recently cut both caffine and artificial sweeteners out of my diet due to bladder issues and abdominal pain. I only had 1 cup of coffee and day, but still had a withdrawal headaches. It lasted about a week and a half. I loaded up on water and took some advil when needed. A friend of mine said that she used Emergen-C when cutting out her caffine and only had a headache for a day or two.

    The withdrawal symptoms are no fun, but it just reinforces that what we are putting in our body may not be the best thing. It takes a little bit of being tough to get through it, but the reward is great. I have cut out those two items for a few weeks now and really feel a lot better. I sleep straight through the night, don't have the ups and downs during the day and my pain has subsided.

    Remember that caffine isn't just in coffee, it is energy drinks, soda, tea and even chocolate.

    And those sweeteners can be found is any diet or zero drink, sugar free foods, other diet or even low fat foods, most gums too!
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