For those who stopped drinking coffee.....

gonnabea5

gonnabea5

Cathlete
how long before the head fog goes away? Im weening myself off. Today's the last day for .5 Cup. The problem is, coffee usually gets me going first thing in the morning. My workouts are really suffering cause I don't have the energy. I know this will pass, but when??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Thanks
 
Not happening here! LOL...Coffee is my only vice....( I guess if you can call it a vice)...that and candy....I would definitely give up sweets, and anything else..but NEVER coffee!

Is it for health reasons?

Deb
 
Abruptly stopping coffee or anything else containing caffeine can cause a caffeine withdrawal headache, especially if your intake was high before stopping. It sounds as though you have gradually reduced your intake, which is a good way to avoid the headache. The time until you don't feel any ill effect from stopping depends on your prior intake and your sensitivity to the absence of caffeine but my guess is it will be soon.
 
I love my coffee! The only thing I need to change about it is not sweetening it with coffee creamer. Otherwise, moderate consumption of coffee has actually been shown to be healthy! The key is to drink in moderation and if possible...drinking it black (something I'm still working on!). Anything in excess is bad for you, but it seems up to 2 cups a day has a multitude of health benefits. So, I don't feel at all guilty for drinking it. ;)
Drinking Coffee May Delay Alzheimer
Coffee in Moderation May Lower Heart Failure Risk
The Buzz on Coffee
Coffee drinkers have lower risk of death, study suggests
Caffeinated coffee may reduce the risk of oral cancers
Moderate coffee consumption may reduce risk of diabetes by up to 25 percent
 
Yall, have been absolutely NO HELP! lol

OMG. I know the benefits, but there are ill-effects as well for me. I think it causes cravings. I won't know for sure til I give it up. Plus the havoc with sugar it causes to aging skin. Really don't know if I can really stop, but I'm doing good so far.

I'll keep yall posted. Sipping my last .5 cup now.
 
If I gave up coke first thing in the morning you can give up coffee, not easy at first but now the thought of it makes me gag. I replaced it with green juice and am sooooo much healthier for it. Tough it out you will be glad you did! Good luck! ;)
 
gonnabea5 said:
Yall, have been absolutely NO HELP! lol

OMG. I know the benefits, but there are ill-effects as well for me. I think it causes cravings. I won't know for sure til I give it up. Plus the havoc with sugar it causes to aging skin. Really don't know if I can really stop, but I'm doing good so far.

I'll keep yall posted. Sipping my last .5 cup now.
Click to expand...

Oh no! I'm sorry! :eek: I am absolutely no help...I'm a coffee nut. :eek: lol I am putting this out there...tomorrow I WILL drink my coffee black! Okay, I said it now I HAVE to do it! :eek:

Good luck eliminating the coffee!! One thing is for sure, you'll be glad your not addicted to caffeine anymore! (like me :eek:)
 
gonnabea5 said:
Yall, have been absolutely NO HELP! lol

OMG. I know the benefits, but there are ill-effects as well for me. I think it causes cravings. I won't know for sure til I give it up. Plus the havoc with sugar it causes to aging skin. Really don't know if I can really stop, but I'm doing good so far.

I'll keep yall posted. Sipping my last .5 cup now.
Click to expand...
I went cold turkey during a trip to New Orleans in 1997. I ate entirely too much food and sucked down ginger ale every morning for breakfast. I don't remember suffering from the fogginess and headaches which surprised me because I drank a pot of coffee every morning and switched to iced tea at lunch and drank that until bedtime. I literally can't drink anything with caffeine now. I feel like crap if I do.

Have you done a Google search for any quick fixes for the withdrawal symptoms?

You can do it. Try to think positive.
 
Colleen,

I used to put milk/creamer in my coffee, and decided it was too many calories etc. I switched to drinking it black and now anything in it makes me gag. It also eliminates the variations of how it tasted.

I could probably give it up if I really wanted to...but I don't! :)
 
I gave up caffeine the day after Easter 2010. I had been having a large size coffee shop coffee every morning for years, and had started having panic attacks, racing heart and digestion problems. Cutting out the caffeine (cold turkey) got rid of those problems. I had that morning fog for a week or so (if that), but in comparison to the issues that went away, it was nothing. I still drink decaf coffee because I love the taste. I also drink weak green tea, which probably has some small amount of caffeine but doesn't have a noticeable effect (my tea is not much more than hot water anyway). I remember the nice stimulant effect of caffeine, but the memories of the other symptoms are still strong enough to outweigh it and I haven't gone back. For energy in the morning now, I make sure I drink lots of water and get a workout most days.

Stebby
 
I gave up caffeine about 20 years ago. I was having heart palpitations (that'll make you give it up!). I went cold turkey and took tylenol for about a week and a half. Then a funny thing happened. I started sipping decaf green tea with lemon in the morning. That completely took the place of drinking coffee for me. I realized part of the "addiction" is from the comfort of sipping on something warm plus raising your body temp after sleeping. I haven't touched a drop of coffee and am satisfied. I substituted a healthy addiction for an unhealthy (for me) one. Find a substitute -- it might help you too. Good luck.
 
You can do it!! The fog will pass, hopefully soon.

I agree with the above poster - perhaps drinking green tea with lemon in it will become a welcome replacement. I start my day with white tea with cucumber and lemon (I add the lemon, the cucumber is part of the tea) and then I move onto a green smoothie. And I frequently do one of Cathe's tabata - I love starting my day this way. I am sure you will find what works for you!

I KNOW quitting coffee is really tough and since this is your goal I am sending you positive vibes!

- sarah
 
For me I feel hungover for a couple days, then it's a lot better but still I think it's about a week until I'm free and clear. I've gone off coffee a few times ;)

I also drink green tea with lemon in the morning. About 25 mg caffeine, which is low enough that if I skip a day I have no ill side effects. I love coffee but I hate that feeling of dependence.

Also, fun fact: adding lemon to green/white tea increases the antioxidant content.

Antioxidant levels in green and white tea with or without lemon (mmol/l Fe2+):
White tea w/out lemon 4.02
Green tea w/out lemon 5.73
Green tea w/ lemon 6.39
White tea w/ lemon 15.20

And if you buy organic lemons so you can throw the whole wedge in there rather than just the juice, the smell is divine.
 
I'm having the opposite issue...I've never been a coffee drinker but it seems I'm always hearing about the health benefits of coffee so I started having one cup a day a few months ago. In the past I would have a cup of decaf once in a while if we were somewhere it was being served w/ dessert but I would have to put cream and sugar in it to tolerate the taste. I've given up the sugar and use low fat milk now and have gotten to where I actually enjoy my morning cup of java. I still have to be careful w/ the caffeine though b/c it can still make me pretty jittery if the coffee is too strong :eek:
 
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