Caffeine

[e_bowker]

I got to the point where I was drinking 4-6 Mountain Dews a day, mainly with meals. Two or three with lunch, another two or three at dinner. I rarely drank any without food, so maybe that helped when I decided to quit.
I tried to do it over the course of a couple weeks. One can with each meal for a few days, then one a day, then one a week.
Instead of the sodas with lunch, I turned to those single-packet, sugar-free drink mix things. I keep a Gatorade bottle filled with water at work, and two in the fridge at home and mix them up to wash down lunch and dinner.

I still drink a cup of coffee in the morning at work, and sweet tea or a coke when we go out to eat, but have largely eliminated the sodas from my diet. I bought a 24-pack of Mountain Dew right before I started this in late September and most of it is still sitting in our spare bedroom.
I dropped about 10 pounds in the first month without a ton of exercise, then another 10 in the last two months with some regular exercise, a bit of portion control and eating a few extra salads instead of burgers.

 

[SF_Express]

In my non-alcohol 2010, I discovered coffee. Funny how it took that long given the business I'm in.

But I drink one extra large Dunkin' Donuts coffee most mornings now, and maybe one or two more smaller cups during the course of the day.

This seems to be a lot to me given my previous coffee-less status, but based on others I know, it's really nothing. I'm just trying to drink more water, which has always been a problem for me anyway, and is even more important given how much I'm running.

 

[Moderator1]

We got some sodas on sale not long before Christmas and haven't bought any more. The plan is to do without them. Lots and lots and lots of water.

But I will not give up coffee. Ever under any circumstance. If the doctor says you'll die tomorrow if you don't, I'll say it's been a nice life and y'all just carry on without me. When my new home freezes over, I'll know the Nats have won the World Series.

 

[clintrichardson]

haven't had caffeine in 24 years. i quit it because i hated the nasty headaches i would get if i missed my morning coffee (or lunchtime coke, or....).

my only complaint is that even all this time later, if i eat too much chocolate, i get hit with a headache right away. but on the whole i don't miss it. i see people in supermarkets buying liters of cola and i feel like i'm looking at some sort of scocially acceptable addict. which i suppose i am.

 

[RickStain]

The point of quitting is at the store. If you don't buy it, you can't drink it. That's usually the key, or at least it was for me.

 

[93Devil]

Cute Mormon ad running on this page.

 

[Dyno]

Caffeine has no effect on me. I could drink a pot of coffee or a 6-pack of Diet Coke and go right to sleep and when I'm tired and/or dragging, no amount of caffeine wakes me up. That said, I am addicted to Diet Coke. I love the taste. I've gone a few days without it at various times and the first sip after the drought is always extra delicious.

 

[imjustagirl]

Caffeine has no effect on me. I could drink a pot of coffee or a 6-pack of Diet Coke and go right to sleep and when I'm tired and/or dragging, no amount of caffeine wakes me up. That said, I am addicted to Diet Coke. I love the taste. I've gone a few days without it at various times and the first sip after the drought is always extra delicious.

This is me. Monster Energy drinks are the only thing that keep me up. I literally go to bed with a can of Pepsi on my bedside table sometimes.

 

[SpeedTchr]

No caffeine effect on me either. I drink diet cokes (Diet Dr Pepper, Diet 7Up mostly) because I like the taste and the bubbles.

 

[Det. Jimmy McNulty]

No judging here as I drank a ton of Coke and pop when I was a kid, but I'm amazed some people can drink 8-10 pops a day. Your dentist must love your business.

I usually drink about one or two 2-liters of Coke per week. I rarely ever drink it without meals, it's only so often I crave a Coke without food. Diet Coke, and diet pop in general, is the most disgusting crap human beings ever created.

I never drank coffee or tea until a few years ago. I can't drink coffee at work because I actually have to use my brain at work and it makes me really scattered and jittery. I just drink either Lipton's or that **** green tea work pays for, which really isn't that bad.

 

[Brad Guire]

I had kidney stones last February and had to give up colas and caffeine. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. Now all I drink is decaf tea, water, fruit juice, and I've felt great ever since. I didn't lose a ton of weight like some people, but that's mostly because my weight has more to do with my portions of rich food rather than sucking down Coca-Cola, which I never did in the first place.

 

[Turtle Wexler]

They can take my coffee cup when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

Yup, this is me.

I don't have too many bad habits, so if caffeine is my worst vice, so be it.

 

[Football_Bat]

Looking at some dosages on this thread, I wonder why I quit trucker's speed.

I get maybe one (16-oz. stainless-steel gimme cup) of coffee a day and maybe a 12-oz. can of soda at work and something else headed home. I thought I was overcaffeinated.

 

[cranberry]

A simple double espresso will also do the trick. It's only 10 calories and packs 150mg of caffeine -- or about three times that of a can of diet Coke or a cup of tea.

One double the morning, one in the mid-afternoon and I hum along nicely the whole day. I haven't had a soda (outside of the one or two root beer floats I allow myself) in 25 years.

On workout mornings (M-W-F) I'll also sip on green tea with honey. It seems to provide a nice energy boost.

 

[YankeeFan]

A simple double espresso will also do the trick. It's only 10 calories and packs 150mg of caffeine -- or about three times that of a can of diet Coke or a cup of tea.

One double the morning, one in the mid-afternoon and I hum along nicely the whole day. I haven't had a soda (outside of the one or two root beer floats I allow myself) in 25 years.

On workout mornings (M-W-F) I'll also sip on green tea with honey. It seems to provide a nice energy boost.

Caffeine can actually help before a workout -- especially a cardiovascular one.

 

[cranberry]

I'm also convinced some folks just drink coffee as a vehicle for three packets of sugar/sweetener.

 

[The Big Ragu]

I'm also convinced some folks just drink coffee as a vehicle for three packets of sugar/sweetener.

Bingo.

Caffeine has mild effect on most people really. And there is really nothing supporting the fact that it is bad for you in any way. And some evidence that it is beneficial in subtle ways. I suppose if you overload on caffeine you are going to make yourself feel sick. But there are plenty of things that will do you no harm that are bad when you overdo it.

The sugar/sweetener? We are a nation that is now weened to look for quick glucose delivery systems. Our brains love it and crave it. And once you introduce that diet to your lifestyle, it can be an endless cycle. You eat edible-like substances devoid of much nutrition, but that are designed to deliver glucose to you quickly. You get a great feeling from it. And it creates cravings. Your body starts to need those glucose rushes, so you eat more and more of the crap and get fat in the process.

It's the single biggest reason why average weight of people in Western countries has increased dramatically over the last 30 years, and it accounts for the diabetes epidemic we have brought on ourselves.

You nailed it with the sugar/sweetener comment, Cran. Even if most people don't think of their morning coffee that way, it plays a role. As does the danish or bleached white flour bagel or saturated fat-laden (not necessarily bad, but it is all fatty material, yes, it is excessive)/nutritionally worthless carbs breakfast sandwich that accompanies the coffee in many instances.

 

[YankeeFan]

I'm also convinced some folks just drink coffee as a vehicle for three packets of sugar/sweetener.

It's that & the caffeine. It's a delivery device.

I work with coffee roasters a lot. They love coffee and are passionate about it. They always want to kick up the coffee flavor in their espresso based drinks. They talk about how they're made in Italy (a lot less milk). And they want their customers to enjoy their drinks the way they do.

But not everyone who orders a latte loves or even likes coffee. In fact, they're trying to mask the taste with milk, and caramel syrup.

People here know how they like their drinks. If they want more coffee flavor, they know to order it with -- and pay for -- an extra shot.

If you put an additional shot of espresso in your basic recipe, you are going to raise your costs, lose revenue, and drive off customers who don't like their drinks that strong.

 

[YankeeFan]

The sugar/sweetener? We are a nation that is now weened to look for quick glucose delivery systems. Our brains love it and crave it. And once you introduce that diet to your lifestyle, it can be an endless cycle. You eat edible-like substances devoid of much nutrition, but that are designed to deliver glucose to you quickly. You get a great feeling from it. And it creates cravings. Your body starts to need those glucose rushes, so you eat more and more of the crap and get fat in the process.

I weighed myself this morning for the first time in a while & I need to lose 10-12 pounds.

First thing cut was the sugar in my morning cup of coffee. I have a really sweet tooth & I crave sugar/chocolate, but when I avoid it, I can drop wight very quickly.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Caffeine wakes me up in the morning, but I could drink 20 ounces of Coke Zero right before I go to bed and it would not keep me awake at all...

Last year, I went three months without touching caffeine. After the first week, it wasn't that hard. I went back to it because it's readily available and I like the kickstart in the morning. My problem is the sugar sodas. I'd rather have a Mountain Dew than just about anything, but I know how bad that much sugar is for me.

In the new year, I'm trying to keep it to Coke Zero and Propel.