My doctor advised me to do this a few weeks ago. I was having palpitations and after some testing they attributed them to stress.

I stopped drinking coffee, tea, energy drinks, Starbucks drinks, soft drinks altogether. I have actually noticed a huge increase in energy and alertness, as well as better sleep. I thought I would be more tired during the day but the opposite happened.

Anyone else tried this?

9/28/2009 9:25:12 PM

Over my dead coffee pot!

Yes, I'm an addict.

9/28/2009 9:31:38 PM

I did this during track and cross country seasons in high school. I didn't drink coffee yet at the time and gave up all carbonated drinks (sodas, caffeinated and not). I regularly went 9 to 10 months at a time without, then would fall back in a little over the summers.

Each time I just did it cold turkey. The first time I had been so hooked to sodas that I felt like absolute crap for about two weeks. It took about three or four weeks before I didn't miss them any more. After that it was great.

I still don't drink many sodas but do have about a cup of coffee every other day. The coffee doesn't have nearly as much negative affect on me as soda does.

9/28/2009 9:51:56 PM

soda is my vice, i need to quit cold turkey

9/28/2009 10:49:33 PM

I quit drinking caffeine, and soft drinks, about 3-4 years ago. Besides the small amount in chocolate, I can probably count on one had the times since then that I've had caffeine, just for the purpose of keeping me awake. It helped me lose a lot of weight and improved my sleeping habits quite a bit.

9/28/2009 11:03:35 PM

I drink sooooooooooooooooo much less caffeine now that I no longer work in coffee shops. I wonder why that could be...

I still drink a thing of green tea in the morning but there's so little caffeine in that I think the effects are negligible.

9/28/2009 11:52:59 PM

I ditched caffeine when I noticed I was able to attribute it to my ophthalmic migraines. Once I gave up having caffeinated drinks and substituting water, they've mostly gone away. I'll never turn down a Cheerwine, and I'll have a glass of coke or something at work sometimes, but that's the majority of my caffeine intake now - which is minimal.

The only soft drink I have on a fairly regular basis is Sierra Mist (or the like).

9/29/2009 12:26:11 AM

I drink a lot of Pepsi Max.

Daily.

I should stop. Any helpful tips? I mean, I LOVE caffeine.

9/29/2009 1:32:23 AM

Drink decaf Pepsi?

9/29/2009 1:46:21 AM

switch to sodas that don't have caffeine (Sierra Mist etc)

change your habits so that you don't always have to have coffee etc at a specific time of the day

9/29/2009 1:47:46 AM

Right before I started P90X, about a month and a half ago, I dropped Mt. Dew completely (something my young sons used to call "Daddy's Juice" because of how frequently I drank it). I also stopped the coffee, and any other drink that had HFCS or sugar. I started drinking grape juice, apple juice, and water, and I experienced the same results: more energy and alertness and better sleep.

Then I re-injured my back while doing P90X's Mason Twists and had to stop the program. And I fell off of the wagon.

I need to get back on it.

Great on you! Keep it up, man!

9/29/2009 2:35:50 AM

I've always felt pretty sluggish throughout the day even though I pretty regularly go to the gym and get 8 to 8.5 hours of sleep a night. I usually drank 1-2 cans of mountain dew at work and the occasional coffee or energy drink on the weekends.

Last Monday I dropped caffeine and meat, mostly to see if I could, but also to see if it would help any. I've noticed a moderate improvement so far but I dont know if its attributable to losing the caffeine, replacing meat heavy meals with fruits and vegetables, or just getting better sleep this week.

9/29/2009 9:13:01 AM

I dropped caffeine entirely about a week-and-a-half ago. The motivation was to reduce bloating (carbonated drinks are bad for that) and also keep myself better hydrated, as caffeinated drinks can dehydrate you. My sleep has improved tremendously--after about 6 months of awful insomnia, I'm suddenly able to sleep through the night (except when I wake up with back pain, which is another story).

I'll keep this up at least through March. I'm training for a January marathon and February 100-mile bike ride ... and MAYBE the Boston marathon if I can qualify.

9/29/2009 9:22:21 AM

^ Damn girl, if you keep at it, there won't be much of you left but muscle and skin.

I drink coffee in the mornings (during the work week) and diet soda whenever. I try not to drink large amounts in one sitting, usually just 2 cups a day, tops. I used to drink A LOT more, but I too was having sleeping issues and fatigue.

[Edited on September 29, 2009 at 9:29 AM. Reason : -]

9/29/2009 9:25:45 AM

^ It helps to be lighter when running, but I'm going to cut back on running as soon as I qualify for Boston. Hence, sacrificing caffeine until it happens.

9/29/2009 9:31:55 AM

Cutting out caffeine is a great move. It's healthier, you'll probably drop a few pounds of bodyweight, and it saves a bundle of money.

I probably drink one caffeinated drink a month nowadays.
In high school, I cut all caffeine and soda for cross country and track, but would have a few over the summer. I remember one year, my first caffeine in 9 months was a bigass cup of Mountain Dew. That stuff damn near made me drunk. It seriously made me lightheaded. I suppose it was a bad idea to start off with that much caffeine...

9/29/2009 9:35:44 AM

Quote :

"Then I re-injured my back while doing P90X's Mason Twists and had to stop the program. And I fell off of the wagon."

Were you using some kind of weight? That's one of the easiest parts of the entire thing. What a bummer!



[Edited on September 29, 2009 at 9:42 AM. Reason : .]

9/29/2009 9:41:35 AM

While cutting out caffeine can be good for you (it's not always), some of you are operating under the notion that caffeine=carbonated soft drinks in regards to the perceived benefits.

9/29/2009 9:47:02 AM

I should probably do it...but don't know if I can.

Will just try to limit it to 2 cups of coffee a day.

9/29/2009 9:48:02 AM

No

I think my head would explode from withdrawal. I tried to do it one time and didn't like the results.

9/29/2009 9:50:23 AM

I'm not.

9/29/2009 9:50:24 AM

Stopped drinking soda randomly 6 months ago. Subbed in smoothies, juice, and that v8 smoothie crap for flavored drinks (I cannot just drink water). Aside from not going anywhere with < 7 hours of sleep, I have a lot of energy, and when I do drink caffeine (tea) it's really noticeable.

9/29/2009 9:56:43 AM

I have high blood pressure so I have made many diet changes. Aside from cutting out salt as completely as possible, caffeine was another one to go. I have 1 diet coke in the morning just to help me wake up, but after that all I drink is water for the rest of the day.

That being said, I was never much of a caffeine addict anyway. I very rarely drank coffee, have probably had 1 energy drink my whole life, and maybe only had like 2 or 3 diet sodas a day. So cutting back wasn't very difficult for me.

9/29/2009 10:23:56 AM

CHIP, I'M ALL JACKED UP ON MOUNTAIN DEW

(ok, not really; I'm actually all jacked up on red bull)

9/29/2009 11:32:47 AM

I've cut out sodas completely and been good for 6 months or so

I rarely drink coffee or tea



I don't really feel any more/less tired than before, so i figure that's probably a good thing

9/29/2009 11:59:12 AM

In Ireland, their sodas don't have caffeine.

9/29/2009 12:04:50 PM

The only thing I really miss is Sweet Tea.

I keep some caffeine free diet cokes in the fridge now because I have head allergies that sometimes cause me to wake up with a sore throat but that's about it.

9/29/2009 12:08:36 PM

Coke & Pepsi should produce mid-caffeine versions of their sodas to help people ween themselves off of it. They could call it "Halfeine". YOU'RE WELCOME DRANK MANUFACTURERS...DON'T FORGET MY CUT.

9/29/2009 12:10:18 PM

i get very little caffeine and i'm always tired. i'm starting to think i need to take it up

9/29/2009 12:11:44 PM

Another great reason to cut drinks like these is that they are bad for your teeth.

9/29/2009 12:16:58 PM

coffee tends to stain as do soft drinks but soft drinks are horrible for your teeth even more so.

9/29/2009 12:31:54 PM

If you do drink soda, try to drink it through a straw to keep the acid in the soda from eroding the enamel on your teeth.

9/29/2009 12:41:01 PM

I don't drink soda often and drink 1-2 cups of coffee per day (when at work). It's just to fight off drowsiness.

So all you people telling me how great it is when you're off caffeine...um, why don't I have that feeling? I get drowsy fairly easily, granted I only get 7 hours of sleep most nights. I probably get in 3-5 hours of hard exercise a week at this point.

9/29/2009 12:41:04 PM

^ When did you quit?

I was drowsy for the first five days but now my energy level is great. You may want to be cautious of sugar consumption. If you're consuming too much sugar during the day, then that could account for highs and lows in your energy.

[Edited on September 29, 2009 at 12:45 PM. Reason : .]

9/29/2009 12:44:36 PM

When did I quit?

Sorry for the confusion, but I was never a heavy drinker (of coffee). I don't eat a lot of sugar. i never eat candy, stay away from most sweets and probably just have 3-5 orange sodas a week. I have OJ with breakfast and water with lunch and dinner. And drink 1-3 liters of water most days while at work.

9/29/2009 12:47:08 PM

But what about carbs, like white bread? Also, be careful with the type of juice you buy. Sometimes they contain hidden sugars.

9/29/2009 12:54:59 PM

I only get Tropicana (the blue label one). I have cereal for breakfast, but am switching over to a protein shake. Most lunches I have a 6" sub from Harris Teeter. I like salads, but no matter how big a salad is I'm hungry again 1-2 hours later.

9/29/2009 1:02:10 PM

I never drank coffee, that shit tastes nasty to me. Now it's just water and I'll have soda if I'm going out to a restaurant. And I still get really tired in the middle of the day, just after lunch .

9/29/2009 1:25:41 PM

You could try eating five small meals spread out throughout the day. That should prevent some energy dips.

9/29/2009 1:29:10 PM

I only have an energy dip after lunch. Not breakfast and usually not after dinner. Also 5 small meals is not practical for me.

Not that I don't appreciate your suggestions.

9/29/2009 1:57:42 PM

Quote :

"My doctor advised me to do this a few weeks ago. I was having palpitations and after some testing they attributed them to stress. I stopped drinking coffee, tea, energy drinks, Starbucks drinks, soft drinks altogether. I have actually noticed a huge increase in energy and alertness, as well as better sleep. I thought I would be more tired during the day but the opposite happened. Anyone else tried this?"

I did this for exactly the same reason 3.5 years ago. I would get the shakes everytime I had caffeine. Not terrible, but enough to be annoying. When I first quit, it was great. I felt more rested throughout the day and had MORE energy come afternoon for the gym/sports/whatever. I went a full two years without have ANY caffeine at all (from drinks).

But then I started grad school and about a year in to it I was getting way too drowsy come 5pm or so before class so I gradually moved up from a few sips of caffeinated coffee mixed in with decaf, to a true half-caf to full caffeine. Now I drink a cup of coffee a day and have no issues with the caffeine in sodas.

[Edited on September 29, 2009 at 2:09 PM. Reason : x]

9/29/2009 2:09:00 PM

Quote :

"be careful with the type of juice you buy. Sometimes they contain hidden sugars."

Pretty much all juices are sugar and some vitamins when you really come down to it. It's much healthier to eat an orange and drink a glass of water than to drink OJ (though OJ is certainly better for you than Coke).

9/29/2009 4:02:58 PM

I don't think caffeine works on me. it doesn't make me feel any different or help me stay awake.

anyone else like this?

9/29/2009 4:58:43 PM

I also completely cut out Caffeine at the advice of my Dr. I don't feel any more tired than I did before and except for occasionally needing some chocolate I don't get any caffeine in my diet. It has been about 3 weeks and the only thing I miss is drinking sweet tea when I go to dinner at my grandmothers; I now pretty much ONLY drink water. I noticed that I have lost 5 lbs in the past month which I am thinking had to do with the lack of sugary beverages.

9/29/2009 5:02:54 PM

^^same here. I haven't had much caffeine for the past year mostly becaue I drink water or decaff drinks. I'll have the occassionaly coffee or soda but I just don't think it affects me. I could drink a pot of coffee right before bed and sleep like a baby...except I'd have to piss all night.

9/29/2009 5:40:54 PM

I think I'm just starting to get addicted to a few cups of coffee in the morning. I should stop now while I can, but it feels soooooo good.

9/29/2009 6:07:17 PM

I tried getting addicted to coffee, drank a cup a day (throughout the day) for about 3 weeks... it helped me get up and go a little, but then it also made me shaky or nauseous sometimes. I quit and found I hadn't become addicted to it. sigh.

9/29/2009 6:26:28 PM

Hey dipshits....


Decaf still has caffeine....

9/29/2009 7:08:58 PM

^isn't it a negligible amount though? like 4-6 mg/ cup?


i guess that would be pretty relative though.
ie not so "negligible" in case of renal disease...

but in the case here i would think the amount is pretty marginal.

of course this is assuming you don't drink more than 8 cups or so a day

9/29/2009 7:48:06 PM

Yeah, you'd have to drink a shitload of decaf in a short period of time to even get up to iced tea levels of caffeine effect.

9/29/2009 8:27:54 PM