Caffeine Consumption

NeverAmI

NeverAmI

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Have any of you successfully eliminated the consumption of caffeine from your diet?

If so, can you please describe the differences of before and after? Pros and cons would be beneficial, if you are so inclined.
 
I don't drink much stuff with caffeine in it (simply because I pretty much only drink water, just a personal preference), mostly just an occasional soda or tea, but even when I've tried products with high amounts of it like energy drinks, it does nothing to me at all, so it makes no difference.
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I'm a heavy caffeine user. :)

I did eliminated caffeine consumption from my diet for a period of several months, and I did it without gradually reducing consumption, I just stopped using it in any form. First few days I had severe headaches but that past, but the smell of fresh coffee haunted me around for much longer. For me the habit and enjoyment in that consumption were the biggest reason to get back to it.

During past few years I tried to cut back on consumption, so now I'm on a two big cups of coffee a day and that's fine with me. Sometimes I drink green or black tea, and on that days I drink less coffee. I found out that a cup of coffee with a few lemon drops helps when I have mild migraines.
 
I drink 2 a day, sometimes 3 but that is maximum. I've wanted to switch to tea but honestly, most of them taste like piss in hot water.
 
I use to drink allot of soda, energy drinks, and coffee, but not anymore. I started having heart trouble last year, and an extremely high blood pressure [way into hypertension]. Because of this I have cut about 95% of the caffeine from my diet. I drink caffeine free sodas now, and I only have an energy drink once or twice a month [gotta love Monster]. As for coffee, All I drink is the Mocha Joe from Burger King, and that's maybe once a month.

Since I cut back, I've dropped to a normal blood pressure, my hands no longer shake, and I sleep allot better at night [giving me more energy than the caffeine use to.]

The only downside was withdraw syndrome, EXTREMELY bad migraines for about a week or two.
 
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I never drank a cop of coffee. Occasionally i drink a coke or some tea. I have never experienced this need for caffeine.
So I haven't eliminated it from my diet since I never startet it. What exactly does it do ? is it just like an energyboost ?
 
Siamese cat said:
I'm a heavy caffeine user. :)

I did eliminated caffeine consumption from my diet for a period of several months, and I did it without gradually reducing consumption, I just stopped using it in any form. First few days I had severe headaches but that past, but the smell of fresh coffee haunted me around for much longer. For me the habit and enjoyment in that consumption were the biggest reason to get back to it.

During past few years I tried to cut back on consumption, so now I'm on a two big cups of coffee a day and that's fine with me. Sometimes I drink green or black tea, and on that days I drink less coffee. I found out that a cup of coffee with a few lemon drops helps when I have mild migraines.
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I absolutely love coffee as well. I have been thinking about switching to decaf only.

JShafer said:
I use to drink allot of soda, energy drinks, and coffee, but not anymore. I started having heart trouble last year, and an extremely high blood pressure [way into hypertension]. Because of this I have cut about 95% of the caffeine from my diet. I drink caffeine free sodas now, and I only have an energy drink once or twice a month [gotta love Monster]. As for coffee, All I drink is the Mocha Joe from Burger King, and that's maybe once a month.

Since I cut back, I've dropped to a normal blood pressure, my hands no longer shake, and I sleep allot better at night [giving me more energy than the caffeine use to.]

The only downside was withdraw syndrome, EXTREMELY bad migraines for about a week or two.
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Excellent to hear it has been beneficial overall for you!

Thanks everyone for sharing so far!
 
I've been drinking coffee since I was eight or something, love the stuff. I limit myself to one cup a day, maybe two on holidays or special occassions. I also enjoy tea and soda but I also limit those to one a day. So on a really crazy day I might have one of each!

I have had caffeine withdrawl before with headaches and brain fuzzies. I use to consume a lot of mountain dew and whenever I ran out it sucked.
 
kyo said:
I never drank a cop of coffee. Occasionally i drink a coke or some tea. I have never experienced this need for caffeine.
So I haven't eliminated it from my diet since I never startet it. What exactly does it do ? is it just like an energyboost ?
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Caffeine in itself reduces drowsiness and increases energy for a limited time. Someone had told me it is also an amphetamine, but I couldn't find a credible source stating that. Rather it seems as though caffeine increases the duration of amphetamine and the like.

Can anyone better versed in chemistry expand on this?

Caffeine is found naturally in coffee and other certain plants, it actually kills certain insects as a pesticide which is most likely the cause for the occurrence in plants.
 
I got out of the habit for a while and was happy with it, partly for the extra money I seemed to have and because my sleeping patterns started to become more normal. I have my caffeine addiction again though, I only started it up again because I had a bad case of withdrawal from some medication and I knew that my cola addiction for some reason would alleviate the symptoms. It seems to help with my headaches too.
 
NeverAmI said:
Caffeine in itself reduces drowsiness and increases energy for a limited time. Someone had told me it is also an amphetamine, but I couldn't find a credible source stating that. Rather it seems as though caffeine increases the duration of amphetamine and the like.

Can anyone better versed in chemistry expand on this?

Caffeine is found naturally in coffee and other certain plants, it actually kills certain insects as a pesticide which is most likely the cause for the occurrence in plants.
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Caffeine and amphetamines don't share the same structure. They are both alkaloids as they both contain amine groups(caffeine being a purine and amphetamines being phenethylamines). Caffeine though is more complex and from what I know has several pathways it can go through whereas amphetamines have a strait forward single pathway.
 
Hi NAI!
Yes, I cut out caffeine for years at a time, then got back on it. I love my coffee, and the occasional cup of iced tea or green tea. My overall take on the subject is: if caffeine is your only vice, you probably don't have a whole lot to worry about health-wise. I didn't have any major problems cutting it out, other than just missing the habit, and a small withdrawal headache for maybe a day or two.

Cons:
1. You get a bit of a withdrawal headache
2. No warm, yummy, eye-opening cup of coffee in the morning
3. Caffeine actually has some health benefits, as long as you are not consuming enough to make a small horse jittery. (i.e. 5+ cups of coffee a day.) So cutting out caffeine removes those benefits.

Pros:
1. If you have problems with insomnia, this is a good place to start looking for a little help -- cutting out caffeine. This is probably the number-one reason to cut it out.
2. Cutting out caffeine probably helps you get in touch with your "natural" energy cycle instead of helping you to power through your down-times, which we all have.
3. If you are pregnant or nursing cutting out caffeine is a good idea. (Yeah, I know you aren't, just thought I'd throw that one in there.)
 
I read somewhere that the biggest mistake that most of the caffeine users make is not drinking enough water, for every cup of coffee it takes about two cups of water in order to stay hydrated.

NAI, have you tried decaf? For me it's worse than worst tea but I guess that human is the only specie on planet which can adapt to anything (to paraphrase Dostoyevsky) so I guess I could switch to it but that would be extremely hard for me.
 
I've gone without caffeine. -shrug-

I really do not notice much of a difference. I don't think my consumption is very high to begin with anyway.
 
I haven't been a regular caffeine drinker for a couple of years now. I guess the main reason that I used to drink coffee was that the local coffee shop was a social hub where the majority of my friends worked. It was an effective mild stimulant and appetite suppressant as well, which helped me in a pretty busy work environment. It sure was pleasurable to enjoy with a cigarette when I used to smoke. When I moved away from the area I pretty much quit drinking coffee because going to starbucks wasn't the same as hanging out at the old coffee shop.
 
I have an espresso maker and I make mad protein shakes in my magic bullet with espresso shots :D
 
I have this weird thing with coffee. I actually only drink one to two cups a day, but it takes me about 4-6 hours to do so (a lot of people won't agree, but cold coffee is good too). So, everyone thinks I drink buckets of coffee nonstop all day. I've had numerous lectures on the amount of coffee I drink, and I never disabuse people of this opinion of me. I think it's funny the judgments people make without asking.

Yes, I do wander around with a cup of coffee in my hands most of the day, but I just take a sip every once in a while, because I'm usually concentrating on other stuff. Anyway, I know it's weird, but I tend to think that the amount of coffee I actually drink is my secret!

If I were to quit drinking coffee then who knows what people would start saying about me instead? ;)
 
Moxie said:
I have this weird thing with coffee. I actually only drink one to two cups a day, but it takes me about 4-6 hours to do so (a lot of people won't agree, but cold coffee is good too). So, everyone thinks I drink buckets of coffee nonstop all day. I've had numerous lectures on the amount of coffee I drink, and I never disabuse people of this opinion of me. I think it's funny the judgments people make without asking.

Yes, I do wander around with a cup of coffee in my hands most of the day, but I just take a sip every once in a while, because I'm usually concentrating on other stuff. Anyway, I know it's weird, but I tend to think that the amount of coffee I actually drink is my secret!

If I were to quit drinking coffee then who knows what people would start saying about me instead? ;)
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Ok, now it could look like I'm stalking you across the board :) but what you just wrote hit to close to home. I used to prepare coffee in the morning for the whole day and than have cups of coffee all around the apartment so that I don't have to carry one cup when I move around, and I also like cold coffee. Ah, coffee lovers... ;)
 
Siamese cat said:
Ok, now it could look like I'm stalking you across the board :) but what you just wrote hit to close to home. I used to prepare coffee in the morning for the whole day and than have cups of coffee all around the apartment so that I don't have to carry one cup when I move around, and I also like cold coffee. Ah, coffee lovers... ;)
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Mmmmm, cold coffee.
 
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