I quit coffee

[Bruno@MT]

Normally I brew my own coffee at work, and I drink several large cups per day. Yesterday I was drinking my first cup and for some reason, it didn't have that draw it did before. It was like my body was telling me 'You don't need this. Coffee is not good for you'. Suddenly, coffee felt wrong.

A couple hours later I went to my first session in the gym (during lunchtime) where they measured my weight, body fat, and blood pressure. The coach told me my blood pressure was slightly above limit (15 over 10) and that if it was lasting, I'd need to see a doctor. Of course, as soon as I told my wife she badgered me into making an appointment right away (that'll be later this evening).

Anyway, I've always known that coffee has an effect on me, and the experience this morning really felt like my body was trying to tell me something. And I've always held the believe that if your body (or your subconscious for that matter) is trying to tell you something, you should listen.

Today I decided to skip my coffee ritual and just drink water. And I have to admit, the difference is noticeable. I am less jittery at work, my insides are happier, and I just feel better. So far, I don't have serious caffeine withdrawal. I do have a headache, but that could be attributed to the fact that yesterday I exercised many shoulder muscles which are complaining loudly today.

I am of course still going to the doctor today, and I don't think that the coffee is related to my blood pressure, but so far I have to say that life without coffee seems better.

 

[Archangel M]

Too gruesome to even think about.

I'd knock a few days off my lifespan to drink coffee...it's all a trade-off in the long run.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I love coffee and will not ever give it up. I gave up nicotine. I gave up candy. I gave up alcohol. I will not give up coffee. They'll have to pry my coffee mug out of my cold, dead, hands.

Coffee is good for me. And if it is not, I don't care. I don't care, do you hear me?!? I KNOW I'M SHOUTING, I LIKE TO SHOUT!

Um, nevermind. I just like coffee.

 

[Bruno@MT]

Good on you. Live and let live eh
I should mention that I am sensitive to lots of substances that have no effect on others. For example, there is much medication I simply refuse to take because the side effects are worse than the illness. Many herbs and spices have profound effects on my body.

So while the effects of coffee on your body might be mild or even non existing, they certainly were noticeable for me.

That said, the key element here is not that I decided to quit coffee. Instead, my body quit coffee and informed me of said decision. I have no cravings at all, and I don't even have a taste for it anymore. It requires no willpower. In that regard, it's different from e.g. to quit candy which I still have a liking to.

 

[girlbug2]

WTG Bruno! One less thing to be enslaved to, eh?

 

[CoryKS]

"Relinquishing coffee. Stage one, preparation. For this you will need one room which you will not leave. Soothing music. Tomato soup, ten tins of. Mushroom soup, eight tins of, for consumption cold. Ice cream, vanilla, one large tub of. Magnesia, milk of, one bottle. Paracetamol, mouthwash, vitamins. Mineral water, Lucozade, pornography. One mattress. One bucket for urine, one for feces and one for vomitus. One television and one bottle of Valium, which I've already procured from my mother, who is, in her own domestic and socially acceptable way also a drug addict. And now I'm ready. All I need is one final cup to soothe the pain while the Valium takes effect."

 

[Bruno@MT]

Well, I've just had the best night's sleep I've had in a long time. And when I woke up (before the alarm) I simply opened my eyes and was fully awake. I feel great.

I also went to see the doctor, where my bp was 13.5 over 9. Still a bit high, but not really an issue yet. He told me to keep working out a lot, reduce sodium intake (which was a fair point. I eat too salty) and told me to come back next month, in the morning, so that he can have my blood tested since that hasn't been done yet.

I honestly don't know if the coffee had anything to do with it, but I'm FREE. Btw, there is an article linked, over at slashdot, mentioning that caffeine really doesn't give you an edge. It merely brings you back to baseline after alleviating the acute withdrawal effects http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=10/06/02/219229

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Well, I've just had the best night's sleep I've had in a long time. And when I woke up (before the alarm) I simply opened my eyes and was fully awake. I feel great.

I also went to see the doctor, where my bp was 13.5 over 9. Still a bit high, but not really an issue yet. He told me to keep working out a lot, reduce sodium intake (which was a fair point. I eat too salty) and told me to come back next month, in the morning, so that he can have my blood tested since that hasn't been done yet.

I honestly don't know if the coffee had anything to do with it, but I'm FREE. Btw, there is an article linked, over at slashdot, mentioning that caffeine really doesn't give you an edge. It merely brings you back to baseline after alleviating the acute withdrawal effects http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=10/06/02/219229

http://www.thewarfields.com/Coffee1.htm

It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion, it is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, the hands acquire shaking, the shaking becomes a warning, it is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_coffee

I am a coffee-drinker. My blood pressure is normal, my pulse rate is normal, my cholesterol levels are normal. I have diabetes, so I do not put sugar in my coffee. I drink half a pot every day and life is good. YMMV.

 

[Bruno@MT]

I am a coffee-drinker. My blood pressure is normal, my pulse rate is normal, my cholesterol levels are normal. I have diabetes, so I do not put sugar in my coffee. I drink half a pot every day and life is good. YMMV.

The bolded part is what counts. Human beings are all different. What is right for me will not be right for you and vice versa.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

The bolded part is what counts. Human beings are all different. What is right for me will not be right for you and vice versa.

That's the YMMV part of my statement.

 

[SensibleManiac]

I gave up coffee over 10 years ago, and it's one of the best things I've ever done in my life. I'll never go back.

I feel millions of times better since, but everyone is different.

My weakness though is still pizza.

Yesterday I ate a lunch buffet at Pizza Hut and if I could've stayed there I would probably still be there eating pizza.

I try to limit it to once a week but that usually means I'll eat a large pizza to myself.

Either way back to coffee, yeah good move man, I have found that with more time you miss it less.

 

[Drac]

I love coffee and will not ever give it up. I gave up nicotine. I gave up candy. I gave up alcohol. I will not give up coffee. They'll have to pry my coffee mug out of my cold, dead, hands.

Coffee is good for me. And if it is not, I don't care. I don't care, do you hear me?!? I KNOW I'M SHOUTING, I LIKE TO SHOUT!

Um, nevermind. I just like coffee.

I'm with you Bill..I LOVE COFFEE!!!! Alas I cannot give up ciggies or alcohol, but I have cut way back..

 

[Bruno@MT]

Alcohol was also fairly easy to cut. I used to abstain from alcohol for 1 or 2 weeks at a time, just to prove to myself that I did not need it. Then a couple of months ago I started a healthier lifestyle and increased my workouts, the end of that second week went by unnoticed, and I found that I don't really want it.

Over the last 3 months I have had 1 good cognac, 1 half pint of guinness, and 2 glasses of beer. It is surprisingly easy to not drink alcohol once the habit is broken.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Over the last 3 months I have had 1 good cognac, 1 half pint of guinness, and 2 glasses of beer. It is surprisingly easy to not drink alcohol once the habit is broken.

Something about that statement seems odd to me. Perhaps something about how drinking = not drinking. You aren't an elected official by any chance are you?

 

[Bruno@MT]

Fair remark. I am not teetotalling. There is no reason to shy away completely from alcohol. But I think that for practical purposes, having a drink on a special occasion (like the guinness on a night out with my wife or the 2 glasses of beer on a wedding) less than once a month can be considered not drinking.

I no longer drink as a course of habit, or without consideration.
I haven't lost the taste for a good guinness or a good cognac. It's just that I now regard those only for very special occasions.

 

[Laus]

I give up coffee once a year for a few weeks (usually during the spring while cleansing). The rest of the year I love it and it loves me back. Sometimes though it does lose its appeal or stops working - usually I notice this because it doesn't taste as good or it makes me drowsy. When that happens I'll stop drinking it for a few a days.

I'll also give it up if my joints are giving me trouble (specifically my left knee, which is partially reconstructed). A naturopath once told me that coffee aggravates inflammation, I tested the theory and indeed I did feel better without it. Alcohol also has the same effect, as I learned in college, though I don't drink much anymore so its not something I ever have to "stop."

 

[shane]

I think you did well not to drink the coffee . sometimes when you don't want to have stuff like coffee . i also don't like coffee...

 

[crushing]

I no longer drink as a course of habit, or without consideration.
I haven't lost the taste for a good guinness or a good cognac. It's just that I now regard those only for very special occasions.

Where do you find the 'good Guinness'? jk

Despite it's color and mouthfeel, especially when served on nitro, Guinness is fairly low calorie beer in line with the watery yellow fizzy American adjunct lagers.

Various recent studies have shown beer to have health benefits, when consumed in moderation of course.

Diet Coke used to be my habit. I would have a glass for breakfast, mid-morning, lunch, mid-afternoon, and dinner...on the light drinking days! I gave it up just before my 1st Dan test in 2007 and haven't had any since. Other than a couple ginger ales when I was ill, I haven't had any soda/pop. I wish restaurants would have better alternatives to pop than a weak tea, or high fructose lemonaide. Until then I'll stick with the water, or a tasty craft beer if available.

 

[JKDWay]

I couldn't quit coffee - not because of the caffeine, but I just love the flavor of good coffee. I've gone completely without for periods of time before, no headaches, but the flavor! Just can't give it up.

Alcohol I don't care too much about. I've had one cocktail and the occasional glass or two of wine (maybe once or twice a month.)

But coffee? Hey, if you feel better without it, good for you, but I still love the stuff

 

[enthusiast]

I love drinking coffee but I can't down more than 3cups a day. How do you sleep at night with dozes such as half a pot?