Have you ever felt jittery and stressed, all because you drink too much coffee? Ever noticed how many calories are in coffee? Maybe you’ve tried to cut down but it’s too hard.
I’ve been there.
And I’ve also managed to stop drinking coffee whenever I wanted to. Here is how it is done:
1. Substituting with Green Tea
Start substituting one of your daily coffees with a cup of green tea. Continue substituting little by little.
If you drink 4 coffees a day, begin by drinking 3 coffees and one green tea, a day later (or a few days – depending on how tough going it is) move that down to two coffees and two green teas.
Green tea still contains caffeine but in far less amounts – and is also an all-round healthy drink.
2. Addressing the Social Experience
Part of coffee drinking is the experience of sitting at a cafe in good company and savoring the drink. Somehow paying $4 for someone to bring out a cup of hot water with a tea bag dangling out of it just doesn’t measure up.
Find cafés that offer tea infusions or herb tea in plungers.
I’m talking about the ones that bring out little pots of real herb tea (not tea bags). The experience is completely different to staring at a cup with a tea bag in it. Most herb teas are caffeine-free.
3. Use Other Milky Drinks
For many people, coffee means a big milky latte. There’s something about clutching that hot milky drink that is therapy in the morning.
Try substituting with Hot Chocolate (may contain small amounts of caffeine) or a Chai Latte (be warned – many chai latte’s are made with a syrup and are caffeine-free. Those that are made with real tea however – can be high in caffeine – ask first).
Be wary that both of these drinks will be sugary. Try to limit to an occasional drink.
4. Take Care With Carbs
Do you struggle with afternoon fatigue? That awful period after lunch where you cannot concentrate or struggle to stay awake and alert?
It would be wonderful if we could all hunker down under the desk and take a nap – but most bosses would not be impressed.
Here’s a clue: Do not eat a carbohydrate heavy lunch.
Make sure your lunch has a strong protein component in it. Something like a tin of tuna, some fruit, plus some nuts. I used to think I was doing my body a favor by eating a huge low-fat sweet bun (along with a large bread roll). An hour later I was struggling to stay awake.
5. The Power Nap
As stated above – napping at work is not going to make your boss happy – but if you are in an environment where it is possible – try it.
Researchers have shown that a power nap is more helpful than a cup of coffee. The optimal power nap is a 20 minute siesta taken at about 2.30pm.
Results: What You Can Expect
I was able to completely stop drinking caffeine for a month or so while I sorted out my sleep patterns and addressed the stressful situation.
Once I was completely healthy again I would begin enjoying a single daily espresso. That may seem counter-productive – but under normal circumstances I have no problem with moderate caffeine intake and enjoy the bitter taste of coffee.
Note: These tips could also help those who feel they have an allergy to caffeine.
I recently quit drinking coffee and decided to start again: I can’t stop eating! I went from over 12 strong cups per day and gradually decreased. Partly to help my blood glucose levels (type 1 diabetic). I am re-adding a couple cups because I’m constantly eating junk food. My normal diet is salad and lean meat, I normally don’t eat carbohydrates! Coffee for me didn’t give me cravings, it took them away.
I love coffee, I have been drinking it since I was very young. I have tried to quit drinking it many times. But, always came back to it. I used to feel so guilty when I would drink a cup. However, now I no longer do because I have replaced my sugar with Stevia and milk (I am lactose intolerant) with soy milk. Not only is it better for me but I tastes awesome. I believe coffee is not that bad for you as long as you do not abuse it(1 PER DAY). The only downfall I have is that I still have to run to the bathroom all the time.
P.S. It is filled with antioxidants!
I think that the best way to quit drinking coffee is by doing it gradually. If you drink 4 cups of coffee on average, aim for 3 cups on the first week, 2 cups on the second day and so on.
All of you are idiots why not go to jenny creg and eat her pankakes i bet all of you are anorexic little jerks who eat crumbs outside the mcdonalds parking lots get a life
In my late twenties I was drinking 6 or so cups a day, mainly with meals. I gave up cold for two months thinking maybe it wasn’t good for me. I didn’t feel any different, but I did miss the warm comfort of a coffee after eating and the social aspects. So I started again. Now I’m 55 feel great and sleep like a log. Generally stick to black tea in the afternoon and don’t have more than two cups of coffee after dinner.
Okay, I’ve been drinking coffee for many years now -over twenty years and I’m ready to move on to healthier habits. Not to be confused with a New Years resolution but for the sake of feeling and looking better. I’m severely anemic, have reflux to boot, migraines and so many more ailments which I’m most certain are all part of my daily caffeine intake. I’m down from six cups over the years to two cups daily but feel like this is still a bit much. And I brew my own Starbucks at home which is a huge savings from going directly to Starbucks but still rather expensive @$8-10 per 12oz bag!!! I’ve tried cold turkey and find myself going to bed at 2 in the afternoon. So this is not a good idea. So, I’m going to try the coffee to herbal tea from Steve Pavlina’s site. Wish me luck!
Honey is a good source of sweetner for tea!
Try a natural sweetner called Stevia; also known as Sunrider or Sunnydew.
I gave up coffee when I was experiencing some bad anxiety. It was hard, but my emotional health was at stake. Lo and behold, I lost 25 lbs. without even trying! Mostly because I didn’t get as hungry between meals. After my mood stabilized, I started drinking coffee again. Now I notice that my food cravings in the afternoon and evening are almost impossible to ignore. So I snack. And I’m gaining some of the weight back. I’m going to go off coffee again–this time for good.
I KNOW I LOVE DRUGS=)
Lol, drug addicts.
Don’t forget Exedrin. Mostly caffeine. Stop taking Exedrin and you get a Caffeine withdrawl headache. What to take for that headache… Exedrin. Your hooked.
I DRINK 4 POTS OF DECAF COFFEE EVERYDAY AND I GAIN 7 LBS FROM IT. THE NEXT MORNING IT IS GONE THOUGH. IS DECAF BETTER FOR YOU THAN THE CAFFINATED. THEY SAY TO DRINK 8 GLASSES OF WATER PER DAY. WHAT ABOUT ALL THE WATER I DRINK WITH MY DECAF. THANKS
With the amount of number 1 (caffeine consumption) it would be tough to complete number 4 (power nap).. I’m always jacked up and plugging away at work. Doesn’t everybody? lol
Great article, I’m still trying to lose 10 lbs in 2 months.
honey, it is also an antioxidant.
stevia, as well it is a noncaloric herb.
The most difficult aspect I find is when I’m definitely too tired and actually need coffee just to do my work properly. Of course, the obvious solution here is to simply get enough rest!
I imagine quiting coffee would be fairly tough. While I am not a coffee drinker, I imagine having another caffeinated substitute like green tea might be a great way to slowly cut back on the caffeine until you switch to caffeine free green tea.
I wonder how people could get so addicted to coffee and
hardly pass one day without coffee. I myself had coffee drinking habit and I could easily stop as I felt stomach discomfort after having that. I suffered more from stomach pain than the ‘pain’ of not drinking coffee.
LOL!! That’s hilarious. That’s the same response I have to fat free ice cream. I’ll eat some of it and think “I could really have some decent ice cream right about now”.
That, or you could always start mixing decaf coffee with regular for a while until you can drink only decaf. That’s what worked for me. I started with 3/4 caff to 1/4 decaf, and then I switched to half and half, and then 3/4 decaf and 1/4 caff…then all decaf.