Gone cold Turkey today, as much as I love coffee and I can manage with the mild discomfort, I need to come off the hard stuff.
Caffeine Detox Time
- Thread starter LiE
- Start date
Ok I tried, still don't like it. I guess I'm into more "harder" things and coffee just don't really cut it
You need to start with the softer stuff to break you in. Try a skinny vanilla latte.
I've been clean now 10 days and it feels amazing. There have been a few testing times. I had to visit a customer site on Tuesday and we met up at a really nice coffee shop prior to the meeting, I ordered a decaf - It required some will power!
I'm now able to easily wake up at 6.30AM and not feel groggy, I actually feel awake now. I hit the gym at 7AM this morning with no caffeine and it was no issues.
My mild IBS is almost completely gone.
I think the issue with caffeine is that once you are "using" it you need to constantly be aware of your consumption to regulate your energy. If you're tired, you're never sure if it's because you haven't had enough caffeine or some other factor. I'm pretty good at dosing caffeine due to my background in weight lifting but I imagine many aren't. When I was competing I used to use pure caffeine on my mg scales, I looked like a hardcore drug user and in many ways caffeine is like a drug.
This is caffeine powder. 1g of this could be enough to put you at risk.
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Sounds like you have very low caffeine sensitivity. One cup of strong coffee (about 200mg caffeine) and I feel a massive high.
How's it going?
I've still not touched any caffeine since April 4th, so been off the hard stuff for a month now. I feel amazing! My energy levels are consistent and mornings no longer suck. The biggest surprise was I was up at 5am a couple Monday's ago, watching GoT, went to the gym by 7am, then came home and did a full day of work and didn't once feel tired.
I have been going to the gym 5 days a week because my sleep is so much better I am recovering quicker. I also find going to the gym does wonders for my mood and energy levels, it's a addictive. Something I haven't noticed in the past 16 years of weight training, because I'd always taken caffeine to fuel my workouts.
So I've been slowly drinking more caffeine again. It started on a holiday with the family and daily trips to Starbucks and I thought why not I'm on holiday. This didn't have much impact on my IBS so I gave myself the green light. I've been using pre-workout supplements with about 200mg caffeine to fuel my workouts and that is going well. I have noticed my IBS is flaring again recently which could be a number of things I'm eating. So decided today to cut out any supplements and caffeine as well to see how that impacts me.
I really like how I feel when my body isn't dependant on caffeine, but I also love the buzz and how it helps in the gym.
I really like how I feel when my body isn't dependant on caffeine, but I also love the buzz and how it helps in the gym.
Yes people metabolism caffeine differently. I am sensitive to caffeine so I feel a big hit/buzz, where as I know some friends don't and not because they are seasoned drinkers.
Reading back through this thread has been useful in seeing how my past detoxes have gone. Looks like 10 days is the sweet spot. The other thing that the thread has made clear is that I do need to cycle caffeine after a while, I don't think I could be caffeine free for life.
I've been having caffeine daily for a while now and I've been enjoying it. My tolerance has gone up to a level where I'm no longer feeling the high/mood boosting effects. Today is day 1 coming off caffeine to reset my tolerance.
Bring on the headaches and crushing tiredness. I'm hoping my gym sessions will mitigate these a little.
I've been having caffeine daily for a while now and I've been enjoying it. My tolerance has gone up to a level where I'm no longer feeling the high/mood boosting effects. Today is day 1 coming off caffeine to reset my tolerance.
Bring on the headaches and crushing tiredness. I'm hoping my gym sessions will mitigate these a little.
So the detox I did in Jan was good, it gave me back some of the benefits of caffeine but it started to creep again to terrible levels. Double shot coffees were now the normal, sometimes a can of monster zero at 9.30am, pre-workout scoops getting a little more heaped and some days a pre-workout and a can of monster or 2 x monster.
Today is day 3 of zero caffeine. Withdrawal has been OK as I tapered down things before I quit. I still feel pretty tired and "flat" but my body will come back into balance soon. Cravings are strong, my body wants some caffeine to clear my head. Instead I'm crying into my hot mug of peppermint tea T_T
Today is day 3 of zero caffeine. Withdrawal has been OK as I tapered down things before I quit. I still feel pretty tired and "flat" but my body will come back into balance soon. Cravings are strong, my body wants some caffeine to clear my head. Instead I'm crying into my hot mug of peppermint tea T_T
I've considered doing one of these as usually I have 2 coffees and about 3 or 4 teas a day. Just seems like quite a lot but I wonder whether other people have more without any issue.
I do find that I can't get on at work in the morning unless I've had a coffee
Some people are less sensitive to coffee, so they can have more as they don't respond. I'm very sensitive to caffeine.
The reliance on caffeine or any substance isn't a good thing and not something I'm comfortable with. When you hear people say "I need to have a coffee to wake up in the morning", you are basically resigning to the fact you need a substance daily to function normally. The fact it's packaged up in a delicious coffee obfuscates the fact you are taking caffeine. I bet people would feel differently if they took caffeine in pill form, that'd soon realise how many pills they be poppin' to get the hit or feel normal.
I know what you mean, you miss the buzz and the mood boost. I guess you do this long enough and you convince yourself that on caffeine is the norm. It's part of the reason why I keep coming back to caffeine. It's short lived however and soon it becomes a case of needing caffeine to keep feeling level.
Most people drink coffee because they enjoy it, but part of the enjoyment comes from the caffeine which gives you a buzz/alert boost/mood boost.
You build a tolerance to caffeine over time and you need more and more, but that tolerance reaches a point where it's insurmountable e.g. doesn't matter how much you take you won't feel the effects.
Too much caffeine has impacts on many aspects of your mental and physical health. It does have some health benefits too.
Yes sorry I was assuming a normal morning routine of waking up around 7.
See I used to manage this approach, only ever had caffeine 4 x week before training. However that was when I was in my mid 20s and had more time for rest and sleep, now with a young family this approach doesn't work for me.
Starting another detox today, been feeling pretty awful and the caffeine usage has been hard to manage where a normal day would be a can of zero monster and pour over coffee.
Anyone else done a detox or quit recently?
Anyone else done a detox or quit recently?
Yea it can be useful, but do keep in mind it isn't totally caffeine free.
I'm going to try a different approach instead of quitting, I need to be realistic. There are some benefits to coffee and I do benefit from it, when taken in moderation.
I will be going down to 1 cup a day and I'm strictly having this only 2 hours after waking. This is to prevent caffeine messing with my natural cortisol / waking up process. I have found from past experience delaying the first cup of coffee is hugely beneficial. When I have had a coffee first thing on an empty stomach, horrible.
I will be going down to 1 cup a day and I'm strictly having this only 2 hours after waking. This is to prevent caffeine messing with my natural cortisol / waking up process. I have found from past experience delaying the first cup of coffee is hugely beneficial. When I have had a coffee first thing on an empty stomach, horrible.
LOL!!
Bro, I can't keep up. Just bought all your fancy coffee stuff and now you're giving it up
Bro pls, do you even read all posts.
So this approach was fine to begin with, it kept my coffee consumption in check, for a while. I started to get a really big crash between 3-5pm everyday, so I added in another caffeinated drink around lunch time. All that did was push the crash a little later in the day but also increased how much I was drinking.
After a while I noticed things getting worse - heart rate was always up, chest felt a bit tight, mind was always racing and needed something to do/solve. My mood was inconsistent and I got stressed more easily. I got tired of having to manage my caffeine "dose" to manage how I functioned.
3 weeks ago I started to taper off how much I drank, then gave my wife the warning that on 22nd December I was completely off. It's been a bit tough, but with a 20 minute power nap to help with the drowsiness and brain fog, I pushed through.
There's been a few days now where I've not needed a nap and I'm starting to feel really good. Calmer, less irritable, heart rate/blood pressure lower, more stable energy and much better sleep. I now feel awake in the morning, and actually feel more awake in general. I'm no longer jacked up on stimulants/adrenaline, which is no way to live.
I'm aware I've quit before and falling back into bad habits, I really hope I can kick this one for good this time.
I've been drinking peppermint tea, decaf tea and diet caffeine free coke which does help.
The issue comes when those 2 cups no longer give you the boost and you need to reach for the 3rd cup. The tolerance people build is a huge problem for managing caffeine doses.
So it's been 3 weeks of zero caffeine and it's been hard. I'm still not feeling right, despite all other markers being good (sleep, exercise, diet). I'm still experiencing a big crash mid to late afternoon with crushing tiredness that can only be cleared with a 20 minute power nap. This is the longest I've had withdrawal symptoms.
I feel like a long time crack addict trying to go clean.
I feel like a long time crack addict trying to go clean.