Giving up caffeine

Hi, I am new to this website and new to seriously trying to lose weight. I joined a program and lost 3 pounds, by not eating wheat, flour or sugar. The hardest part is not having caffeine, especially cause I am in sales, and I need that kick. Any suggestions on how to increase my energy level? Any good caffeine substitutes?
Thanks!

B

Exercising first thing in the morning gets me going. 

i've quit caffine once.. the best thing you can do is ride it out.. takes about a week.. :)  then yes exercise is a great stimulant!

Oh wow, this is the first time I've chatted on line and it's so much fun getting answers. Thanks for your replies, exercise in the morning, guess I've gotta do it! The first day I was off the caffeine I felt like I weighed 500 pounds, I barely made it through the day. The second day was like i weighed 300 pounds. Today is the fifth day, and I'm still not at a good energy level....so will try the exercise in the morning. Thanks for your help!:)

I gave up caffeine last Halloween - and it was tough at first, so I definitely understand what you are going through right now!  I agree with Obsidyan completely, give it a few more days and it will get much easier.  I also will occassionally drink some flavor of Celestial Seasonings herbal tea in the mornings.  Many of their products are no caffeine, 0 calories, and it tricks my body into thinking it's getting caffeine.  Drink lots of water, of course.  Good luck!!  It does get better, I don't miss it at all anymore.  :)

I forgot to ask- you are definitely eating breakfast, right? Coffee used to be my breakfast, just making sure you're not in the same boat


I quit caffeine when I was pregnant cold turkey- I was headachy and sluggish for about a week, but it subsided quickly.

Hi, I used to just have one or two cups of tea in the morning, but now I am having a cup of low fat plain yogurt and a piece of fruit, that's what's on this food plan I'm doing. And, I am having some decaf tea, so it fools me and is satisfying as I get to drink something hot. I am noticing that I'm sleeping better, which is great...no headaches, but still dragging a bit.

Thanks for replying!

I gave up caffiene completly. Plus its bad for u and for ur skin. Also it has so many carbs in it. . .well caffiene in pop does.

Drink Water!

:: grins :: In the long run, drinking water actually wakes you up, and keeps you up, better than caffeine, because coffee and such are just stimulating chemicals...but water keeps your /brain/ going more!

I had an english teacher in HS that used to preach and preach and preach that to us, and one day she used the example of the Air Force Academy, in Colo. Springs Colorado, (I lived in Denver, 125 miles north.)  Anyway, she had a group of Academy Air Force personnel in the school, and all they were doing was drinking water and more water, and /thats/ where I learned about water actually keeping you more energized than coffee or coke...

That said, /my/ dark dirty little secret is that /I/ didn't stop my heavy caffeine intake until my doc told me to!  I used to work retail, and I'd have 1-2 mugs before work, and then get to the mall, pick up a 20oz at the coffee shop, /as well/ as a bag of dark chocolate covered espresso beans, munch on those during shift and then, at break, go back for /more/ coffee...

I went completely coffee free for about a month, cold turkey, and it was painful, but I did it, and now I just let myself have that one cup in the morning, for the taste, and a lot of the time, it's decaf...

So I /def./ feel for ya, but know that it's possible to quit it, no matter /how/ addicted to it you are!

hi

wow guys, i am a TOTAL coffe junkie. getting up and drinking water might just do the trick!!! im going to give it a shot in the morning. Have my bottle of water first before i have my coffee.

cheers

I didn't give up my coffee. I simply scaled it back to one cup a day, instead of a whole pot a day. XD

the only hard days are when my husband is home on weekends-he's a coffee junkie. he drives truck, and coffee is a food group for those fellas. ^_^

Hey chocorific - totally OT, but my hubby is a driver too, only home on the weekends.  He's been doing flatbad the past two years, so he gets a good amount of excercise with all the tarping.  So he can eat whatever he wants, and drink all the coffee and mountain dew he can hold.  :)

You know, I decided that one cup a day won't kill me.....just can't live without that first cup of tea! Just can't allow myself any more than that. Gotta have some fun, especially since I've given up all the other treats!

water & exercise