The One About Cutting Caffeine

I mentioned my soon to be reduction in caffeine last week.

I really wasn’t in a hurry to write this post only because I knew once I hit publish, I’d need to put my words into action (kind of like that plan to reduce my grocery bill even more… Yeah there’s a reason you haven’t seen that one yet).

Before I get into the how, let me talk about the why.

Why in the heck do I want to cut caffeine?

I didn’t read a new study about coffee being bad for you or the effects of caffeine on health. A celebrity didn’t come out and say caffeine sucks and I ran to follow. Nope none of that.

I decided to cut caffeine for 2 reasons.

The first: I find I’m really sensitive to caffeine. If I have it at 5am one day, I NEED it by 5am that next day. Caffeine headaches come on easily and quickly. If I have too much caffeine (more than 2 big cups in a day) I start to feel shaky and not so good.

The second: My doctor told me it was probably a good idea to start cutting down on the caffeine because once I’m growing a baby inside me caffeine needs to be very little. Once that happens.  That is not now.

It isn’t just coffee though. My usual routine consisted of 2 (big) morning mugs of coffee + 2 cups of caffeinated tea (one in the morning and one in the afternoon).

It turns out to be a lot of caffeine at the end of the day.

The plan: how to cut caffeine without feeling like death

I am no fan of caffeine headaches, but since I get them so easily it’s just something I’ll have to deal with.

Step 1: switch to just 1 cup of coffee in the morning (still my big cup) – tea can stay the same

Step 2: switch to half regular + half decaf coffee (still in my bug cup) OR all regular in a small cup – tea should be 1 caffeinated and the other(s) decaf.

Step 3: if I’m still feeling like I need caffeine at the same time each morning switch to all decaf coffee – tea still 1 caffeinated and the rest decaf

If I’m feeling good with my caffeine cravings then keep it here but alternating some mornings with caffeinated tea instead of my small cup of coffee to keep my body guessing with  how much caffeine it will get.

Step 4: assess + reevaluate as necessary

Right now I’m on step 1.  It’s mornings like today when I really want that second cup of coffee.  I slept in an extra 45 minutes (despite going to bed an hour later), but feel insanely sleepy + groggy.

If I really have trouble getting my caffeine down in the morning I’ll try and workout first thing pre-coffee.  That always seems to wake me up and lessen my need for coffee.

Gina shared a great tip last time I mentioned it…

Do you have any other tips to share?  Has anyone else gone through these tough steps?  Why did you want to cut caffeine?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Heather

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