Last Thursday, after a few days of imposing a caffeine curfew, I sucked it up and measured just how much soda I was drinking. The final number: 84 ounces of Coke Zero.

I realize this is a shocking number for many.

Not for me.

I’m only drinking Coke Zero so I can steadily reduce my caffeine intake. (Not sure if Diet Pepsi or Diet Coke have identical caffeine amounts, so this is like an experiment with a control.) Here’s how it’s going:

• Day 1: 84 ounces
• Day 2: 80 ounces
• Day 3: 75 ounces
• Day 4: 74 ounces
• Day 5: 73 ounces
• Day Today: 72 ounces

If I continue to reduce my intake by one ounce a day, I’ll be caffeine-free by Halloween and I’ll skip that whole nasty caffeine withdrawal business. (I’ve seen that movie before and it’s terrifying.)

Between my curfew and gradual Coke Zero reduction, I’m already reaping the rewards of better, deeper sleep. I also feel less edgy. My energy also feels “cleaner” – I’ll have to think of a better way to describe that sensation. It’s currently Day 14 of my cycle, so I’ll be paying attention to see if caffeine reduction improves my PMS. (Spoiler alert: I’m pretty damn sure it will).

My longterm goal is to drastically reduce my soda intake along with eliminating caffeine. I thought I’d just reduce them together, but I have been desperately missing my afternoon soda. I don’t want to lose my progress on the caffeine front because I’m craving an afternoon soda, so this morning I procured caffeine-free Diet Pepsi at the grocery store.

First I eliminated refined sugar from my diet. Now I’m reducing caffeine and working on my nasty soda addiction. I wonder what changes I feel inspired to make next.