Full Disclosure: I’m drinking a Coke Zero as I write this post.
If I’m being honest with myself, yes, it is definitely time to break up caffeine and see what that change does for my health. But when it comes to caffeine, I’m not always honest with myself. Me and caffeine, well, we have a long history that goes back to high school when I first became obsessed with starting the school day with a cold can of Diet Pepsi from the soda machine.
I have broken up with caffeine many times, and each time, I vowed, This is it! I’m never going back to caffeine! And every time, I inevitably decided to have a sip of soda here, a can of soda there, and before long, I’d be back to a full-blown addiction. Because me and soda do not do restraint. It’s an all-or-nothing proposition. Either I abstain completely or I’m guzzling 100+ ounces of caffeinated diet soda a day.
Sidebar: I also want to wean myself off soda for a variety of health reasons. But baby steps, folks, baby steps.
There’s a voice inside me whispering, You don’t need to quit soda completely. You just need to monitor your intake so it doesn’t interfere with your sleep. If you quit entirely, then you’ll go crazy and end up right where you started, guzzling soda all day long.
That little voice sounds reasonable, but I know that’s just Resistance keeping me from making a profound change that would be good for my health. I’ve quit caffeine before and every time I do, I sleep better and have more energy – but I don’t think I’ve ever quit caffeine and refined sugar at the same time. Since I started my Refined Sugar Moratorium last month, I feel so much healthier. How much healthier will I feel if I eliminate caffeine as well?
Recently, I’ve been deepening my mind-body connection, and that connection is telling me it’s time to breakup with caffeine. So I am taking a deep breath and resolving to quit caffeine.
Slowly. I quit refined sugar cold turkey. One day, I was obsessed with the sweet white powder, and the next, I could not stand the stuff. But as much as I want to nurture my body, I’m not interested in severe caffeine withdrawal. In the past, I weaned off caffeine ounce by ounce. This time, I’m going to use a two prong approach:
- I’m enacting a Caffeine Curfew, after which time, I’m not allowed to imbibe the stuff until the next morning. Yesterday, I set the curfew at 2. Today, I’m lowering it to 1:45. I’ll keep lowering it by 15 minute increments, guided by my intuition.
- And when I feel ready (but no later then next Monday), I’ll measure my caffeine. The first day, I’ll drink however much I want until the Caffeine Curfew and keep track of what I’m drinking. The next day, I’ll reduce the amount by 1-5 ounces, depending on how much I’m drinking when I start measuring. So, if I measure out 200 ounces on Day 1, then I’ll definitely knock off 5 ounces the next. But if I only measure 40 ounces, I’ll probably knock off 2 ounces, so I don’t lose my mind from withdrawal.
Stay tuned for more health updates and wish me luck!