A Life Without Caffeine

Back in October I had to give up caffeine cold turkey. I wasn't very pleased about this and wasn't really sure how I'd ever survive, but I did! I found myself at Urgent Care the evening before my birthday because my heart did not feel right. They hooked me up to the machines and did all those fun tests to determine if I was okay or not. I had a few directions when leaving that night and one was to limit my caffeine intake. I said okay and did for about the first day and then after that went right back to my old habits. About a week later I had an appointment with my regular doctor and we went over the tests and what they all meant. Along with a prescription he gave me to start taking he told me no more caffeine. He said from that moment on I was to no longer have caffeine...period. SInce I trust him I said okay and came home and told my husband what had been said.

One of the first things I did was went and bought some decaf coffee. The first thing I do each morning when I get out of the shower is have my coffee. Part of it was the caffeine helped to get me moving in the morning, but the other part of it is that I just love coffee. That wasn't a big adjustment for me really. I still get my coffee, I just don't get the rush I'd get before from the caffeine. I also love diet coke and I'd drink it like crazy. Giving that up wasn't as bad as I thought it might be but it has been tough at times. I do still crave it and when that happens I'll allow myself to drink some kind of caffeine free diet soda. The nice thing is I have limited my soda intake by a lot since I can longer have caffeine. I remember the first few times I had to order water at a restaurant I wasn't thrilled, but now it's second nature. I don't even think about it. I know that's what I'm going to have before I even get there so I'm good with it.

I can't say for sure that being caffeine free has anything to do with it, but I have gained some weight since stopping it. I also went on a new medication at the same time and it slowed down my metabolism so I'm sure that had something to do with it. That part didn't thrill me at all. I get tired at about 3pm everyday and those are the times that I really wish I could have that cup of coffee or a soda to give me that small burst of energy, but I have survived. I suppose I will continue to as well. I feel much better not caffeine then I did before even if I sometimes lack a bit of energy.

So for those of you who think this is something you might not ever be able to do, I bet you could! If I can do it anyone can do it!