Scott Longden is from Melbourne, Australia and on a journey ‘from Fatman to Ironman’. He is in the process of ‘removing the crap’ from his diet, so decided to give up coffee. The trigger was when he couldn’t have his normal daily routine of around 5 cups and had a massive headache by the end of the day. He decided to play around with his intake and notice how coffee made him feel.
I’d get out of bed and feel great. I’d have my first cup and progressively started to feel more tired after about an hour. I’d then have another cup. The tiredness would go away, but again return after about 90min. I’d then repeat the process and by the third cup I was starting to have trouble concentrating.
He decided to go cold turkey and the big problem was a headache that was was very strong for 3 days, then gradually disappeared after a week.
His first response whether it was worth it was ‘MOST DEFINITELY YES!’ and he followed up with another blog post a week later (2 weeks after quitting). The verdict then was just as strong and he detailed some of the advantages:
- Insomnia – Cured
- Headaches – Gone
- Feeling of lethargy that comes and goes over the day – Gone
- Issues with focusing tasks – Gone
- Waking up feeling thirsty at all times of the night – Gone
In addition, now that I’m sleeping through the night consistently (and I’d never slept right through the night before two weeks ago) I’m now feeling way more energised, focussed, happier and full of beans (just not coffee beans ). Additionally, my training seems to have become more focussed.
But best of all I seem to be craving healthier food rather than processed rubbish and that bodes well for my other goal. Getting Down to Race Weight.
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Hi Guys. 5 months on, I've just posted an update on my website http://www.scottlongden.com/?p=1566
No coffee and still going strong
Scott
I went 'cold turkey' on caffeine for the last time, last month. I had been a night time nursing assistant for 3.5 years and had developed a 4-5 cup a day habit. At only 29, I was beginning to notice tiny wrinkles that I most certainly did not authorize, and as a holistic health professional with a massage practice in Portland, Maine, I felt that it was important to set a good example for my clients. So I quit, and it hurt. For nearly a week, I had a consistent low-level headache with intermittent periods where I felt as though I was being assaulted with a hammer. It was the severity of the headache that keeps me off the sauce, even when it's 2:30pm and I am so bored and dragging. I am not quite sure how to fill that gap, so I am experimenting with stretch breaks and herbal teas. I know that if I start back up, I will need to quit all over again, and I don't think I care to experience that ever again. I have noticed my face has already fleshed out a little bit with all of the water that I drink, and my sleeping rhythms, which have always been OK, are now like German clockwork.