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Day 2 of no caffeine, no soda.. and it's horrible - I have a mini fridge with a bottom shelf FULL of Pepsi calling out to me!

Meanwhile it feels like my brain has been attacked by something wrapped up with a slice of lemon and gold.

...on the plus side, my diet is going fairly well. down from 250 to 245.

Man, no caffeine at all? Is that part of your diet or are you just set on cutting out all soda? Because you could always just get a single shot of espresso or a small cup of coffee and down it really fast (if you don't like bitter things).

---------- Post added at 03:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:26 PM ----------

Congrats on the diet going well. Cutting out soft drinks can do wonders.

Keep it up, man! I have quit soda several times and always went crawling back like the little pansy I am.

Stick with it, brother!

Can you drink green tea? More caffeine than soda, and allegedly helps your body burn fat.

I thought I would cut or at least cap my intake of caffeine for a while, I was up to about 6 cans of Pepsi a day, and I don't like how big in *certain places* that I'm getting. I can stand it in my arms and shoulders cause I'm working out occasionally to help strengthen those areas, plus the bike riding when it's not fricking RAINING here. But the fat butt and thighs have to go.. as well as the flappy hooties!! >=(
I can't stand the taste of green tea, probably because I had the real stuff in Japan in 2002 and took one sip and literally did a spit-take. Tongue no likey!

So I've cut out all soda until and unless I go crawling and crying back to it. In the meantime I have Hawaiian Punch Lime to keep my tastebuds happy.

What brought it on was a trip to one of my favorite places to go - Hoodoo (a ski area in Oregon).. I've previously walked all the way up the mountain - with difficulty, but I made it. Ten years ago. Now they have webcams that update every 10 minutes, so I can see EXACTLY when it's ok to go up there and not fall through the snow 3 feet, etc etc, and be able to walk on dry-ish ground. So Sunday I drove up and got about 2/5 up the mountain before settling for the top of one of the main ski lift areas. It was still a beautiful view and I still got a lot of exercise out of it, but I'd like to be able to get back to where I've been before, ya know?

http://www.callatg.com/~nsps/weather4.htm
(I made it to the Manzanita chair)

I stopped drinking caffeine over a year ago. And except for an occasional soda here and there I have stuck with it. So hang in there and good luck

You have the right attitude about it. Baby steps. Set a goal. Self discipline. Good for you!

I hate to break it to you man but that Hawaiian Punch has just about as much sugar in it as those Pepsis in your fridge. If you're serious about getting into shape you should probably cut that out too. It's not the caffeine that's making you fat, it's the sugar and empty calories.

I started drinking Coke Zeroes instead. I have lost some weight, but am not sure exactly how much. I did this specifically to avoid the caffeine withdrawals you mentioned. Regular Coke tastes weird to me now. Also, I like Diet Coke a lot better.

General Specific said:

I started drinking Coke Zeroes instead. I have lost some weight, but am not sure exactly how much. I did this specifically to avoid the caffeine withdrawals you mentioned. Regular Coke tastes weird to me now. Also, I like Diet Coke a lot better.

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Aspartame in Coke Zero , Pepsi One, etc, causes my mind to become a pinball in a pinball machine, stuck between a set of bumpers. Can't do it.

Baerdog said:

I hate to break it to you man but that Hawaiian Punch has just about as much sugar in it as those Pepsis in your fridge. If you're serious about getting into shape you should probably cut that out too. It's not the caffeine that's making you fat, it's the sugar and empty calories.

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according to the labels as I'm looking at them, Pepsi 12oz has 41g sugar. Hawaiian Punch Lemon Lime Splash has on a 8oz serving size 21g (according to the label) of sugar.

Water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, beer, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water...

And if you prefer your drinks carbonated than try club soda. Mmmmm Nothing like a nice cold club soda with maybe a splash of lemon juice. :drool:

Dave said:

Water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, beer, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water...

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heh, thanks for reminding me.. my water cooler is almost empty, I need a refill.

Hylian said:

And if you prefer your drinks carbonated than try club soda. Mmmmm Nothing like a nice cold club soda with maybe a splash of lemon juice. :drool:

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I may try that...

Matt²;400085][QUOTE=General Specific said:

I started drinking Coke Zeroes instead. I have lost some weight, but am not sure exactly how much. I did this specifically to avoid the caffeine withdrawals you mentioned. Regular Coke tastes weird to me now. Also, I like Diet Coke a lot better.

Click to expand...

Aspartame in Coke Zero , Pepsi One, etc, causes my mind to become a pinball in a pinball machine, stuck between a set of bumpers. Can't do it.

Baerdog said:

I hate to break it to you man but that Hawaiian Punch has just about as much sugar in it as those Pepsis in your fridge. If you're serious about getting into shape you should probably cut that out too. It's not the caffeine that's making you fat, it's the sugar and empty calories.

Click to expand...

according to the labels as I'm looking at them, Pepsi 12oz has 41g sugar. Hawaiian Punch Lemon Lime Splash has on a 8oz serving size 21g (according to the label) of sugar.[/QUOTE]

I was originally looking at the stats for regular HP because that's what I found. 8oz of Pepsi has 28g of sugars, 100 calories, and 20mg of sodium. So while the lemon lime HP may have less sugar and calories, it's got way more sodium (105mg) and still isn't going to be doing you any favors while you're trying to lose weight.

Like Dave said: water is your friend.

but...but.. it's got .. electrolytes.. and things plants crave!

wait I'm not a plant..

you're making this more difficult. Baby steps!

I would actually try with the morning expresso route; trying to drop your caffeine habit and your weight at the same time is rough as hell, especially since caffeine makes you feel full, which helps cut down on the volume of food you eat.

Expresso in the morning, and water for the rest of the day. You could also try watering down 100% OJ; 1 part OJ to 2-3 parts water will cut a lot of the fructose out of your intake, and you'll still get a nice splash of vitamin C, which will help your metabolism.

This is why I quit as a teen.

Although I also quit candy, cookies, cake, and pizza, and those didn't stick. But the caffeine did!

Yeah, I actively stopped drinking soda when I was 18, now I crave it rarely enough that I can indulge once in a while and not hurt my weight. Most of the time it tastes kind of gross and too sugary compared to fruit juice or water. Still working on the dessert items, though.

My friend Paul stopped drinking as much coffee years ago because he developed a serious arrythmia. I noticed it myself briefly the other night when a friend called after I had gone to sleep and it startled me, and I couldn't get my heart to stop racing, slowing down, then racing again. Last night I was having trouble breathing because of it.. today is off and on, keeping an eye on it, and if need to, will go to the doctor. But I thought if you dropped caffeine, stuff would get better.. or is this a withdrawal symptom?

I drink water, orange juice, and milk.

Occasionally I'll drink beer.

But with food like pizza, hamburgers, or chinese food, I gotta have a Pepsi.

I miss drinking Mountian Dew.

God damn I miss drinking it.

*Punches a wall.

I rarely drink soda. Didn't really stop drinking it because of dieting, but slowly tea just marched up the chain and it's basically all I drink now. Cup of coffee in the morning, then tea and later in the evening a cup of hot chocolate milk. If I'm really thirsty I just drink water or milk.

I've cut out sugar-sodas. I have diet sodas with greasy foods (pizza/mexican), but that's kind of rare. I do drink ~ 4 cups of coffee a day. That is cut back from a pot a day. I drink about 3 L of water a day outside of meals.

Cutting out soda is difficult at first but it does get easier. I don't really miss it all that much anymore. I was drinking 2L of Mountain Dew a day!! When I was working in the lab, I weighed out how much sugar I was drinking, and I couldn't believe the mound of sugar I was eating everyday. I cut sodas that day. I've lost at least 20 lbs since then.

Matt² said:

My friend Paul stopped drinking as much coffee years ago because he developed a serious arrythmia. I noticed it myself briefly the other night when a friend called after I had gone to sleep and it startled me, and I couldn't get my heart to stop racing, slowing down, then racing again. Last night I was having trouble breathing because of it.. today is off and on, keeping an eye on it, and if need to, will go to the doctor. But I thought if you dropped caffeine, stuff would get better.. or is this a withdrawal symptom?

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I would see a doctor if it continues, then get your doctor to recommend a nutritionist, if you insurance covers it. If you're set on dropping your caffeine intake on top of the weight thing, you could really benefit from a set plan.

If you're cutting caffeine, start popping ibuprofen for a few days, to avoid the mind destroying headaches. You pretty much have to take them BEFORE the headache kicks in for best effect. It usually takes me a week before the headaches go away completely from the withdrawl (at least for me - I've quit a few times, but came back for more).
I'm cutting out caffeine right now, but I'm doing the slow approach. I'm just drinking a little less each day. I'm hoping by the end of the week or so, I'll be done completely.

SpecialKO;400645][QUOTE=Matt² said:

My friend Paul stopped drinking as much coffee years ago because he developed a serious arrythmia. I noticed it myself briefly the other night when a friend called after I had gone to sleep and it startled me, and I couldn't get my heart to stop racing, slowing down, then racing again. Last night I was having trouble breathing because of it.. today is off and on, keeping an eye on it, and if need to, will go to the doctor. But I thought if you dropped caffeine, stuff would get better.. or is this a withdrawal symptom?

Click to expand...

I would see a doctor if it continues, then get your doctor to recommend a nutritionist, if you insurance covers it. If you're set on dropping your caffeine intake on top of the weight thing, you could really benefit from a set plan.[/QUOTE]

Wouldn't you know, as soon as I got to work I didn't notice it anymore, so it may've been a waking-up-without-caffeine thing

I don't eat candy, fast food, processed food, or drink soda's. I've cut those out completely from my diet. I've also cut down on my sugar, salt, and fat intake. After a week, I've noticed an improvement in my physical health, and my mood.

When you look at yourself in the mirror, and you are taking steps to reduce your fat and lose weight, seeing that beer belly doesn't bother you quite as much.