As a part of my change of lifestyle, I have cut way back on caffeine and have pretty much eliminated beer from my diet. Before, I would have at least two diet cola before lunch, along with a huge mug of tea. Lunch would be another large diet cola or a big iced tea. Evening would bring a couple of beers on many nights. They're empty calories that I don't need, so out goes the beer.

An interesting side effect of cutting out the diet cola: I am not nearly as hungry in the mornings at my desk now. I didn't realize it, but the colas were giving me a false feeling of hunger that lasted most of the day! I still drink my mug of tea in the morning, but I drink water at my desk and the mornings are MUCH easier to get through.

Also--it just occurred to me a couple of days ago that I haven't had a migraine in three weeks. THREE WEEKS. I normally at least THINK about taking a migraine pill in the space of three weeks, but **nothing** so far. The other beneficial side-effect is that I can sleep a lot better. I don't know if that's because I dropped the beer or the diet cola, but I'm glad anyway!

I've also lost a few pounds--not much, because I'm kind of easing into this thing. But all in all, the changes feel good and I'm optimistic! Oh, and my new elliptical machine should be here sometime next week. Yay!

I'm right there with you windchime. I am addicted to caffeine and was hitting the wine pretty hard as of late. It is encouraging to read your post. I am hoping the cutting both back (just a cup of tea in the am and no wine for a good long while) will help me mellow out and lower my stress. Thanks!!!

I think that is very interesting that you are no longer as hungry in the morning after eliminated diet soda. I am thinking that may be my problems in the morning. I usually drink a diet soda on my way to work and eat my breakfast once I get to work. I am starving (stomach growling loudly) usually about a half hour later. I may just try eliminating caffine and see if get the same results as you!

I'm still drinking my tea in the morning and that does have a little caffeine in it. I don't know if it's that I was getting too much caffeine or if it was the bubbles and the fake sweetener that was doing it to me--I'm guessing on the fake sweetener. All that caffeine was definitely what was affecting my sleep, though. I hope it works for you. I don't miss being all hungry and tummy growly in the morning!

Tea is supposed to have more caffeine than coffee, so I make mine a little weak. I find that the less I drink, the more of an affect it has on me. I wasn't as hungry this evening as I normally am - I think you're on to somethin' there lady.

All three contain cafeine(?spelling), the diet center I am going to said I am supposed to quit it completely. I have never been big on diet sodas so it wasn't hard to give that up! So no sodas for me and I started mixing have regular and half decaf coffee & tea until I have managed to get to complete decaf. I know if you replace coffee & tea with water, the water makes you feel fuller. It also helps if you drink very cold water because it takes more calories to process the cold than it does the room temperature. I wish everyone good luck in their adventure, and remove decaf is good!!!

That's great! I'm glad to see that it's not all in my head, LOL. I am not quite ready to give up my mug of tea in the morning but I am really finding that I'm not missing the diet cola like I thought I would. In the past I have found it a huge struggle to give that up, so I'm guessing that's more of a mental thing than it was an addiction for me.

Same thing happened to me...and it was the diet pop. Man that stuff was evil! And actually for three weeks withdrawing from it, I had heart palpitations.

Cutting out the beer probably helped you too, but actually it takes up to nine months of alcohol withdrawal before you feel the effects of it on your sleep (so they say). So the better sleep is probably from cutting out the diet pop.

Good for you!!!! I know how hard it is

~CGH~

I am a caffeine addict.
I normally drink coffee all day long because it keeps me away from soda (I dislike the taste of diet soda).

I recently read that Green Tea isn't as bad as it's reputation leads us to believe.
The caffeine in Green Tea releases into our bodies much slower than the caffeine from a cup of coffee. And it also helps you burn approximately 60 calories because your body is processing a hot beverage.

So for the past week I have been drinking tea during the day instead of coffee.
And I'm saving a ton of money too because I hate stale coffee and would only buy it fresh instead of drinking out of the community coffee pot at work!
The added bonus is that I need creamer in my coffee. Tea, I can drink as is!
(I know I ought to be drinking regular water, but it is winter and I want warm beverages!).


archychick, another thing that I have learned on the journey to a thin me is that of all alcoholic beverages that we commonly drink, Wine is the highest in sugar and is also a difficult sugar for our bodies to process. The best way to explain this I guess would be to compare it to bread. Bread starts out as a starch when you eat it, but your body turns it into sugar first and then digests it - slowly. Your body does the same thing with wine. So a small glass now and again is fine, but if we're trying to shed pounds, we should limit consumption. I've only allowed myself a few glasses a month so far. I miss it!

OK on the diet pop deal, according to my dr it is the sweetner that is used in diet pop. This item somehow triggers hungry in the brain. So as a result no pop since 07/08

I have found that herbal tea without caffeine does the trick for me. Have gotten into green mint tea and licorce tea. Very yummy....and don't miss the caffeine kick at all!

Oh yeah, I know about the sugars in wine...ugh thanks for posting because other will benefit from that! I have to have some wine now and again, but will be cutting wayyy back - yes, to shed the pounds we must sacrifice! lol

For most types of coffee and regular tea, the tea has less caffeine, unless it is made very strong. I sometimes have brewed decaf for a caffeine kick, because I only drink tea and it doesn't have as much effect for me. I do stop drinking caffeine by noon or I don't sleep well.
I don't have too much problem not drinking for the most part and only occasionally miss is. What do people think of the low carb beers? And did you know guiness has fewer calories and less alcohol than other regular beers? what a shock!
In Canada we have fewer sodas with caffeine than you do in the US. Only dark sodas can have caffeine, and there are a lot of caffeine free options.

I have been able to get more diet sodas with splenda instead of aspartame.
Doesn't seem to have the same side-effects tho

I'm reading this thread as I'm having my morning coffee! I only have a couple of cups in the morning and as a teacher I need that to get me up and running! I haven't been counteracting it with water in the past though, so that's part of my goal....equal water for number of cups of coffee. I also love having a glass or two of wine in the evenings. I just went shopping yesterday and turned away from the wine aisle. ((((sigh)))). After I reach my first 5 lbs. I may let myself have some one day a week only.

I have to say I have found what has to be the lowest calorie & lowest carb beer. MGD 64 only has 64 calories and 2.4 carbs per 12 ounce bottle. I enjoy it over a glass of ice and a twist of lime. A couple of those and I am content and my craving for enjoying a cocktail while I am out with friends is satisfied. I am not really big on wine, but I also found out that if you mix a little bit of red wine with some Sprite Zero which is caffeine free it tastes great and satisfies your need for a cocktail and has fewer calories because the Sprite Zero has 0 calories. There are alot of things you can do to spice up your evenings out or with a group of friends. Good luck and Huggers!!!