Wow, I just read through this whole thread. Very very interesting. I recently spent a couple of months with some intestinal discomfort. My diet of choice is the blood type diet, and being type O, I should avoid wheat/gluten. But my husband was training for a ski event that occurred in March. So while with him on this I was eating some things I wouldn't normally eat, and that included a bit of wheat here and there. Anyway, I have been off gluten for about 2 weeks strictly and my system is better, but now the coffee thing. I alternate between coffee and tea in the am. I think that the days I have coffee, there is much more urgency, softer movements, yuck!
Anyway, this thread is inspiring. I am also one who is more afraid to break the ritual, but I think it's time.

There has been a lot of discussion of the blood type diet here over the years. Everybody who gets the "type O" diet thinks it's great; everybody who gets the other blood type diets thinks it's garbage. The consensus: the blood type diet doesn't work, low carb does and gluten-free does.

Interesting article: Caffeine Withdrawal Headache Explained: Your Brain On -- And Off -- Caffeine
The end of the article has a blurb about the effects of chronic caffeine consumption on the brain, or lack thereof. I always found that was true for me. I didn't feel like I was given a boost by caffeine, maybe because I was so habituated to it. Of course what it does do is prevent the withdrawal symptoms of fatigue and headache.

Interesting article. I wish it mentioned what one can do to alleviate that headache/blood rush to the brain. But maybe it's just that gradual weaning like you did off coffee that makes it less of a problem?

I didn't actual give up caffeine, but I did give up coffee. Now I'm chugging quite a lot of tea and the odd diet soda here and there. I did a stint as caffeine free but still drank decaf coffee. I still had bowel issues so I figured it wasn't caffeine (or coffee) affecting my gut. But I think it's something other than caffeine bugging me.

I should try getting off the tea at some point.

Yes, I'd recommend gradually decreasing your caffeine before you quit. Who needs to feel sick for 3 days with withdrawal? Yuck!

Holy smokes! This thread must have had me in mind, as I just started a caffeine cessation program today. I had zero coffee today, which is a freakin miracle for me. I drank iced yerba matte tea instead.

I believe caffeine does more harm than good. At least at the level I was using it. For a good book on this topic - and very inspiration toward getting off caffeine, I recommend the book "Caffeine Blues."

http://www.amazon.com/Caffeine-Blue...41487715&sr=8-1

One of the most interesting tings he brings up in that book is how caffeine does NOT give you energy, but rather TEMPORARY chemical stimulation. And that even if you're one of those folks who "can fall asleep right after drinking a pot of coffee" - caffeine prevents you from getting fully into the deepest and most restorative stage of sleep. I think it's called delta-2 sleep.

Thus, you wake up tired because your sleep was not nearly as restorative as nature intended it to be. So what do you do? Why you reach for a mug of Joe, of course!

Apparently even caffeine taken in the morning can interfere with deep stages of sleep at night! So cutting yourself off caffeine early in day may not be enough to keep it from messing your zzzzsss at night.

Nancy, like you I dreaded not having a steaming mug of Joe today. But it was not nearly so bad as I'd imagined. I enjoyed my iced yerba matte tea which has like a 5th the caffeine of coffee. I plan to be 100% free of caffeine by end of month.

Do you notice any improvement in your overall energy levels since quitting caffeine?

Ah yes...you have just articulated one of life's most important truths. That we tend to exaggerate in our minds how hard or how long something will take, that we prefer not to do.

You think, I don't want to organize my finances because it will take forever. But then one day, you just "get to it" and find it wasn't nearly as daunting a task as you'd made it out to be in your mind.

I see this principal over and over again in my life.

I quit caffeine last week and haven't had any problems or withdrawal. I sorta keep waiting for the bomb to drop, but it hasn't. I was having so many muscle issues and now that I'm feel better, I'm not even tempted.

Green tea is my hot beverage of choice. I suppose it helps to have a substitute.

Giving up coffee curbed my appetite. I think it caused my blood sugar to fluctuate. Now I am hardly ever hungry. Strange but true!

I think that's why Atkins disallowed it. It does the same to me.

As long as you are drinking teas or sodas which contain caffeine, or are taking any of the pain relievers which have caffeine, you will not have withdrawal symptoms.

People who eliminate ALL sources of caffeine will have withdrawal symptoms, others will exclaim that they had no withdrawal symptoms, that quitting coffee was "easy."

I've eliminated ALL sources of caffeine from my life and after the first 2 weeks I was ok. I'm feeling much better now. I drink mostly water. Sometimes I will have an herbal tea (no caffeine) with my meal.

Patrick

I'm not sure where or even if this is still being sold, but it sounds really good. It appears to be cacao beans roasted and ground such that you can brew it in your coffeemaker.

I'm happy with my Teeccino, but I do love chocolate so this is something I think I'd like to try.

Anyone tried it? There's a review of it here: http://weheartthis.com/2009/04/21/c...ocolate-review/

My Whole Foods carries a chocolate mint flavored Teeccino that is pretty good. I think it tastes like hot chocolate.