May 8, 2015

How much caffeine do you drink?

I should preface with the fact that I initially wanted to give up caffeine this week.  I didn't.  I'm already giving up ice cream and maybe that's enough sacrifice for an entire lifetime.  


Take a minute and think about your caffeine consumption. I'm genuinely curious about where I fall on the scale.  Do you drink a lot of caffeine?

Mine is specifically in the form of coffee.  I usually only drink decaf green teas and I'm not a soda drinker. I try to get at least 100 oz. of water a day, so I tell myself that balances out the caffeine. Coffee is a tricky little addiction though. 

A few weeks ago, I had a job interview first thing in the morning and I was a nervous wreck for 3 days leading up to it.  I decided coffee was the last thing I needed, even though I had gotten up at 5am, so I could get ready with time to spare.  I haven't skipped coffee in the morning in a very long time.  Like probably since the beginning of January. I usually have one 6-8 oz. cup and maybe half of a another one and then I sip green tea on my way to school.  

On this day of no coffee, the gross feeling hit me around 10am.  Kind of just like fatigue.  By the afternoon I was ready to fall asleep but I'm usually ready to fall asleep by 2:00pm anyway.  I don't get any fresh air during the day, so I could probably have taken a walk or something and been fine.  But then, by the time I got home, my head was pounding.  However, I knew caffeine would likely keep me up that night.  So I drank some more water, took a Tylenol, and did a Pilates workout.  I went to bed around 9:30 and woke up at 5am again to get ready for school and I felt fabulous.  I actually contemplated giving up caffeine for a week to see what it does to me...but coffee is such a comfort when I have to get up so early in the morning. Once or twice a week (okay, sometimes more) I stop at Starbucks.  I happened to try a flat white from Starbucks (a recommendation from Scott) and it was okay.  I mean, I didn't notice a huge difference between that and an Americano, except that it costs $2 more. Coffeeshop coffee is also a major guilty pleasure for me, as you know. 

Speaking of, I've decided to stop using my reusable K-Cup for awhile and just buy K-Cups.  I made a Dunkin Donuts run and stocked up.  This is the dumbest reason ever for my decision: I'm lazy.  K-cups are easier.  I'm tired of driving the miles to TJ's to buy good coffee every couple of weeks (and remembering to do so because you don't want to run out of coffee) and then grinding it and cleaning the reusable filters.  Again, I'm lazy.  But in a world where I have to manage and take care of everything around me, it's the little things that make the days more pleasant.

So, how much caffeine do you consume?  
I might try the caffeine fast this summer.  Maybe.  

11 comments:

  1. I usually don't drink caffeine and it honestly has made me feel so much better!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I usually only drink caffeine in the form of iced tea. Soda only if its the only thing available at the party we are at or something. Otherwise water water water!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The only caffeine I drink is tea. As in hot tea, not iced tea. I used to drink so much soda it was ridiculous - like 3+ litres a day, no exaggeration. Every time I tried to give it up, I'd have to do it on a weekend because the headaches and withdrawals were so bad that I was basically useless. But after a week or so, I was fabulous. Seriously. It doesn't affect me as in keeping me awake, but it obviously affects me somehow for my body to freak the buggery out when I take it away. I've never been a coffee drinker so I don't have to worry about that, but I feel so much better without the soda and I don't think there is enough in the tea to affect me. You should absolutely do a fast ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have one can of pop a day, and that is it. The rest of the time I drink water. If I happen to go out for dinner, I may have iced tea with dinner but I don't go out very often.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh man, I love coffee. It would be SUPER hard for me to give it up. It's a comfort to me, like you said. And I totally have the weakness for coffee shop coffee! As far as how much caffeine, in a typical day I usually have 1-2 cups of coffee or iced coffee and sweet tea with dinner. Maybe 1-2 times a week I will have soda, usually on the weekends but I try to stay away from soda as much as possible!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I usually drink one travel mug of coffee in the mornings and that's it. I make it before work and take it with me, and then drink it when I feel like it (currently it's 8:20 and I haven't touched it yet). That's pretty much the only caffeine I'll drink all day unless my evening tea has caffeine in it, and I don't have it on purpose - it just depends on the type of tea I'm in the mood for. I guess I don't really actively avoid caffeine...I just don't drink a lot of beverages that have it in there in general. I VERY rarely drink soda, I don't have a Starbucks so I can't buy my beloved passion tea lemonades anymore, I don't drink coffee in the evenings...yep. That's my story.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Since I gave up soda, I have had no caffeine. I was drinking at least a 32 oz fountain soda a day, so that's a lot. I am less tired now. I seem to have more energy and don't get that afternoon nap feeling.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I drink a lot of caffeine. I also drink a lot of water. I don't drink a lot of booze anymore and I gave up smoking. This is a vice I'm keeping and I'm 100% okay with it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love this post!! I have an iced coffee every morning (maybe 8 oz or so?) and another every afternoon. I drink soda if we're out to eat which isn't too often. My husband and I also love Starbucks so we'll split an iced venti iced coffee maybe once a week! I love caffeine and do try to drink a good amount of water to even it out.

    - Sarah www.thefrugalmillionaireblog.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I drink two Diet Cokes. So I do drink caffeine, but then I try to drink water. I need caffeine to stay nice.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I go through spurts of LOTS of caffeine vs. very little. It all has to do with how well my children are sleeping through the night. Haha.

    ReplyDelete

Comments make my day!