Comments on: Here We Go Again…

By: Jill

Jill — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:25:17 +0000

You can effortlessly give up caffeine if you drink water spiked with a little Celtic sea salt.

It’s in the book “The Water Cure.”

Most people are dehydrated in the first place, then we make it even worse by drinking caffeine.

Your body won’t go through withdrawal and you won’t even miss soda.

By: Esther

Esther — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:49:37 +0000

That’s funny. I have the same thing, but with Burt’s Bees products. They’re now owned by Clorox anyway…

By: Tricia

Tricia — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:23:28 +0000

Esther – that’s a great suggestion. But, I have a mental block with tea. I drank it right before something bad happened and I haven’t been able to bring myself to touch it again. Sounds really silly when I write it down like that.

By: Esther

Esther — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:15:16 +0000

Why go cold turkey? The headaches, jitters and mental haze are not worth it, to me. You could switch to tea which is actually good for you. Careful not to load in too much cream and sugar though. Good luck!

By: Margot

Margot — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:17:39 +0000

Good for you! Isn’t it scary to think how many unhealthy chemicals the soda was putting into your body and how addicted to it you were? It’s great that you are breaking the addiction and saving money. Plus, you’re setting better habits for your son.

By: Tricia

Tricia — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:59:49 +0000

Jessica – it’s funny you mention that. I was just thinking about migraines and how I haven’t had them in a while. I don’t recall the last one, but I was having them regularly for a while. If they spring up again, I’ll have to keep a headache diary. It could be the sugar substitutes. So far, no migraines *fingers crossed*. They are absolutely horrible!

By: momstheword

momstheword — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:45:42 +0000

Hello! I found you thru an old post of Lynnae’s at beingfrugal.net. I am looking forward to reading more and exploring your site more as we are trying to cut down in order to reach financial goals.

I think it’s awesome you are giving up caffeine. That is what I need to do too!

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:54:51 +0000

Did you think the headaches might be from the Crystal Light? If you weren’t really drinking sugar free drinks before I would try dropping this. Sugar substitutes are a huge migraine trigger, and can come on with age. I gave up soda based on concern that diet soda was giving me migraines, and it worked. Try substituting the crystal light with something else, like a flavored water. I also invested in a home seltzer maker as I’m a bubble addict, like many soda lovers, but even the bottle at the grocery store are way cheaper than soda if you get the store brand.

By: Phil M

Phil M — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:40:23 +0000

The best thing I did while quitting caffeine was to get a water bottle and carry it everywhere. It gives you the hydration you need, the convenience and the added bonus that you’re not paying $1+ every time you want a drink.

I used to (during my architecture school days) drink Mt Dew by the case load. The caffeine didn’t even affect me anymore. But when I quit, the headaches went away after about a week. I hate those headaches!

By: Sally

Sally — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:12:53 +0000

Your blog is a treasure to me. You come across as real and your actions as attainable by your readers, including myself. I worry that you will disappear when your credit card debt is paid off. I know this blog you put out is an invasion of your privacy – that is its value – it’s true.

This is just my own self-serving vote to encourage you to keep up your blog even as you enter the plus side of the balance sheet. Your realism is way more to the point than financial gurus such as Suze Oman.

By: Tammy

Tammy — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:41:22 +0000

To increase your energy level, I suggest a good cardio exercise, like eliptical or treadmill for 30 -60 minutes a day. It has helped me tremendously.

By: Tricia

Tricia — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:11:32 +0000

Today is definitely better, although I could feel a little jittery in the store with my vision. Both of us are trying to get to where we drink water only. Right now we’re dropping the caffeinated drinks (all soda – even caffeine free) and we are drinking lemonade and the generic Crystal Light.

By: Penny

Penny — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:03:14 +0000

Good job!

If you need a little something to help you through the withdrawal, a *tiny* piece of really good dark chocolate can do the trick. If you’re focusing more on cutting out soft drinks vs. all caffeine (i.e. from tea, coffee, etc.) green tea can help you transition. It doesn’t give the spike that sugary sodas do.

By: Joy Smith

Joy Smith — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:44:52 +0000

It’s your body having a reaction to the caffeine withdrawals. I wrote an article on this not to long ago. Caffeine is considered a drug and the withdrawals can be as bad as other drugs that are addictive. You have no energy from both the loss of caffeine and all of that sugar!

Soon it will get better! You just have to get through this. For energy eat a little protein like some nuts or peanut butter. If you’re craving sweets try fresh fruit.

By: nick

nick — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:07:08 +0000

I dropped soft drinks about four years ago now. I stick to water, tea and every now and then fruit juice. I became a bit of a tea snob, which was easy since even the best teas are pretty cheap per cup.

I have to agree with T.D.P. though. I can’t stand sugary drinks anymore. It’s too much. My mouth feels like it’s turning inside out in the rare situation where I have to drink soft drinks (work parties, kids parties, etc.).

By: Christy

Christy — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:35:27 +0000

That should read “Coca-Cola”. LOL

By: Christy

Christy — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:35:01 +0000

Hang in there! I gave up pop in 2001 and it was HARD. it’s worth the health benefits – I felt so much better after a few weeks. very time you have a headache pang, remind yourself of the good you’;re doing your body in the long haul.

I now have a little coke once a week and it’s so much better to not be chained to the fridge.

By: T.D.P.

T.D.P. — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:03:56 +0000

Just stick with it, I stopped drinking soda about two years ago and now I can’t stand hardly any sugary drinks…including a staple from my childhood sweet tea! I’ve switched to diet green tea and love it as a soda/tea alternative. Good Luck!

By: abe

abe — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:05:53 +0000

I’ve recently given up soda, but not caffeine (I’m at one pot of coffee per day).