Hey guys, good to see you! If you missed my last post, go check it out! Below is the play-by-play, as promised, of my first week off of coffee in over a decade:
Day 1
AM: It’s a Monday morning. Work is slow, so there’s very little to keep my mind occupied. I’m literally falling asleep at my desk. (Employee of the Month!) In an effort to boost my energy and my system in a more natural way, I’m taking more breaks to get up from my desk and move around the office. I’ve even gone down to the fitness center a few times and hopped on a treadmill for five minutes.
I’m also having a KeVita Sparkling Probiotic drink to cleanse the system. They’re USDA certified organic and very refreshing as well. Surely this is better for me than my cream-and-stevia-laden usual.
PM: Barely made it home. Got undressed with the intent of changing for the gym. Laid down in bed and woke up two hours later. Energy levels still don’t feel replenished. Fixed a quick dinner and went back to bed.
Day 2:
AM: Surely last night’s impromptu nap would carry over and leave me feeling a bit rejuvenated! << Nope. Dead. However, I noticed two unexpected things: 1) I wasn’t bloated at all, and 2) I was feeling unusually calm. I’m usually a pretty anxious person, and when I get to work in the morning I’m typically already in overdrive. Gotta get to my desk, gotta check those e-mails, gotta get this out! But this morning I didn’t feel that way at all. My body wasn’t tense and I didn’t feel overly worried about anything. Hm.
Had another KeVita probiotic. I’m certain the reason for the de-bloat is that I’ve substituted this for coffee.
PM: Almost fell asleep during a meeting in the afternoon. My vision literally was going spotty because my eyes wanted to close so badly. Hope my boss didn’t notice. Successfully made it to the gym in the evening. That uber chill feeling still hadn’t left me, either. In fact, it hung around all night.
Day 3:
AM: I’m finally feeling well-rested. I’m not falling asleep at my desk (yet). I ran out of KeVita so had to try a probiotic non-dairy milk smoothie, which my stomach didn’t seem to like as much.
PM: Nope, tired again. However, forced myself to rally after work and went to the gym, followed by my man’s basketball game and dinner out. Once I hit the gym, I gained momentum and felt rejuvenated and wakeful until bedtime. The no-bloating theme continued even after enjoying a restaurant meal. I’m prone to stomach cramps and bloat really easily, but all week so far I haven’t had that problem. Haven’t made any other diet changes.
Day 4:
AM: Not as tired as yesterday. Vaguely missing my coffee ritual this morning. Bumming that the organic probiotic drinks are too expensive to have every morning.
PM: Busy day at work kept me mentally focused. Didn’t feel like falling asleep at any point. Yasssss!!
Day 5:
AM: It’s Friday and I’m not tired at all! We have company coming to town for the weekend and I’m leaving work early to run a bunch of errands. Feeling energized!
PM: After running around for three hours doing errands and cleaning I crashed for an hour. I really don’t think this has anything to do with lack of caffeine. But it seems like my brain cells’ tiredness receptors are back in the game!
Day 6:
AM: Our guests are having coffee and OMG I WANT SOME!! But I’m enjoying the unexpected freedom from my usual anxiousness and decide it isn’t worth it. Double bonus: Went out to dinner with everyone last night, ate cheese-filled pasta, and STILL don’t feel bloated this morning like I expected I would. What?!
Day 7:
Went to a party last night and ate my weight in sugar. Bloat is back with a vengeance. So maybe coffee not totally responsible? Is sugar something else to work on eliminating?
I still want coffee when our guests are sipping on it. But resisting isn’t nearly as hard as I expected.
So, now that week one is over, where does that leave me?
I’m still on board the No Java Express. The benefits I experienced in just seven days tell me that, at least for me, it’s best to abstain. I don’t know whether I’m hyper sensitive to caffeine, if it’s some kind of allergy, or something else I haven’t come across yet. But if something isn’t essential to survival and it makes you feel better not to partake anyway, then why not quit?
Will I still enjoy coffee from time to time? Oh, I’m certain I will. But this was an eye-opening experience! Thanks for keeping up with me!
Have you ever gotten results from a dietary change that took you by surprise?
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