Coffee: My Drug of Choice

I love coffee.

 

I mean like more than I love most people.

 

Maybe more than I love cake.

 

It’s probably fair to say it’s a bit of an addiction.

 

Last May when I first started to work with my online coch I did a food diary and his first reaction was along the lines of – “Wow how muh coffee – how are you still alive?”  To be fair, whilst I thought my coffee intake was average I was actually drinking around 11 cups a day (and most people’s reaction to that number tells me it probably actually wasn’t very average- if you think it is perhaps you too have a coffe addiction!).

 

The words adrenal fatigue were mentioned.  I had to look it up.

 

To fix this I started by halving my coffee intake to around 6 cups a day then a week later dropping to just 3.

 

At first this was hell.  I craved it.  I am not a nice person without coffee.

 

For me- Decaf does not provide an adequate substitute.  Trying to appease myself with decaf made me sad.

 

But I perstisted, adapted, and for some time I established a comfortable routine of 3 cups max.

 

Then I spent 3 weeks on a strict Paleo eating plan and to survive my black coffee intake went up.  This was in January and although I am now back to eating everything again my coffee consumption has not gone back down.

 

So I am making a consious effort now to stick to 3 coffees a day.  No easing myself in – just jumping straight back in at 3 a day.  My sleep and hormones should thank me for it.

 

Do you have a coffee habit you need to get in check?  How have you approached it?  I was thinking green tea / herbal teas might act as a nice substitute, maybe having a mug of hot water instead.  I’m not sure they will satisfy the craving for caffine but it’s a thought.

 

Perhaps you don’t drink much tea or coffee but always overload them with sugar and want to cut that out.  I did this years ago by just going cold turkey (3 sugars to none in tea – it tasted really bad for about 2 weeks, now I can’t stand even a hint of sugar in my hot drinks – your taste buds can quikly adapt).

 

We all have our little bad habits and when they involve caffine / sugar I don’t think it’s an exageration to say they are actually addictions.  Getting an addiction in check is a little victory you can be proud off – so if you see me this week and I’m snappy through lack of coffee maybe remind me of this please!