Caffeine, Caffeine...joy, joy. The Poll edition.

[Carrie12345]

I voted other.

 

I'm normally a 4 or more kind of gal, but I like mine with sweetened creamer and I'm trying to cut back on the sugar/calorie splurge.  For the past week and a half, I've been a 1 cup girl.  I miss it a lot!

[Sandwalker]

Zero caffeine, it gives me palpitations and insomnia.

[TravelingChris]

I love coffee and drink at least five cups and probably more.  I also drink tea at times too.   I have no issues with caffeine= its all good for me.

[Crimson Wife]

Maybe that's why I'm subconsciously drinking more? I'm about to turn 42 and we are done having kids. Maybe this is my new form of birth control? No, wait. That's the teething baby. She's pretty good birth-control.and why I need more caffeine, come to think of it.

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

I'm not sure how much stock I put in the idea that caffeine reduces fertility because I was drinking a ton of coffee when I conceived my oldest. But my reproductive endocrinologist put "no caffeine" on her list of recommendations so I cut down to 1 cup of 1/6 caf, which gets me functioning in the morning.

[Daria]

I drink 2 20 oz bottles of diet soda between the time I wake up and lunch.  Every day.  Once in a blue moon, if I go out for lunch, I'll order iced tea, and then I will drink it as many times as they refill it, because I really love being waited on, but otherwise, it's 2 bottle before 11:00 a.m..  Usually, I switch to water at lunch time, for the rest of the day.  

[HS Mom in NC]

2

I put 2 bags of caffeinated green tea in an 8oz. cup of hot water each morning. 

[foxbridgeacademy]

I drink about four 8 ounce glasses of sweet tea per day but I would barely consider it caffeinated.  As for coffee I love it but can not even drink the decaf kind, it makes my blood pressure shoot way up and takes 2 hours before I feel like I'm not in the middle of a fight or flight marathon.  

[alisoncooks]

About 12-16oz coffee

One can of diet soda

8-16 oz. of sweet tea

 

Yikes.

[bluemongoose]

I drink about 12 Oz of tea each morning. No coffee

[solascriptura]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

I'm not sure how much stock I put in the idea that caffeine reduces fertility because I was drinking a ton of coffee when I conceived my oldest. But my reproductive endocrinologist put "no caffeine" on her list of recommendations so I cut down to 1 cup of 1/6 caf, which gets me functioning in the morning.

Yeah... personal experience does not jive with that all. 4 kids easily conceived with my 36 oz of coffee a day. I did stop when pregnant and nursing. Come to think of it, maybe that’s one of the reasons I always disliked pregnancy! Love my babies but none of the work involved in growing a baby.

[SKL]

I chose 4, but it is probably 3.5.  It varies a lot.

 

I was happy to note that promethease.com says I am genetically designed to metabolize coffee better than most people.  Yay!  It does not make me nervous or impede my sleep unless I drink like a gallon.

[Peaceseeker]

I chose other because I am decaffeinated now for the most part, but even decaf teas and coffee have trace amounts of caffeine.

 

I miss coffee so much. I deeply love it and have mourned its passing from my life. I had to give it up because my love was unrequited. It increases my anxiety terribly and I suffer from insomnia, heart palpitations, and increased panic attacks even when going down to drinking a mere half a cup a day of coffee or 1-2 cups of black tea. I used to be able to drink 32 ounces a day of STRONG coffee no problem for years. Not anymore. And after a $3,000 ER episode in which I was sure I was having a heart attack, I finally weaned myself off of it. I have been much calmer, albeit less productive, ever since.😒 My anxiety is noticeably better. It has been about a year so I am still adjusting to this new 'normal'.

 

I do take a very small amount of coffee for migraines. It is about the only thing that works when I get a bad one every couple of months. I try to drink only 2-4 ounces though. I will risk the side effects to manage that level of pain!

Edited January 12, 2018 by CaliforniaDreaming

[The Governess]

Zero, sadly. My body has decided that it just can't handle caffeine, even the one cup of half-caff I was having every morning. Makes my heart race and skip. Which is unfortunate, because when I am off coffee it definitely takes me longer to wake up in the morning. I am so much drowsier, even on the same amount of sleep. Wah.

[The Governess]

I chose other because I am decaffeinated now for the most part, but even decaf teas and coffee have trace amounts of caffeine.

 

I miss coffee so much. I deeply love it and have mourned its passing from my life. I had to give it up because my love was unrequited. It increases my anxiety terribly and I suffer from insomnia, heart palpitations, and increased panic attacks even when going down to drinking a mere half a cup a day of coffee or 1-2 cups of black tea. I used to be able to drink 32 ounces a day of STRONG coffee no problem for years. Not anymore. And after a $3,000 ER episode in which I was sure I was having a heart attack, I finally weaned myself off of it. I have been much calmer, albeit less productive, ever since.😒 My anxiety is noticeably better. It has been about a year so I am still adjusting to this new 'normal'.

 

I do take a very small amount of coffee for migraines. It is about the only thing that works when I get a bad one every couple of months. I try to drink only 2-4 ounces though. I will risk the side effects to manage that level of pain!

Sounds so familiar. Such a bummer!

[Seeking Squirrels]

I drink one mug of hot tea in the morning. My mug sizes vary a bit but probably around 16 oz. I sometimes have a second mug but I didn't add that to my vote since I usually do not. 

 

What I drink the rest of the day varies by season. In warm months, iced tea is my go-to and I usually have 32 oz over the course of the day. In the winter, iced tea doesn't appeal to me as much so I have either soda or another mug of hot tea at lunch and dinner, 12-16 oz each. 

 

After dinner I switch to decaffeinated tea. 

[athomeontheprairie]

Coffee manufacturers' instructions for brewing a "cup" of coffee often means something less than eight ounces. Most refer to using X amount of coffee for every six ounces of water. On many (most?) coffee makers the number of cups made is measured in six ounce increments (so a 10 cup coffee maker makes 60 ounces of coffee). One would assume a cup would always be eight ounces, but apparently that's not so when it comes to coffee. ;)

Anyone know why this is?

[Laura Corin]

I have four but they are bigger than that so I marked 'six' - they are usually tea, however, so lower in caffeine than most coffee.

[creekland]

This is also my experience with caffeine, but it does take a long time for my system to be really out of dependency - weeks, generally.

 

At any rate, it makes biological/chemical sense, because when you sleep you go through caffeine withdrawal and when you wake up, you're in withdrawal (assuming you drink caffeine regularly, which most caffeine drinkers do) - so you wake up more tired than you would if your system wasn't dependent on the chemical.

 

I always wake up in the morning ready to go.  I'm a natural morning person. It doesn't matter if I drink tea or soda or nothing.  I'm ready to go.  It's evenings when I need caffeine if I want extra energy to do things or stay up.

 

Anyway - not related at all to the quoted post, I got curious to see how much caffeine is in various drinks so googled a nice chart.  Those of you who drink brewed coffee definitely win the "race!"  My green tea gives me less than sodas do when I travel.  I didn't realize eating dark chocolate gives me just as much as my tea.  If I want caffeine, Mt Dew wins, then Coke, then Pepsi - those are the only drinks I choose from.  All are good to know!

 

http://botanycentral.providence.wikispaces.net/Stimulating+beverages

 

[appyonthebeach]

However many ounces it is to the "4" line on the carafe is what I have every morning.  A few times I've tried giving up coffee cold turkey and had horrible body aches, especially in my legs. 

 

I don't care for tea.  Sometimes I'll have a mocha cappuccino (made from a powdered mix) in the afternoon.

[creekland]

ps  I probably should revote.  If we're talking in terms of coffee, my drinks don't even add up to one.  I put two in my original vote because I have two caffeinated drinks.  The OP needs to let me know if they want total number of drinks or drinks compared to coffee.

[eternalsummer]

Yes, it wasn't until I gave up caffeine that I realized how much caffeine was in dark chocolate.  I never really liked it until I was in caffeine withdrawal, and all of a sudden getting a dark chocolate bar at the grocery store seemed like this great idea.  After a while of this, I looked it up to see if I was getting more than a minimal amount (I figured it was pretty minimal!) but nope, I was eating as much caffeine as I had been drinking!

 

Ugh, that was no fun.

 

Even now, if I am off caffeine and decide to have just 1/4 of a bar of dark chocolate I will fall off the wagon and be drinking 10 cups of tea per day again in a week.

[J-rap]

I have 2 cups and voted 2, but I like my coffee very strong so it probably has the caffeine of 4 cups!

[creekland]

Yes, it wasn't until I gave up caffeine that I realized how much caffeine was in dark chocolate. 

 

This is still relative.  It would take 10 one oz dark chocolate bars to equal one cup of brewed coffee.  I'd definitely prefer the chocolate, esp since I detest coffee, but that's a lot of calories!

 

Now I know I might not want dark chocolate before wanting to sleep though.

 

And I'm going to go get a piece (dark chocolate covered almond) now.  (Power of suggestion!)  I'm about ready to leave for school so caffeine now isn't a problem for me.  :coolgleamA:

[eternalsummer]

This is still relative.  It would take 10 one oz dark chocolate bars to equal one cup of brewed coffee.  I'd definitely prefer the chocolate, esp since I detest coffee, but that's a lot of calories!

 

Now I know I might not want dark chocolate before wanting to sleep though.

 

And I'm going to go get a piece (dark chocolate covered almond) now.  (Power of suggestion!)  I'm about ready to leave for school so caffeine now isn't a problem for me.  :coolgleamA:

 

You must have more self-control than me - if I buy a 3.5 oz chocolate bar, I'm eating that whole thing, hah!

 

I never did drink coffee, really, except at the height of a caffeine binge.  It makes me shaky unless brewed very mild and watered down with lots of ice and soy milk.  

[eternalsummer]

I should say that most people do not seem to have quite the same reaction to caffeine that I do - I tend to not be able to maintain easily, and it is very addictive for me.  So if I start with a cup of tea a day, by the end of the week I'm drinking several cups of tea a day and within a month I've graduated to the occasional soda and/or coffee drink, and within a couple of months I'm drinking tea brewed double strength for every liquid of the day plus coffee plus coke, etc.  Then when I quit (because I clench my teeth at night and can't sleep well and wake up groggy and get snappish easily), I have a psychological withdrawal that involves a lot of weeping and woe is me, although it mostly only lasts for a couple of days - takes weeks for everything to be normal again, though, and to start feeling happy from actual life events instead of from the chemical rush of caffeine.

 

I am grateful to have this with caffeine instead of cigarettes or alcohol or opiates or whatever, but it is still a bummer as I really like caffeine.

[mom31257]

I only drink it in the morning, and we often use half caff coffee. I usually drink 2 cups. If we have full caff in the house, I drink smaller cups. 

[creekland]

You must have more self-control than me - if I buy a 3.5 oz chocolate bar, I'm eating that whole thing, hah!

 

I never did drink coffee, really, except at the height of a caffeine binge.  It makes me shaky unless brewed very mild and watered down with lots of ice and soy milk.  

 

I definitely don't have a problem controlling chocolate intake.  I'm not sure why.  For years hubby and I would share a bag.  His would be gone within a day or two and mine would go bad and end up getting thrown out because I'd forget about it.  Now we store chocolate in our fridge.  I eat more than before and he's learned more self-control, but he still outeats me by about 2 or 3 to 1.  It's easy to tell because he prefers milk chocolate and I prefer dark so I buy accordingly - almost always with almonds for both of us.

 

Now I wonder if I like it more because of the caffeine.  I had assumed it was because I discovered I like dark chocolate over milk.

 

I have to use self control for soda.  I wish that were healthy.  I could drink it all the time.  I don't like most sweets and can easily let a pie or cookies go bad if it were up to me to eat them, but for some reason, my brain loves soda (except Dr Pepper or RC  - can't stand those two).  I prefer to skip donuts and similar when they're offered.  Why can't it be that way with sodas too???

 

But for now I still allow myself to indulge once a day and more when traveling.

[eternalsummer]

We lived in Bend, Oregon for about 3 weeks.  They have a vegan donut shop, and they're pretty cheap, and they taste like normal donuts.

 

I think I gained 10 pounds in 3 weeks.  I must have eaten 100 donuts while we were there.  I don't know what I would have done if we'd stayed - gone insane or gotten really overweight, I guess.  I have a huge donut weakness.  Luckily there isn't a single vegan donut within a 2 hour drive (well, maybe just about exactly 2 hours if the weather is good).  

[creekland]

We lived in Bend, Oregon for about 3 weeks.  They have a vegan donut shop, and they're pretty cheap, and they taste like normal donuts.

 

I think I gained 10 pounds in 3 weeks.  I must have eaten 100 donuts while we were there.  I don't know what I would have done if we'd stayed - gone insane or gotten really overweight, I guess.  I have a huge donut weakness.  Luckily there isn't a single vegan donut within a 2 hour drive (well, maybe just about exactly 2 hours if the weather is good).  

 

I always gain weight quickly when we travel.  There are so many foods or restaurants to try and/or those traveling with me expect to eat three full meals per day.  At home I just eat one normal sized meal per day and two pretty darn light ones.  Sometimes I even skip lunch or supper, esp if I'm by myself.

 

We also have favorite food places at all the places we go to often.  It's nice to go to them and savor/reminisce, but definitely adds pounds.

[KathyBC]

I just have to wean back down once we return home.  I'd be ok with the caffeine.  I don't like that much sugary drinks - well, I do like the flavor, but not what it could be doing for my health.

 

I wish I liked tea better.  I like some herbal teas, but those don't have caffeine.

What about Chai tea? One of my current favourites is Chocolate Mint Oolong tea.

[leeannpal]

Caffeine is a drug. I've found it has been extremely effective for my (mild) depression. And that's at just 2-3 cups a day of cold brew coffee. (Along with the squares of dark chocolate that are the daily due of any hard-working parent.)

 

I also have what I would consider mild ADHD, and caffeine is a key player in helping me get through the day, especially with the multitasking my job requires. I do not drink coffee, so tea and diet soda are my caffeine vices. 

[Critterfixer]

No coffee. Don't like it.

I usually average two cups of brewed black tea in the mornings. Sometimes I have a cup of decaf in the afternoon. Some mornings require three cups of tea.

Every once and a while I have a soda in the mornings, usually on Thursday when I only get one cup of tea before I have to leave the house for art. :glare:

Anything caffeinated after noon and I'll have a hard time sleeping at night. Harder than usual, that is. :laugh:

[Critterfixer]

NM

Edited January 12, 2018 by Critterfixer

[TKDmom]

I don’t drink coffee, but I do seem to need a nap almost every day. 😂

 

Honestly caffeine doesn’t seem to affect me very much. I drink Dr. Pepper when I’m driving long distances, but it’s the bubbles on my tongue that keep me alert. Once the bottle is empty, I don’t notice any lasting affect. I’m also fully capable of going to sleep after taking an excedrin. Does anyone else find that caffeine doesn’t do much for them?

[gaillardia]

I don’t drink coffee, but I do seem to need a nap almost every day. 😂

 

Honestly caffeine doesn’t seem to affect me very much. I drink Dr. Pepper when I’m driving long distances, but it’s the bubbles on my tongue that keep me alert. Once the bottle is empty, I don’t notice any lasting affect. I’m also fully capable of going to sleep after taking an excedrin. Does anyone else find that caffeine doesn’t do much for them?

two of my "adult" daughters say caffeine doesn't affect them.

 

I drink a coke or dr pepper, one or max of two cans or bottles every day. I went without it one day recently and was not the happiest. The other thing, I'm on a medication that keeps my heart rate down so I'm not as peppy as I would be normally.

 

DH and I were talking about drinking coffee the other day to our kids. We used to drink it but haven't in more than 25 years. Did I love it? I liked it. Did I drink a lot of it? Apparently not.

It is no wonder I can't keep up with you guys.

Edited to change and delete a link:

Twitchy from Hoodwinked is a good example of how I think we used to be when we drank coffee. I had a link to a youtube short of Twitchy, but it lost sound halfway through.

Edited January 12, 2018 by Gaillardia

[Joyofsixreboot]

I drink about 12 cups a day of coffee. It doesn't bother me. I guess I got genetically lucky.

 

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[AngieW in Texas]

I had to stop caffeine 27 years ago due to ovarian cysts.

 

The doctor was right that stopping caffeine would stop those issues. I haven't even had a twinge since about 3 months after quitting caffeine and it was a multiple-times daily occurrence until I quit. I only suffered through a rupture once, but if you've ever had an ovarian cyst rupture, you'll know there isn't any other kind of pain that quite matches up. I'll take the pain of natural childbirth any day over what that rupture felt like.

 

Before I quit, I was up to about 6 Dr. Peppers/day.  I'm allergic to coffee, so I've never had it. I didn't find out that I was allergic until allergy testing 22 years ago, but I had had no desire to try it out before then because the smell of coffee gave me a headache.  My response to the allergy test was very dramatic. It felt like they had thrown acid on my back. They had to stop testing for that day because as soon as they tested coffee, my entire back immediately became inflamed. 

[JFSinIL]

 

1. I have a horrible habit of leaving an inch of it in the cup, so can never justify getting a second serving. Doesn't matter how big the cup is, I never seem to finish my coffee. Drives DH crazy, but at least we always know whose mug is whose :) 

 

 

Hubby does this, leaves a cup with a mere swallow left in it and expects it to still be there, on top of the newspaper in the middle of the dining room table, hours later. Shudder. He will leave one bite of food on a plate and expect to come back for it hours later, too. Nope, not happening. Everyone uses that table for all sorts of things, and no one gets to "tag" it with a bite of food for hours.

[Ann.without.an.e]

I drink about 12 cups a day of coffee. It doesn't bother me. I guess I got genetically lucky.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

 

So any guilt I was feeling from increasing to 2-10oz cups from one, is now gone  :laugh:

[Ann.without.an.e]

I had to stop caffeine 27 years ago due to ovarian cysts.

 

The doctor was right that stopping caffeine would stop those issues. I haven't even had a twinge since about 3 months after quitting caffeine and it was a multiple-times daily occurrence until I quit. I only suffered through a rupture once, but if you've ever had an ovarian cyst rupture, you'll know there isn't any other kind of pain that quite matches up. I'll take the pain of natural childbirth any day over what that rupture felt like.

 

Before I quit, I was up to about 6 Dr. Peppers/day.  I'm allergic to coffee, so I've never had it. I didn't find out that I was allergic until allergy testing 22 years ago, but I had had no desire to try it out before then because the smell of coffee gave me a headache.  My response to the allergy test was very dramatic. It felt like they had thrown acid on my back. They had to stop testing for that day because as soon as they tested coffee, my entire back immediately became inflamed. 

 

 

ok, I really didn't need to hear this.  I have cysts sometimes but I just can't imagine giving up coffee.

[Peaceseeker]

Anyone reading this who is sensitive or monitoring their caffeine should keep in mind also that the caffeine in coffee can vary as well. I learned the hard way with a Blue Bottle subscription and drinking freshly roasted coffee. They ship out fresh coffee beans a day or two after roasting them directly to your home. It is amazing coffee, so much better than something sitting on a store shelf for months. It also has a lot more caffeine then something sitting on your store shelf for months. This is what led to my ER visit.

 

I thought I had decreased my caffeine because I went from 4 average cups a day of grocery store beans down to 2 cups a day of my Blue Bottle specialty coffee. I had actually increased my caffeine. Within a month of starting my new routine I was having almost daily panic attacks and chest pains but I didn't connect the dots because I thought I was drinking less coffee.

 

Other factors include brewing methods, the type of bean, and grinding. Having beautiful single source origin coffees freshly roasted and then hand grinding the beans immediately and making a pour over results in a very potent cup of coffee. (Yes I was a coffee snob lol) My mother drinks coffee all day long but she makes the weakest coffee ever with stale pre ground coffee that has probably been in a bag for a year. Big difference in caffeine levels!

[Peaceseeker]

I will also say that I am amazed at the link between the caffeine and my anxiety. I loved coffee too much to quit for anything short of feeling like I might die, lol.. Now without the caffeine I am much less anxious. I had anxiety for years before I ever drank any caffeine, so it was not caused by the caffeine. But the caffeine definitely made it worse and a year later that has become very clear. Anytime I slip up and decide to have a little coffee or a couple of cups of tea I immediately start getting anxious. It is very obvious to me now. I probably shouldn't even do more than 1-2 days of any caffeine in a row.

 

Something to keep in mind if you or your family struggle with anxiety.

[Calm37]

I've gone to half-caff so I can drink more!

[creekland]

What about Chai tea? One of my current favourites is Chocolate Mint Oolong tea.

 

I just got the chance to look these up.  I've heard of them, but never tried them.  Might have to at some point.  It still looks like it's an "at home" drink for me vs "on the road" drink, but even if I could completely kick the soda habit at home it'd be a step in the right direction.

 

Thanks for the suggestion!

[ktgrok]

My favorite form of caffeine!

 

 

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[solascriptura]

Some of my fondest teenager memories is having coffee with my mom. I love grabbing coffee with friends and my dh. Basically, I’m emotionally attached to coffee. ☕ï¸

[Ann.without.an.e]

Some of my fondest teenager memories is having coffee with my mom. I love grabbing coffee with friends and my dh. Basically, I’m emotionally attached to coffee. ☕ï¸

 

 

 

I love that this is a place where I can find others who are equally emotionally invested coffee.  

 

 

I could see a conversation going like this "let's grab coffee!"  New friend responds "Oh I don't drink coffee".  And I simply reply "Oh, never mind then"  :lol:

Edited January 13, 2018 by Attolia

[vonbon]

I've given up caffeine, again. I do drink one caffeine-free coke zero each day.

 

How'd you do it?  I'm thinking of giving up caffeine for Lent...but I'm afraid...very afraid!  

 

Maybe I could ramp it down with caffeinated tea for a few weeks prior?  

[Ann.without.an.e]

How'd you do it?  I'm thinking of giving up caffeine for Lent...but I'm afraid...very afraid!  

 

Maybe I could ramp it down with caffeinated tea for a few weeks prior?  

 

 

Give up meat or dairy or whatever but not coffee because it will make you an awful person and by the end of the first week your kids will be offering to make it for you.  This may be based on personal experience  :001_cool:

[creekland]

I love that this is a place where I can find others who are equally emotionally invested coffee.  

 

 

I could see a conversation going like this "let's grab coffee!"  New friend responds "Oh I don't drink coffee".  And I simply reply "Oh, never mind then"  :lol:

 

I definitely can't relate here... or with any other food/drink/substance (an emotional attachment to any of them esp to the point of not being even jokingly interested in friendship if folks choose different things from the menu when getting together).

 

I suppose it's another way that the human species is very different and how we select our circles.  I wonder if questions like these are included in online dating sites.  ;)