coffee ?

Tallboy · Post by **Tallboy** » Tue May 06, 2008 12:43 am

Hello,
I am new to the program and have read and listened to the advice to cut out coffee and sweets.
I used to drink 5 or 6 cups of coffe/day and have now cut back to 1 1/2 cups first thing in the morning.
My question is...how literally are we supposed to take this advice? It seems kind of like overkill to expect to go off coffe entirely.
I really feel I need that coffee first thing in the morning to jump start my day.
I understand that coffee is a stimulant, however, 1 or 2 cups per day doesn't seem like too much.
Is this advice just a guideline or should it be taken literally? I really feel that I would miss my coffee and am looking for a little easier path to break this anxiety and depression thing.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 06, 2008 12:49 am

it helps while you are going thru the program you realize how much energy and useless thoughts your mind generates while caffinated!! OMG. I stopped drinking for a while but I am back to a cup a day. My anxiety and depression is more in perspective now too...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 06, 2008 12:59 am

I love coffee but since doing the program I've cut down as well. I used to drink probably 4 or more cups per day. Now, I've switched to 1/2 caffeinated in the morning (2 cups) and then one in the afternoon.

I think it's key to understand how it affects our physical and mental symptoms. Occasionally, I've have some mid-morning anxiety and I'll say to myself, "It's just the caffeine, so take a deep breath and keep going." Or if I'm facing something I know will make me anxious (and therefore energetic), I'll skip a cup.

This has really helped me.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 06, 2008 1:29 am

I was wondering the same thing. Not as much with caffeine as with sugar. A lot of foods naturally contain sugar. And some are good in other ways. Green tea sweetened with honey for example. Is the honey bad too as a sweetener? Honey has actually been shown to have a calming affect of people. I know the tea contains some caffeine, but green tea is a great antioxidant. Same thing with dark chocolate. It doesn't have caffeine, but it has some sugar. What about fruit juices? Are we supposed to be on an almost diabetic diet? Worrying about everything I'm eating is actually giving me some stress.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 06, 2008 1:50 am

Exactly....if they were to say to cut back on caffeine and sweets i could understand....but they are saying to eliminate these things....which to me is overkill....my question is how harmful is 1 or 2 cups of coffe per day and for that matter sugar (either the white stuff or natural occuring sugars...i.e. fruit, etc.
How literally are we supposed to take this advice?
I think that I would go nuts without any coffee 1st thing in the morning....here I go with a "what if" scenario !!!!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 06, 2008 2:02 am

Well, I think Lucinda is recommending total elimination of caffeine. That said, your (and my) mileage may differ, e.g. we can tolerate a certain amount without adverse effects.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 06, 2008 4:03 am

I think go with what feels right for you. I honestly don't believe that switching to decaf and diet can actually be healthy with all the chemicals in decaf and artifical sweetners. I've just been cutting back on my caffeine intake especially when I'm at a high pressure, stressful event (at least for me). I just look at it as water is better for you and cheaper! I am curious to what they say on the nutrition tape but I'm not that far yet.

epa · Post by **epa** » Tue May 06, 2008 5:18 am

lucinda wants you to eliminate the caffiene(coffee, chocolate, etc..) and sugar(candy, doughnuts, pop) so that when you are off of it completely you can see how you handle your stress and anxiety. Going off these stimulants is said to help you manage you're anxiety better. Once you go through the program and get your skills mastered, then she says it's ok to have these occassionally and in moderation. But for peopl like us, high strung as it is, these things are not good for us.(or anyone really) as far as honey and more natural sweets like fruit, etc..., everyone's system is different and as she explaine's on the tape for example juice. There's a ton of sugar in there, natural, but a ton. These days, everything is in excess. Nothing is homemade anymore and sugar is added to everything that you buy from the store. This stuff after a while starts to get stored up in our bodies and interfere's with the right way we're suppose to operate. "In the olden days" people may have drank coffee but it was black or with a little milk and sugar and that was it. Now a days, people drink their coffee's or other latte's or cuppacino's with all the sugar and the caffiene and then they have soda and sweets plus all the other sugar that's in their other food and that kind of eating day after day gets to a person. These days unfortunmatley it's the normal. It's the way society is and most people don't think anything of it. Cuz they just don't know or realize. In the old days, people didn't eat sweets, if they did it was once a week in a pie, cake or other special occassion- know what I mean. Plus they didn't have all the added sugar from all the store boughten food like we have. The big thing is, you don't think it's much but it really is and it starts to pile up. I guess you have to make a concious responsible decision for yourself on how you do the program but also how you take care of yourself. Artficial sweetners aren't good for you either, and they are in everything. Buy it plain and sweeten it yourself with fruit or a little sugar, but then you see how much sugar is in it. Try brown sugar or raw sugar. Try honey or rice syrup. Anyway, good luck to you all- you know what you need to do- and yes, Lucinda really does litterally want you to cut this garbage out of your systems9at least for a while)

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 06, 2008 9:49 am

I haven't really had much coffee anymore, and usually when I do, it's decaf. But I have been drinking a lot of caffeine-free diet sodas. I've also tried not to consume any sugar or caffeine while at work, because it has interfered with my performance.

I think my biggest demon, though, is chocolate. I am a chocolate fiend. :p

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 06, 2008 10:16 am

Tallboy,
I too used to drink a lot of coffee. I have found that advice or none, caffine blasted me. I suggest a good decaff blend. Coffee, which I know a bit about, as I roast my own coffee from fresh beans, is best when consumed within a few days of it's roasting. A rich blend of decaff is Columbian. Folgers makes a good "premier" blend, but not as good as freshly roasted. If you have a Starbucks nearby, that would probably be the close as you are going to get to freshly roasted coffee. A good brewer is a must too. I recomment Bunn. Clearly decaff is not going to give you that morning kick, but if your anxiety is severe enough you will find that decaff is a better alternative, and you WILL feel the difference.