Coffee Addict

Every morning I brew a full 12 cup pot of coffee. I drink it. All of it. I have one of those Cuisinart Grind & Brew's with the handy stainless steel carafe that keeps my coffee hot for hours! I absolutely adore the coffee ritual...a little sugar free Coffee Mate creamer in one of my cool Denby mugs or my Starbucks collector's mug. I especially love it on sunny summer mornings when I can throw open all the windows, the back door and sit out on my patio with my coffee in the quiet before the children and the neighbors wake up.

Most days I end up getting a grande or venti (if I need the quad shot) Americano at some point during the remainder of the day. I frequently will meet friends or clients over coffee or spend several hours at my favorite coffee joint working. It's more than just a ritual, it's a social experience too.

I knew that I was kind of a coffee junkie of sorts, but as I've been telling people today the amount of coffee I drink, everyone seems to be shocked. Well, how else are you supposed to get up before the crack of dawn, parent 4 children, train clients, workout twice a day? Really, tell me how.

I saw my naturopath yesterday and she was pretty floored by my coffee addiction. She said that my coffee consumption was probably inhibiting my progress for my body getting back into a state of balance. SAY NO MORE!!! I am disciplined and I am motivated (oh yeah, I'm extreme too!) and if coffee is holding me back, it's gone. Yep, just like that, cold turkey! I've done it before. Every time I've gotten pregnant as soon as I found out the coffee is the first to go. I asked if I could replace it with green tea and she said that would be a fabulous idea. Sooooo....

Today is day 1 without coffee. Oops, I should also mention, that means no thermogenics (aka: fat burners) and no caffeine pills (yes, I use these too). Today has been a crazy-busy day that started early. I've been dragging all day. I've had two huge cups of Tazo green tea - LOVE it! I have a monster headache that I've had for about 3 hours now and no, I've not taken anything to alleviate it and am not planning to either.

Being the information junkie that I am, I had to do a little research on this whole coffee thing. Turns out coffee is very bad(especially in the amounts I consume) for your adrenal system - responsible for releasing cortisol, estrogen, testosterone, DHEA and other hormones. Basically, the caffeine overloads your adrenal system, causing it to release MORE cortisol (yes, that's the hormone that makes you gain belly fat - ick!). Overstimulating the adrenal system can cause weight gain, insomnia, fatigue, depression, moodiness, skin problems, bone and/or muscle loss...and more. Given what I've gone through the last 2 months, this was more than enough to convince me to kick my coffee habit...stat!

Enter, green tea. I'm sure, like me, you've heard all the raves about green tea and how good it is for you. I've taken green tea fat burners before for their antioxidant benefits and the EGCG and I've been known to drink the occasional cup of green tea. Here's a short list of just my personal favorite benefits of green tea:

1. Can help raise the metabolism and help with fat oxidation
2. Helps prevent cavities and tooth decay
3. Helps fight cancer
4. Fights the negative effects of free radicals in our bodies
5. Supports a healthy immune system
6. Aids in healthy digestion
7. Makes your skin complexion healthier and helps fight acne

I found when I was drinking my green tea this afternoon that just a splash of unsweetened vanilla almond milk made it quite tasty! Fortunately, I already like the taste of green tea, so making the switch should be fairly easy...just getting through these next few days of withdrawal headaches is the only issue at hand...I've suffered worse things, I will suffer and get through this as well! :)