Using "10-Minute supercharger" Paraliminals to cut down on Coke/Caffeine

[seeker5]

Has anyone used the Paraliminals "10-Minute Supercharger" to get energy/prevent sleepiness as they stop drinking coke/caffein?

I'm currently drinking 3-5 cans of coke a day and eventually within a few months, I intend to become coke-free, and caffein-free. I know the adjustment period will be a challenge, so I was curious about perhaps using the "10-Minute Supercharger" that Steve mentions on the Paraliminals page. Anyone else have experience with the "10-minute supercharger"?

[Volunteer]

I use it about three times a week. I take a daily nap around 1:00 which lasts about half an hour. The 10 minute Supercharger is a good substitute for that, saving me time. However, I continue to drink alot of coffee but have no immediate desire to stop with that habit.

[Steve Pavlina]

The 10m Supercharger isn't one of my favorites, probably because it's the shortest. I very much prefer the 20-minute or longer ones.

You don't need a few months to go caffeine-free. You can do it today. Just switch to some other beverage like ice water or herbal tea. You may experience headaches for a week, but they'll pass.

I've been finding that the best "caffeine" is my morning gym workout. It boosts my metabolism for the whole day.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

The 10m Supercharger isn't one of my favorites, probably because it's the shortest. I very much prefer the 20-minute or longer ones.

Which one is your favorite to recharge your energy when you're sleepier or have lower energy then you'd like to be? I'm thinking of buying one of the paralimals to try it out.

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

You don't need a few months to go caffeine-free. You can do it today. Just switch to some other beverage like ice water or herbal tea. You may experience headaches for a week, but they'll pass.

I tried eliminating coke a month or so ago, and it didn't last more then a day. So I'm doing some more research into it so when I do try again, my odds of success is substantially better. I'm also in the middle of increasing my self-discipline muscles through doing other 30 Day trials - such as getting up at 5am every day and exercising 30 minutes every single day.

[Steve Pavlina]

Originally Posted by seeker5

Which one is your favorite to recharge your energy when you're sleepier or have lower energy then you'd like to be? I'm thinking of buying one of the paralimals to try it out.

My current favorite is Belief.

I've also done many sessions with Perfect Health and Youthful Vitality. I can't be sure if it's related, but I haven't been sick at all this year, even though Erin and the kids have gone through multiple illnesses. My energy level has been great lately.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

You don't need a few months to go caffeine-free. You can do it today. Just switch to some other beverage like ice water or herbal tea. You may experience headaches for a week, but they'll pass.

I second that "cold turkey" is by far the most effective way to quit, but be aware that withdrawal symptoms can be nasty - not just headaches but also almost-debilitating lethargy. If possible make sure you don't have any important commitments during the first couple of days.

[RT Wolf]

Remember to get your environment to reinforce your new habits, if you have any coke in the house, throw it out or give it away. If you've got easy access to coke machines at work or elsewhere, stop carrying change (or whatever works best for america). Basically, try to add as much resistance to getting coke as you can. Ask friends to stop you from drinking if they catch you.

Good luck!

[seeker5]

Steve Pavlina, Keith, Volunteer, RT Wolf, thanks for the feedback.

RT Wolf: I will implement the environment factors at home. I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with work. I work in an office where you can drink all the sodas for free that you want. It is also where I sit down for 8 hours a day, thus needing to do something to keep me energized. Perhaps I could make a public annoucement of not drinking coke so I won't want any of my coworkers to catch me not doing it.

[Groundless]

Originally Posted by seeker5

Steve Pavlina, Keith, Volunteer, RT Wolf, thanks for the feedback.

RT Wolf: I will implement the environment factors at home. I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with work. I work in an office where you can drink all the sodas for free that you want. It is also where I sit down for 8 hours a day, thus needing to do something to keep me energized. Perhaps I could make a public annoucement of not drinking coke so I won't want any of my coworkers to catch me not doing it.

It was Zig Ziglar who said "share your give up goals with everyone, share your go up goals with very few (no one)". And, IMO, wisely so.

[Keith]

BTW, I would suggest that it might be worth not replacing the caffeine with anything.

One thing I noticed when I gave up caffeine is that I felt tired a lot. That's because I needed to sleep more and the caffeine had been masking it. Getting rid of the caffeine is your opportunity to hear your body's needs and it would be a shame to just find a different way to mask that feedback.

[RT Wolf]

Feeling energized for eight straight hours not a very good, and few people can do that consistantly without some sort of stimulant. Like Keith said, are you sure your caffeine habit isn't masking other energy-related problems like inconsistant sleep schedule and unhealthy diet?

Make a bet, or start a betting pool with your co-workers about whether you can quit or not. Or tell your coworkers that you'll pay them 100 dollars if they catch you drinking pop like that. Not willing to?

That's essentially negative punishment, but you can also do some positive reinforcement. Every time you drink a bottle (or cup or whatever) of water or juice, reward yourself.

You might also want to put lots of water and juice (cold, if possible, maybe in a cooler) right next to or on your work station. That way, you'll ahve to go farther to feed your habit. I don't know how far you'll ahve to go, but its just a matter of adding tiny bits of resistance to getting coke and make getting healthier alternatives easier.

BTW, availability increases consumption, and that's one of the reasons why you find coke or similar products EVERYWHERE. The soft drink people know this and that's why they make so much money selling sugared water. I'm not anti-soft drink, though; I strongly believe people should make their own choices about drinking more or less, but it is a little ridiculous how well these guys play this game and how well tehy're doing. If you're interested, look up the quarterly (or annual) profits for Coca Cola (Stock market: KO). You might even consider buying some shares if the price is right, seeing as you know first hand how well their product works.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by RT Wolf

Feeling energized for eight straight hours not a very good, and few people can do that consistantly without some sort of stimulant.

Well, I meant it in the way of "Don't fall asleep", or getting into that zone where I get so sleepy I can't really do much effective work.

Like Keith said, are you sure your caffeine habit isn't masking other energy-related problems like inconsistant sleep schedule and unhealthy diet?

Well, I've pretty much almost always had an inconsistant sleep schedule if you are talking about going to bed and getting up at the exact same time. However the past two weeks I've been getting up at 5am every single day (I'm on day 15 of my 30 day trial). I've noticed that now most of the time, instead of needing a coke right when I wake up, I can usually wait 3 hours or so before drinking my first coke. As for my diet, while it has improved over the past months, it could still use some improving.

Make a bet, or start a betting pool with your co-workers about whether you can quit or not. Or tell your coworkers that you'll pay them 100 dollars if they catch you drinking pop like that. Not willing to?

I'd be willing to - I'm pretty good at avoiding things if I openly state I will avoid. (pride) But I don't want to do that unless I can effectively stay awake and be effective at my work the entire day without coke/caffein.

You might also want to put lots of water and juice (cold, if possible, maybe in a cooler) right next to or on your work station. That way, you'll ahve to go farther to feed your habit. I don't know how far you'll ahve to go, but its just a matter of adding tiny bits of resistance to getting coke and make getting healthier alternatives easier.

I like that idea, I'll probably do that the first week at least. However, if I get sleepy, and I'm not able to shake it off, then my power of resistance weakens tremendously. I do have a big office so I may have the option of closing my door and putting a sleeping mattress for 20 minutes or so and see if that helps.

Thanks for the suggestion RTWolf

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Keith

BTW, I would suggest that it might be worth not replacing the caffeine with anything.

One thing I noticed when I gave up caffeine is that I felt tired a lot. That's because I needed to sleep more and the caffeine had been masking it. Getting rid of the caffeine is your opportunity to hear your body's needs and it would be a shame to just find a different way to mask that feedback.

Thanks for the feedback Keith. So how many hours a day do you now sleep?

[RT Wolf]

Here's another suggestion:

Keep a basket with fruits by your desk, too. Grab one if you're feeling a mite sleepy. A healthy apple always gives me an energy boost.

You're well on your way towards quitting.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by RT Wolf

Here's another suggestion:

Keep a basket with fruits by your desk, too. Grab one if you're feeling a mite sleepy. A healthy apple always gives me an energy boost.

You're well on your way towards quitting.

Cool! I didn't know that one. Thanks.