TOO MUCH CAFFEINE!!

NGentRD
NGentRD Posts: 181 Member
edited May 2018 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone,

currently working 2 jobs/day about 12-13 hours (commuting is about 1 hr 30 min) plus gym which can last between an hour to an hour and a half...I eat all my calories, track heart rate, but i also have an xL coffee/day some sort of energy drink used to be 2 now its 1 every 3 days (I know they are bad but they taste so good) plus my pre workout...It's a lot of caffeine and it sometimes gives me migraines. Do I wait until my body gets used to this new schedule? What are some ways to limit my caffeine but get me through the day? HELP!

ps I feel like im a coffee away from a heart attack

Replies

  • mortikarobinette
    mortikarobinette Posts: 20 Member
    I'm kind of in the same boat. Until last week I lived in coffee and Mountain Dew. If I go for a full day without caffeine I get the biggest headache. What I'm doing is slowly tapering off. Last week I did one cup of coffee and replaced one Mountain Dew with a 20 ounce bottle of water. This week I'm doing my coffee and a 34 ounce bottle of water. Next week's plan is to substitute 2 Mountain Dews with water.
  • jayemes
    jayemes Posts: 865 Member
    Stop drinking coffee if it makes you feel like you're going to have a heart attack.
    If you can't keep up with your day without it, you have to change your day.
  • Fitnessgirl0913
    Fitnessgirl0913 Posts: 481 Member
    It may be the pre workout that is making you feel like you are going to have a heart attack. Not saying that is the only reason but on the few occasions I have tried pre workout I thought my heart was going to pop out of my chest and ended up feeling so horrendous I threw up. Not saying it is the same for you but you may want to try going cutting down or going without the pre workout. There are also some stimulant (caffeine) free pre workouts I have seen that could be a good alternative. Just my 2 cents, take it or leave it :smile:
  • FireOpalCO
    FireOpalCO Posts: 641 Member
    Get rid of the XL coffee and have a small. Little doses of caffeine throughout the day instead of big ones that will cause the headache when it wears off. Ditch all the energy drinks, some have as much caffeine as four cups of coffee and they can be dangerous. Pack a thermos of coffee (if you use milk, heat it so it doesn't cool the coffee) and you can take small cups of it throughout the day.

    I drink Soylent Cafe Vanilla in the morning for breakfast. It's a meal replacement with 400 calories and the caffeine of a cup of coffee. If I need an afternoon pick me up I either get a small nitro coffee or a small cappuccino.
  • Crafty_camper123
    Crafty_camper123 Posts: 1,440 Member
    I would get rid of the energy drinks unless you really REALLY feel like you need them. Like limit to one a week, or every two weeks. Less even. I used to rely too much on those things myself. They have a lot of stimulants other then added caffeine. Like ginsing, guarana and taurine all act on the body as a stimulant. It may be too much for you on top of your coffee and pre-workout caffeine.

    Back in my retail days some days like overnighters & Black Friday (which is basically an overnighter) consisted of two energy drinks back to back plus a large coffee, plus chocolate covered coffee beans for good measure... 0_o I was basically a vibrating zombie version of myself.
    I personally have switched to coffee only and I only have the energy drinks if I'm pulling an all nighter for some reason. Or I am particularly sleep deprived...

    But, if just coffee is too much and you still feel you need a pick-me up, swap to lower caffeine alternatives. For example you could have a cup of black tea, or green tea instead of coffee. If you feel you don't want to limit your energy drinks further, only have the ones that come in 8oz cans instead of 16oz cans. Mtn. Dew Kick Starts are good too. They are usually around 80 cals a can, come in a variety of flavors, and have way less caffeine then a Rockstar or Monster.
  • scooter5106
    scooter5106 Posts: 9 Member
    Most preworkout drinks contain a lot of caffeine themselves.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited May 2018
    I'd figure out how much caffeine you're getting per day and what other stims you're consuming besides caffeine from the energy drinks, pre-workout, etc.

    Assuming the "I feel like I'm 1 coffee away from a heart attack" isn't hyperbole, that alone would make me cut out the unknowns (pre-workout and energy drink).
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Maybe make getting enough sleep a priority even if it means cutting out workout time so you do not need as much caffeine to get through the day.
  • NGentRD
    NGentRD Posts: 181 Member
    Thank you everyone! I dont actually feel like I'm going to have a heart attack physically. Its more mental because on average I have 785mg caffeine/day and it should only be about 300mg a bit more since im a bigger fella. I get the migraines when I havent had any caffeine but im trying to slowly decrease that way the short term withdrawals arent as bad.
  • NGentRD
    NGentRD Posts: 181 Member
    Crafty_camper123 wrote: »
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    Maybe make getting enough sleep a priority even if it means cutting out workout time so you do not need as much caffeine to get through the day.

    Seriously. That's an extra 1.5 hours a day of rest you could be getting. Maybe just do quick 15 minute workouts on your more busy days and save the 1.5 hour gym days for times when you aren't working 13 hours in a day. Surely you're not working that many hours 7 days a week, are you? Being slightly sleep deprived for a long time will catch up. No amount of caffiene will prevent it. Your memory, gym performance, and work performance will all slip and you will head towards a burnout. I know I'm making a blanket statement here as people can survive on differnt sleep levels. I've just exprienced the effects of chronic sleep deprivation. I didn't realize how much it was messing with me until I was actually getting enough sleep regularly.

    Thanks! I have burnt myself out before doing something similar, the only factor that changed was my diet and so far its alot better. I actually sleep between 6-7 hours and im not tired in the morning and i fall asleep easier. It doesnt take me long to get ready or anything and weekends I work 7 hours/week but not 13 everyday, weekends are 3-4 hours/day so I sleep in a bit more.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    NickyGee2015 wrote: »
    Thank you everyone! I dont actually feel like I'm going to have a heart attack physically. Its more mental because on average I have 785mg caffeine/day and it should only be about 300mg a bit more since im a bigger fella. I get the migraines when I havent had any caffeine but im trying to slowly decrease that way the short term withdrawals arent as bad.

    So the only reason you're cutting back is because you are taking in more than what is recommended? No actual side effects that you are trying to mitigate?
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    Caffeine, pre-workout, and other stimulants are not harmless contrary to what some believe. I work in the ER and have had some patients come in with cardiac arrhythmias after drinking tons of caffeine and pre-workout and stuff. I would recommend getting more rest. Cutting back on caffeine will give you rebound headaches at first. You could try replacing some of your coffee or energy drinks with tea, which has less caffeine, and cutting out the pre-workout.
  • NGentRD
    NGentRD Posts: 181 Member
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    NickyGee2015 wrote: »
    Thank you everyone! I dont actually feel like I'm going to have a heart attack physically. Its more mental because on average I have 785mg caffeine/day and it should only be about 300mg a bit more since im a bigger fella. I get the migraines when I havent had any caffeine but im trying to slowly decrease that way the short term withdrawals arent as bad.

    So the only reason you're cutting back is because you are taking in more than what is recommended? No actual side effects that you are trying to mitigate?

    I'd like to see if the cause of the migraines are due to withdrawal of caffeine first. My BP and cholesterol was high but went down when I started keto a few months ago. Other than that no side effects. Mostly cautious because it's been known that even the best athletes who eat super clean just have an over stimulated heart, have a heart attack. No proof its caffeine but until more studies are done, it would be nice to not be one of those statistics.
  • ruqayyahsmum
    ruqayyahsmum Posts: 1,513 Member
    I thought 300 was the limit for pregnant women?
  • NGentRD
    NGentRD Posts: 181 Member
    ruqayyahsmum wrote: »
    I thought 300 was the limit for pregnant women?

    safe dose for anyone is 300, maximum safe dose can be up to 700 for me but Im not sure if thats true
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited May 2018
    NickyGee2015 wrote: »
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    NickyGee2015 wrote: »
    Thank you everyone! I dont actually feel like I'm going to have a heart attack physically. Its more mental because on average I have 785mg caffeine/day and it should only be about 300mg a bit more since im a bigger fella. I get the migraines when I havent had any caffeine but im trying to slowly decrease that way the short term withdrawals arent as bad.

    So the only reason you're cutting back is because you are taking in more than what is recommended? No actual side effects that you are trying to mitigate?

    I'd like to see if the cause of the migraines are due to withdrawal of caffeine first. My BP and cholesterol was high but went down when I started keto a few months ago. Other than that no side effects. Mostly cautious because it's been known that even the best athletes who eat super clean just have an over stimulated heart, have a heart attack. No proof its caffeine but until more studies are done, it would be nice to not be one of those statistics.

    Gotcha. I do think you're making some leaps there, but clearly it never hurts to be cautious. Think of it like this - guns aren't inherently dangerous. Depending on how you use them and/or who you give them to, they could be harmless or they could be lethal. Same with caffeine - harmless to some, dangerous to others. Depends on the person/situation.

    No way to know for sure if the headaches are withdrawal-related, but that's a common side effect and what you've said certainly makes sense that it could be.
  • Crafty_camper123
    Crafty_camper123 Posts: 1,440 Member
    If you're just wanting to cut it back, then doing so incrementally should prevent the withdrawal headaches. I don't know about you, but if I take Ibuprofen at the first twinge of headache it prevents it from going into full migraine mode. Caffeine withdrawal should only last a couple weeks. If the migraines continue after a few weeks of cutting back your caffeine consumption, then it may be something else, and you may want to go see a doctor.
  • idioblast
    idioblast Posts: 114 Member
    I've never liked coffee or caffeinated drinks, so I've always used caffeine pills. The standards ones sold in the US are generally 200mg each, which is WAY to much for me in one dose. I found some on Amazon that are 100mg and I used to take those about 2-3 times a day which helped spread out my caffeine and I didn't get jittery or headaches. When I became pregnant, I knew I had to cut down some more, so I bought a pill splitter and split my pills into 50mg. It was hard to get used to at first, but now I have 150mg max per day and a lot of days I go completely without and don't really notice.

    Just an alternative to coffee and other energy drinks to help reduce caffeine without cutting it out all together.
  • itslmw
    itslmw Posts: 3 Member
    What pre-workout are you using?
  • NGentRD
    NGentRD Posts: 181 Member
    itslmw wrote: »
    What pre-workout are you using?

    HYDE ZERO, it doesnt kick me out of ketosis. I'm very limited on preworkouts i can use
  • NGentRD
    NGentRD Posts: 181 Member
    idioblast wrote: »
    I've never liked coffee or caffeinated drinks, so I've always used caffeine pills. The standards ones sold in the US are generally 200mg each, which is WAY to much for me in one dose. I found some on Amazon that are 100mg and I used to take those about 2-3 times a day which helped spread out my caffeine and I didn't get jittery or headaches. When I became pregnant, I knew I had to cut down some more, so I bought a pill splitter and split my pills into 50mg. It was hard to get used to at first, but now I have 150mg max per day and a lot of days I go completely without and don't really notice.

    Just an alternative to coffee and other energy drinks to help reduce caffeine without cutting it out all together.

    I will try that! I like the flavour of all that stuff, but I dont need the extra ingredients too. Plus it seems to be a easier when it comes to measuring!

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