Caffeine?. Here’s the deal:
I have to be at work at 6am, wake up at 4am. I need caffeine to get me through the morning. I have tried to go without, it doesn’t work.
I do not like to drink warm drinks in the morning. I also do not like plain black coffee. I used to drink Red Bull everyday. I decided that was bad for me. So I starting drinking 1 Coke every morning. Decided that was bad for me. I cut soda out all together.
I started making iced coffee. However, with all the milk and creamer I add I’m not sure how much better it is for me than the Red Bull.
Are there any other options for me? Which do you think is better, soda, Red Bull or 1/2 cup coffee, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup creamer?
TIA!
why don’t you just take a caffeine pill?. You can buy them anywhere for MUCH cheaper than a coffee/red bull every morning, and it just gives you what you need w/o all the other crap.
Honestly, I’m a little afraid of them.. I’m not sure why, I just am scared of caffeine pills I guess.
Can you try getting more sleep so that you don’t. need caffeine? I know this isn’t possible in all cases, but there are so many benefits to sleep!
http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance_of_sleep_and_health
But, to answer your question, I try to stay away from artificial chemical products as much as possible, so I’d stay away from the soda and Red Bull (and the creamer).
Can you try different kinds of coffee to find one that’s more palatable? Maybe then you’d be able to drink it with a splash of milk and get rid of the creamer?
I already get 8 hours a night.. I go to sleep at 8, get up at 4. There isn’t much more sleep to be had!
I love sleeping. It’s one of my favorite things to do!!
I completely understand. I frequently list napping as one of my hobbies
Going to bed much earlier probably would be ridiculous. Most nights I do 8 pm – 5 am so I get 9 hours, and even then I sometimes go to bed when it’s light out in the summer.
Good luck finding something that works for you!
IMO, it depends on your goals. Do you care about ingesting artificial colors/flavors/chemicals/etc.? Are you trying to lose weight? Or just do the healthiest thing for your body?
i also often face the caffeine/sugar dilemma. I usually opt for skim milk lattes, because they keep me awake with the least chemicals, I’ve found, and for about 60 calories, they don’t kill my calorie budget for the day.
Have you tried eliminating either the milk or the cream from your iced coffee? Using both seems excessive to me. I almost wonder if it’s the caffeine that’s keeping you awake at all; it may be the calorie boost that’s keeping you energized. Do you eat breakfast? What do you eat? If I woke up at 4 a.m., I’d probably need to eat once by 5 and again around 9. A balanced mix of protein, healthy fat and carbs might help keep your brain functioning better.
If you’re already eating breakfast (a couple of them!), I agree with other poster’s advice to try different kinds of coffee. There are flavored coffees that are naturally sweeter without sugar. I also at home like to make my coffee with A LOT of cinnamon. I dump it in with the coffee grounds while it’s brewing. It makes it so that I don’t need milk in my coffee, as usual.
Also maybe try sugar-free Torani syrups, though you might have the same concerns about chemical content as you do with Red Bull:
http://www.torani.com/home
When you tried going without. did just quit cold turkey, or gradually cut back over a period of time? And, how long did you stick with it before you started having caffeine again?
How.
what about iced tea? §.
Wow…Caffeine is not the answer!. Caffeine is bad for you in many ways.
Just some reason:
Caffeine is known to keep a female from getting pregnant.
Caffeine will make you hungry more.
Caffeine is bad on the heart.
Caffeine will keep you up at nite.
Just a view reason you can find more on the medical sites or ask your doctor. Even these energy drinks told on TV are bad.
One idea you need to try….start going to bed at the same time everyday even on weekends. Once you get on a routine you’ll see you have more energy. Up and Down routines will make you more tired. See a doctor if you cannot do that or need more help.
Told on the doctors show on tv that if you have a lot of
Caffeine for the day drink lots of water or you will have sleeping issues.
caffeine as birth control?? AWESOME!!!. I’m going to go make a pot of coffee now!!!!
yep. Had trouble getting Pregnant and the Doctor told me this.
LOL. I drink a sugar free red bull every morning, and have no issues with it while it might not be “good” for you. As for birth control I wouldn’t bank on that I used to be a caffine junky and as soon as I got off birth control I got pregnant immediately!
LOL. oh boy!
what about. trying to ease back on the caffeine so your body isn’t as dependant/addicted to it? have you tried going without it for more than a month at a time? or just a day or two and then gone back to it? it is a drug…and your body can become addicted/it can be abused (although i do love my daily cuppa as well).
what about easing back with teas instead? (cold or warm.)
or, if you are already up that early, what about an additional 10 minutes so you can do a quick 10-15 minute run just to get your body going/blood pumping?
they also have that fat-free, sugar-free french vanilla creamer. totally full of chemicals…but i use it sometimes for a little treat/special cup.
also heard that an apple will wake you up just as efficiently or more than a cup of coffee…but not sure if that is true or just an urban myth of some sort.
tea? cold of course…. Shouldn’t need any sweetner if you get a flavored kind. I used to drink a mint flavored caffeinated tea every so often when I still drank caffeine on a daily basis. You can drink it warm or cold.
Green tea or yerba mate. §.
Don’t sweat the cream …. The question is why you need the coffee.
What time are you going to bed / how much sleep are you getting?
Are you exercising at all?
What are you eating for breakfast?
I’ve got nothing against coffee in the morning (the health reviews are generally mixed to positive), and drink mine with whole milk. That’s a healthy source of protein, a decent source of fats (saturated fat isn’t a problem, the crap in non-dairy creamers is actually much worse), and some carbs (minimal in the quantity taken).
If you’re eating fast carbs (processed/refined carbohydrates such as most breakfast cereals) and fruit juice, you’ll be spiking your blood sugar, setting yourself up for a mid- late- morning crash. Better to eat slow carbs (oatmeal is great, NOT the sweetened instant crap though), whole fruit, and a protein source (milk, yoghurt, eggs, sausage), you’ll be setting yourself up much better for the rest of the day.
Soda is crap. Drop it.
My morning coffee comes from a stovetop espresso maker. It’s about the equivalent of 3 cups of coffee (I’m a bigger guy), the 2- or 4- shot maker might be more appropriate for you. Two shots of espresso are one cup of coffee. French Press is another good option IMO, just add boiling water.
For the rest of the day, drink green tea as needed. Low caffeine, many health benefits.
Green Tea…. iced. has caffine, but also antioxidants that are healthy.
Try it with just a bit of sugar, resist the urge to add more, you’ll get used to it.
I like green tea with Jasmine.
I used to do coffee every morning. gave it up for lent. Here’s what I drank:
16 oz large coffee.
low fat soy creamer or light vanilla soy milk
splenda to sweeten
I found when I weened off for lent I was okay, but now that I’m totally off, I get occasional headaches. I’m glad that I have cut back, but I’ll be glad to get back to my morning cup of joe.