How Much Caffeine Do You Need?

Today, I am talking about cup of Joe! 

I am talking about caffeine in particular.

Personally, I have always been a big coffee fan since I was young.

I LOVE coffee!

Back in the 90’s, I used to be a barista. Ahhh…to walk into that coffee shop first thing in the morning smell the coffee beans was like heaven…

Oh! Sorry…I am back. 😉

When I was a professional ballet dancer, I drank A LOT of coffee.

I drank a full pot of regular coffee before I even left the house. Then I would head off to go dance and work and throughout the day I would have a FULL other pot of coffee regular (high octane) coffee.

Now, this was before  I really knew about nutrition and healthy eating. So I was downing two pots of regular coffee no exaggeration. At one point, I was having stabbing pains in my chest and because I didn’t know about nutrition I was not drinking any water. 

In the previous blog, I was talking about fat burners and how caffeine is one of the main ingredients.

Do you need a fat burner to lose weight?

What Does Caffeine Do To Your Body?

Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system (CNS) and makes you more alert and more awake.  Which is all good things right?

But it can also make you:

• Restless
• Can upset your stomach
• Make you irritable
• Have withdrawal symptoms
• It can also keep you awake at night 
• Interrupt your sleep patterns
• Disrupt your heart rhythm
• Increase your blood pressure
• Cause headaches and dizziness
• Become dependent on caffeine

DO NOT TAKE CAFFEINE IF YOU HAVE …. 

• A heart condition. Doing so will increase the rate at which your heart works possibly leading to heart attack.
• Anxiety. This stimulant will make you even more anxious.

Caffeine Information:

• The FDA has classified it as both a drug and a food additive.
• When you drink a caffeinated drink, the levels will peak in about 1 hour and can last from 4 to 6 hours afterwards.
• It is a diuretic. To avoid dehydration, make sure you are increasing hydration levels. For example, if you have a 16 oz cup of coffee you need to drink a 16 oz cup of water offset the dehydration.
• You can become acclimated to caffeine. Drinking it on a regular basis, you will lose its effectiveness. If I’m drinking a pot of coffee every day I have built up a tolerance and in order to get the same effect you will need to increase the amount of caffeine. SO instead of drinking 16 oz and getting the alertness you will now need say 24 oz.
• Studies suggest  moderate amounts is totally fine. It’s not detrimental and actually will increase alertness. Doctors recommend about 100 to 200 mg of caffeine per day this equates to 5 – 10 oz of coffee.
• Anything over 600 mg which is about 4 to 7 cups of coffee is too much.
• The Mayo Clinic suggest about 400 mg per day is relatively safe.

Where else can we find caffeine?

When we think of caffeine, we tend to think of coffee. But it can also be found in:

• chocolate
• sodas
• ice cream (coffee ice cream)
• caffeine tabs

Here’s A Suggestion

I told you my story about my 2 pots of coffee a day early twenties… there was awhile where I stopped drinking coffee because I was having such massive chest pains. I did switch to decaffeinated coffee (because I enjoy the taste is not just the caffeine that I like). It might be worth the switch. So nowadays, I drink 4 cups of coffee in my coffee pot and it’s half-caf (half caffeine and half decaffeinate).  I divide that up into two “cups” of coffee. 

Here’s Why I Suggest Going Decaf For a Bit

If you take out caffeine (go decaf) for a couple months, when you add it back in you get that little jolt of alertness you used to get from regular coffee. It’s like building up a tolerance and then you take it away so you can build up to it again. Rather than keep building and building… and building…AND building…. until you are drinking a whole vat of coffee! (P.S. your adrenals will thank you when you go decaf!)

Key Points To Remember

• Don’t drink too much caffeine during the day
• Drink enough water 
• Watch your total intake

Want to learn more about caffeine in fat burners and whether you need to take a fat burner?

If you are a coffee lover,  I would like to know what is your favorite way to enjoy your coffee? Comment below. I will leave what I put in my cup of coffee too. So we can all share and enjoy a different cup of joe everyday