I probably started drinking coffee around 10 years old. My mom would brew a pot of chuck full o nuts every day. My parents would have one cup and eventually all three kids were drinking one cup with breakfast. Back then I used cream and a lot of sugar. Now I drink it black and on a typical day have two cups. If I get hungry and don’t want to overeat I may have a third. I make it pretty weak so a cup might have 75mg. I have gone a week without with no withdrawals. My dad is 83 and still starts his day with a cup. He has way too much sugar in it, 2-3 heaping teaspoons. I give him crap about it but he’s 83 and still functional so I guess he deserves it.
Yes. Energy is much more stable throughout the day. But also lower overall. Sleep is better, stress is better, irritability is better, anxiety is better.
I quit for 2 years straight, then got back on. It worked really good for a week, then made me feel like shit after that so I got off of it again. Now just drinking diet caffeine free sodas occasionally when I need a fix.
If you’ve been off for a long time, drinking a cup of green tea feels like snorting cocaine. I haven’t tried cocaine before, so I wouldn’t know for sure, haha.
LOL. It was that or 8 O’Clock. I started at 12, the same day I started working full time in the summers for my Dad. He was a masonry contractor and I was a big kid. Cream and 2 sugars, now I hate sugar in my coffee and am fine with a 12oz cup of espresso if available.
I often do. But, I am ADD, and it actually lowers my BP. So do most stimulants. I’m being tested for pharmaceutical Genomics or something to that effect right now. They’re checking for stuff like CYP2D6 to figure out why stuff does not work on me (like Codeine).
Wait…for ADD people caffeine has the opposite effect?
Yes. At least for me. Adderall and Ritalin are serious stimulants. That’s why they work.
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Yes. Looking forward to it.
I’m not quite that extreme, but I do sleep better when I consume caffeine during the day. I quit it for a year or two and when I started drinking it again it gave me a surprisingly huge energy rush. That lasted a few weeks and now I don’t really feel it that much.
I should probably cycle it like I do everything I can develop a tolerance to. 25mg diphenhydramine helps me get to sleep, which I have more trouble doing without caffeine than with. I should probably take a break from that, too.
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Yeah I should probably give my body a break from it as well.
Yep this is true. So far there most effective drugs are stimulants.
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The caffeine thing is interesting but people do become caffeine insensitive as well.
Dr. Greg’s anabolic stuff:
There are so many ways to modify it to your liking.
I have it every night, usually with ice, lactose-free skim milk, xantham gum, cocoa, frozen strawberries, PB2, sugar-free chocolate chips, and sugar-free chocolate syrup. Such a great, filling, delicious treat, and usually clocks in around 400-500 calories.
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I was the exact same, brother. I’d need a Venti cold brew or a heaping scoop of preworkout to feel ANYTHING from the caffeine. Pretty nuts how desensitized I became. There are obviously dissenting opinions, but I recommend at least watching the video.
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This is what I’ve found so far. I feel much more balanced throughout the day. Things that would usually make me anxious just don’t register the same effect. I’m also sleeping better, and can actually be productive at 5 or 6 p.m. – I don’t have the same roller coaster of energy.
I thought I was being productive at that time before, and I also thought I didn’t have anxiety…but since eliminating (or significantly reducing, depending on how you count decaf) caffeine, I’ve noticed just how wrong I was.
I want that feeling! Previously I could have six cups of green tea and not feel anything.
Totally agree, but I don’t do well with moderation, lol. It’s easier for me to go all or nothing – that’s why I don’t drink alcohol. Gotta know yourself, I guess.
Same for my wife. She is supperrrrrr ADHD. Like, brain studied at Duke University for most of her life level. But hates the meds so she won’t take them. But she can drink anything with a crazy amount of caffeine and it calms her down or puts her to sleep. It’s pretty weird.
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yep…took me a lot of years to figure out though
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I think it also helps to know your family history. I come from a long line of men who are alcoholics and workaholics…family systems theory indicates I’ll have a higher propensity to fall into those patterns, and I definitely see evidence that validates that idea. I was a heavy drinker in college and always flirt with the line of overwork/work obsession.
So for self-awareness, it’s helpful to take a long, hard look at your parents, grandparents, etc.
Did you see the ‘Take Your Pills’ documentary? Pretty crazy stuff. I wouldn’t want the meds, either.
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The meds suck. Coffee is much better than Adderall in my experience.
Yes I come from an Irish Catholic family who has traditionally been heavy entitled drinkers. So I get it genetically and conditionally. TRT gave me the confidence to quit knowing it was the right thing to do for many many reasons. No rock bottom story or anything like that other than hitting a hormonal (test) rock bottom. Just realizing the lifestyle no longer aligned with my goals in many ways.
Oddly I knew growing up that I needed to keep it under control but like any slow change eventually you look back and realize the change was so gradual you didnt realize it and now it is obviously out of control.
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