This is for all the people out there who know they're sucking down too many energy drinks. You can stop.
Just as recently as 2 months ago it wouldn't be out of the question for me to down four or five Red Bulls. Now, I'm not talking about the small 8 ounce ones, I'm talking about the 16 to 20 oz monster sized ones. I knew this was unhealthy, but I had no idea exactly how bad it was getting until I had one massive week of wake-up calls.
Now, I'm 32. I used to be a healthy weight, but surprisingly during my last years of the Army my activity was extremely restricted, almost to the point where I was bored during exercise. I went from about 14% body fat at 190 (I'm 5'8" but with an extremely big frame) to who knows how much body fat at 230 lbs. Then I had surgery last August on my shoulder and since then I had packed on an additional 30 pounds. I left the Army April 13th at 264 lbs, and exercise and watching my diet I'm down to 255 consistently, with my goal to get back to 190.
As I was getting my final checkup, my resting heart rate was 115 bpm. I was diagnosed with mild hypertension and put on Zestoretic to correct it. I couldn't believe it and I looked towards other things to blame for it.
Later that week I got a call saying my father was in the hospital for heart failure. The doctors said the combination of smoking and too many energy drinks was probably the cause, but it was difficult to say for sure. He's fine now, but he had to quit smoking and is only allowed one cup of black coffee in the morning, nothing else.
I realized my energy drink obsession was not only unhealthy, but also costly.
Fast forward about a month later. I have only had Red Bulls once (I'll get to that later). My resting heart rate is now in the upper 90's, which is a far cry from the 60's-70's it was when I was running 21 miles a week for the Army, but I'll take it for now. My blood pressure is down enough that they've lowered my blood pressure medicine to the lowest dose. I'm still not free from caffeine, as the addiction on these things is almost as bad as cigarettes, which I'm also quitting with my wife later this year.
Enter the Mountain Dew Kickstart. At 80 calories, half the dosage of caffeine per liquid ounce, and half the sugar of soda, it's been a good stopgap. I'm currently down to four of those a day, and each month I'm looking to replace one of those with water, as I did the other 2-3 I've already cut out of my diet. The idea is to get down to maybe, and I mean maybe, 1 caffeinated drink a day in the morning. Maybe.
Trying to drink the Red Bulls like I had been after a month of not touching one put the final nail in the energy drink coffin. I chugged down two 20 oz Red Bulls like I would in the morning and the result was my heart was pounding out of my check and I was so jittery I couldn't even put spread on my bagel. I haven't even had the inkling to buy one, Red Bull or otherwise, ever since.
My goals are to be caffeine and (starting next week!) nicotine free, at least to the point where caffeine is used to pep me up, not used just to feel normal. By the end of the year I want to have dropped back to my pre-surgical weight of 230, with the long-term goal of 185 next year. My biggest goal is to get off blood pressure medicine and drop my pulse back down to the mid 60's. I've had a cardiogram and treadmill test and there's been no permanent damage to my heart... yet. I know if I had continued down that path there most certainly would have been.
The Kickstarts have helped even though I know they're unhealthy, they are infinitely better than what I was doing. They're a decent alternative and a way to wean you off the energy drink addiction, are miles better for you than soda in the calorie and sugar department. They're sort of like the Patch for energy drink addicts.
I'll continue to update my progress as things go. Wish me luck, I'm probably going to need it.
Just as recently as 2 months ago it wouldn't be out of the question for me to down four or five Red Bulls. Now, I'm not talking about the small 8 ounce ones, I'm talking about the 16 to 20 oz monster sized ones. I knew this was unhealthy, but I had no idea exactly how bad it was getting until I had one massive week of wake-up calls.
Now, I'm 32. I used to be a healthy weight, but surprisingly during my last years of the Army my activity was extremely restricted, almost to the point where I was bored during exercise. I went from about 14% body fat at 190 (I'm 5'8" but with an extremely big frame) to who knows how much body fat at 230 lbs. Then I had surgery last August on my shoulder and since then I had packed on an additional 30 pounds. I left the Army April 13th at 264 lbs, and exercise and watching my diet I'm down to 255 consistently, with my goal to get back to 190.
As I was getting my final checkup, my resting heart rate was 115 bpm. I was diagnosed with mild hypertension and put on Zestoretic to correct it. I couldn't believe it and I looked towards other things to blame for it.
Later that week I got a call saying my father was in the hospital for heart failure. The doctors said the combination of smoking and too many energy drinks was probably the cause, but it was difficult to say for sure. He's fine now, but he had to quit smoking and is only allowed one cup of black coffee in the morning, nothing else.
I realized my energy drink obsession was not only unhealthy, but also costly.
Fast forward about a month later. I have only had Red Bulls once (I'll get to that later). My resting heart rate is now in the upper 90's, which is a far cry from the 60's-70's it was when I was running 21 miles a week for the Army, but I'll take it for now. My blood pressure is down enough that they've lowered my blood pressure medicine to the lowest dose. I'm still not free from caffeine, as the addiction on these things is almost as bad as cigarettes, which I'm also quitting with my wife later this year.
Enter the Mountain Dew Kickstart. At 80 calories, half the dosage of caffeine per liquid ounce, and half the sugar of soda, it's been a good stopgap. I'm currently down to four of those a day, and each month I'm looking to replace one of those with water, as I did the other 2-3 I've already cut out of my diet. The idea is to get down to maybe, and I mean maybe, 1 caffeinated drink a day in the morning. Maybe.
Trying to drink the Red Bulls like I had been after a month of not touching one put the final nail in the energy drink coffin. I chugged down two 20 oz Red Bulls like I would in the morning and the result was my heart was pounding out of my check and I was so jittery I couldn't even put spread on my bagel. I haven't even had the inkling to buy one, Red Bull or otherwise, ever since.
My goals are to be caffeine and (starting next week!) nicotine free, at least to the point where caffeine is used to pep me up, not used just to feel normal. By the end of the year I want to have dropped back to my pre-surgical weight of 230, with the long-term goal of 185 next year. My biggest goal is to get off blood pressure medicine and drop my pulse back down to the mid 60's. I've had a cardiogram and treadmill test and there's been no permanent damage to my heart... yet. I know if I had continued down that path there most certainly would have been.
The Kickstarts have helped even though I know they're unhealthy, they are infinitely better than what I was doing. They're a decent alternative and a way to wean you off the energy drink addiction, are miles better for you than soda in the calorie and sugar department. They're sort of like the Patch for energy drink addicts.
I'll continue to update my progress as things go. Wish me luck, I'm probably going to need it.