2. Caffeine
3. The Diet
4. Progress
My Vice
A little while back, I discussed the issue of caffeine possibly causing blood sugar levels to rise. That post and information inspired me to do a giveaway so others could research diabetes to see what they may not have known about. For a long time, I have been drinking an obscene amount of caffeine on a daily basis. I would say I was a casual drinker up until about 5 years ago when my consumption started to spike up.
Having diabetes, I always looked at diet soda as my “free” drink that tasted good, had next to zero calories and wasn’t that bad for you. I always thought, you can take away carb-loaded foods, but don’t even think about my Diet Mt. Dew. Hands OFF! I have sworn to this very day that there is something that Pepsi puts in Mt. Dew that makes it addicting. Maybe it’s all the caffeine (55 mgs per 12oz.), but the stuff is dynamite.
My Routine
I would start the day with a 16oz can of either Monster Lo-Carb or Sugar Free Rockstar each with close to 200 mgs of caffeine, which would jumpstart my morning. After the initial energy drink that tastes awesome (Monster blue can is my favorite) I would go Diet Mountain Dew all day long until about 4:30. That’s when I would quit for the day so I wasn’t kept up at night. If I had to guess, I’d say that I would drink at least four 20oz bottles during the day. I would probably put my caffeine intake for one day in the neighborhood of 600mgs.
The other harmful ingredient of caffeine is citric and phosphoric acid that eat away at the enamel of your teeth. Some say that these acids are nearly as corrosive as battery acid to your enamel. [source] I’ve always heard that regular soda is bad for your teeth because of all the sugar in it. My dentist would ask if I drink coffee or soda, which I would answer, “only diet soda”. I guess both are bad for your teeth. The bar chart below shows the pH content of different brands of soda. Interestingly, Diet Mountain Dew is the third best of all the sodas in terms of pH content. Um, the last thing I want to do is have no enamel left on my teeth. Plus, I think my parents would kick my ass for having damaged the teeth they spent so much money to straighten. Don’t even get me started on the artificial sweetener – Aspartame. Who really knows the long term effects these chemicals can have on your body.
[source]
My Goal
Back in December/January, I made a goal that I would cut WAY back on caffeine in 2009. I really didn’t define exactly what “way back” would be or how to measure it. I just knew I needed to start cutting back. I did some reading and research and found the best way to cut out caffeine is to wean off of it over a period of time. Cold turkey is difficult to do because of the “hold” caffeine can have on you. I found myself crashing from no caffeine at around 6-7 PM each night, right at the time I wanted to spend quality family time. Also, the soda made me have to go to the bathroom all the time during the day. Don’t get me wrong, there are some positive effects that caffeine can have on you like, increase alertness, decreased fatigue and improved muscle coordination. So why the headaches when you stop drinking caffeine?
“Low concentration of caffeine may cause a decrease in heart rate, but high concentration increases the palpitations significantly.
If you are consuming high soft drinks and then suddenly you stop drinking, caffeine in brain may constrict the blood vessels causing headache and migraine. These are also known as withdrawal symptoms.” [source]
The next post in this series will discuss the diet I’ve been following and what’s involved.
I have to say, interesting data. I myself drink mt dew like 3-5 bottles a day. Thanks for creating the site. Keep up the good work.