The Pros & Cons of Caffeine

Hey gang!
Melissa here. I have survived my first day and am promptly on line to share my experience. I hope it motivates at least one person to set their own goals and go after them, just like me!

My day started kind of late, due to the particularly long party I attended the night before. It was a very good friend of mine’s birthday and since I knew I was starting my new life today, I had to exit the party scene with a bash. Effectively, I slept through my first meal, so only managed four for the day.

Other than that, I did great. I am patting myself on the back as I type this.

The instructions were quite simple:
- I had to eat 5 times today
- I had to drink 2 litres of water (tick!)
- I had to have a serving of protein and a serving of carb for each meal (where each serving is the size of my fist or the palm of my hand) (tick!)
- I had to do my exercise routine (tick!)

So, you see. I did pretty good. Only one missing tick and it was my first day!

Breakfast was egg whites and a slice of toast. Not quite the same as scrambled eggs, but I think I can get used to it. For my second meal (lunch) I had left over bolognaise sauce with green peas and cheese (low fat). Then, in the afternoon, on my way to the gym I had a meal replacement shake. And for dinner I had 3 ostrich sausages with stir-fried vegetables.

The meal replacement shake was by far the worst part of the day! It looked, smelled and tasted like baby vomit, yet the sales guy at Wellness Warehouse assured me that “this is the best tasting shake on the market”. I dread to know what the worst tasting one is like!

The exercise routine was focused on upper body today. I had to do free weights exercises for my chest, back, shoulders and arms. It has been a good few months since I last visited the weight lifting room. For some reason, I remember it as much more boring place than what I experienced today. May be because my instructions were strict: “No chit-chat between exercises. Get it. Do your work. Get out.”

I also really missed my coffee today. I was only allowed one cup and I am a self-confessed caffeine addict. I am nursing a cup of green tea as I write, which is also supposed to be high in caffeine, but believe me, there is no kick. I think I will just go to bed…

Melissa

Jeni:
Thanks Melissa! You really did great today! Be proud of yourself!

Today I am going to tell you a little bit about coffee and the controversy around it, since Melissa mentioned it in her blog-inside-the-blog…

Coffee has been getting both positive and negative press for the longest of times and many of my clients are completely lost as to the benefits, or lack there of, associated with their favourite brew. Here is the low-down:
There is no simple answer as to whether coffee is good or bad for you. Reason being: coffee consumption can help you achieve certain goals (for example, improve fitness performance) and it can be detrimental for other (e.g. weight loss). It also affects things like bone density (due to calcium depletion) and water retention (due to its mild diuretic effect).
In terms of weight loss (which I assume is the key consideration for readers of this blog), I have bad news for coffee lovers. Yes, it is one of the main ingredients in thermogenic fat-loss pills, but the reason why it’s in there is caffeine’s diuretic properties. Basically, the pills make you pee a lot (amongst other things) so that you can appear lighter on the scale. And some people pay good money for that stuff!
Unfortunately, though, coffee consumption leads to increased production of stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol causes the body to store fat, particularly around the midsection and it also incites a wave of undesirable ageing effects on the body. As you can imagine, a cup of coffee a day is not really going to do that much damage, but consuming up to half a dozen cups (as in Melissa’s case) is a bit much.
Having said that, if your objective is to workout harder for longer at the gym, coffee is your new BFF. Why? Cause it stimulates the central nervous system and basically “masks” feelings of fatigue so an athlete can push himself a bit further after a cup of coffee. It is also well known for its mood enhancing properties, protection against gallstones, liver disease and type 2 diabetes.
Bottom line: Have coffee if you like it, but remember: MODERATION. Medium roast is better than light or dark roasts (the roasting method used protects the antioxidants in the raw coffee beans best). Unfiltered coffee (as in espresso, boiled or French-pressed coffee) is better than filtered (i.e. instant). Organic is much better than commercially farmed (with pesticides) beans.

Enjoy that morning java!

Ciao!

Jeni