Caffeine and Ephedra

[Brook]

As an avid coffee drinker/lover (just to get that out of the way!) - I will say this:

Coffee has a carb content. Burning up a solid percentage of your daily allotted carbs on coffee just isn't the smartest way to go.

While coffee causes no health problems, the same can not be said for the caffiene it contains. It is a drug. Period.

People who drink those daily are bound to get fat.

I think the same can be said for people who choose to stay in their comfort zone, defending their addictions.

I'm not sayin..... I'm just sayin.

But hey...we all gotta do what works for us. If picking and choosing the parts of the book that we want to listen to is what works, fair enough. However, if/when the stall monster hits and it occurrs to people that they're going against Atkins' advice, drinking a fair share of their carbs rather than eating them, etc.....a solid arguement can be made for us not doing what works for us.

In truth, you won't truly know if it's affecting you or not until you give it up.

As with everything though, YMMV.

Continued success!
~Brook

[not2late]

I don't know how this thread turned into a "drink your coffee" thread, considering Beefman stated in his op " I dont drink coffee, I take the "REAL" stacker 3 w/ about the caffeine of 2 cups of coffee and enough ephedra to keep me going thru the day."

[Brook]

LOL Megs- Fair enough

I digress.

[BeefMan]

Ok I went 3 days without my STACKER 3......First I am still deep in ketosis..Now let me tell you this w/o my stacker 3 at my current weight there is NO WAY ON EARTH I can keep up. I am sleepy by lunch time!!! I am always wanting to eat, No energy at the gym and FORGET about the night workout!!!! I dont believe DR Atkins EVER EVER did research on ephedra, I have spent a lot of time reading and speaking to my Dr (who by the way got me started on Atkins) about it. And the bottom line is and I'll quote him "the small risks of ephedra vs the major risks of being overweight are not even close" So tommorow I'll be back on my stacker 3 I tried to do without it and till I get down under 250 it is ABSOLUTELY necessary!!!

[Laurenfra]

Beefman if you have gone 3 days with out, give it 2 more day 3 is hard as your body detoxes from the carbs. By 7 days in I have such a rush of energy.

[not2late]

Originally Posted by BeefMan

Ok I went 3 days without my STACKER 3......First I am still deep in ketosis..Now let me tell you this w/o my stacker 3 at my current weight there is NO WAY ON EARTH I can keep up. I am sleepy by lunch time!!! I am always wanting to eat, No energy at the gym and FORGET about the night workout!!!! I dont believe DR Atkins EVER EVER did research on ephedra, I have spent a lot of time reading and speaking to my Dr (who by the way got me started on Atkins) about it. And the bottom line is and I'll quote him "the small risks of ephedra vs the major risks of being overweight are not even close" So tommorow I'll be back on my stacker 3 I tried to do without it and till I get down under 250 it is ABSOLUTELY necessary!!!

Beef, your body is used to these drugs and it will take some time for you to detox from them as Lauren stated.

As for being sleepy....the one natural way to combat sleepiness is to get an appropriate amount of sleep in the first place. Stimulants interrupt the normal sleep-wake cycle. Sleep is important on many different levels because it's the time when your body can rest and rejuvenate itself. So if you have spent years getting inadequate sleep time because you've spent years taking stimulants to keep you awake, you'll need to make up for all those lost sleep hours. My suggestion is to get some quality sleep time.

Heart attacks, high blood pressure, stroke are some side effects of ephedra. Because of your weight, you are already at risk for heart attacks, high blood pressure, stroke, etc. It doesn't make any sense to me to increase that risk further by taking a drug with that side effect profile. But that's just my opinion. I suggest you do some research about ephedra on your own and make an informed decision about it.

[Brook]

I'm still trying to figure out why you think 250 is some sort of magic number for health and energy, and why you think withdrawal from a drug is going to be easier then too?

We all know how hard the first couple of weeks are. They are draining for most everyone, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It WILL get better and you WILL be healthier if you choose to stay off the stuff.

I'm always leery of doctors who tell their patients stuff like that is okay. I really am, but them I don't trust most doctors anyway.

You're going to do what you're going to do - and I wish you nothing but health and success while you do it. I try to be as supportive as possible to everyone here. If you were looking for support in continuing to take the drugs, I'm sorry you're not finding what you were looking for. We just want you to be healthy - and some of us have experience in doing exactly what you're doing- and are here to tell a much healthier tale.

Again, I wish you success.
~Brook

[cherribom1]

Beefman give it more time being caffeine/epehdra free, like laurenfra said it takes time for your body to detoxify. You can do this!

[BeefMan]

250 is the magic number cause I was fine there before for years. After the back injury I gained weight extremely fast....as in 50 lbs in 3 mo's. I went from an very physical job to being bed ridden for months. I tried getting started many times, Stacker is what has been keeping me going. Once again my DR said I have a far greater chance to have heart problems from being over weight then from taking small doses of ephedra. Sorry but it works and it seems to have no ill effects w/ staying in ketosis and losing weight. I cant afford a 7-10 day detox, plus I dont believe it is necessary. I take a small amount ( 1 a day, 3 a day is recommended dose) So till I feel I dont need it anymore.......or someone can prove it wont allow you to lose weight ...stacker 3 is for me !!!! Thanks for your responces !!!

[not2late]

Well, Beef, you asked why Dr. Atkins has that "don't use caffeine" clause in his Diet. We gave you the reason.

As long as you have made an informed decision about this, then all the potential risks and benefits of that usage is on your head, not ours.

I certainly hope that when you reach 250 pounds you won't be so reliant on these drugs that you will be able to kick them to the curb.

I do encourage you to do your own research about caffeine and ephedra. Good luck on your weight loss journey.