Need help with caffeine on caloric deficit.
Hello all, I have two things to ask that I hope someone can answer for me. I am 20 years old currently 166 my goal is 155lb and am a male at 5”9. I have been working out 6 days a week since 2021 so cutting and bulking isn’t too out of the norm but wanted advice for someone who drinks caffeine.
I have quit energy drinks and pre workout and only drink a 12oz espresso capsule from a keurig. My morning routine is wake up around 4-5am, eat kind breakfast bars, eat 2 rice cakes with peanut butter and honey, then eat a protein bowl with oats, frozen fruits, almond milk, and honey.
Then I do calisthenics then on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I do 12 incline 3.0 mph 30 minutes treadmill. Tuesday and Thursday is just 3.0 30 minutes normal incline. Afterwards I eat 4 eggs then wait until lunch to eat boneless skinless chicken thighs with sweet potatoes. I then fast dinner until the next morning to do it all again.
I also drink that 12oz coffee (after 90 minutes) on the treadmill. And so what I have identified and I hope someone can help me is that I need to store up on carbs i.e wait to eat my protein bowl after I do cardio.
Recently my heart has been feeling like it is in fight or flight mode these past two days and am wondering if it due to not enough carbs after I finish cardio and also drinking too much caffeine.
I need help identifying what it would be and honestly I am going to stop drinking caffeine once I figure it out because I don’t need it it’s just became a habit for me. Hopefully this all makes sense!
Posted Aug 13, 2026, 8:29 PM UTC