| | Water Fasting

Back on IF and I have a few questions

Hello! So, I’ve used IF 16:8 in the past very successfully. I was a heavy smoker at the time which made it a lot easier to not eat anything in the mornings until my window started. Unfortunately, I’ve put back on almost all the weight I lost while doing it. Now I vape, I don’t smoke and somehow it doesn’t suppress my appetite or busy my mouth in the same way. The main barrier I’m experiencing to doing a true 16:8 is that I NEED a coffee as soon as I wake up. For a while I was pretty much doing 16:8 except for a milky coffee in the mornings. I wasn’t counting calories and I didn’t lose any weight. I can drink black coffee, but only with about a teaspoon of sugar and have been doing this as well as counting daily caloric intake for about a week now. So, my question is, is this one teaspoon of raw sugar going to disrupt my fast?

Answer

It’s already been answered but yes, it is breaking your fast and is not allowing you to get the most out of the work you’re putting in.

The reason I want to post is that I was once like you with coffee. I couldn’t start my work day without it and definitely had withdrawal headaches when I quit. To compensate I turned to tea. Now before you tell me tea doesn’t do the same for your body as coffee, I felt the same way. But I went and got some great ginger tea. It has no caffeine, has a strong taste, and is a digestive aid. It helped me pivot away from coffee entirely and eventually I just stopped drinking the tea. Now I go for a big glass of cold water in the morning and, if I want to have a cheat day, I can have a cup of Starbucks or sugary coffee for fun here and there without getting reattached to it.

Best of luck! True 16:8 fasting will make a huge difference in your life!

Answer

Yes, the sugar will break your fast.

It would be better to have a teaspoon of heavy cream and no sugar — less of an insulin spike. Still considered a “dirty fast,” but many do it that way and successfully lose weight. (I did it that way until I decided to re-try black coffee and found out I liked it!)