| | Water Fasting

coffee w/creamer breaking fast?

I've been doing 16:8 for the last week, but having coffee w/creamer at 12h and 14h. I'm a sucker for the overly sweetened, store-bought, flavored creamer and don't see myself giving it up. (I've tried, many times.) Does this technically break the fast? It's about 50 calories per cup as I tend to use a bit more than a serving. So 100 calories before my eating window starts. Any tips on cutting back? Successful stories with being able to consume a small amount of calories in the fasting window?

Answer

I don’t have the exact advice you’re asking for, but I can tell you I was once in your exact position, with the same love of flavored creamer. I’d suggest you try to cut out the 12 hour cup and keep your 14 hour one. That way, you still have the ritual you enjoy but you’re extending the fasting window. You can then try reducing the amount of creamer you use every week or so. Reducing other sweets in your diet could also help you need less of it to get the “sweet” taste.

Also, I hated black coffee but now I love it, especially iced!

Answer

Yep, fast broken. Here is what I do. Brew flavoured coffee and add stevia and monk fruit sweetener and some cream. It also breaks the fast but not as bad as it should not raise blood insulin level much at all. It’s a reasonable facsimile that I can tolerate and it helps me think that I’m not going without. The calorie count is reduced to to amount in the cream pretty much.

Answer

Technically, it breaks the fast. Because I started over 300 pounds, though, and have so much to lose, I’ve found it doesn’t seem to matter. My weight is falling off with no counting or meal planning and while still using coffee creamer and sweetener.

I’m at 291 and went from US pant size 24 to 22. I feel a lot better and my blood pressure is down from hypertension at 140/90 to consistently 120/80 or so. I can go up and down stairs in my house without being out of breath, and I have fewer aches and pains in my joints.

I believe counting becomes more critical when you get closer to your goal weight. So I think whether you can use creamer or not and see lose weight probably depends on your basal metabolism and how close you are. I fully expect to get more strict over time, but this is also helping me learn and adjust to permanent lifestyle changes.

Answer

  1. It breaks the fast ensuring you consume coffee with creamer
  2. Maybe Start with reserving your coffee with creamer for eating times
  3. Try a non calorie natural sweetener in your black coffee as an alternative to cut back on creamer
  4. Weigh your motivation to do IF vs you can’t live without creamer craving - is it really something you can’t live without.

Answer

It definitely breaks the fast. I have a coworker who drinks coffee with almond milk at 12 hours. She told me that her doctor (who is an IF proponent) told her that it is fine to keep doing that, so long as she waits another five hours or so to actually start eating. I guess the idea being that it takes 3-4 hours for the body to switch from using food calories to stored fat for energy. So she’s basically doing a 12 hour fast plus 5 hour fast every day, rather than a 16-17 hour fast.