Hey guys,
I restarted my health journey (again for the bajillionth time). This time I’m not trying any crazy diets or restrictions, just calorie counting and focusing on high protein meals. However, I’ve been seeing a lot of people have success with weighloss combining intermittent fasting with diet and exercise.
I think I could do it, but I really enjoy my coffee in the mornings. I use a sugar free hot chocolate mix (25 calories) with a cup of black coffee.
Say I stop eating around 7-7:30pm and won’t eat again until 11:30-12:00 the next day, will having my coffee around 8am negate the fast?
I’m thinking. The answer is yes, but I’m hoping it isn’t lol
So I did a dirty fast the whole time, 2 cups of coffee with almond milk. Maybe I would have lost a little quicker? It was sustainable and kept me sane though, so I didn’t fret it.
Look at this as a lifestyle change, not a diet, you want to make changes you can keep up. If having your coffee with hot chocolate means you do better the other 80% of the time, I think its well worth it.
Yes it will knock you out of your fast. Any calories consumed, especially something with a fake sugar is going to trigger an insulin response from your body, thus ending the fast when you consume it. Skip the mix, drink black coffee with nothing in it and then you’re actually fasting.
Clean fasting means you can only consume water, black coffee, or bitter herbal teas. Otherwise, NOTHING. Your current fast with your morning beverage is just 12 hours long.
If you plan on doing IF for a while, you might try perfecting your black coffee. You might like it without anything added.
Usually coffee is bitter because it is brewed too hot and/or the hot water application is too abrupt.
You can test if you like proper black coffee with a cheap single-cup pour-over filter. The key is to have the perfect temp (195°-205°, Alton says 198-202) and evenly distribute the water with pausing to let the grounds bloom. https://www.seriouseats.com/make-better-pourover-coffee-how-pourover-works-temperature-timing
If you end up liking black coffee, you can find coffee makers that specialize in temp and water distribution. Or, if you don’t mind the manual method, a proper pour-over pot would work too.
Edit: oops, just saw your comment about instant coffee. If it is easier to wait until your window opens up to have your coffee, that might be better.
I use the tiny splenda tablets (one). NOT the packets (those have 1g of sugar) - the tabs are pure splenda and 0 cal. I have a CGM and no movement at all. Though I’m slowly acquiring the taste for black coffee finally.
For decades I had my morning coffee with those sweet flavored creamers. I started IF in December and have had it black since then. The first few weeks were hard but now I’m used to it. I want my morning coffee and I don’t want to break the fast so black coffee it is. Try it, get a good quality brand. If you can’t get used to it, then save your chocolate coffee for when you break your fast later in the day.