Question about mixing Fasting in with Keto

(Simon Murphy) #1

Hey again guys. I am just wondering if anybody can help shed some light on this quandary I have been having nearly every morning.

I wake up and think ‘ok, time for a coffee’. Then, I am in two minds as to whether I am going to mix in an intermittent fast by having the coffee black (my current understanding is that black tea or coffee shouldn’t break a fast), or having it with cream and breaking my fast. I tend not to eat food until noon or more rarely dinner time. My mental and physical functioning is fine when in ketosis, so it isn’t much of a drama.

I suppose my question to more experienced people is, from a weight-loss perspective, what do you think I am going to benefit more from?

Black coffee and a long fast (last meal being the night previous), or is the keto benefit of adding cream to my coffee, even if I am not eating anything else for breakfast more beneficial?

It may be that there is no hard answer, but at the moment since I don’t have an answer either way I have just been alternating days. Currently experiencing a bit of a weight loss plateau, so definitely interested to hear what you guys have to add.

Thanks for your time!
Simon

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

Go with what your instinct tells you on a given day. You don’t need to have calories, just because it’s breakfast time.

Bulletproof coffee takes a lot more effort than I’m interested in, so I drank my coffee with heavy cream for a while, after joining these forums. It was okay, but I really prefer black coffee. And these days I often don’t even start to feel hungry until three o’clock in the afternoon. So it’s all good.

(Sanjida Tamanna) #3

I have been doing 16 hr fasting with Keto. I take coffee with heavy cream in the morning and try not to eat as long as possible. I finish dinner by 6pm.

(Butter Withaspoon) #4

My feeling is that black coffee for most mornings is better for keeping your insulin lower for longer. But if its a choice between cream coffee then dinner, or black coffee then lunch and dinner, it’s hard to know the effect on your particular body. So mix it up.

That wasn’t very helpful sorry! Generally I like to think about the insulin- keep it as low as possible for as long periods as possible. Yet I can’t kick my cream in tea habit in the mornings… yet

(Khara) #5

Yep. This has been my chronic quandary as well. I really enjoy my morning coffee with cream. It’s an actual morning ritual that seems to have both psychological and physical benefits. And, I just don’t care for coffee black (yet). But I also don’t eat until after noon, either one or two meals. So I’m intermittent fasting with the exception of this morning cream.
The last time I was keto long term I do think I was consuming too much liquid fat (mostly cream in several coffees throughout the day). I still had good results with weight loss and overall health improvements but I held onto a bit of flab and actually think I gained some on my arms. After a bunch of research, my conclusion was I needed to reduce those added fats (mostly it was the cream) and also fast. I did have better results at that point. I think the fasting was the biggest factor in driving the results. From that previous experience and if fat loss is one of the desired effects, I think prioritizing the fast over the cream works best, at least for my body. But, I also want to enjoy life and my morning coffee is a part of that so it seems a mix throughout the week is a good compromise.:coffee:

(Allie) #6

Listen to your body and do as it tells you.

#7

Whatever works for you… Sadly, I strongly prefer my coffee with cream (I can drink it black but it’s not nearly as enjoyable) and 5ml cream in my coffee is definitely not fast to me (I don’t care if it interferes with autophagy or not, it has calories, it’s not a real, clean, perfect fast. if I fast, I prefer really doing it but it’s fine to do differently, of course especially if fat-loss is the goal but not only then. it’s up to the one in question) - so I try not drinking coffee in the morning (or ever). With little results this far… Even if I keep my coffee, I prefer having it closer to my mealtime. Almost all my life I only drank coffee after noon anyway, it’s time to go back to that.

Fat-loss wise… It’s quite individual and coffee with cream is only a single factor, amounts matter too… Some people would lose all results just having cream for some reason… I don’t lose fat on any woe and style anyway (I hope it started to change very lately, it seems so) so it doesn’t matter to me… Okay, I am always hopeful so yep, it interferes with my decisions :slight_smile: Extra cream is clearly bad for my fat-loss plans, it adds calories (not even very little as 5ml is for 1-2 coffee and I easily have many. I try not to) while having zero effect on my satiation - or if I have more cream, it just makes me hungrier, I can’t have tiny meals (a few kcals often stay under the radar but any more and it causes… not problems but a full-blown meal for sure).
But it’s mostly neutral. Definitely not good except it makes my coffee tastier but a good brand and more water solves my black coffee problems anyway. Or tea or water. I don’t need coffee, I am just too used to it and I don’t want that. So of course I skip coffee if I can. Oh coffee with cream brings my mind closer to eating too, I already think about food all the time (I don’t want to eat, just think about it. nice topic. and I cook and bake a lot for the family), no need to make it worse :smiley: Fasting is cleaner, simpler, better to me.

So it’s complex and individual. Many people says coffee with cream helps them with fasting. I fast only when I am satiated or just borderline, not really hungry so I don’t need anything and nothing helps when hungry, only lots of protein and fat… With my smallish energy need and kind of big meals I can’t afford extra fats… But many do.

Now I do OMAD (with some extra bites sometimes. and cream in my coffee when I can’t resist… sigh), my meal is somewhere after 3-4pm. My main goal is not overeating and it happens with or without cream but I need to be careful with the amount (it’s easy, I find my 2-5ml cream perfect for a cup of coffee. but it must be the fattiest kind I can buy :)).
I don’t have cream every week. I noticed very little difference except I do proper fast when I don’t have any. And much lactose feels not so good but I never have much anymore.
So if you put a ton of cream into your coffee, there is a much bigger chance it affects various things negatively. A little bit is mostly harmless.

Sorry, I should have been more concise as usual.

(Jane Srygley) #8

In terms of insulin I personally don’t think it matters that much, but I think there’s a benefit from a shorter eating window. I personally only do black coffee on a fast and start with bulletproof or coffee with cream other days.

(Susan) #10

I don’t like black coffee, so I drink plain herbal or green tea and lots of water on a Fast, but it is the same approach that Jane does. I also swallow some Pink Himalyan Salt rocks when I am Fasting, as that helps me avoid leg cramps.

I have Lunch at 1pm and Supper at 4:30 daily for a 20:4 Daily TMAD IF -and I was doing the Zornfast monthly for 72-100 hours; although, I have been remiss the past couple of months with this but plan to do it again for October =).

(Bob M) #11

I try to have only black coffee (and tea) if I think I’m going to fast 22+ hours (22 = dinner to dinner, so basically one meal a day). I like cream in my coffee, though, so I try to limit this to those days I really think I’m in for a fast well past my normal first meal of the day (around “lunchtime”).

I only use around 1 teaspoon or so of cream in my coffee (though I don’t measure), and only have one coffee in the mornings. I usually have 1-2 cups of tea, but I don’t use cream in them.

(Mother of Puppies ) #12

Use cream if you need it, but I would try to wean off of it.