Intermittent fasting - Am I cheating?!

Rookie question here. Of course I googled but I thought I's also ask the people :-)

My fasting hours are 6 pm to 10 am. How do we feel about 1 tbs of coffee creamer I would usually have in my coffee(s) while still fasting? (I'll probably have one or 2 coffee in total)

THX!

Replies

  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    that's a personal decision. if this works for you it's all good.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,443 Member
    IF isn't magic. It just a way to help you stay in calorie deficit. You can consume your calories in any way, window, whatever you choose.
  • Stockholm_Andy
    Stockholm_Andy Posts: 803 Member
    It won't matter. As long as your calories are still under overall.

    IF is just a way of eating some people find useful/convenient to help them create a deficit.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,216 Member
    IF isn't magic. It just a way to help you stay in calorie deficit. You can consume your calories in any way, window, whatever you choose.

    QFT
  • BeGrandLike
    BeGrandLike Posts: 184 Member
    First I'd say: Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good! If having coffee with creamer in it helps you keep your eating within a particular window, which in turn helps you to keep your calorie deficit? Awesome! Do the thing!

    From my own reading around IF (I give myself a 7-8 hour eating window every day as well, 'cause I like getting to be full for half the day and still be in deficit) I gather that a tablespoon or so of cream or full-fat milk isn't considered to be fully 'breaking' your fast. I'm not sure what the deal is with creamer- in my part of the world we don't really have that, we just have milk/cream so I don't know how that differs. But I think you should be fine, IF-wise.

    Of course, when it comes to CICO then as long as you're counting the calories in your creamer, you're all good!

    Either way- I know that if I tried to get through my mornings (and my eating window is 1pm-8/9pm!) without coffee I would last all of 30 minutes before either falling straight back into bed or declaring the whole thing the Worst Idea In The History Of Humanity and giving up. I weaned myself off milk in my morning coffee myself- mainly by treating myself to better coffee beans so the coffee itself was nicer! But like, if you wanna have creamer then.. sure have the creamer. Just don't chuck half a mug of it in there and pretend it was a tsp :wink:
  • wyeth84
    wyeth84 Posts: 35 Member
    edited January 2019
    AoifeFitzy wrote: »
    First I'd say: Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good! If having coffee with creamer in it helps you keep your eating within a particular window, which in turn helps you to keep your calorie deficit? Awesome! Do the thing!

    From my own reading around IF (I give myself a 7-8 hour eating window every day as well, 'cause I like getting to be full for half the day and still be in deficit) I gather that a tablespoon or so of cream or full-fat milk isn't considered to be fully 'breaking' your fast. I'm not sure what the deal is with creamer- in my part of the world we don't really have that, we just have milk/cream so I don't know how that differs. But I think you should be fine, IF-wise.

    Of course, when it comes to CICO then as long as you're counting the calories in your creamer, you're all good!

    Either way- I know that if I tried to get through my mornings (and my eating window is 1pm-8/9pm!) without coffee I would last all of 30 minutes before either falling straight back into bed or declaring the whole thing the Worst Idea In The History Of Humanity and giving up. I weaned myself off milk in my morning coffee myself- mainly by treating myself to better coffee beans so the coffee itself was nicer! But like, if you wanna have creamer then.. sure have the creamer. Just don't chuck half a mug of it in there and pretend it was a tsp :wink:

    My problem is that I HATE coffee without milk. I am ok with a drop of anything (cream/Half and half, creamer, skim milk... ) as long as my coffee changes color! :D It is genuinely a tbs, single serve portions but I can re-train my brain to go full black....!
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,365 Member
    wyeth84 wrote: »
    AoifeFitzy wrote: »
    First I'd say: Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good! If having coffee with creamer in it helps you keep your eating within a particular window, which in turn helps you to keep your calorie deficit? Awesome! Do the thing!

    From my own reading around IF (I give myself a 7-8 hour eating window every day as well, 'cause I like getting to be full for half the day and still be in deficit) I gather that a tablespoon or so of cream or full-fat milk isn't considered to be fully 'breaking' your fast. I'm not sure what the deal is with creamer- in my part of the world we don't really have that, we just have milk/cream so I don't know how that differs. But I think you should be fine, IF-wise.

    Of course, when it comes to CICO then as long as you're counting the calories in your creamer, you're all good!

    Either way- I know that if I tried to get through my mornings (and my eating window is 1pm-8/9pm!) without coffee I would last all of 30 minutes before either falling straight back into bed or declaring the whole thing the Worst Idea In The History Of Humanity and giving up. I weaned myself off milk in my morning coffee myself- mainly by treating myself to better coffee beans so the coffee itself was nicer! But like, if you wanna have creamer then.. sure have the creamer. Just don't chuck half a mug of it in there and pretend it was a tsp :wink:

    My problem is that I HATE coffee without milk. I am ok with a drop of anything (cream/Half and half, creamer, skim milk... ) as long as my coffee changes color! :D It is genuinely a tbs, single serve portions but I can re-train my brain to go full black....!

    ^^^ This is okay, but if you use more than this, the IF police will break down your door and take your coffee away from you !!

    Joking, but only somewhat... don't get too wrapped up in the details... IF is not magic and there isn't any penalty to having just a few of your calories in the morning and then saving the rest for later in the day.