16/8 question-just starting out

BobaFettSlave1 · August 2020

Hi all. I’m back on MFP and trying 16/8 intermittent fasting after doing some research. Skipping breakfast isn’t a big deal for me so I’m just extending the time a bit longer after waking.

My question is does a small amount of milk or cream in my morning coffee (2-3 cups) affect the process and stop the fasting? I’ve not been able to get a clear answer from blogs or dieting/health sites.

Thanks much!

L1zardQueen · August 2020

It is all about the calories you take in. Whether you eat all of them in one fell swoop or spread the calories out all day long it will not matter. Calories are king.

Xiaolongbao · August 2020

That’s because there’s no clear answer. You’ll need to decide for yourself what your goal is and what you believe.

It will definitely stop you from fasting. The question is why are you doing 16/8? If it’s just because you believe in CICO and find it easier to stick to a calorie goal when you spend less hours eating then log the milk, no big deal, all good.

Lots of people on this site will push that CICO is the only thing that matters. If you subscribe to that then that’s one thing. If however you are experimenting with fasting in the hope of additional health benefits (on which the science is not settled but it doesn’t mean they don’t exist) then it gets murkier. Some people will claim the smallest hint of any calorie intake ruins the fast (there are people that worry about toothpaste!). Others will claim you can get away with a small intake for something like milk/cream/fat (fat usually comes from the idea of bulletproof coffee an idea I’ve never tried but which turns my stomach just thinking about it!)

The best advice I’ve seen is to conduct an “experiment of one”. Do the 16/8 with the milk in your coffee for 3 or 4 weeks. If you’re happy with how you feel/ your results: fantastic! That works for you. If not (or you just feel like experimenting) next do 3/4 weeks without and compare.

NovusDies · August 2020

BobaFettSlave1 wrote: »

Hi all. I’m back on MFP and trying 16/8 intermittent fasting after doing some research. Skipping breakfast isn’t a big deal for me so I’m just extending the time a bit longer after waking.

My question is does a small amount of milk or cream in my morning coffee (2-3 cups) affect the process and stop the fasting? I’ve not been able to get a clear answer from blogs or dieting/health sites.

Thanks much!

There are people that believe that increasing your fasting time increases fat burning. This has never been proven in scientific studies on humans. There are also internet purists that think that fasting is a moral good and something worth bragging about. I will let you decide how you feel about that.

If your main interest is to lose weight then keep your total calories within your daily or weekly calorie goal and do it the easiest way you can. If having milk in the morning helps you have a better day that seems like it makes things easier. If it makes you hungrier before your normal eating time then it makes it harder and should be avoided.

The internet is full of "lost a few pounds" experts. These are people who start blogging/posting well before they have even figured out if they can do what they are experting about long enough to get ALL of their weight off much less keep it off.

Losing weight the easiest way with the fewest rules is boring on the internet. It isn't much better in real life. I get asked all the time and as soon as I explain it I see people losing interest. However, I have lost an incredible amount of weight being boring.

cdflood2153 · August 2020

You cannot have creamer of any kind. Black Coffee only or you break the fast.

HeidiCooksSupper · August 2020

What the folks above said about lack of evidence and that it works how it works for you are right on target. Do what works for you. For many, IF helps them stay on track so it works for them. Going to bed and reading rather than staying up and snacking works for me. I need to remember that tonight at 10ish. "Turn off the boob tube and go read, Heidi. Are you listening to me, me?"

sijomial · August 2020

cdflood2153 wrote: »

You cannot have creamer of any kind. Black Coffee only or you break the fast.

@cdflood2153
Why don't the very few calories in black coffee also break the fast?

janejellyroll · August 2020

IMO, there are two schools of thinking.

1) IF is a useful tool to help limit calorie intake, especially when it fits well with how someone naturally likes to eat. It can also be useful to help people develop a framework for dealing with hunger and learning to live within limits.

2) IF, even beyond calorie intake, provides specific benefits for weight management.

In the first POV, if you decide to have some cream with your coffee, that doesn't "break your fast." It's part of your fasting because it's *how you do fasting*. You can't mess anything up because your fasting is just a tool to restrict your calorie intake.

In the second POV, the cream will "break your fast" and cancel out your work, even if you don't have anything else for those hours.

I think there is much more evidence to support those who take the first approach. As pointed out above, someone who takes the second position would have to explain why the calories in cream are a problem, but the calories in coffee aren't.

I don't do IF anymore, but if I were to do it again, I'd do it in the way that made it the easiest and most pleasant way to meet my calorie goal. If that meant a bit of cream in my coffee, I'd have a bit of cream in my coffee.

16/8 question-just starting out

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