Newbie questions!

[Fraz73]

Hello all! I'm new to fasting and have been doing the 16:8 now for 5 days. Finding it OK so far and breakfast is my meal skip as it suits my current 'lockdown' daily routine. I'm looking to 16:8 to hopefully help me to end a lifetime of disordered eating, yo-yo dieting and bingeing.

Does anyone have any tips for good reads regarding 16:8? And how do I get around having a cup of tea while on a fast? I have read conflicting reports regarding sweeteners and milk and that if it doesn't exceed 50 cals then it's not breaking the fast. But others saying it has to be black tea only (which I can't stand). One recent report on sweetener suggests that using stevia (which I do) is not fast breaking. So a cup of tea with stevia and skimmed milk - what are the chances of an insulin spike from that? I'm from Yorkshire, I can't not have a cuppa in a morning!!

Really looking forward to reading everyone's stories and encouragement. Health Unlocked is a great place and it's helped me with quitting smoking and completing C25K back in the day.

Stay safe everyone and thanks in advance for any advice, pointers and tips.

Frazer

[Subtle_badger 16Kg IF 72hrs]

Hey Frazer, welcome.

I think you should do what you can. Black tea is optimal, but if that is not palatable, then add a splash of milk and a sweetener. I do believe stevia is a good one, and monk fruit - but I don't use them, so your research makes you better informed than me.

As for milk, dump the skim. Use full fat milk. Cream is even better for not spiking insulin, but I do not like cream in tea, so I sympathise if you don't want to try that.

In a few weeks, you can experiment with cutting down the stevia, or removing it all together, then maybe the milk. But if not, I don't believe they ruin a fast.

I read so much about fasting when I started, and watched a lot of YouTube. I will see what I can find.

Where are you now, with your fasting? How many hours are you able to fast on a regular or daily basis?

[Fraz73 in reply to Subtle_badger]

Hi thanks for replying. I'm fasting 16 hours a day without too much of a problem. just completed day 5. Only the last hour or two do I get hungry but the tea is helping as a comfort and helps. Oh ok that's good because I HATE skimmed milk! I'll be grateful for anything you can recommend research-wise.

[S11m Volunteer 70lb IF20]

Ideally, you will "re-educate" your pallet so you will not want anything sweet.

[Fraz73 in reply to S11m]

Yes maybe this is what will do it. In terms of food I actually crave savoury way more than sweet but drinks are a different matter I guess.

[Hidden]

Hello Fraz73 welcome and would like an IF16 badge please? as I'll hapilly aassign you one,

personally I'd drink black tea without sweetener as once you stop there's no going back.

Spo thanks for introducing yoiur self and I hope that you enjoy being a member of the community.

[Fraz73]

Hello Jerry and thank you yes please I would love an IF16 badge. Of course black tea would be best but one step at a time. If I try and do everything at once I am setting myself up to fail!

[Subtle_badger 16Kg IF 72hrs in reply to Fraz73]

Yeah, that was my point too.

For the record, I used to put sugar in my tea as a child. One year I gave it up for Lent. It was really hard, but on Easter Sunday I excitedly put two teaspoons of sugar in my tea - and it tasted horrible!

So when you are ready (and fully adapted to your fast), if you apply a bit of willpower for a few weeks, you can probably learn to drink unsweetened tea. It's a different drink, but a nicer one!

[OilpainterUS]

Hi, and Welcome, Fraz73.

I am a Dr. Jason Fung devotee. His book, The Obesity Code changed my understanding of food in a very positive way. He has many YouTube videos to help you start Keto and to IF.

DietDoctors.com has great recipes.

I'm not so sure Stevie is acceptable. I thought Stevia has now been renounced? You will lose your taste for sweet as you remove it from your diet.

[Leeleepuss 1stone IF16 10lbs IF16]

Well done for getting going with this, it really sorted out my carb cravings after a few days ( we won’t mention Easter lol) have you tried green tea? I always though it tasted like compost 😝 but my friend put me on to Pukka tea which I actually love now. It’s not too strong and has no aftertaste, give it a try! 😁