Caffeine and fasting

[ICantThinkOfOne13]

Hiya!

I'm on my third week of the 16:8 (mainly for weightloss). I am down 1 and a half pounds so far, and have found it relatively easy apart from mornings!

I am used to waking up in the morning and having a cup of tea (milk, no sugar) but since doing the 16:8 I have tried not having a tea until my eating hours begin at 12, but I am now getting the worst headaches which I am sure is because of the lack of caffeine.

Do most people just suck it up and drink the tea, or is there some kind of caffeine alternative I can have?!

Black tea and coffee are fine while fasting! I’ve been doing 20:4 or 19:5 since since the end of January and have black tea/coffee and water only during the fast (clean fasting).

If you're not anti artificial sweeteners then diet cola can get you through the day.

If you don't like black coffee or 'normal' tea, you might find a green tea more acceptable ( can be fragranced eg jasmine) or black chai.

I personally prefer to avoid artificial sweeteners and flavoured anything during a fast (clean fasting). It’s been a game changer for me, making the fast soooo much easier. Have a read of Gin Stephens’ blog post on clean fasting. That’s what convinced me to give it a go after years of trying to fast with cream in coffee, flavoured tea, sugar free gum etc. Her book Delay Don’t Deny is also worth a read plus Facebook support groups.

@truelove
Thanks.. that's what I thought that I'd rather be as 'clean' fasting as I can but the headaches I've been getting are absolutely awful. I'll look into those books though :)

Green tea?

Drink water in the morning as keeping hydrated will get rid of the headaches. I would also, when you are able to eat, start with miso soup or a veggie stock cube. The salt tends to work well against headaches.

Im in the same boat now. Will drinking coffee with milk in the morning ruin my fast? x

From my little research that I've done online it's ok to have a bit of milk in your morning coffee and this will not break your fast. Tbh I'd be miserable without my coffee and following 16/8 has been amazing for me so far. Only day 8 but I'm more energetic, less bloated and clothes starting to feel better on me. Plus I just feel happier overall - even during this Pandemic!