IF questions page

[bobkat]

I'm so new to Primal I can hardly spell it..........

Just exactly what CAN one have when IFing? Water, surely. Coffee? Heavy cream in said coffee? Green tea?

I've not had anything to eat since last night and it's going on 4:00 pm, BUT I did have coffee with heavy cream this morning and green tea this afternoon. Did the cream stop the fasting process?

I've spent hours (days, actually) on the forums, trying to learn. I've ordered the PB book, read GCBC twice, fantasized about a mind-meld with Molecular Grokologist. This stuff facinates me. I just hope the old brain (I'm 62) can handle it.

TIA for any and all comments, opinions, perspectives. I'm in awe of all the smart people here.

[Grol]

You'll get differing opinions on the coffee and cream. I drink black coffee every morning and do not consider it breaking my fast. I use cream on days I am not fasting, and because of the calorie and fat content, I do consider that breaking the fast. But I also think it is really minor. Some sticklers might disagree, and they might be right.

For me the idea is to get my body burning its fat for fuel. I could use the same mind meld, but to me that includes being in ketosis and not having any available dietary fat to burn. So you added some cream to burn. Shame on you. It doesn't send you back to square one, but it might set you back an hour or so on the burn and some other benefits of fasting may be disrupted. Still, it seems pretty minor. You're doing great. Welcome aboard.

[iniQuity]

Some will say the cream technically halted your fast, I personally don't think it necessarily has. I would stick to as little calorie intake as possible. I only drink water when I IF (but my IF is usually just skipping breakfast, I don't mess with late night IF-ing) so I find it easier to just drink water, maybe tea, until I'm ready to have lunch around 1 or 2pm. I wouldn't drink coffee personally it makes me jittery if I have more than one cup.

[bobkat]

Thank you both for your thoughts. It's now been 19+ hours since I've eaten (not counting the cream) and I'm really looking forward to dinner!

My first successful IF!

[Molecular Grokologist]

Remember that fasting isn't a state, it's a continuum. A bit of cream in your coffee isn't the end of your fast, but I would probably keep it to a minimum. Your body is going to run right through the fat from that cream and start working on adipocyte-stored fat in no time. It could interfere with some (definitely not all) of the beneficial gene expression effects, but I would be surprised if it did.

[bobkat]

MG, thanks for your (mostly over my head) input. But now I'm confused. Fasting isn't a state, it's a continuum? Maybe it's the terminology that's got me, but fasting seems to be a state of "not taking in any nourishment". I think I understand the basics of one's body using stored fat when nothing else is available.

Not trying to argue with the master, just trying to understand. Thanks for your infinite patience!

[Grol]

The continuum is the gradual improvements over a period of time. One fast isn't going to do anything. Several fasts, or rather a lifestyle of fasting, will create a series of improvements and repairs through transitional periods.

[bobkat]

Thanks Grol - that helps clear things up a bit and encourages me to experiment with an IF 2-3 days a week and see what changes over time.

Everything I learn just makes me more aware of how little I know.

[shadgal]

A possibly stupid question so forgive the ignorance, but I don't think I have yet tried IFing properly yet but does this count?
I finished my filling dinner at about 7.15pm and won't eat until maybe 11am tomorrow morning. Does that count as IF or just dinner and a late breakfast (well actually it would be my lunch). Or do you actually have to go right through the day as I suppose I will be sleeping for 8 hours or so of the above timeframe.

[Grol]

7pm to 11am is a 16 hour fast.