[spoiler title=’Click for video transcript’ style=’default’ collapse_link=’true’] When you’re intermittent fasting what can you have in your fasting window That depends on who you ask But you’re asking me so I’m going to give you my opinion and how I approach this whole topic basically I would say just don’t eat and I know that’s oversimplifying it because people are going to say well what about coffee and what about diet coke and all this stuff so I’ll let you know how my fasting window kind of evolved because it certainly has changed over the course time first of all when I started intermittent fasting I had sugar in my coffee and I had a tablespoon of sugar every time I had a cup of coffee and I was probably drinking three cups a day but I did find that that sugar did make me hungrier which then made my fasting window harder to stick with so I did start to wean myself off of sugar and I was able to do that very gradually but eventually I did get to the point where I was only drinking half and half in my coffee especially with coffee in particular it was in the beginning the thing that was like if I could just make it through the fasting window a lot of times I would get really really hungry and then I would have some coffee and then it was like my hunger was gone and I was able to stick with my fasting window so ultimately it was like coffee was kind of a crutch to get me through the fasting window now I drink coffee just cuz I love coffee and that’s how I do it I drink coffee with half and half three times a day so you know I’m pretty laid back I know that some people would so oh you can’t have any calories at all nothing aside from water but I’m just more of the opinion the main thing is just don’t eat so like gum for example people ask me this all the time like can I have a piece of gum I mean I remember when I was first starting intermittent fasting I needed some gum like anything to just put in my mouth and chew on it was helpful and so I would say if it helps you stick with your window as far as just don’t eat something, then I say yeah have the gum same way with mints you know yeah you’re not going to be able to eat that many mints where it’s really gonna make a difference I don’t think so I would say experiment with it at least another thing I love to have in my fasting window are unsweetened flavored waters like La Croix Clear American Unsweetened Clear American Bubly Perrier they don’t have any calories they have no sweeteners at all artificial or otherwise and no carbs either so I have found that those are very helpful it gives you a little refreshing treat during the day but also it doesn’t mess with your fasting and also I do unsweetened tea let’s talk a little bit about artificial sweeteners you know because that is going to be a question a lot of people have like can I have diet Coke and things like that I can’t really give you a whole lot of advice in this arena but I’ll just tell you my experiences first of all I don’t really like the way they taste so it’s not a big loss for me to not drink diet Coke some people say well it starts the insulin response I don’t even get into all that but I have noticed that if I have artificial sweeteners they make me hungry so I would be afraid that if I had artificial sweeteners alot during my fasting window I probably would be able to stick to the fasting very well and to me the most important thing is to stick with the fasting window but if you don’t have that same reaction with artfiical sweeteners I always encourage people experiment on yourself see what works for you if it’s really important for you to have those diet Cokes in your life try it record your results be intentional with it and just see if you can still lose weight I definitely found that over the course of time what I needed during my fasting window changed you know it started out I needed those kind of crutches to get me through my fasting window now it’s like no effort at all I could do it with nothing at all I could just have water but you know I like having those things in my fasting window and again I’m all about making this as easy as possible and so my encouragment to you would be if you do find that you need those things like you need those pieces of gum or you need that certain kind of beverage in your life, then try it and see if that works for you I’ curious to know what do you allow yourself in your fasting window and what have your results been and I know that people get a lot of help when they see in the comments oh like this person does this and this person does that I know that will help people so thank you for watching be sure to like comment and subscribe down below [/spoiler]
Video Recap
The fasting window, for me, is this simple: DO NOT EAT.
But that still leaves people with questions. People’s opinions vary widely, but I’ll just show you how I do it.
My fasting window in the beginning of my journey:
- 1 tablespoon of sugar and half and half in my coffee, 3 times a day
- Mints
- Gum
These were essential in getting me to be very consistent with not eating in my fasting window. It was almost like they were crutches to just get me through.
As time went on, I found I didn’t need the mints or gum. I also found the sugar in my coffee was making me hungrier, so I weaned myself off of it.
My fasting window now routinely includes:
- Coffee with half and half 3 times a day (see picture to the right for a visual of how much half and half is in my coffee. I don’t ever measure. I just make it that color.
- Unsweetened iced tea
- Unsweetened flavored sparkling waters, like La Croix, Bubly, Perrier, and Clear American Unsweetened.
- I’ve found I don’t need mints and gum like I used to.
- I keep the coffee with the half and half because even though I don’t “need it,” I love it. And I’m still able to have good results (75 pounds down now as of this writing). If you love coffee too, be sure to check out the coffee review Youtube channel I do with my husband called Coffee Coffee Coffee.
But what about artificial sweeteners?
I don’t like the taste of them, and they make me hungrier, so I just don’t have them, ever. My biggest concern is that they would make the fasting window harder to stick with due to increased hunger, but not everyone feels hungrier when they have artificial sweeteners. I would encourage you to try it in your fasting window, if you really want to have them in your life. See what kind of results you have. I’m all about making things as easy as possible. And of course, I’d love to hear about your results!
What do you allow yourself in your fasting window? Be sure to add it in the comments section below!
