Lemon juice in warm water to break fast questions

[drae]

First, I am not having a lot of success searching so please forgive me if this is already asked and answered, or even just off topic.

I had learned, years ago, of some benefits from having first in the mornings a drink of fresh squeezed lemon juice in hot water (now I use warm).

I'm not far enough along to be trying intermittent fasting, but, I am working on not eating after dinner, bedtime three hours after finishing eating, eight hours sleep, then delay one hour before eating again (12 hours since dinner). I'm not consistent on these yet, but they are not a great stretch for me and feel good and in the right direction for needed new habits, especially my sleep and not snacking habits both of which need great improvement.

I have two questions.

1) Do these look like a good beginner plan? Both for learning to not eat mindlessly in the evening or morning and second to aim for better sleep habits. Timing of eating and sleeping have historically been all over the map. Ie know this was a problem but seldom improved for long.

2) With a schedule like this, I'm guessing I don't want to eat or drink anything, including my lemon drink, until I have been up that first hour (to get a 12 hour break between dinner and breakfast). So this question is really a 3-parter: Am I safe to drink plain hot water when I wake up (in lieu of coffee/tea) and still it would be a fast? Could I drink the lemon water when I get up (early the first hour) and still count that hour as part of the overnight fast or doe3s it break the fast? When would be optimal to eat breakfast on a schedule like this?

Please help with suggestions or comments and feel free to ask questions. Thanks in advance!

Drae

[SusanJ]

Looks like a great beginner plan. Small, doable steps.

Most of us drink something in the morning when we get up. I drink tea, others coffee. I think Julie also drinks water with lemon in the morning??? It certainly helps extend my fasting time to drink a cup or two first thing. And I would guess the amount of calories in a squeeze of lemon juice is so minor as to not provoke much of an insulin response anyway.

I think the optimal time to eat will be dependent on your schedule. If you're eating between 6-7:00 at night, you can certainly eat breakfast at 7:00 and still make your 12 hour fast. And just adjust the times if for some reason your dinner hour changes.

And honestly, just not eating before you go to bed will be a big win for you, no matter your eating schedule.

[drae]

Susan J, that is wonderfully helpful. Thank you so much. Yes, I agree, there are several major triumphs packed in that small beginner plan. If I can master this, adding on more from there should be much easier. This fits in my personal motto: poco a poco. =)

So, I could drink lemon water, or tea, or black coffee and not get that dreaded insulin response, so effectively continue the fast until I want it to end?

You are making my day! How about adding a teaspoon of coconut oil to the coffee? Would that wreck it if I am still fasting? Pardon the niggling questions. I want to finish the Plant Paradox book before I go read about or try to start intermittent fasting. Right now I am just trying to understand what I am actually accomplishing when I do the beginner version.

This is progress!

Thanks again,
Drae

[floramaria]

Hi drae,
You are off to such a good start with the ste’ps you are taking with doing intermittent fasting for 12 hours, eliminating nighttime snacking, and getting 8 hours of sleep. Those are major changes. And your poco a poco motto is a wise approach to Dr Bredesen’s Protocol.
As I understand it, it is fine to have anything without calories while continuing to fast. I have heard of lemon water being a great way to “break a fast” so as you work on your 12 hour fasting period you might want to start in the morning with hot water or tea or coffee with nothing added, and push that lemon water out to the 12 hour mark.
With adding oil to your coffee you are adding calories and therefore not officially fasting. Where the coconut oil works into the scheme of things is that the oil cannot pull you out of ketosis. By extending no -carb period with the addition of oil , you can get calories/energy without any insulin response. Coconut oil and MCT oil can be very helpful in trying to transition into the fat burning mode of ketosis, but they do break your fast.

[Orangeblossom]

I enjoy having chilled water with lemon during fasting, it helps to drink with any hunger pangs I find! Also cucumber is nice. (not to eat in the water I mean!)

[anne from california]

I drink chamomile tea first thing in the morning. (Too much lemon makes me fear for my oversensitive, not-so-well-enameled teeth.)

[drae]

Hi drae,
You are off to such a good start with the ste’ps you are taking with doing intermittent fasting for 12 hours, eliminating nighttime snacking, and getting 8 hours of sleep. Those are major changes. And your poco a poco motto is a wise approach to Dr Bredesen’s Protocol.
As I understand it, it is fine to have anything without calories while continuing to fast. I have heard of lemon water being a great way to “break a fast” so as you work on your 12 hour fasting period you might want to start in the morning with hot water or tea or coffee with nothing added, and push that lemon water out to the 12 hour mark.
With adding oil to your coffee you are adding calories and therefore not officially fasting. Where the coconut oil works into the scheme of things is that the oil cannot pull you out of ketosis. By extending no -carb period with the addition of oil , you can get calories/energy without any insulin response. Coconut oil and MCT oil can be very helpful in trying to transition into the fat burning mode of ketosis, but they do break your fast.

Thank you so much, floramaria. This pretty much answers all my questions and now I now and can feel comfortable with plain decaf coffee or tea until ready to break my fast. Hugely helpful. Thanks! I feel like I am off to a good start. =)

Drae

[drae]

I enjoy having chilled water with lemon during fasting, it helps to drink with any hunger pangs I find! Also cucumber is nice. (not to eat in the water I mean!)

I drink chamomile tea first thing in the morning. (Too much lemon makes me fear for my oversensitive, not-so-well-enameled teeth.)

Orangeblossom and Anne, thanks for these. I particularly enjoy cucumber water as well, and had forgotten that. My personal favorite is ginger lemon tea.

Delita

[Orangeblossom]

I have also recently discovered Redbush (Roobios) tea, quite relaxing and a break from caffeine. (I drink too much coffee I think)

https://www.organicfacts.net/beverage/h ... s-tea.html

[drae]

I have also recently discovered Redbush (Roobios) tea...

Orangeblossom, rooibos is one of my favorites. I used to buy it at Barnes & Noble bookstores but saw that theirs has sugar in it. Still tempted to buy it, though. Most tea I drink without sweetener but that one not so much.

Drae