Back in 2015, I used to be a health nut. I’d read all these articles, watch a bunch of fitness videos on Youtube, try different diets, and go to the gym almost every day. Then at some point, I stumbled upon intermittent fasting. The concept sounded so simple and so easy, I gave it a try.

And it worked!

It worked better than I thought it would that even to this day, I still do it.

It’s become a habit/lifestyle for me and I feel great every time.

And along the way, I also found yerba mate.

And unbeknownst to me, this turned into my one-two punch combo for weight loss. I’ve talked briefly about how this helped me lose 10 pounds in 3 weeks before.

But in today’s post, I want to give you a more detailed scope of how I combined yerba mate and intermittent fasting to lose weight.

But first…

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is when you split your days into two windows:

• An 8-hour window when you can eat
• And a 16-hour window when you can’t eat

For example, from 12pm-8pm you can eat, but then from 8pm till 12pm the next day, you can’t.

You can arrange these eating windows to whatever fits your schedule best. Whether it’s from 10am-6pm, 8am-4pm, or 2pm-10pm, as long as you stick to it, it’s fine. You can even extend the fasting period to over 16 hours if you’d like.

This restriction of eating has shown to help with lowering the risk of diabetes, reducing inflammation, lowering blood sugar levels, and even extending lifespan.

During the fasting period, you’re not allowed to consume any calories, but you can still consume fluids that have zero calories such as water, diet drinks (though not recommended), seltzer, coffee, and tea. Or in this case, yerba mate.

Can You Drink Yerba Mate While Fasting?

Not breaking your fast during intermittent fasting is crucial.

The whole point of this diet (or more accurately, eating style), is to drop your insulin levels for an extended period of time so your body can start using stored fat and stored glucose as energy. If you raise your insulin levels by ingesting too many calories, your body will run off that instead.

So the question is, can you drink yerba mate during intermittent fasting?

Yes!

Because yerba mate is so low-calorie just like coffee and other teas, you can safely consume it while fasting. The calories are so low, it’s unlikely to break your fast (or spike your insulin). However, if you’re adding things like cream, milk, and sugar to it, it will, so make sure to avoid them.

Yerba Mate During Intermittent Fasting

Drinking yerba mate during a fast isn’t just allowed, but it’s recommended.

When I used to fast before I found out about yerba mate, it was brutal.

I’d be hungry for almost the entire fasting period. And the way I’d try to curb my hunger is by downing a bunch of water or diet soda, which took a lot of chugging to help.

But once I found yerba mate, it made it much easier.

Why?

Because yerba mate is a natural appetite suppressant. Its caffeine content helps you feel less hungry in a matter of seconds, as well as give you the energy boost you need without food.

It’s the same way coffee works, but better. Because unlike coffee which tends to be more acidic, yerba mate tends to be more neutral/alkaline so you’re less likely to experience stomach irritation. And the last thing you want to feel – with no food in your system for 16 hours – is discomfort.

Feeling stable and good is important during the fasting period so you don’t give in too easily.

And yerba mate helps with just that.

Along with caffeine, it also contains these two other compounds – theobromine and theophylline – which are responsible for relaxing your body and stimulating feelings of euphoria. This allows yerba mate to provide a steady, leveled increase in energy, without the jitters and usual crash from coffee.

The best thing about yerba mate though is it may increase fat metabolism during exercise. Combine this with the fat-burning effects of intermittent fasting and you have quite the combo.

And that’s exactly how I utilized these two tools, and lo and behold, it worked pretty darn well.

How To Intermittent Fast With Yerba Mate

Fasting with yerba mate is simple and easy.

Here’s what I do…

1. I’d wake up at around 8am every day and heat water while I do my typical morning routine.
2. Once the water is ready, I pour it into my thermos and start preparing my yerba mate.
3. I start doing work while I drinking it and I typically finish around 12pm.
4. While still high off the caffeine, I get ready to go to the gym and lift.
5. When I get back home, it’s usually around 1:30pm and that’s when I’ll start cooking or preparing some leftovers.
6. I have my first meal and break my fast at 2pm.
7. Then I have my second meal later in the evening at around 8-10pm.
8. In between and after meals, I’ll maybe have a snack
9. Once it’s 10pm, I stop eating and head to bed around midnight.
10. Repeat the next day.

In short, I eat between 2pm-10pm and fast the rest of the day.

I find this schedule to work best as I drink my mate first thing in the morning.

This makes the fasting period easier because it keeps me full until the gym. And when I’m at the gym, I’m distracted from my hunger till it’s finally time to eat. My diet consists mostly of (in order of quantity) meat, rice, eggs, fruits, veggies, and occasional snacks.

I used to follow a strict daily caloric deficit of about 1800 calories, but nowadays, I prefer to be more lenient. I eat when I feel hungry and stop when I feel satisfied. I don’t count anymore, but I do keep a small mental note because I don’t want to go overboard. I also want to make sure I meet my daily protein intake of 1 gram per pound of bodyweight to maintain my muscle mass.

Although this doesn’t make me lose weight fast (being strict does), it’s a more sustainable long-term approach I’ve found to work well for me.

If your main goal is to lose weight quickly, however, you need to be strict.

The first thing you need to do is figure out a fasting schedule that works best with your lifestyle. For most, it will be 12pm-8pm or like mine, 2pm-10pm. Then, you need to calculate your daily caloric intake. You need to be in a deficit to lose weight. An easy rule to follow is to take your body weight and multiply it by 15, then subtract it by 500. Once you’ve done that, all you have to do is make sure you consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight within the given calories. And for best results, exercise 3-6 times per week.

Here’s an example to tie everything together…

John weighs 170 pounds. He needs 2050 calories to lose weight, and consumes 170 grams of protein every day. He works out his back on Monday, chest on Wednesday, and legs on Friday. His first meal is at 2pm and his last meal is at 10pm. He fasts through the rest of the night and through tomorrow morning, and starts every day with a gourd of yerba mate.

Final Words

Yerba mate can be consumed while intermittent fasting.

In fact, they work great together.

I can’t imagine fasting without it.

It keeps my appetite low and gives me the energy to get through the day even with no food in my system. And not to mention, it makes me feel great both mentally and physically. Just be cautious when drinking it on an empty stomach. Although for most (me included), it doesn’t cause many issues, some may not react well if they haven’t eaten beforehand so keep this in mind.

If you don’t react well, try consuming less and purchasing suave brands which are milder.

P.S. If you want to start drinking yerba mate while intermittent fasting, you might want to check out our store for exclusive items.