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1. no. a "meal" could be sugar or cream in the coffee though. zero-calorie drinks don't count as a meal

some people "cheat" by considering cream-only coffee acceptable as well (it's keto/zero-carb so might not raise blood sugar levels) - see e.g. "bulletproof coffee" by Dave Asprey (NOT ENDORSING ANYTHING ELSE BY THIS SCAM ARTIST)

I SLAMMED coffee the first few weeks and would also drink like a gallon of water a day. Helped a lot. I think the key is to choose the schedule that works for you.

I regularly do IF and I drink black coffee in the morning while I'm fasting. I try to time it so even that is at the tail-end of an 18 hours fast.