Episode 428: Aleena Urbas

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Amanda Hutchens from Tyler, TX.Are you ready to take your intermittent fasting lifestyle to the next level? There’s nothing better than community to help with that. In the Delay, Don’t Deny community we all embrace the clean fast, and there’s just the right support for you as you live your intermittent fasting lifestyle. You can connect directly with Gin in the Ask Gin group, and she will answer all of your questions personally. If you’re new to intermittent fasting or recommitting to the IF lifestyle, join the 28-Day FAST Start group. After your fast start, join us for support in The 1st Year group. Need tips for long term maintenance? We have a place for that! There are many more useful spaces beyond these, and you can interact in as many as you like. Visit ginstephens.com/community to join us. An annual membership costs just over a dollar a week when you do the math. If you aren’t ready to fully commit for a year, join for a month and you can cancel at any time. If you know you’ll want to stay forever, we also have a lifetime membership option available.  IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. Amanda is a neonatologist who works in the NICU. Amanda shares the struggles with body image that she has had since high school, including disordered eating behaviors that led to weight loss success but were not healthy for her body or sustainable for the long term. During her college and medical training years, and the early years of parenthood, she faced weight fluctuations, anxiety, and postpartum depression. Despite trying various diets throughout the years, Amanda gave up when those approaches were not sustainable, and she reached her highest weight of 306.2 pounds in 2023. Her parents had been successful with IF, following Dr. Jason Fung’s approach, and they recommend IF to Amanda. Though she wasn’t ready the first time she heard about it, when she started in 2023, she found intermittent fasting to be the natural and effective solution she needed. After reading Gin's book Fast. Feast. Repeat. and Dr. Jason Fung's The Obesity Code, she was ready to start fasting. Within a year, she lost 130 pounds and experienced a dramatic improvement in her health, no longer needing medications for reflux, blood pressure, depression, or anxiety.Amanda discusses the importance of focusing on long-term health rather than falling for fad diets and restrictive eating plans. She highlights the value of consistency, self-compassion, and patience in her journey. Both Gin and Amanda reflect on the simplicity and natural effectiveness of intermittent fasting compared to other marketed weight loss programs. They emphasize the importance of not reverting to old habits and maintaining a lifestyle that supports long-term health and well-being.To wrap up, Amanda shares numerous non-scale victories she achieved, such as better physical comfort on airplanes, increased mobility, and a sense of strength through exercise. Her final advice to those starting their intermittent fasting journey is to read Fast. Feast. Repeat. and understand the science behind fasting. Amanda emphasizes the significance of consistency, self-compassion, and patience, encouraging listeners to be kind to themselves as they embrace this new lifestyle for improved health and well-being.Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audiobook. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, an easier to understand and more thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has a 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is available now! Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.  Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Helen Blicharz from Detroit.Are you ready to take your intermittent fasting lifestyle to the next level? There’s nothing better than community to help with that. In the Delay, Don’t Deny community we all embrace the clean fast, and there’s just the right support for you as you live your intermittent fasting lifestyle. You can connect directly with Gin in the Ask Gin group, and she will answer all of your questions personally. If you’re new to intermittent fasting or recommitting to the IF lifestyle, join the 28-Day FAST Start group. After your fast start, join us for support in The 1st Year group. Need tips for long term maintenance? We have a place for that! There are many more useful spaces beyond these, and you can interact in as many as you like. Visit ginstephens.com/community to join us. An annual membership costs just over a dollar a week when you do the math. If you aren’t ready to fully commit for a year, join for a month and you can cancel at any time. If you know you’ll want to stay forever, we also have a lifetime membership option available.  IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. Helen is a mother of three who has had many careers over the years. She shares her inspiring journey of losing 120 pounds through intermittent fasting and lifestyle changes—and her journey isn’t over yet.Helen was diagnosed with type two diabetes in 2018, which led her to explore various eating patterns, starting with the ketogenic diet and eventually transitioning to intermittent fasting in 2019. Throughout the episode, Helen emphasizes the importance of finding a sustainable approach to fasting that works for one's individual needs and preferences. She details her own journey, starting with a 12-hour fast and progressively increasing to a 16:8 method before settling on one meal a day within a three-hour window most days.Helen's family has embraced the intermittent fasting lifestyle, as have coworkers. She highlights the importance of listening to one's body and making long-term, sustainable changes. Helen shares her current diet, which focuses on vegetables and protein while being mindful of her diabetes. She also discusses her love of monthly challenges, which have included challenges such as no sweeteners, no meat, and consistent exercise.As the conversation concludes, Helen reflects on her journey and offers advice to her former self, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing health over societal ideals of beauty. She encourages listeners to focus on making sustainable lifestyle changes, be patient with the process, and appreciate the journey of self-discovery and transformation that comes with intermittent fasting.Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and in audio. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, a thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has an August of 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is available now! Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.  Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Alison Pizanie from Medford, NJ.Are you ready to take your intermittent fasting lifestyle to the next level? There’s nothing better than community to help with that. In the Delay, Don’t Deny community we all embrace the clean fast, and there’s just the right support for you as you live your intermittent fasting lifestyle. You can connect directly with Gin in the Ask Gin group, and she will answer all of your questions personally. If you’re new to intermittent fasting or recommitting to the IF lifestyle, join the 28-Day FAST Start group. After your fast start, join us for support in The 1st Year group. Need tips for long term maintenance? We have a place for that! There are many more useful spaces beyond these, and you can interact in as many as you like. Visit ginstephens.com/community to join us. An annual membership costs just over a dollar a week when you do the math. If you aren’t ready to fully commit for a year, join for a month and you can cancel at any time. If you know you’ll want to stay forever, we also have a lifetime membership option available.  IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. Alison is an elementary special education teacher, and the author of The Regain Remedy.Alison shares her lifelong battle with weight problems and emotional eating. Alison describes how anxiety and shyness led her to use food for comfort from childhood, perpetuating a cycle of emotional eating, dieting, and weight fluctuation. She recounts her experience with various diets and weight loss methods, from Weight Watchers to the cabbage soup diet, and she ultimately opted for weight loss surgery in 2016. Despite initial weight loss success, losing 90 pounds in the first year, Alison faced numerous challenges post-surgery, including physiological side effects and eventual weight regain. Her turning point came when she discovered the book Delay, Don't Deny, which introduced her to intermittent fasting and transformed her approach to weight management.Alison notes how adopting intermittent fasting helped prevent further weight gain and soon she began to see her weight trending back down. She was delighted with ten pounds of loss the first year, which turned into twenty, getting her back to her lowest post-surgery weight. At that point she realized she still had fat to lose, and decided to focus on consistent fasting windows, particularly on weekends, and has gone on to lose seven more pounds, and she is still slowly losing.While telling her story, Alison provides insight into the physiological aspects of weight regain post-surgery, such as stomach stretching and calorie intake through liquids and slider foods. Since approximately 75% of patients experience “considerable” weight regain within 6 years, she wants to provide hope to this large community that there is a solution, which motivated her to write her book, The Regain Remedy, available on Amazon.Gin and Alison discuss the importance of finding the right eating window for your body. They highlight mindful eating and celebrate non-scale victories, such as increased confidence, energy levels, and reduced clothing sizes.The episode concludes with a reflection on the tangible success Alison has achieved through intermittent fasting. Alison finishes by offering her final advice: embrace intermittent fasting with a slow and conservative approach, understand the science behind it, trust the process, and consult with your doctor to tailor the lifestyle to your individual needs. She emphasizes that the magic is in the repeat.Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, and hardback. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, a thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has an August of 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is coming soon, so if you listen to the first edition audiobook, you’ll also want a copy of the ebook or a paper copy to see the updates.Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.  Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Tara McKinney from Weyburn, Saskatchewan.Are you ready to take your intermittent fasting lifestyle to the next level? There’s nothing better than community to help with that. In the Delay, Don’t Deny community we all embrace the clean fast, and there’s just the right support for you as you live your intermittent fasting lifestyle. You can connect directly with Gin in the Ask Gin group, and she will answer all of your questions personally. If you’re new to intermittent fasting or recommitting to the IF lifestyle, join the 28-Day FAST Start group. After your fast start, join us for support in The 1st Year group. Need tips for long term maintenance? We have a place for that! There are many more useful spaces beyond these, and you can interact in as many as you like. Visit ginstephens.com/community to join us. An annual membership costs just over a dollar a week when you do the math. If you aren’t ready to fully commit for a year, join for a month and you can cancel at any time. If you know you’ll want to stay forever, we also have a lifetime membership option available.  IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. Tara is a grade 1 teacher. She began intermittent fasting in 2021, committing to 28 days even though she thought there was no way it was going to work for her. 3 ½ years later, she is an intermittent faster for life. Tara reflects on her weight fluctuation struggles over the years, influenced by health issues and the toxic diet culture presented in society and through magazines. She tried so many things over the years, including Weight Watchers, MyFitnessPal, Beachbody, and intermittent fasting finally became a sustainable solution for her. Tara has noticed significant positive health changes despite her initial doubts. Tara's perseverance shines through as she recounts stopping food tracking after 27 years and trusting her body to guide her.Gin and Tara discuss the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, not just for immediate benefits but for long-term well-being, to stay active for their children and future grandchildren. Tara shares how eating habits have changed over time, from cutting back on sugar to finding healthier options like homemade protein balls to close her eating window. The conversation touches on the challenges of cravings and making nutritious choices within your eating window, emphasizing the significance of selecting high-quality, satisfying foods.The episode also spotlights the emotional and physical benefits Tara has experienced through intermittent fasting. Tara shares about her supportive online community, where she engages with friends daily to provide mutual encouragement and advice. Gin and Tara discuss the pressures and unrealistic expectations perpetuated by toxic diet culture, appreciating the empowerment that intermittent fasting offers by reconnecting individuals with their natural body signals.Tara concludes by offering her final advice: Listen to the stories of others, but remember that we are all unique. Trust the journey of intermittent fasting, and find a supportive community that shares your goals and understands your challenges. She emphasizes that regaining trust in one's body is crucial for long-term success and health.Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, and hardback. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, a thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has an August of 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is coming soon, so if you listen to the first edition audiobook, you’ll also want a copy of the ebook or a paper copy to see the updates.Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.  Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of "Intermittent Fasting Stories," Gin talks to Melissa Nishimoto from Orting, WA.Are you ready to take your intermittent fasting lifestyle to the next level? There’s nothing better than community to help with that. In the Delay, Don’t Deny community we all embrace the clean fast, and there’s just the right support for you as you live your intermittent fasting lifestyle. You can connect directly with Gin in the Ask Gin group, and she will answer all of your questions personally. If you’re new to intermittent fasting or recommitting to the IF lifestyle, join the 28-Day FAST Start group. After your fast start, join us for support in The 1st Year group. Need tips for long term maintenance? We have a place for that! There are many more useful spaces beyond these, and you can interact in as many as you like. Visit ginstephens.com/community to join us. An annual membership costs just over a dollar a week when you do the math. If you aren’t ready to fully commit for a year, join for a month and you can cancel at any time. If you know you’ll want to stay forever, we also have a lifetime membership option available.  IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. Melissa is a stay-at-home mom of four, and her kids range in age from 1 ½ to 10 ½.  Melissa started intermittent fasting in May of 2020. She was 14 months postpartum, and needed to tackle pregnancy weight gain. A friend of hers had just learned about the 5:2 approach, which Melissa thought sounded hard, but they soon learned about the daily eating window approach and decided to give it a try. When Melissa had questions about the fast, she searched and found Gin's book, Delay, Don't Deny. She began with a 16:8 fasting pattern but quickly moved to 20:4, which felt natural despite needing to make meals and snacks for her kids throughout the day. Melissa saw her weight drop from 135 pounds to a low of 109 pounds.Then, in December of 2021, Melissa became pregnant with her 4th child. She stopped intermittent fasting until she was done with both pregnancy and nursing and found that her weight didn’t go down as quickly this time, but she eventually got back down to the weight range that feels good, and is currently maintaining somewhere around 113 pounds. She feels good in her body, she is actively building muscle, and she models living a healthy and active lifestyle for her kids. She balances fasting with morning workouts and a diet rich in vegetables and protein while also enjoying sweets. Melissa emphasizes the non-scale victories of fasting, such as improved sleep, energy, and overall health, underscoring the larger benefits of metabolic flexibility and a stronger immune system.Toward the end of their discussion, Melissa reflects on how her parents' balanced diet practices influenced her. Closing the episode, Melissa offers advice to new intermittent fasters: persevere and stick with fasting despite initial challenges. She stresses the importance of focusing on overall health rather than solely on weight loss, finding joy in small victories, and being patient with oneself in the journey towards better health.Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, and hardback. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, a thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has an August of 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is coming soon, so if you listen to the first edition audiobook, you’ll also want a copy of the ebook or a paper copy to see the updates.Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.  Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Adam and Katie Bergdahl from New Richmond, WI.Are you ready to take your intermittent fasting lifestyle to the next level? There’s nothing better than community to help with that. In the Delay, Don’t Deny community we all embrace the clean fast, and there’s just the right support for you as you live your intermittent fasting lifestyle. You can connect directly with Gin in the Ask Gin group, and she will answer all of your questions personally. If you’re new to intermittent fasting or recommitting to the IF lifestyle, join the 28-Day FAST Start group. After your fast start, join us for support in The 1st Year group. Need tips for long term maintenance? We have a place for that! There are many more useful spaces beyond these, and you can interact in as many as you like. Visit ginstephens.com/community to join us. An annual membership costs just over a dollar a week when you do the math. If you aren’t ready to fully commit for a year, join for a month and you can cancel at any time. If you know you’ll want to stay forever, we also have a lifetime membership option available.  IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. Adam is in the lawn care industry and Katie is a scheduler at a clinic. Adam always felt he was “too small” as an athlete in high school and couldn’t seem to gain weight, but all of that reversed after he played football in college and gained weight over time, ending up at an uncomfortable 270 pounds. He dabbled with various weight loss approaches such as keto, but didn’t enjoy eating feeling like a math problem. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get below 250 and would yo-yo back up to 270. Then, in 2022, he heard a jiu-jitsu martial artist on the Joe Rogan podcast who explained intermittent fasting. Intrigued, Adam began researching, and was even more excited when he discovered some IFers in the crossfit community who shared how IF helped them gain muscle. He started that day, with a gentle 12:12 that he gradually increased to 16:8. Now, he flexes his IF approach from day to day as it fits his schedule.His wife Katie watched what he was doing for a few weeks and then joined him. She started with 14:10, which she gradually expanded to 16:8 and then 18:6. She finally began to see weight loss at 18:6, and now has settled into a 20:4 pattern most days. She talks about the psychological challenge of focusing on numbers and the importance of shifting the mindset to celebrating non-scale victories, such as reduced inflammation and transitioning to black coffee.They both find themselves gravitating towards healthier options like fruits and vegetables, while still allowing themselves occasional sweets without guilt. The discussion addresses the societal shame associated with certain foods and how intermittent fasting has shifted their perspective, promoting a healthier relationship with food. Adam admits to his ongoing struggle with temptation but finds reassurance in ultimately making healthier choices.As the episode continues, they discuss the significant psychological and emotional aspects of weight management. Katie shares her eventual decision to stop daily weigh-ins, finding both freedom and trust in her body through intermittent fasting. Adam and Katie also talk about how fasting has positively impacted their relationship and self-confidence, and Katie opens up about the difficulties of finding wholesome food during hectic times.Wrapping up, Adam emphasizes the importance of flexibility in intermittent fasting, discussing how rigid approaches can lead to plateaus. They both encourage beginners to start slow, enjoy the journey, and focus on non-scale victories. Adam advises paying attention to body composition, while Katie recommends taking before-and-after pictures and seeking educational resources. Together, they underscore the strength found in community and learning from others' experiences.Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, and hardback. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, a thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has an August of 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is coming soon, so if you listen to the first edition audiobook, you’ll also want a copy of the ebook or a paper copy to see the updates.Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.  Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Danielle Doyle from the Outback of Australia.Are you ready to take your intermittent fasting lifestyle to the next level? There’s nothing better than community to help with that. In the Delay, Don’t Deny community we all embrace the clean fast, and there’s just the right support for you as you live your intermittent fasting lifestyle. You can connect directly with Gin in the Ask Gin group, and she will answer all of your questions personally. If you’re new to intermittent fasting or recommitting to the IF lifestyle, join the 28-Day FAST Start group. After your fast start, join us for support in The 1st Year group. Need tips for long term maintenance? We have a place for that! There are many more useful spaces beyond these, and you can interact in as many as you like. Visit ginstephens.com/community to join us. An annual membership costs just over a dollar a week when you do the math. If you aren’t ready to fully commit for a year, join for a month and you can cancel at any time. If you know you’ll want to stay forever, we also have a lifetime membership option available.  IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. Danielle is a cook on a cattle station. She is also a cookbook author and podcaster, and you can find her by going to https://misschardy.com. Danielle shares her journey with intermittent fasting, which she began in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Growing up, she was active in gymnastics and jazz ballet, but Danielle’s lifestyle changed after leaving school, leading to weight gain. She experimented with various weight loss methods, such as Weight Watchers, keto, and even the cabbage soup diet, but found these approaches unsustainable. Danielle discovered the concept of intermittent fasting through Michael Mosley's "Fast 800" and then transitioned to the clean fast with the daily eating window approach, which she found more manageable.Danielle finds that fasting gives her energy to get through her busy day, and helps her feel more comfortable in her body. Both Gin and Danielle agree on the importance of understanding and listening to their bodies, emphasizing that sustainable weight and overall well-being are more important than the numbers on the scale. Danielle attributes her success to the clean fast, which has helped regulate her hunger waves and maintain her energy throughout the day. She also incorporates alternate day fasting from time to time, such as when she has been on a trip and her honesty jeans are a bit tight.Danielle concludes with advice for listeners: focus on finding a fasting routine that fits your lifestyle and makes you feel good. She stresses the importance of not obsessing over the scale but rather embracing a healthier, sustainable approach to eating and weight management. Intermittent fasting, she notes, should enhance your life, providing increased energy and comfort rather than being a source of stress.Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, and hardback. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, a thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has an August of 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is coming soon, so if you listen to the first edition audiobook, you’ll also want a copy of the ebook or a paper copy to see the updates.Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.  Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Tangie Callahan from Virginia Beach, VA.Are you ready to take your intermittent fasting lifestyle to the next level? There’s nothing better than community to help with that. In the Delay, Don’t Deny community we all embrace the clean fast, and there’s just the right support for you as you live your intermittent fasting lifestyle. You can connect directly with Gin in the Ask Gin group, and she will answer all of your questions personally. If you’re new to intermittent fasting or recommitting to the IF lifestyle, join the 28-Day FAST Start group. After your fast start, join us for support in The 1st Year group. Need tips for long term maintenance? We have a place for that! There are many more useful spaces beyond these, and you can interact in as many as you like. Visit ginstephens.com/community to join us. An annual membership costs just over a dollar a week when you do the math. If you aren’t ready to fully commit for a year, join for a month and you can cancel at any time. If you know you’ll want to stay forever, we also have a lifetime membership option available.  IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. Tangie is a pastor, a pastor’s wife, a life coach, a mother of four, and a new grandmother. Despite enduring past trauma, including sexual violation and disordered eating in her youth, which led to decades of yo-yo dieting, Tangie has managed to find peace and contentment through fasting, choosing foods that work well for her body, and listening to her body when it comes to both food and exercise approaches.Tangie's intermittent fasting journey began in 2022. The director of her gym explained intermittent fasting to her when she came in desperate, seven weeks before her daughter’s wedding. Tangie started right away, and felt amazing by the wedding. Over time, Tangie has found the schedule that works best for her, and she stresses the importance of tailoring  your fasting schedules to your individual needs, pointing out that more fasting isn’t always better.The conversation then delves into the broader topic of personalized nutrition and how our bodies uniquely respond to various foods. Tangie recounts her negative experiences with the keto diet and how going through the Zoe program and switching to a diet of one-ingredient foods dramatically improved her health. She also shared her struggles with body dysphoria and negative self-talk, highlighting a pivotal moment of spiritual and physical healing when she began practicing positive affirmations. Gin and Tangie discuss the significant impacts that thoughts and words can have on our bodies, supported by scientific evidence.As the episode concludes, Tangie shares her weight loss progress, and the discussion switches to practical advice for others on similar journeys. Gin suggests using goal clothing instead of scales to measure success and focusing on a healthy lifestyle rather than just weight loss. Tangie’s final advice: customize your food choices and fasting windows based on what feels right for your body, incorporate positive affirmations into your daily routine, and always make conscious decisions to improve your physical and mental health.Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, and hardback. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, a thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has an August of 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is coming soon, so if you listen to the first edition audiobook, you’ll also want a copy of the ebook or a paper copy to see the updates.Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.  Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Hjørdis Marie Jenshaug, also known as Marie, from Norway,.Are you ready to take your intermittent fasting lifestyle to the next level? There’s nothing better than community to help with that. In the Delay, Don’t Deny community we all embrace the clean fast, and there’s just the right support for you as you live your intermittent fasting lifestyle. You can connect directly with Gin in the Ask Gin group, and she will answer all of your questions personally. If you’re new to intermittent fasting or recommitting to the IF lifestyle, join the 28-Day FAST Start group. After your fast start, join us for support in The 1st Year group. Need tips for long term maintenance? We have a place for that! There are many more useful spaces beyond these, and you can interact in as many as you like. Visit ginstephens.com/community to join us. An annual membership costs just over a dollar a week when you do the math. If you aren’t ready to fully commit for a year, join for a month and you can cancel at any time. If you know you’ll want to stay forever, we also have a lifetime membership option available.  IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. Marie is a teacher, and she teaches English and Norwegian to students in 1st-4th grade. Marie first learned about intermittent fasting in the spring of 2022, and she was first interested for the potential health benefits, as she had been experiencing aches and pains related to a chronic health condition. Marie was a skinny child, and didn’t worry about her weight as she was growing up. That changed when she moved to England and started gaining weight slowly. She recounts dealing with multiple health issues, including a diagnosis of epilepsy and a discouraging prognosis about having more children, which led to depression, and further weight gain. She shares how these experiences motivated her to explore intermittent fasting, inspired by a fit and healthy couple she met during her travels.The discussion turns to the practical aspects of intermittent fasting, with Marie emphasizing the benefits of clean fasting and the positive impact it had on her health, including reduced aches, fewer headaches, and an overall better relationship with food. Gin and Marie also talk about societal misconceptions about fasting, the importance of whole foods, and non-scale victories. Marie describes how intermittent fasting has brought her freedom and adaptability in her eating habits, helping her manage social events and special occasions without guilt.Towards the end of the episode, Marie offers valuable advice for those new to intermittent fasting. She encourages beginners to take photos and measurements to track their progress, focus on clean fasting, and avoid pushing the lifestyle on others. Instead, she suggests planting seeds and waiting for the right time when individuals are open to listening. Marie's journey is a testament to the transformative power of intermittent fasting, reinforcing that it's a sustainable lifestyle choice rather than a temporary or short-term fix.Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, and hardback. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, a thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has an August of 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is coming soon, so if you listen to the first edition audiobook, you’ll also want a copy of the ebook or a paper copy to see the updates.Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.  Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Chelsea and Ros, two friends from Dalby which is in Queensland, Australia. Are you ready to take your intermittent fasting lifestyle to the next level? There’s nothing better than community to help with that. In the Delay, Don’t Deny community we all embrace the clean fast, and there’s just the right support for you as you live your intermittent fasting lifestyle. You can connect directly with Gin in the Ask Gin group, and she will answer all of your questions personally. If you’re new to intermittent fasting or recommitting to the IF lifestyle, join the 28-Day FAST Start group. After your fast start, join us for support in The 1st Year group. Need tips for long term maintenance? We have a place for that! There are many more useful spaces beyond these, and you can interact in as many as you like. Visit ginstephens.com/community to join us. An annual membership costs just over a dollar a week when you do the math. If you aren’t ready to fully commit for a year, join for a month and you can cancel at any time. If you know you’ll want to stay forever, we also have a lifetime membership option available.  IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. Ros is a teacher aid, and Chelsea and her brother run a building company. Ros found intermittent fasting first, after a long struggle with her weight. She got to her highest weight of 153 kg, which is 337 pounds, and her doctor suggested that she have bariatric surgery. She knew that she didn’t want to have surgery, and looked for another option. She was able to use Ozempic, losing 20 kg. But then there was an Ozempic shortage, and Ros told herself that there was no way she was going to allow herself to regain the weight she lost, so she started walking. She ran into a friend of hers who looked great, and her friend told her about intermittent fasting. Ros started immediately. Thanks to IF, she not only didn’t regain the weight she had lost, but she kept losing, going from an Australian size 26 to a size 16, which is similar to a US size 12. Ros shares that the appetite correction she feels as an IFer is a similar way to shut off the “food noise”, just as Ozempic does, but without the side effects she experienced while taking Ozempic.Eventually, Chelsea decided to begin IF herself. She describes herself as a former sugar addict, and Ros’s results inspired her. Chelsea discusses her struggle with weight-related shame and her complex relationship with food, particularly her tendency toward sweets which has often hindered her progress. She also touches upon her battle with gestational diabetes and the mental health struggles following an ectopic pregnancy. Her personal challenges underline the importance of finding a balance that goes beyond mere weight loss.Ros and Chelsea discuss the cultural pressures around food and the significance of supporting each other through their health journeys. They share insights into the physical and psychological benefits they've experienced, including improved skin health and energy levels, highlighting that intermittent fasting has much more to offer beyond weight loss. They each also experienced unexpected healing: Ros healed quickly after major surgery, and Chelsea had a skin issue clear up without needing intervention, amazing her dermatologist.Ending the episode, Ros and Chelsea offer advice to listeners considering intermittent fasting. Ros underscores the effectiveness of having a strong motivation and the importance of understanding the science behind fasting. Chelsea advises on the mental shift needed to make intermittent fasting a sustainable part of life rather than a quick fix. Both stress the importance of patience, support, and personal adaptability in making any health-driven lifestyle change. They express enthusiasm about their ongoing journey and encourage listeners to give intermittent fasting a try, with an emphasis on its transformative potential beyond the scale.Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, and hardback. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, a thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has an August of 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is coming soon, but has not yet been recorded, so if you listen to the first edition audiobook, you’ll also want a copy of the ebook or a paper copy to see the updates.Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.  Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.