Episode 410: Mona Santos

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Nikki Crocker from Liberty Lake, 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. Nikki is a personal trainer, and she and her husband own a gym. Nikki first learned about intermittent fasting in 2021 when her book club read Fast. Feast. Repeat. Since then, Nikki has accumulated 983 days of fasting and experienced numerous health benefits, including losing 15 to 17 pounds to return to her preferred maintenance weight range.Gin and Nikki discuss incorporating fasting with training, debunking myths and emphasizing the importance of finding a personalized fasting schedule that complements your individual activity levels and goals.Providing a powerful narrative of perseverance and positivity, Nikki stresses the importance of having a powerful why as a driving force behind lifestyle changes, sharing her own story of triumph over grief and becoming a resilient single parent. Nikki shares her experiences of navigating weight gain from a young age and tackling postpartum depression, and she discusses past approaches to losing weight through conventional diet programs. The conversation touches upon the synergistic role of nutrition and mindset in sustainable weight management, with real foods taking center stage in fostering a healthier relationship with eating.Nikki highlights her significant struggles with severe health issues like IBS and digestive problems, underscoring the transformative impact of both dietary changes and fasting.She and her husband have embraced the teachings of clean fasting within their professional practice, witnessing success stories in the improved health and well-being of their clients.As the episode wraps up, Nikki tells us that it is fun to do intermittent fasting with other people. Her closing advice to listeners highlights the significance of starting each day with a positive outlook and she and Gin encourage others to experience intermittent fasting's profound benefits by committing to it for the first 28 days, and then for a whole year.Get Gin’s books at: http://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html, including her latest bestseller 28-Day Fast Start Day-By-Day, the Ultimate Guide to Starting (or Restarting) Your Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle so it Sticks, New York Times Bestseller, Fast. Feast. Repeat., and Cleanish, available wherever you buy books! Delay, Don’t Deny is available on Amazon.  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 Mona Santos who lives in the Tampa Bay, Florida area.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. Mona is a compounding pharmacist. She grew up in the Philippines and moved to the United States in 2013. She realized the way she grew up mimicked intermittent fasting through her cultural routine of eating at distinct mealtimes with no snacking—a lifestyle that maintained her weight and health without struggle. Growing up with this ingrained discipline, Mona was always conscious and appreciative of her body's well-being. However, the true challenge presented itself after the birth of her daughter.Mona shares the stress and challenges she faced postpartum, with 2020 bringing the added complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fear of judgment and stigma associated with mental health in her culture led her to seek alternative coping mechanisms to medication and therapy.Mona began her journey with intermittent fasting after a childhood friend mentioned it to her. She found the Intermittent Fasting Stories podcast and knew that the lifestyle was science-backed.Despite losing only a small amount of weight on the scale—around five pounds—Mona feels more joyful and content. She shares her experience of body recomposition after childbirth, regaining confidence in her appearance, and the joy of fitting back into her preferred clothing sizes.To wrap up the episode, Mona emphasizes how her newfound approach to food, self-care, and parenting has enriched her life. She encourages listeners to embrace minimalism, whether in diet, lifestyle, or parenting, and to realize the profound impact that simplicity and gentle approaches can have. Her final advice for anyone starting their intermittent fasting journey is to keep it simple, listen to your body, and trust in the process for a transformative experience.Get Gin’s books at: http://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html, including her latest bestseller 28-Day Fast Start Day-By-Day, the Ultimate Guide to Starting (or Restarting) Your Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle so it Sticks, New York Times Bestseller, Fast. Feast. Repeat., and Cleanish, available wherever you buy books! Delay, Don’t Deny is available on Amazon.  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 Tamra Collins who lives in Yorktown, IN.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. Tamra is a government contractor. She struggled with her size from an early age, and she reflects on how her family influenced her body image. After various military relocations and a series of disappointments with weight loss programs, Tamra discovered intermittent fasting in 2019. Tamra struggled to make intermittent fasting into a lifestyle, however, and it wasn’t until 2023 when Tamra was finally ready to commit to IF for good. Her approach has lead to a weight loss of 39 pounds in around 7 months. Through an alternate-day fasting (ADF) regimen, Tamra has transformed her relationship with food, focusing on healthier choices and paying close attention to ingredients when she shops.The power of community is a recurring theme throughout the episode. Tamra speaks about the support group she's formed within Facebook, her daily conversations with friends, and the support of the Delay, Don’t Deny online community.Tamra shares her non-scale victories—improved energy, fewer headaches, and even the disappearance of skin tags—which highlights the multifaceted benefits of her lifestyle changes.Gin and Tamra emphasize the importance of exercise for health and longevity, focusing on gaining strength rather than just losing weight, and Tamra shares her dedication to running and light strength training.As the episode draws to a close, Tamra leaves the listeners with the advice that has served her well through her transformation: commit to real, substantial lifestyle changes, find a supportive community, and set realistic goals. And most importantly, always find joy in the journey towards a healthier life.Get Gin’s books at: http://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html, including her latest bestseller 28-Day Fast Start Day-By-Day, the Ultimate Guide to Starting (or Restarting) Your Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle so it Sticks, New York Times Bestseller, Fast. Feast. Repeat., and Cleanish, available wherever you buy books! Delay, Don’t Deny is available on Amazon.  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 Tami Haverkamp from Seneca, KS.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. Tami is a wife and a mother of four. She works for a health insurance company in customer service. Tami opens up about her lifelong struggles with weight and self-image, recounting her early feelings of not fitting in due to her height. She tried a variety of dieting and weight loss methods over the years—including low-fat diets, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, the South Beach diet, and others. Despite experiencing some success, particularly with Weight Watchers where she shed 100 pounds, Tami faced emotional and physical challenges that she fought to overcome for years.Tami stumbled upon Jason Fung's "The Obesity Code" and discovered the 16:8 intermittent fasting method in 2019, marking a pivotal change in her health trajectory. Despite initial hurdles with intermittent fasting, such as not losing any weight, Tami saw substantial improvements in her appetite control and finally was able to comfortably maintain her weight.Shifting from 16:8 to a three-to-five hour window most days allowed her to finally lose weight, and she is currently at a weight similar to her high school weight.She has continued to see progress in her well-being, celebrating non-scale victories like relief from carpal tunnel pain, hip pain, and silent reflux. Tami embraced the value of making an irrevocable commitment to herself, which is advice she heard from a past IF Stories guest.Tami offers advice to beginners on their fasting journey: push through the initial difficulties, learn to tune into your body's needs over time, and remain patient and committed. By understanding and adjusting to new information and the tools we have available to us, Tami believes that anyone can improve their mental and physical well-being through intermittent fasting.Get Gin’s books at: http://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html, including her latest bestseller 28-Day Fast Start Day-By-Day, the Ultimate Guide to Starting (or Restarting) Your Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle so it Sticks, New York Times Bestseller, Fast. Feast. Repeat., and Cleanish, available wherever you buy books! Delay, Don’t Deny is available on Amazon.  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 AnneMarie Caron from Sarnia, Ontario.  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. AnneMarie is a travel agent who also works for the local schoolboard in custodial maintenance. She began her intermittent fasting journey justover a year ago to combat menopausal weight gain, starting with a 16:8 scheduleand quickly progressing to a daily fast of 18-19 hours. AnneMarie's backstory is compelling. Diagnosed with COPD andafter many failed attempts with conventional weight loss methods, she hadbariatric surgery in 2015. When she began having some weight regain linkedto the menopausal transition, she stumbled upon intermittent fasting and foundGin's book during her research. The intermittent fasting lifestyle has not onlyrevitalized her energy levels but also managed health concerns like migraines,hot flashes, and even plantar fasciitis. As AnneMarie and Gin discuss impact ofmenopause on women's bodies, they emphasize the significance of sharing ourexperiences and the importance of understanding our changing physiology.Both being advocates of listening to the body, theydifferentiate between genuine hunger and cravings, understanding appetitecorrection, and emphasize eating whole foods. AnneMarie leans towardsnutrient-rich foods and has moved away from highly processed options. Thischange has rippled into her family life, shaping her household's eating habitstowards more produce and whole foods.For anyone embarking on the intermittent fasting journey,AnneMarie advises to take before photos, trust the process, and remain open tothe hidden benefits that extend far beyond weight loss. She stands as atestament to the efficacy of the lifestyle, and her story is one of gratitudetowards the positive changes she's witnessed. With her dedication toself-awareness and health, AnneMarie leaves us inspired and motivated toembrace our body's signals and the transformation that follows with a mindful approachto intermittent fasting.Get Gin’s books at: http://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html, including her latest bestseller 28-Day Fast Start Day-By-Day, the Ultimate Guide to Starting (or Restarting) Your Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle so it Sticks, New York Times Bestseller, Fast. Feast. Repeat., and Cleanish, available wherever you buy books! Delay, Don’t Deny is available on Amazon.  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.html See 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 Mochi Kaimu from Worcester, VT.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. Mochi works for a company called Farmers to You (https://farmerstoyou.com/) that is building a sustainable food network, connecting consumers to farmers. He is also the author of a book called Plans for a Simple Sauna.Mochi shares his experiences with intermittent fasting andholistic living. His turning point came in 2019, after a beach vacation withfamily. Mochi shares how intermittent fasting led to weight loss while alsohelping him manage panic attacks and high blood pressure. His story is atestament to the positive impact of dietary mindfulness and a prioritization ofnatural health practices over conventional pharmaceutical interventions. Heshares his experiences with a variety of natural practices such as yogicbreathing techniques, regular sauna use, and cold plunging. Mochi emphasizes the delicate balancing act that is requiredwhen discussing dietary habits with your children, advocating for promotinghealthy relationships with food and self-image above all else. Mochi concludes with a final piece of advice for our listeners:Just give intermittent fasting a try! Place your wellbeing at the forefront,let the positive changes extend beyond the scales, and remember to discuss andembody a healthy relationship to food and lifestyle with health at theforefront.Get Gin’s books at: http://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html, including her latest bestseller 28-Day Fast Start Day-By-Day, the Ultimate Guide to Starting (or Restarting) Your Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle so it Sticks, New York Times Bestseller, Fast. Feast. Repeat., and Cleanish, available wherever you buy books! Delay, Don’t Deny is available on Amazon.  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 Marion who lives in the southeast of England.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. Marion is a Pilates instructor. She first heard of fasting around 2018-2019, but she wasn’t ready and filed the information away. During the early stages of the pandemic in 2020, she heard about it again and was ready to dig in a bit more.The discussion shines a light on Marion's battle with disordered eating, a struggle to break free from the dieting cycle, and her extensive research into the fasting lifestyle, with notable references to books by Jason Fung and Gin's book, Fast Feast Repeat. Marion's intermittent fasting journey is as much about self-discovery and health as it is about weight management.Marion describes the improved clarity of thought and increased productivity that comes with being in a fasted state. Their conversation underscores the personalization and flexibility of fasting schedules, as Marion adjusts her patterns to suit her professional teaching duties and rigorous exercise regimen.Marion has enjoyed improved skin, more muscle tone, an energy surge that fuels her passion for running, and a younger biological age, all while maintaining a naturally intuitive approach to her fasting regimen—a cornerstone of Marion's fasting experience. Gin's message about the importance of not comparing one's fasting experience to another's resonates throughout the episode, endorsing a journey tailored to individual needs and responses.As the episode draws to a close, Marion offers heartfelt advice to newcomers in the fasting community. Her key takeaway encourages individuals to trust their instincts, eschew rigid adherence to fasting schedules, and focus less on the numbers on a scale and more on the transformative journey that lies ahead. Marion's story is a beacon of hope for listeners, evidencing the profound capability of intermittent fasting to revolutionize one's lifestyle when approached with patience and self-compassion.Get Gin’s books at: http://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html, including her latest bestseller 28-Day Fast Start Day-By-Day, the Ultimate Guide to Starting (or Restarting) Your Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle so it Sticks, New York Times Bestseller, Fast. Feast. Repeat., and Cleanish, available wherever you buy books! Delay, Don’t Deny is available on Amazon.  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.html  See 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 Susanne Muller who lives in New Zealand.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. Susanne is a retired medical writer. Susanne shares her past struggles with weight gain following college, her numerous attempts at different diets leading to a cycle of loss and regain, and her discovery of IF which introduced a new chapter of health and wellness into her life.Susanne describes her earlier days trying various diets like Weight Watchers and low-carb, each providing temporary success but ultimately failing due to constant cravings and an unenjoyable restriction. It wasn't until 2018, upon reading The Obesity Code by Jason Fung, that Susanne decided to try IF, quickly finding her stride with the Delay, Don't Deny approach and the clean fast.Susanne has settled into a hybrid approach, with one down day each week. Her down day routine includes black coffee in the morning and water for the day, while her up days are more relaxed. She prefers the full fast down day option because she doesn’t want to count calories, something she admits she is triggered by.Gin points out the essential nature of personalizing IF to suit individual preferences and lifestyles, affirming that there isn't one universally superior fasting method. We each get to tweak it till it’s easy!Susanne has returned to her college clothing size and has managed to maintain her weight through a combination of discipline and a joyful approach to IF, highlighting the importance of enjoyment over willpower. Susanne‘s advice: Susanne emphasizes the power of mindset and self-talk in achieving success as an intermittent faster. She underscores how important it is to enjoy the process and make the lifestyle both sustainable and pleasurable. Her parting advice is for others to be patient, stay positive, and find joy in the journey, advocating for a gentle approach when sharing IF with the curious, reinforcing that it's all about helping those who are ready to embrace the change.Get Gin’s books at: http://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html, including her latest bestseller 28-Day Fast Start Day-By-Day, the Ultimate Guide to Starting (or Restarting) Your Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle so it Sticks, New York Times Bestseller, Fast. Feast. Repeat., and Cleanish, available wherever you buy books! Delay, Don’t Deny is available on Amazon.  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.html  See 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 Liz Nelson from Costa Mesa, CA.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. Liz is a director of sales and marketing for a lifeplan retirement community. She opens up about her long-standing battle with her weight, including a history of trying a variety of diets. Despite initial weight loss success with each, she found herself in a cycle of weight regain over the years. However, in 2021, Liz discovered intermittent fasting and experienced significant change, losing 30 pounds in 10 months. Her journey evolved into learning to listen closely to her body's appetite cues and focusing on how to meet her body’s nutritional needs.Gin and Liz engage in a discussion about the mental shift away from "diet brain," focusing instead on listening to your body. Liz shares her experiences with intermittent fasting, at times feeling the challenge of restrictions and weight fluctuation, while gravitating toward clean eating. Emphasizing the importance of food quality, Liz tells listeners about her most recent lifestyle switch that includes healthier eating experiences within her window.Liz leaves us with valuable advice: it is important to honor your unique journey, maintain trust in the intermittent fasting process, and focus on nourishing your body with quality foods. She reminds us that the commitment to a healthier lifestyle will unfold with patience and dedication. The real takeaway is to find satisfaction in the balance and to keep moving forward, despite the inevitable challenges along the way.Get Gin’s books at: http://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html, including her latest bestseller 28-Day Fast Start Day-By-Day, the Ultimate Guide to Starting (or Restarting) Your Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle so it Sticks, New York Times Bestseller, Fast. Feast. Repeat., and Cleanish, available wherever you buy books! Delay, Don’t Deny is available on Amazon.  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 Anne Scherliess from Germany.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. In this episode, Anne and Gin delve into the complexities of intermittent fasting for anyone with a history of eating disorders, the importance of professional guidance, and the profound emotional healing they've both experienced through this lifestyle change. Anne is an actress. Her story begins with a mystery illness that led to severe water retention in 2021, which had the potential to significantly impact her acting career. Despite visits to multiple doctors, her medical issue remained undiagnosed until she finally met with a nephrologist who helped her solve the issue.Anne then dives deep into her history of eating disorders, rooted in her family's fear of gaining weight. Her struggle with self-perception began at a young age, including bouts of anorexia and bulimia and emotional guilt around food which unfortunately affected her younger sister as well.In a heart-to-heart dialogue, both Anne and Gin explore the toxicity of diet culture, their personal battles with obesity and different types of disordered eating, and how intermittent fasting offered them freedom from persistent diet thoughts. Anne credits "The End of Cravings" audiobook for her shift away from artificial sweeteners and a deeper understanding of the role of processed foods in hunger.Intermittent fasting information from health industry figures like Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, Dr. Sachin Panda, and Dr. Jason Fung, along with Fast Feast Repeat, emerged as influential in Anne's fasting journey.intermittent fasting helped Anne reclaim her relationship with food and her body, liberating her from the fear that once consumed her.Anne’s advice:Read Gin’s books—they tell you everything you need to know. Don’t be rigid with your window. Give your body time to repair each day. Learn to trust your body.Get Gin’s books at: http://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html, including her latest bestseller 28-Day Fast Start Day-By-Day, the Ultimate Guide to Starting (or Restarting) Your Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle so it Sticks, New York Times Bestseller, Fast. Feast. Repeat., and Cleanish, available wherever you buy books! Delay, Don’t Deny is available on Amazon.  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.