Intermittent Fasting Stories

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Karen who lives in the Pacific Northwest.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. Karen is an accountant. Karen opens up about her challenging childhood, marked by her parents' struggle with addiction, and how a supportive teacher offered her stability in a turbulent time. Her weight and eating habits, which were influenced by family dynamics and financial constraints, led to body image issues. This struggle was compounded by Karen's negative experiences with the healthcare system, where she often felt dismissed due to her size, especially when seeking help for her chronic back pain and hormonal imbalances. Karen's turning point came with the discovery of intermittent fasting in the spring of 2018, when her husband suggested that she try IF to help with PCOS.After initially resisting the idea of fasting, she discovered that contrary to her fears, her hypoglycemia improved and she felt better overall, even before substantial weight loss occurred. Despite concerns about the impact of fasting on women's hormones, Karen found that her menstrual cycle regulated, and her symptoms became better managed over time. She emphasizes that intermittent fasting became progressively more beneficial and speaks candidly about her initial slow weight loss, urging patience and a long-term approach for those new to fasting.Karen has lost an impressive 70 pounds overall, but also has seen improved hormonal regulation, clearing up of a variety of skin issues, and healing of her lifelong GERD.As Karen and Gin delve deeper into Karen's story, they highlight the emotional and physical benefits that Karen experienced with intermittent fasting. She recounts how she had to relearn the ability to hear her body’s hunger and satiety cues. Now, she enjoys the flexibility of varying her fasting schedule and focuses on protein-rich meals without obsessing over calories or counting anything. Karen has seen not only weight loss but muscle growth, challenging the misconceptions we sometimes hear about fasting leading to muscle loss.Ending the episode on an empowering note, Karen shares advice for newcomers to intermittent fasting. She encourages listeners to approach fasting with patience, avoid rigidity, and focus on long-term health. By celebrating non-scale victories and listening to their bodies, individuals can enjoy the gradual, positive shifts that come with this lifestyle change. Karen's parting words resonate with positivity: rather than being disheartened by the scale, one should embrace the journey, trust in the process of intermittent fasting, and look forward to the holistic improvements it brings.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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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 Kate Weakley from the southern coast of New South Wales in 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. Kate is a homeschooling mom of 4, a new teacher, and she also helps her husband run his chiropractic business.  Kate's personal journey with intermittent fasting began after reaching her highest weight of 231 pounds. Following the challenges of motherhood that led her to put self-care on hold, Kate found a path to sustainable change through IF. She delves into her experience of trying the "Fast 800" diet, and her shift to the Delay, Don't Deny approach to fasting in 2020, detailing how COVID-19 was both a setback due to a return to regular eating and a blessing in disguise that provided her family with more quality time together and improved sleep for her.Kate and Gin candidly share their past battles with extreme diets such as the Fast 800 for Kate and the HCG diet for Gin, acknowledging the difficulties and potential negative impacts of these types of diets that call for severe calorie restriction. They contrast those experiences with the benefits of intermittent fasting, celebrating the freedom and ease it provides compared to the constant restriction they had previously endured. Kate recounts her remarkable weight loss journey, dropping from 220 to 158 pounds at her lowest, and how she experienced body recomposition, resulting in a significant reduction in her clothing size, while her overall health, including her hair, nails, skin, vision, and mental clarity, improved noticeably. Both reflect on finding the right balance in protein intake, with Gin discussing the protein leverage hypothesis, and how they've learned to listen to their bodies to determine individual nutritional needs, rather than adhering to generic dietary advice.Kate's narrative extends beyond her own transformation to include her family's wellness journey. With intuitive eating at its core, Kate's children benefit from the opportunity to eat according to their hunger while her husband practices a 16:8 fasting method. Drawing from her weight loss experience, Kate relays how she embraced a more fulfilling and active lifestyle, recently completing a 54 km hike in New Zealand, and how at 50, she pursued a master's degree in teaching, attributing her renewed focus and clarity to her fasting regimen. Both Kate and her husband advocate for intermittent fasting within his chiropractic practice, suggesting resources such as the book Fast. Feast. Repeat. to those curious about the lifestyle.The episode concludes with Kate offering heartfelt advice to newcomers to intermittent fasting. She suggests that a successful start consists of prioritizing restful sleep, tracking the eating window honestly, and delighting in delicious, nourishing foods. Emphasizing the importance of listening to one's own body and cravings, Kate highlights the mental satisfaction that comes with enjoying what we eat. Beyond diet, she encourages a trust in the process and the self, reminding listeners that the journey to health is as unique as the individual embarking on it. Her final words of wisdom reflect her journey's theme: to find joy and empowerment through intuitive, mindful fasting and eating.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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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 Cheryl Beckerich from Indianapolis, 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. Cheryl loves to knit, she writes knitting patterns, and she works as marketing and communications manager for a church. She recounts how a podcast by Joanna Penn led her to explore intermittent fasting after hearing Gin as a guest. Despite her religious familiarity with fasting, its connection with weight loss was a novel concept for her.Cheryl lost around 20 pounds over the first six months of her intermittent fasting journey, typically fasting between 18 and 20 hours a day. She enjoys traditional foods without guilt and stays active. Her body has settled into a healthy weight range for her height, and she doesn’t have to think about what she does from day to day—the lifestyle feels natural, and it’s simply what she does. In her final advice to newcomers to intermittent fasting, Cheryl stresses the importance of easing in and maintaining a clean fast by avoiding any consumables that mimic the taste of food, like gum or diet beverages. Her parting words encourage beginners to stick with it and trust the process, highlighting the significance of perseverance for long-term success and overall wellbeing.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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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 Rivka from Los Angeles, 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. Rivka works in business banking. She candidly shares her battle with health issues such as frequent migraines, depression, PMDD, and anxiety, along with her experiments with multiple diet regimens including bulletproof coffee, raw veganism, and the gluten-free diet. These experiments brought some relief but often came with their own set of problems, like new food intolerances. Rivka's backstory is interwoven with her experience of immigration, a difficult work permit situation, and the transition to motherhood, illustrating her resilience amidst adversity.Throughout the conversation, Rivka delves into her professional life, from the early days in business banking to the high-pressure environment of financial trading in England. Her work experiences, coupled with her dietary trials such as the 5:2 diet, offered little in terms of sustainable health improvements. Rivka describes how the simplicity of clean fasting led to a significant improvement in her health, eliminating migraines, improving her mood, and contributing to hormonal balance. The discussion touches upon the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza and the importance of mindfulness in choosing an eating window along with food choices that work for your body.Concluding the episode, Rivka reflects on the lifestyle changes that have brought the most positive impact on her life. She offers advice to listeners, stressing the importance of personalizing one's diet based on individual health needs, rather than blindly following trends. Rivka highlights the transformative effect of intermittent fasting on her mental health and recommends finding an eating pattern that feels natural, advising listeners to nourish their bodies thoughtfully.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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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 Cyrus Khambatta who lives in Florida. Cyrus is the co-author of New York Times bestseller Mastering Diabetes, cohost of the Mastering Diabetes podcast, and also manages a coaching community that helps people reverse insulin resistance permanently through dietary and lifestyle changes, including intermittent fasting.  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. Cyrus has an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and worked for NASA before returning to school to earn a PhD in nutritional biochemistry. Cyrus shares his personal journey that led him from battling multiple autoimmune disorders—including a type 1 diabetes diagnosis— to exploring the science of nutrition, ultimately achieving a remarkable tenfold increase in insulin sensitivity through dietary changes.In Cyrus’s first year of managing his diabetes, he found that his insulin needs kept going up, even though he was following the low carb approach his doctors had recommended. He was introduced to the concept of a whole food plant-based diet, and since he was frustrated by his experiences managing his blood glucose, he was willing to try anything. He was shocked to discover that within one week, he went from requiring 42 units of insulin per day to only 24 units per day. He knew he wanted to understand what was happening in his own body, and was inspired to go back to school to learn more.Cyrus explains the science of how whole food, low-fat plant-based diets are conducive to both improved blood sugar levels and improved insulin sensitivity, despite common misconceptions to the contrary. Cyrus delves into the scientific research, which underscores the negative impact of high-fat diets on insulin sensitivity. Diving deeper into the science, Cyrus and Gin discuss Cyrus's experiments on calorie restriction and intermittent fasting with laboratory animals, showcasing the significant reversal of insulin resistance. Cyrus wraps up the episode with advice for listeners who may be grappling with similar health issues or seeking healthier lifestyles. He underscores the essentials: belief in the process, openness to new information, and embracing the robust scientific evidence supporting plant-based diets combined with intermittent fasting. Encouraging personal research and understanding, Cyrus leaves listeners with a powerful parting message – to approach one’s health journey with curiosity, to avoid being swayed by prevalent dietary myths, and to seek empowerment through knowledge, concluding with an invitation to explore the wealth of resources available, such as his Mastering Diabetes program, for anyone ready to take control of their health and well-being. You can connect with Cyrus and his team through https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/.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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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 Becca who lives in Dorset in 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. Becca works for a local company that makes candles and other lifestyle products. She first heard of fasting about 10 years ago from a friend, as she was interested in losing a little weight before her wedding. The original 5:2 program by Dr. Michael Moseley was popular at that time, and she gave it a try, but it was very difficult for her to stick to.A few years later, Becca found herself with a bit of weight to lose, and she found Dr. Moseley’s new program, which was marketed as “fasting” but actually was a very low-calorie diet where you eat 800 calories a day for up to 12 weeks, followed by a switch to the Mediterranean diet. Becca lost weight very quickly, but found herself caught up in a cycle of over restricting, binging in response to the over restriction, and then regaining the weight just as quickly. This cycle lasted for about a year.In 2021, Becca faced mysterious pelvic pain that her doctors couldn’t diagnose. The pain was intense and in desperation, she searched for a way to heal her body naturally. She learned that fasting could help with excess inflammation, and she found Fast Feast Repeat and read it, beginning her intermittent fasting lifestyle the next day. Becca’s family has a history of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, so she is motivated to live an intermittent fasting lifestyle for her health. She has settled into an intermittent fasting routine that feels easy, and she knows this will be her forever lifestyle. With a long-term, sustainable approach, Becca opts for an adaptable fasting schedule with a 18-19 hour fast most days, and does not confine herself to strict eating windows. As the conversation draws to a close, Becca shares the lessons she's learned on her fasting journey. She advises newcomers to intermittent fasting to approach it steadily and avoid overdoing it. Becca emphasizes the importance of integrating weight-bearing exercises and Gin and Becca emphasize self-kindness in both self-talk and dietary choices.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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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 Suzanne from Howard County, MD.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. Suzanne is a management consultant.  She learned about IF through a random ad that popped up on Facebook, and she found Fast Feast Repeat two weeks later, at which time she implemented the clean fast.  She immediately felt less bloating, and knew that fasting was going to be right for her as a lifestyle.Suzanne struggled with hormonal balance after several traumatic pregnancy losses, and she was able to find a functional medicine practitioner near her to help her get her hormones back in balance. She also learned that she has a dairy allergy, and changing the foods she eats, coupled with intermittent fasting, has made a great deal of difference in how her digestive system functions. Suzanne shares her genetic risk of type two diabetes and is relieved that she has both excellent blood work and weight loss as tangible evidence of her health improvements since starting fasting. Both Gin and Suzanne share their experiences with the impacts of both food choices and alcohol on sleep quality and how their bodies feel, emphasizing the importance of listening to one's body, especially through life’s hormonal changes.As the episode draws to a close, Suzanne shares impactful non-scale victories, like her waist size reduction and enhanced flexibility, and talks proudly of her daughter, who has also adopted intermittent fasting for maintaining her health and simplicity as she goes off to college. In her final advice to the listeners, Suzanne tells listeners to just start. She suggests beginning with a simple twelve-hour fast if you need to, urging listeners to engage with the wealth of resources available on intermittent fasting, especially Gin’s book, Fast Feast Repeat.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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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 Stefanie Hartung from Santa Clarita, 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. Stefanie is a homemaker and a mom of seven.  She shares the turning point that led to her embracing the intermittent fasting lifestyle after her weight crept up in her 40s, including unsuccessful attempts with other dieting strategies like Weight Watchers and the 21-day fix program. Inspired by her cousin's Facebook post and armed with resources her cousin shared with her, such as Gin’s book Fast. Feast. Repeat., Stefanie began her fasting journey on November 14, 2022.Throughout the conversation, Stefanie highlights the significant emotional and physical changes she has experienced since adopting intermittent fasting as a lifestyle. From experiencing an “appetite reset” that led to a healthier relationship with food, to enjoying softer skin and reduced discomfort from sore lymph nodes and sciatic nerve pain, she enthusiastically describes the multitude of benefits IF has brought to her. The discussion delves deep into the emotional empowerment and sense of life simplification Stefanie has gained, contrasting her life now to the times when other diets left her feeling restricted and less confident.Gin and Stefanie connect over their similar intermittent fasting schedules and the flexibility IF offers, revealing how their eating windows of four and five hours respectively have become a natural part of their lifestyle. They touch on the broader discussions around aging, societal pressures for women, and the balance between looking good and feeling good as they mature. Not shying away from the challenging aspects of intermittent fasting, they share personal insights into past dieting experiences, highlighting the need to pay attention to hunger and satiety cues.Ending the episode with sound advice for newcomers, Stefanie encourages listeners to treat intermittent fasting as an adventure rather than a chore. Emphasizing patience and the importance of tuning into one’s body, she reflects on her own fasting journey and how it has led to a more intuitive relationship with food and her well-being.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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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 Ashley Izzo from Marietta, GA.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. Ashley is lead instructor at a Spenga studio and a mom of two boys. Ashley openly shares her turbulent relationship with food and body image that dates back to her childhood, discussing how she navigated weight struggles from middle school into adulthood. After a bout of salmonella poisoning, health remained at the forefront of her concerns. Her journey with food took dramatic turns as she experimented with a variety of diets, including experiences with both the master cleanse protocol and a lengthy juice fast to prepare for her wedding. Despite these programs and diets, Ashley was unable to maintain her weight loss, and her weight always went back up.Ashley's story takes a poignant turn as she delves into her pregnancy loss, highlighting how grief and then motherhood affected her body and her approach to nutrition. Choosing to adopt intermittent fasting, she recounts her initial hesitation and the accidental discovery of its benefits while juggling the demands of a toddler and a newborn.Throughout their conversation, Gin and Ashley bond over their shared experiences with dietary struggles and the realization that the path to well-being is unique for each person. The discussion ventures into the mental and physical benefits both women have observed from intermittent fasting. They also explore the societal pressures around eating and the freedom they have found in making personal food choices without the burden of judgment.Concluding the episode, Ashley emphasizes the importance of pursuing health without attaching guilt to food choices, encouraging listeners to take control of their own well-being journey. She underscores the significance of prioritizing how one feels over a number on the scale and advocates for body recomposition and strength-building as markers of fitness success. Her parting advice for the audience is to drop the shame around past struggles and embrace a flexible, information-empowered approach to intermittent fasting, leading to a healthier and more harmonious lifestyle.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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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 Christina Murphy. Christina is from Marietta, GA and now lives in Wicklow, Ireland.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. Christina is a zookeeper, and she also appears on a TV show called The Zoo. In 2022, Christina discovered she had hip dysplasia, and she could no longer run. Doctors told her that she would probably need a hip replacement in about 10 years, and that was hard for a 36-year-old to hear. They also let her know that if she lost weight, she would find some relief. So, Christina started searching, and found intermittent fasting.Christina decided to start with 16:8, and she shares the challenges of her very first day fasting, which involved the physical task of catching 100 flamingos for bird flu vaccines.During the conversation, the pair delve into the differences in animal and human eating habits, with Christina drawing parallels from her job as a zookeeper, culminating in humorous stories about her work with animals, including penguins, and her previous experience at the Georgia Aquarium. Christina and Gin discuss the importance of finding an eating schedule compatible with one's lifestyle and discuss how Christina and her husband, who also adopted intermittent fasting, have gained freedom and time for personal development.They touch on the significance of not obsessing over the scale, utilizing "honesty pants" as a gauge instead, and engaging in new physical activities like sea swimming, which also contributes to Christina's well-being.Christina concludes with valuable advice for listeners, urging them not to get lost in the extremities of dieting and to maintain a sustainable and flexible approach to intermittent fasting. She emphasizes the importance of being gentle with oneself, embracing a fasting method that adapts to life events, and not being overly restrictive. Christina's parting wisdom encapsulates the spirit of her story—fast clean, and find a balance that allows you to maintain a healthy weight and active lifestyle without compromising life's joys.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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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 Andrea Walton from Woodbury, GA.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. Andrea is a medical transcriptionist who works for an internal medicine practice. Andrea spent years battling with her weight, trying various diets from Atkins to Weight Watchers in an on-again, off-again struggle that felt endless. Despite avoiding more extreme measures like weight loss injections, she remained entangled in the relentless yo-yo cycle of dieting. At the age of 45, a significant shift in perspective came when she started working at a doctor's office. It was here that she encountered numerous patients much younger than herself, already suffering from health issues typically associated with an older population. This was a powerful wake-up call for Andrea. Determined not to fall into the same trap, she decided to not only take control of her weight but also to maintain a healthier lifestyle to ensure her future years would be vibrant and robust. She started intermittent fasting in July of 2020 after hearing a doctor in her practice recommend The Obesity Code to his patients. Andrea found initial success with intermittent fasting, but window creep happened over the years, and in January of 2023, she tightened her window back up. She has gotten to a very healthy range for her body, feeling relaxed about her weight for the first time ever. At the age of 57, Andrea loves and appreciates her body and is no longer interested in stressing out about the scale number. As the podcast concludes, Andrea offers sound advice to those new to intermittent fasting, advising patience and starting slow to integrate this lifestyle change smoothly. She stresses the importance of self-compassion and accepting one's 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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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 Clover Yordanova from Austin, 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. Clover is an educational diagnostician and a special ed facilitator at a high school.Clover recounts her five-year intermittent fasting journey, beginning with her discovery of Delay, Don't Deny in 2019. She describes the successful weight loss she achieved within six weeks through eating one meal a day and calorie counting, though she was able to release the need to count calories quickly as she developed confidence in her ability to listen to her body.Clover shares how intermittent fasting allowed her to maintain her weight, even in the face of emotional eating during pandemic-induced stress. Adjusting her eating window to align with work schedules and finding balance during life's upheavals, Clover opens up about the adjustments she's made to maintain her flexible yet consistent intermittent fasting routine.Clover leaves listeners with an empowering takeaway, emphasizing the flexibility inherent in the practice of intermittent fasting: you cannot fail unless you give up. Her parting advice emphasizes the importance of perseverance in the intermittent fasting journey, inspiring others to keep going and adapt the lifestyle to suit their individual needs and circumstances. The episode wraps up with a nod to the personal growth and understanding of one’s body that can evolve from these experiences, reminding us all of the power of commitment and the continuous path toward better health and happiness.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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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 Carter Solomon, a college student from Snowflake, AZ.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. Reflecting on his family’s health history, Carter shares his father’s weight struggles and successful weight loss surgery, which instilled in him a resolve to manage his own weight proactively. Carter's story is a unique one, navigating the pressures of fluctuating weight categories through football and wrestling seasons. He struggled with his weight since childhood and observed extreme weight loss measures among his wrestling peers, underscoring the mental and physical challenges faced by young athletes. He candidly recounts his attempts with various diets before finding success through intermittent fasting. Transitioning from initial struggles to a sustainable lifestyle, Carter lost around 130 pounds and feels like IF is something he can keep doing indefinitely.Despite facing judgment from others, Carter emphasizes that finding a fasting window that works for you is key and advises to not let societal norms or others' opinions derail your health journey.Now, pursuing a biomedical degree and planning for a career in dentistry, Carter is fascinated by the science behind nutrition and health. His personal growth has extended beyond physical health, as he now enjoys endurance activities and experiences increased social confidence.Ending the episode, Carter leaves listeners with an insightful piece of advice: approach intermittent fasting with an open mind, giving your body time to adjust to this new lifestyle. Eventually, it will feel normal.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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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 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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit 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.