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Intermittent Fasting Stories

Intermittent Fasting Stories is hosted by New York Times best selling author Gin Stephens, creator of the Delay, Don’t Deny Lifestyle. Tune in each week to hear real-world stories from successful intermittent fasters, including their best tips to help you find success.

Episodes

Episode 461: Karen Gaul

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Karen Gaul from Norwich in the UK.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, a retired professional whose career was spent working with people, shares her lifelong journey with weight management and how she discovered intermittent fasting. She begins by recounting how she was placed on her first diet at the age of 9 due to her mother's fear of her becoming overweight. This set her on a tumultuous path of weight fluctuations that continued into adulthood. Despite these early struggles, Karen always maintained an active lifestyle, which included dancing, swimming, and various sports activities. Her first introduction to intermittent fasting came in 2019, inspired partially by her nephew who practiced it.Karen's pivotal change came in 2020 when she seriously began intermittent fasting after reading Dr. Chatterjee's books and Gin's book Delay, Don't Deny. She initially incorporated intermittent fasting by delaying breakfast and quickly found that her satisfaction increased, reducing the need to eat three meals a day. By first making changes in what she was eating and then adhering to an 18:6 or 16:8 fasting protocol, she managed to lose weight steadily, going from 174 pounds to 123 pounds by the end of 2020. Her daily routine settled into having brunch around 11 am and dinner by 6 pm.Karen also shares her health setbacks, particularly a diagnosis of stage 1A endometrial cancer just before her 70th birthday. Despite the shock, Karen's overall fitness and health put her in a good position for recovery. She underwent a total hysterectomy followed by 27 radiotherapy treatments. Throughout this trying period, Karen continued her fasting and credits it for helping her maintain focus and a healthy lifestyle. Two years later, she is cancer-free and attributes her successful recovery to her well-established fasting and wellness routines which include good sleep, moderate exercise, and a balanced diet.In concluding her story, Karen emphasizes the importance of patience for anyone starting with intermittent fasting. She advises learning what protocol suits you through your own study of one, and reminds listeners that achieving your health goals is a journey unique to each individual. Karen encourages new fasters to utilize available resources, ask questions, and find a supportive community, stressing that persistence and self-discovery are key to long-term success. Her outlook remains optimistic as she continues to evolve her practices, always looking forward to what comes next in her wellness journey.Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audiobook. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, an easier to understand and more thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has a 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is available now! Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts. Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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54 min•

3 Apr

Episode 460: Louisa Bangma

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Louisa Bangma who lives in West Melton 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. Louisa is a business and project manager. She discovered intermittent fasting through a health webinar in 2022 where Gin was a speaker. Already familiar with the concept from Jason Fung's work and with the encouragement of her husband, Louisa was inspired by Gin’s presentation and immediately bought the book Fast Feast Repeat. She began fasting in October of 2022 and fully committed to the clean fast by January 2023 after a period of easing in.Louisa has an extensive history with being critical of her body’s size and dieting, starting from her teen years. Over the decades, she tried various methods such as Atkins, no-fat, and no-carb diets, and more. Despite early struggles, intermittent fasting brought remarkable changes. Over eight months, Louisa lost 22 pounds and noticed significant health improvements, including a reduction in her IBS symptoms, increased mobility, and a general feeling of wellness. By January of 2023, she had lost a total of 48.4 pounds and consistently felt better in her body.In addition to weight loss, Louisa experienced numerous non-scale victories, such as better sleep, reduced joint pain, and less reliance on her inhaler for allergies. Louisa’s husband has also adopted intermittent fasting, which made the lifestyle shift easier and more enjoyable for them both.Louisa advises newcomers to immerse themselves in fasting education and to tailor the approach to their own needs and preferences. She emphasizes the importance of the clean fast, and recommends consuming whole and organic foods when possible, emphasizing vegetables, and also having the patience to let the process unfold. Louisa underscores that wellness is a long-term investment and encourages others not to expect quick fixes. Her final advice encapsulates her story: "It took years to get where you are now; it won't be undone in a month."Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audiobook. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, an easier to understand and more thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has a 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is available now! Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts. Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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53 min•

27 Mar

Episode 459: Melissa Allison

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Melissa Allison from Jerseyville, IL.Are you ready to take your intermittent fasting lifestyle to the next level? There’s nothing better than community to help with that. In the Delay, Don’t Deny community we all embrace the clean fast, and there’s just the right support for you as you live your intermittent fasting lifestyle. You can connect directly with Gin in the Ask Gin group, and she will answer all of your questions personally. If you’re new to intermittent fasting or recommitting to the IF lifestyle, join the 28-Day FAST Start group. After your fast start, join us for support in The 1st Year group. Need tips for long term maintenance? We have a place for that! There are many more useful spaces beyond these, and you can interact in as many as you like. Visit ginstephens.com/community to join us. An annual membership costs just over a dollar a week when you do the math. If you aren’t ready to fully commit for a year, join for a month and you can cancel at any time. If you know you’ll want to stay forever, we also have a lifetime membership option available. IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. Melissa is senior director of managed care operations. She struggled with her weight from childhood, and learned about intermittent fasting when her doctor introduced the concept to her in 2019. Despite only losing 12 pounds over 18 months, she felt better. Gin highlights that not everyone experiences rapid weight loss.Melissa recounts significant life events, including pregnancy loss and the loss of her parents, and how these experiences impacted both her weight and health journey. She speaks candidly about her body's struggles with weight gain. During challenging periods, such as the loss of her parents, she found intermittent fasting to be a stabilizing force in her life. It provided her not just with physical benefits but also with a sense of control amidst chaos.Discussing her current fasting practices, Melissa explains how she's recently experienced a 30-pound weight loss and continues to aim for improved health and strength rather than a specific number on the scale. Melissa shares that her intermittent fasting journey helped alleviate both inflammation and arthritis pain. She highlights the importance of adjusting the eating window rather than solely focusing on the fasting duration. This approach has made intermittent fasting a sustainable lifestyle that she plans to continue indefinitely. Her story also touches on overcoming the desire to "break the rules" and finding what works best for her individual needs.Melissa leaves listeners with this essential advice: focus on the length of your eating window rather than the length of your fast to find greater flexibility. She emphasizes the value of listening to your body and adjusting accordingly while remembering that the goal is to feel healthy and strong, not just to meet a specific weight target. Despite life's difficulties, intermittent fasting can be a lifelong, beneficial practice that helps bring clarity, control, and improved well-being.Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audiobook. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, an easier to understand and more thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has a 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is available now! Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts. Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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59 min•

20 Mar

Episode 458: Shoshana Grinstein

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Shoshana Grinstein from Israel.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. Shoshana teaches English to kindergarteners. She grew up in Canada, and remembers being an emotional eater and having a negative relationship with her body image due to comments that were made about her size. She grew up without her mother, and took comfort in eating. She moved to Israel when she was 19, joining other family members there. Then, she started her own family. After having her third child, she had a miscarriage and went through a difficult grieving process. Fortunately, she found a counselor who helped her learn a lot about herself, and she also learned to speak to herself with love, which changed everything.Shoshana and her husband joyfully welcomed their fourth child in December of 2019, and then the world shut down for Covid. She recognized that amidst negativity, she wanted to raise her family in a positive home, and she began to listen to parenting podcasts, which led her to other uplifting podcasts. She heard intermittent fasting mentioned over and over, and it also began popping up on her Instagram feed, so she searched for a fasting podcast and found Intermittent Fasting Stories. She began immediately, and found herself easily doing a 16:8 in her first week. Eventually, she settled into a 20:4 as her sweet spot, though she is not overly strict about it and has learned to listen to her body.Shoshana lost 20 kg, or 44 pounds, in her first year, and even though she is not yet at her goal weight, she knows she will continue with intermittent fasting forever because of how great she feels.The conversation concludes with Shoshana sharing the joy and confidence that come from feeling great in her body, reflecting on how this has positively impacted her personal relationships. Shoshana’s final advice is to be mentally prepared for intermittent fasting or any lifestyle change and to approach such transitions with a relaxed attitude. She stresses the importance of having the right tools and support, thereby ensuring a journey to better health and important self-discovery.Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audiobook. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, an easier to understand and more thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has a 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is available now! Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts. Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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55 min•

13 Mar

Episode 457: Lisa Pinchback

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Lisa Pinchback from Charlottesville, VA.Lisa is a solo real estate attorney. Lisa shares her journey with intermittent fasting, which began in April 2023 after a recommendation from a friend during a real estate closing. She downloaded the podcast and bought Fast Feast Repeat immediately and decided to give fasting a try. Despite her lifelong struggle with weight and previous attempts with various diets and weight-loss methods, she found that intermittent fasting brought a sense of control and balance to her life, ultimately helping her reduce her weight from 157 to 137 pounds by November 2023.Lisa's story is filled with emotional highs and lows. She reflects on how her weight impacted her self-image from a young age, influencing her emotional eating habits and weight gain. Lisa also expresses regret about body shaming herself in front of her daughters and the potential impact it had on them. Throughout the conversation, Gin and Lisa touch on the broader implications of diet culture and societal pressures. They discuss Lisa's various weight-loss attempts over the decades, ranging from the Susan Powter low-fat diet to Weight Watchers and even medically supervised programs. Despite spending significant money—approximately $15,000 over the years—on consultations, exercise equipment, and various diets, Lisa found intermittent fasting to be the most sustainable approach she every tried. Both Gin and Lisa highlight the concept of "delay, don't deny," allowing occasional treats within moderation, and the empowerment and confidence that intermittent fasting brings.Towards the end of the episode, Lisa reflects on finding joy in new activities. Lisa’s final advice to listeners is to embrace self-awareness and responsibility in food choices, be patient during periods of struggle, and enjoy the feeling of fitting into your clothes comfortably. She emphasizes the importance of having a supportive community and the benefits of intermittent fasting, which extends beyond weight loss to overall well-being, empowerment, and confidence.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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54 min•

6 Mar

Episode 456: Erika Delco

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Erika Delco from Charlotte, NC. 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. Erika is a therapist and health coach. When Erika first heard about intermittent fasting, she was skeptical. Her skepticism shifted in 2018 after reading Gin’s book, Delay, Don't Deny, and Dr. Jason Fung's The Obesity Code. She shares her long history with dieting, starting from Weight Watchers in the ninth grade, and her eventual freedom from food obsession through adopting intermittent fasting.Erika initially experienced about 5 pounds of weight loss but hit a plateau and didn’t lose any more weight for three years, despite still having weight to lose. She loved the freedom IF brought to her, but her weight was stuck. She began incorporating berberine, which led to a dramatic weight loss of 30 pounds between March and October of 2021.Throughout the conversation, Erika highlights the importance of listening to your body and finding a fasting routine that fits one’s lifestyle. She emphasizes the health benefits she’s experienced over the years, noting how intermittent fasting helped her reduce instances of illness and manage her weight despite frequent travel. Gin and Erika discuss the mental aspects of fasting and food freedom, stressing the need for empowered choices over restrictive eating.The discussion transitions to Erika's work as a health coach. She has developed a program called Finding Food Freedom Fast, combining fasting principles with strategies for building habits and managing emotional eating.Erika concludes with final advice for new IFers: start gradually and be patient. She encourages them to find a routine that fits their lifestyle and to stay motivated by hearing others' stories and struggles. Importantly, Erika stresses that intermittent fasting should be approached as a long-term lifestyle change with an emphasis on the health benefits rather than just weight loss. She underscores the importance of consistency in one’s health regimen, listening to the body’s needs, and finding food freedom through empowered choices.Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audiobook. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, an easier to understand and more thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has a 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is available now! Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts. Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected] Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.