"Between the ages of 20 and 21, I lost 10 stone (140 pounds, 65 kilos), which at the time was half my body weight."

Alison has an incredible story of growing up carrying excess weight, suffering from bullying and self-censoring, and then in a significant life change losing half her body weight through a remarkable story of self-determination. Regaining full health took longer, however - she was afraid of consuming fats for over ten years and, ultimately, an urgent desire to regain her fertility led her to begin exploring ancestral foods and the nourished, healing diet she enjoys today. Listen to her sensitively shared, moving story and share in the joy of a life regained!

"What I would say, if I could talk to that girl who is twenty now? Firstly I would tell her she was beautiful; because I felt like, back then, nobody could see beyond how I looked, and they couldn’t see what was in my head and my heart."

Bonus content for the Patrons - Alison has recorded a special audio event and accompanying worksheet to help you identify and understand your "why". Alison's skill and empathy as a former life coach for others, and a dedicated student of her own life and "why" shines through in this special bonus. Patrons, check your exclusive podcast feed or Patreon for this content!

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For $12 a month (or equivalent in your currency) you'll be helping us with the costs of recording, editing and putting this work into the world. And you'll get to be part of our world on a deeper level - we've got a monthly intimate patron-exclusive podcast called Kitchen Table Chats and we also share cooking classes, extra interviews and much more.

Check out www.patreon.com/ancestralkitchenpodcast for all the details!

Here's what we cover in this episode:

What it was like for Alison as a child

"I was completely addicted. I did things in order to fuel that addiction that I think every addict would recognize; things that I’m not proud of – and I was just a child."

24:56 Alison's decision to lose weight

32:00 Losing the weight

41:00 Fertility and regaining a cycle; maintaining weight from age 21 until finding ancestral foods at 34

45:10 Ease of maintaining weight now

Resources Mentioned:

"I turned to food when no one was looking. I did that to get sensation, to feel luxury, to feel okay about life. When I was eating foods like that, it seemed like the world was okay."

Alison's in Photos - these are the pictures Andrea is looking at during the episode

Katie's Sourdough Sandwich Bread: Part 1, Part 2

Source for unbleached cool-milled flour: Azure Standard (Andrea's link)

Slow-Cooker Beef Tongue on Alison's Instagram

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Morell

Alissa Vitti

Craig and Kitty's Podcast is called Weight Loss for Women

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Thank you for listening - we'd love to continue the conversation.

Come find us on Instagram:

Andrea is at Farm and Hearth

Alison is at Ancestral Kitchen

The podcast is at Ancestral Kitchen Podcast

Original Music, Episode Mixing and Post-Production by Robert Michael Kay