Episode 220 Alison Preuss- A home educator's incredible fasting journey .Ageing backwards at 67 living her best life .

BIO: ALISON PREUSS (pronounced PROYCE)

 I am a 67-year-old mother of three and grandmother of one, widowed for 10 years. I live in Angus, northeast Scotland. I have owned and run an online vintage boutique since 2007 and was previously a Scottish parliamentary researcher and freelance journalist. My own children were home-educated, and I co-ordinate the national Scottish Home Education Forum which offers information, support and advocacy to parents and campaigns on education

issues. My attempts at retirement have proved futile as I enjoy what I do and like to keep busy and active both mentally and physically. I was a skinny child and did classical ballet until my mid-teens, so I never had any cause to diet, and my weight remained static for years. After my first two pregnancies in the 80s, I zapped back to normal within weeks, but my third baby was quite a bruiser and it took me a few months of good diet (not dieting!) and exercise to get back in shape. During my husband's illness and after he died in 2013, I practically stopped eating due

to stress and trauma. I dropped so much weight I looked emaciated, but once I got back into regular eating, middle-age creep started to become evident!

I came to IF through my son, who takes his health very seriously and is an avid researcher. My first shot at it was in 2018/2019 when I did a 5-month stint with good

results, but I made the mistake of looking at it as a short-term undertaking rather than a lifestyle change. When Covid and the first lockdown came along, like many, I got sloppy with my diet and drank too much. The catalyst

for change was my daughter's wedding in November 2021, for which I had around 10 months' notice to fit into the vintage dress I wanted to wear (and it would be a challenge!) I took it very seriously and began on 11 January 2021 doing 19:5, which had worked well previously, and completely cutting out alcohol. Meanwhile, I joined a few IF groups online and devoured IF podcasts, taking inspiration from others' experiences. Two months in, I had

started regular dance sessions, and four months in, I was in the gym three times a week and doing occasional Meal-less Mondays /36-hour fasts.  I didn't regularly weigh myself but took many photographs and weekly measurements. I was losing inches steadily and gaining muscle due to strength training, and people were noticing. Two months before my daughter's wedding, I had reached my goal of fitting into that vintage dress and continued downward until around February 2022, when I estimated I had lost around 45lbs. Now, three years into IF, it's just a usual way of life, and I can't see myself ever going back. 

In terms of unexpected NSVs, a longstanding scar from a burn on my leg completely disappeared and an injury to my finger that I'd trapped in a drawer miraculously got better. My skin has improved, and my hair is now waist-length, silver and in great condition, despite being a woman of a certain age. I managed to get back into my front splits at 66 with consistent flexibility training, although my hamstrings do complain a bit! I also fit into

some of the clothes I wore in my 20s, including a vintage evening dress to meet the queen in 1981. It's been like a post-pandemic renewal! 

 Alison Preuss

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