In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Pam Merriam from McKinney, Texas.

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. 

Pam first heard about intermittent fasting in 2020, in a low carb group.  Someone in the group mentioned Gin’s book Delay, Don’t Deny, and Pam was intrigued. She got the book and started immediately.  Something just clicked, and Pam knew that she would be an intermittent faster forever.

Pam had lost 50 pounds, but over time she saw slow and steady weight regain.  Even though Pam was not seeing weight loss success, she felt so much better as an intermittent faster that she never considered stopping.  Throughout the years, she remained curious about the choices she made and the foods she ate.  She knew she had a lot of inner work to do in order to shed the figurative and literal layers surrounding her.

In 2024, Pam’s dad went into hospice and passed away, and when she returned home, she didn’t feel good in her body.  She had a pair of her dad’s jeans, and made it a goal to fit into those jeans.  

Pam decided it was time for her to begin to feel comfortable in her body again. She started a daily walking practice, and she loves to get out before the sun comes up.  She also recognized that she feels better without sugar, and also needs to limit starchy carbs to feel her best.  In addition to adding walking and dialing in the food choices that make her feel her best, Pam began ADF, with Monday, Wednesday, and Friday down days.  

Pam has lost 8 inches from around her waist since the spring of 2024, and she was able to comfortably fit into her dad’s jeans when the family got together to celebrate his life in the fall.  She also fit into a goal jacket, and she feels powerful, strong, and capable.

Pam encourages new IFers to find a way to be patient with the process. She recommends that you identify yourself as an intermittent faster, making it part of your identity.  In addition, we all need to make the choices that are best for us, recognizing that we are all going to be different.  Along the way, we are each empowered to figure out what makes us feel our best.

Check out our sponsor Zoe at ZOE.com, and use the promo code IFSTORIES10 to get 10% off your membership.

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/community

Do 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]

Visit 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 Deborah Ventrice from Bristol, RI.

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. 

Deborah is an interior designer and a business owner. When she was a child, she suffered from lymphedema, which caused her body to retain lymphatic fluid and made her body unrecognizable. She was teased relentlessly by the other kids, and doctors only offered low calorie diets as a solution. After hospitalization for a severe illness, the lymphedema resolved itself, and when she went back to school, the other kids didn’t recognize her. From that moment, she became aware of the importance of how you looked when it came to social acceptance. She ended up with a focus on body building and athletics, and maintained her muscular body for most of her adult life. 

After witnessing the fall of the World Trade Center buildings on 9/11, Deborah realized that she had PTSD, and her therapist helped her connect her current feelings with the way she felt as a child. Understanding those connections helped her work through those feelings.

After going through surgical menopause, Deborah began gaining weight rapidly. She had maintained around 130-135 for most of her adult life, but suddenly found herself around 165. Out of desperation, she tried a low-calorie high protein program, but she knew that the ultra processed foods were not going to be the best option for her body, even though she lost weight rapidly. She knew it was unsustainable.

Deborah found IF in January of 2021. At first, she wasn’t fasting clean, but when she made the transition to the clean fast, it changed the whole experience for her. Initially, she lost more weight than was right for her body, because she became scale-focused and enjoyed the lower numbers she was seeing. Eventually, she recognized that she was at a lower weight than was sustainable, and she regained enough weight to end up back in a healthy weight range for her body. 

As she approaches semi-retirement, Deborah remains steadfast in her commitment to intermittent fasting and healthy living. Since there is a family history of heart disease, she went through a round of testing and her cardiologist called to give her the good news that her heart is extremely healthy, and she credits it to her healthy lifestyle. Her final advice to listeners is to be honest with yourself about your personal struggles and to start with clean fasting. She encourages listeners to openly share their stories to support and help one another.

Check out our sponsor Zoe at ZOE.com, and use the promo code IFSTORIES10 to get 10% off your membership.

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/community

Do 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]

Visit 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 Dr. Pete Patitsas, an emergency medicine doctor and author of The Athos Diet.

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. 

Dr. Pete is Greek Orthodox, which has many ancient traditions including fasting. From the age of 7, he observed the fasting lifestyle his church follows, and it wasn’t until he was completing a research project in med school that he began to understand the powerful health benefits that are associated with fasting. His findings inspired his book, The Athos Diet, designed to optimize Orthodox Christian fasting for health benefits. The three pillars of his approach include intermittent fasting (with a daily 4-8 hour window), choosing nutritious foods, and gentle exercise. 

Throughout the discussion, Dr. Pete emphasizes the natural health-promoting aspects of cultural practices and ancestral ways of living, such as eating seasonally. He draws analogies between modern intermittent fasting and historical cycles of feast and famine, suggesting that facing natural challenges enhances resilience. Dr. Pete details his routine of eating within a four-hour window and fasting for 36 hours occasionally to boost clarity and health. This regimen is tied to his Orthodox beliefs, which he emphasizes have inherent health benefits that could prevent major diseases.

Gin and Dr. Pete delve into intermittent fasting's role in utilizing stored fat for energy, preserving muscle mass, and boosting growth hormone levels, which impact overall health and longevity. They also address the rising trend of obesity in children and the broader implications of dietary choices on public health.

Dr. Pete advocates for intermittent fasting as a holistic approach to health, going beyond mere weight loss to enhance mental and physical well-being. Dr. Pete underscores the benefits of traditional fasting practices, noting the remarkable longevity and cognitive health of monks following these regimens. As a parting message, Dr. Pete advises listeners to integrate intermittent fasting into their lives to experience its myriad benefits, stressing the importance of consistency and lifestyle changes in achieving long-term health and resilience.

Check out our sponsor Zoe at ZOE.com, use code IFSTORIES10 to get 10% off your membership

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/community

Do 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]

Visit 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 Noelle Frazier from western Michigan.

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. 

Noelle is a mom of three and she owns a small cleaning company. Initially introduced to intermittent fasting by her sister-in-law in 2016, Noelle's first attempt was unsuccessful because she wasn’t fasting clean and also she was attempting to homeschool her kids, which made it challenging. 

Then, in October of 2022, Noelle decided to try intermittent fasting again, and this time she found Gin’s work and began fasting clean. Her first month was a challenge, as she found herself overeating when her window would open. After her body adapted to fasting, however, she had a renewed sense of peace around food, and the urge to overeat went away. Gin emphasizes that this is a normal part of the body’s adjustment period.  

Noalle has been amazed at how intermittent fasting has calmed her anxiety, and she also feels like the “fog” has lifted. She has endurance for her physically demanding job, and enjoys mental clarity throughout the day. She is currently within a healthy weight range, and is learning to navigate maintenance.  

As they touch on themes of self-acceptance and body image, Noelle and Gin discuss the psychological impact of intermittent fasting. They agree on the importance of positive self-perception and instilling these values in their children. Concluding the episode, Noelle stresses the significance of self-advocacy. Her final advice to listeners is to consider dedicating your fast to someone else, and take the pictures along the way. You will be so happy to have the photos when the scale isn’t moving.

Check out our sponsor Zoe at ZOE.com, and use the promo code IFSTORIES10 to get 10% off your membership.

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/community

Do 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]

Visit 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 Mara Hallisey from Weathersfield, CT.

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. 

Mara is a licensed marriage and family therapist  She first found fasting in 2019, and tried extended fasting, but had limited success.  Her frustration eventually led her to try the Galveston diet by Dr. Mary Claire Haver in June of 2019, which not only helped her shed pounds but also introduced her to the benefits of fasting.  She started out with macro tracking, which helped her adopt a more balanced approach to eating which has stuck with her. However, the initial weight loss journey had its ups and downs, especially during menopause.

Mara experienced a mental funk by January of 2020 due to the weight gain of menopause, and planned a yoga retreat for self-care, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to cancel the retreat. Despite the challenges, the lockdown brought precious family bonding time as her daughters returned home from college. This period, which Mara describes as "stolen time," allowed for unexpected moments of joy and indulgence. During the lockdown, Mara also explored hypnotherapy for weight loss, unearthing deeper emotional issues related to self-imposed guilt, and learning the importance of forgiveness and implementing personal rules that provided the discipline she needed.

Mara achieved her weight goal of 145 pounds in six months. In 2021, she discovered Gin’s work and delved deeper into intermittent fasting. Initially hesitant to change her habits, Mara eventually embraced a clean fast with positive results. Gin and Mara also discuss Dr. Mary Claire Haver's insights on perimenopause and the importance of proper education in women's health, as well as Mara’s and Gin’s positive experiences with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT).

Mara shares her personal triumphs over insomnia, brain fog, and the incredible feeling of restful sleep after starting BHRT. She has also experienced powerful mindset transformations along the way. In closing, Mara emphasizes the importance of finding personal solutions that work for you, highlighting the necessity of balancing discipline with freedom. Her final advice to listeners is to trust the process and also learn to trust your body again.

Check out our sponsor Zoe at ZOE.com, use code IFSTORIES10 to get 10% off your membership.

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/community

Do 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]

Visit 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 Lucy Marsden from Leicestershire 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. 

Lucy is a repeat guest, and she first appeared on episode 134.  She began living the intermittent fasting lifestyle in 2017, after learning about Dr. Michael Moseley’s 5:2 approach.  She went to Facebook to find a group about intermittent fasting, and ended up in Gin’s original Facebook group where she soon became an active member and later a moderator.  

Lucy’s preference for a balanced, nutritious diet aligned with her job as a cookery teacher, making it more practical for her to eat less frequently throughout the day. Over time, she adapted to a relaxed one meal a day approach, which is the lifestyle she lives today.  Gin and Lucy talk about how they both define “one meal a day” as a multi-course meal that spans several hours, rather than one plate of food in a short period of time.  

Lucy discusses the significant dietary changes she made based on her Zoe test results, eliminating foods like white rice, pasta, and bread that didn't work well for her body. She found delicious swaps such as barley and pulses such as lentils and beans, which she incorporates into weekly meal preparations. Lucy’s meal prep routine involves making weekly pulse mixtures and mega salads composed of various sprouts, herbs, and whatever ingredients she has on hand, optimizing her efficiency in the kitchen. She emphasizes the practical approach of batching and freezing meal components for quick and healthy eating options throughout the week. Her dietary adjustments have not only boosted her nutrition but have also introduced her into the world of easy ferments, leading her to work on a new book that simplifies the fermenting process with recipes like pineapple kraut.

Lucy and Gin reflect on their mutual experiences going through the Zoe program, which encourages you to work with your unique body to find the foods that work best for you. Despite initial disappointing results, Lucy has seen significant improvements in her health and microbiome scores by focusing on probiotic foods and transitioning to healthier fats like olive oil. A particular highlight is Lucy’s fondness for creating versatile, flavorful meals without strict measurements, featuring fresh, nutritious ingredients. Her latest cookbook, I'll Have What Lucy's Having, is designed to be user-friendly, providing tips on batch cooking, freezing, and growing sprouts, targeting everyday convenience rather than complex, time-consuming recipes.  

Throughout the episode, both Gin and Lucy underscore the transformative benefits of intermittent fasting, particularly for gut health and overall well-being. Lucy's personal anecdotes reveal how fasting has become a sustainable lifestyle that doesn’t feel at all like a restrictive diet, allowing her to enjoy foods like cheese and avocados freely. She advises newcomers to gradually delay meals and reduce eating frequencies, insisting the practice will become easier with time and adaptation. Lucy’s final advice is clear: the journey to adopting intermittent fasting should be simplified, emphasizing real, high-quality foods eaten within restricted time windows to enhance health without overcomplicating the process. You can find Lucy at https://fresherbites.co.uk/.

Check out our sponsor Zoe at ZOE.com, use code IFSTORIES10 to get 10% off your membership

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/community

Do 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]

Visit 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 Angela Eckhart from Danielsville, PA.

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. 

Angela is a forensic evidence technician, and she is also a writer and a professional editor. Angela began researching intermittent fasting in April 2022 as she approached menopause, aiming to prevent and manage potential weight gain. Angela is unlike many guests in that she never needed to lose weight and has maintained within a healthy weight range, which she credits to her genetics. But she knew that it was important to be proactive as she aged. 

Angela found intermittent fasting in April of 2022, and became convinced of the health benefits. She began with an 8-hour window, though she now tends to have a 4-5 hour daily eating window most days. She has maintained her weight within a healthy range for her body throughout her IF journey.

Both Angela and Gin reflect on the health benefits of intermittent fasting, with Angela sharing that her parents saw significant improvements in their A1C levels after both becoming intermittent fasters.

Their discussion turns to the modern food landscape, and how reading Ultraprocessed People was a real eye opener. Angela elaborates on her preference for fresh ingredients and healthier options, and the importance of reading labels while shopping. She also reflects on her past snacking habits and the shift towards more nutrient-dense choices, attributing many positive health changes to intermittent fasting.

Ending the episode, Angela advises beginners in intermittent fasting to read foundational books like Fast Feast Repeat or Delay, Don't Deny, and to engage with the fasting community for support and motivation. She emphasizes the importance of clean fasting for better health outcomes and encourages listeners to embrace the journey towards healthier living.

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/community

Do 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]

Visit 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 Julie Linville from Bonney 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. 

Julie is an administrative assistant in a school district in the special education department. As she went through her 50s, she experienced the hormonal changes related to surgical menopause and then developed Graves’ Disease, and she felt awful. After getting the Graves’ Disease under control, she began gaining weight. As an adult, she had always maintained between 142-148, so when she got on the scale and saw 164, she knew that something had to change. But she also had the thought, “this is just who I am now,” figuring that both the weight gain and sluggishness are simply what happens as we age.

Fortunately, she found a YouTube video in January of 2023 that explained intermittent fasting and recommended Gin’s book Fast. Feast. Repeat. She downloaded the book and got started right away, and a couple of weeks later, her husband joined her. 

Within 2-3 days, Julie felt better. The brain fog she had been living with lifted, and pain she had been living with resolved. By the time her birthday rolled around in April of that year, she was down to 150, and she kept going, eventually getting back down to her goal range. She had been a size 8/M her entire adult life, but now finds herself wearing a size 6/S. 

Julie is motivated to continue living the intermittent fasting lifestyle forever, because she wants to avoid the dementia that her parents faced as they aged. She also wants to remain strong and capable as she ages, and she loves the way she feels as an intermittent faster. 

As the episode closes, Julie recommends that new intermittent fasters focus on the health benefits and how much better you are feeling. She emphasizes that you should stick with it, and don’t put so much emphasis on the scale. Know that everyone is different, but that wonderful things are happening in your body.

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/community

Do 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]

Visit 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 Carter Willmann from Huntington Beach, 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. 

Carter is a musician and a music teacher. He was a kid of the 90s and early 2000s, and grew up with lots of processed foods always around. He remembers always being self-conscious about his weight and his stomach. When he went off to college, his weight began to go up even more, until he eventually found himself at 280 pounds. In 2015 while he was working on his Masters degree, Carter decided it was time to take control of his weight. He was able to get below 200 pounds through a great deal of hard work. His routine included extensive meal planning, heavy workouts, and yoga, but eventually, this intense lifestyle became unsustainable. Meeting his husband in 2017 added significant changes to his life, including a reduction in his commitment to workouts, leading to weight gain.

During the pandemic, Carter experienced the same shifts many did—losing access to yoga classes and transitioning to virtual teaching. Despite these challenges, he adapted and maintained work continuity. Eventually, he found himself back up to around 260 pounds. He had a wake-up call that led to him quitting drinking permanently, and that also began his quest to better health. He felt he needed to “cleanse” his body, and that led him down a YouTube rabbit hole that took him to the concept of autophagy and fasting. 

He started intermittent fasting seriously after reading Dr. Jason Fung’s The Obesity Code and Gin’s book, Delay, Don’t Deny, both of which profoundly influenced him. His 2023 New Year’s Resolution was to incorporate a daily eating window, which has led to slow and steady weight loss ever since. He is down to 185 pounds and wears size 32/30 pants these days. Carter's personal gains from intermittent fasting have included improved posture, fewer ear infections, increased energy levels, and a revived passion for gardening. His mother has joined him in intermittent fasting, shedding approximately 40 pounds, and his husband also adopted an intermittent fasting lifestyle, losing about 20 pounds.

Carter discussed the importance of setting a good example rather than persuading others to try intermittent fasting. His journey emphasized finding sustainable routines by integrating fasting with other pillars of health like exercise, sleep, and mental well-being.

Closing the episode, Carter shares advice for beginners, suggesting they start with a manageable eating window. He emphasizes the importance of patience and gradual improvements over time. He encourages listeners to view fasting as an essential but previously overlooked component of health that, when balanced with diet, exercise, and sleep, can create a positive feedback loop leading to overall well-being. Carter’s story underlines that making gradual, sustainable changes can pave the way for long-lasting health improvements.

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/community

Do 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]

Visit 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 Binay Curtis from the San Francisco, CA 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. 

Binay is a fitness expert and nutritionist, and she discovered intermittent fasting by accident about 6 years ago, when she realized that she felt better when she delayed eating until after she had worked out for the day. She was very excited to find that what she was doing has a name—intermittent fasting—and that it’s actually a healthy lifestyle. Since that time, she hasn’t looked back.

Binay credits Gin's podcast with helping her adapt to clean fasting, which she now openly shares with her nutrition clients. She highlights the importance of listening to your body, overcoming traditional dietary advice that may not be the right fit for you, and focusing on real, nutritious foods.

Both Gin and Binay emphasize the profound benefits they've experienced through intermittent fasting, such as increased strength, muscle visibility, improved sleep, and increased energy. They address common misconceptions about fasting, particularly for women, and stress the importance of personal experience over external advice. Binay discusses exercising in a fasted state and how she maintains and builds strength without traditional weightlifting.

Additionally, the episode touches on family dynamics and healthy role modeling, with both Gin and Binay sharing anecdotes about their children and their conscious food choices. Binay discusses her work as a nutritionist, focusing on the challenges of identifying suitable foods for children with allergies and sensitivities. She recently launched the "Body by Binay" app to provide a supportive community for individuals worldwide, emphasizing the importance of accountability and engagement. Her virtual HIIT classes offer varied and engaging workouts that prevent boredom and maintain high participation levels. And she does them all in the fasted state. 

The episode concludes with practical advice from Binay, stressing the significance of nourishing the body with nutrient-dense foods during a specific eating window and recognizing the body's hunger and satiety signals. She highlights the importance of maintaining a balanced approach to health and fitness that aligns with personal lifestyles and preferences. Binay's final advice encourages listeners to start where they feel comfortable with intermittent fasting, make small tweaks along the way, and always pay attention to how they feel from the inside out for sustained success. You can connect with Binay through her website: https://www.bodybybinay.com/.

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/community

Do 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]

Visit 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.