In this episode, Gin talks to Melissa Navarro, a realtor from Santa Rosa, CA.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 28: Melissa Navarro

Are you ready to be inspired? Tune in each week to hear real-world stories from successful intermittent fasters, including their best tips to help you find success. Intermittent Fasting Stories is hosted by Gin Stephens, author of the New York Times bestseller Fast Feast Repeat, as well as her other books:  Cleanish, Delay, Don't Deny, and Feast Without Fear.  Looking for a community of like-minded intermittent fasters?  Go to ginstephens.com/community for more information and to join. 

Nutrition

Health & Fitness

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/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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.com

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.

Episode 410: Mona Santos

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/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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.com

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.

Episode 409: Tamra Collins

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/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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.com

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.

Episode 408: Tami Haverkamp

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 school

board in custodial maintenance. She began her intermittent fasting journey just

over a year ago to combat menopausal weight gain, starting with a 16:8 schedule

and quickly progressing to a daily fast of 18-19 hours. 

AnneMarie's backstory is compelling. Diagnosed with COPD and

after many failed attempts with conventional weight loss methods, she had

bariatric surgery in 2015. When she began having some weight regain linked

to the menopausal transition, she stumbled upon intermittent fasting and found

Gin's book during her research. The intermittent fasting lifestyle has not only

revitalized her energy levels but also managed health concerns like migraines,

hot flashes, and even plantar fasciitis. As AnneMarie and Gin discuss impact of

menopause on women's bodies, they emphasize the significance of sharing our

experiences and the importance of understanding our changing physiology.

Both being advocates of listening to the body, they

differentiate between genuine hunger and cravings, understanding appetite

correction, and emphasize eating whole foods. AnneMarie leans towards

nutrient-rich foods and has moved away from highly processed options. This

change has rippled into her family life, shaping her household's eating habits

towards 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 to

the hidden benefits that extend far beyond weight loss. She stands as a

testament to the efficacy of the lifestyle, and her story is one of gratitude

towards the positive changes she's witnessed. With her dedication to

self-awareness and health, AnneMarie leaves us inspired and motivated to

embrace our body's signals and the transformation that follows with a mindful approach

to 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/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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.com

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.

Episode 407: AnneMarie Caron

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 and

holistic living. His turning point came in 2019, after a beach vacation with

family. Mochi shares how intermittent fasting led to weight loss while also

helping him manage panic attacks and high blood pressure. His story is a

testament to the positive impact of dietary mindfulness and a prioritization of

natural health practices over conventional pharmaceutical interventions. He

shares his experiences with a variety of natural practices such as yogic

breathing techniques, regular sauna use, and cold plunging. 

Mochi emphasizes the delicate balancing act that is required

when discussing dietary habits with your children, advocating for promoting

healthy 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 and

embody a healthy relationship to food and lifestyle with health at the

forefront.

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/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: gin@intermittentfastingstories.com

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.

Episode 28: Melissa Navarro

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