Hi

I am Melanie Gleeson, 56 years old, from Perth, Australia, originally from New Zealand. I have been fasting for 5 years.

Through the grips of menopause, grief. Stress and getting derailed by some bad advice.

I'm 5ft 2", so I'm not a large frame - therefore, every pound shows. I am very active. I walk the dog morning and night.

Often, I go for a longer hike or beach visit on the weekend, and I go to the Gym 3-4 times a week.

I'm pretty weights-focused because a) I like it and b) I've been warned that higher cardio intensity workouts increase/spike cortisol in women, and cortisol is not our friend.

I have always been health conscious, even though I haven't eaten well or liked the way I looked/weighed more.

So this episode brought health into even sharper focus

And my fasting is at the core of that. I've never been a big breakfast eater, so that is the period when I'm able to extend my window

I feel better when I fast and look forward to continuing the fasting lifestyle.

Melanie was a guest on the Podcast way back in episode 2.

Amy Jo is a wife, mother, small business owner, health coach, and college English professor.

She and her husband Rush have been married for 27 years and have enjoyed being empty nesters since their son married three years ago.

Six years ago, enjoying life and keeping up with her many responsibilities was overwhelming. She was ballooning back up to her all-time highest weight of 300 pounds and suffering from debilitating nerve pain from a hip injury that led to labral repair surgery in December of 2016.

Morbidly obese her entire adult life, she gave IF a try in January 2020 after two coworkers had been doing a version of it through a program sponsored by their school’s insurance.

The rest, as they say, is history. Since IF day one on January 6, 2020, Amy Jo has lost about 90 pounds and is no longer in chronic pain or taking the strong meds that helped her merely function daily. She is also finding balance after losing her Mom and entering menopause in 2023.

Even with a bit of weight gain, the clean fast remains her one non-negotiable ingredient for maintaining a healthy intermittent fasting lifestyle.

Our Patreon Supporters Community -Join us!

Please consider joining the Fasting Highway Patreon community. The feedback has been great for all who have joined.

It has become an excellent addition to our members' IF lifestyle. They enjoy a lot of bonus content to support them living an IF life for as little as 0.16 cents a day.

Graeme hosts Zoom meetings four times a month in the Northern and Southern hemispheres for members to come and get support for their IF lifestyle, which has proven very popular with our Patreon members.

You will not find anywhere that provides that kind of support and accountability for just 0.16 cents a day.

There are over 100 exclusive pieces of audio content for Patreon members to help you navigate your IF journey and get more accountability and support.

Please go to www.patreon.com/thefastinghighway to see the benefits you get back and how to jGraemes best-selling book, The Fasting Highway, about his journey and how he did it, is available in paperback and Kindle at your local Amazon store. It is also available on audio at Applebooks, Kobo, Spotify, and many other audiobook platforms.

Graeme can also be booked for one-on-one mentoring and coaching by going to www.thefastinghighway.com, clicking on get help, getting coaching, and booking a time. All times you see are in your local time zone.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this podcast should be taken as medical advice. The opinions expressed herein are those of the host and guest only.

Dana will be 54 on Mar 1st, 2025 and is 5’2 at 110 lbs.  She started IF on SEPT 5, 2023, after learning about it on a podcast focusing on Alzheimer's / dementia prevention/mitigation.  She was listening to that podcast b/c she lost both parents-in-law to this horrible disease. Within 1 week of starting IF, she remembers saying out loud to her husband, “I feel fantastic. I don’t think I’ll ever want to stop doing this.” 

 She never had a weight problem but suffered from a horrible sugar addiction and was raised on UPFs and LOVED sugar, especially chocolate, since she was 3 years old. Old.  She used sugar/chocolate and UPFs her whole life as a way to soothe, celebrate, comfort, connect, etc. and has struggled with emotional eating FOREVER.  Since she never really struggled much with her weight and didn’t drink alcohol or smoke cigs, she always justified the emotional eating with, “No big deal - it’s my one vice.”  However, her father died at 51 of a massive heart attack, as did his father and his brother, so CVD runs in her family.  On Easter of 2016, she had just binged her son’s Easter candy. She was watching Dr Phil when she saw an episode about “SKINNY FAT” people - she had a significant epiphany and started a program called “28-day shred”, which was paleo eating and lost 10 lbs (going from 128-118), then took 1 day off and did another round losing six more lbs.  She only ate sugar in those 60 days once but was miserable and felt weak -she couldn’t keep eating that way.  So she stopped and slowly started consuming too much sugar and UPFs again.  IF has helped her sugar cravings as well as a MILLION other NSV’s. 

Our Patreon Supporters Community -Join us!

Please consider joining the Fasting Highway Patreon community. The feedback has been great for all who have joined.

It has become an excellent add-on to our Patreon members' IF lifestyle, who enjoy a lot of bonus content to support them in living an IF life for as little as 0.16 cents a day

For less than a cup of coffee a month, you can join and support your own health goals and meet like-minded people and get a lot of support

Graeme hosts Zoom meetings four times a month in the Northern and Southern hemispheres for members to come and get support for their IF lifestyle, which has proven very popular with our Patreon members.

You will not find anywhere that provides that kind of support and accountability for just 0.16 cents a day. There are over 100 exclusive pieces of audio content for Patreon members to help you navigate your IF journey and get more accountability and support.

Please go to www.patreon.com/thefastinghighway to see the benefits you get back and how to join. I strongly encourage you to do so for the price of a cup of coffee a month. Its a sound investment into your health.

Graeme's best-selling book, The Fasting Highway, about his journey and how he did it, is available in paperback and Kindle at your local Amazon store. It is also available on audio at Applebooks, Kobo, Spotify, and many other audiobook platforms.

Graeme can also be booked for one-on-one mentoring and coaching by going to www.thefastinghighway.com, clicking on get help, getting coaching, and booking a time. All times you see are in your local time zone.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this podcast should be taken as medical advice. The opinions expressed herein are those of the host and guest only.

I am a lifelong Nashvillian, 74 years old, mother of our daughters, three nurses, and an elementary teacher. I have 13 grandkids and six great-grandkids.

 FAMILY

I grew up in a large Catholic family with six kids in the 1950s. I had a great childhood. My father was a doctor, and my mother was a nurse but a full-time homemaker after getting married.

 CHILDHOOD

I was always involved in the academic side of things, and my mother kept me super busy with after-school and summer activities (I guess to keep me out of trouble because I was a very social person). I had three brothers who teased me constantly about my weight even though I was not that big. I went out for sports, but I was continually cut, so I focused on academics, music lessons, and the creative and literary arts and pretty much excelled at most things I got into.

MARRIAGE

After getting married at 21 and having four children in 9I had picked up about 20 pounds (when I got married, I was probably about 25 pounds overweight). So, I was not overly obese but just never felt comfortable in my clothes.

 CAREER

My career was in medical publications, nonprofit writing, public relations, and special events.

 STATS—-

5’7”…

74 years YOUNG…

SW: 218

CW:150-ish

PROTOCOL

I used a 20/4 protocol to lose. I opened my window at about 330 every day.  I got the last 25 off in five months by “clean fasting” after I had a three-year plateau during which time I was probably fasting 50% of that time, but, again, it was not a “clean fast.” (I had coconut oil or butter & heavy cream & artificial sweeteners in my coffee).

NSVs

My medical lab work is in perfect alignment, and I don’t take any medication. My body is much stronger, and I feel s0 much more energetic, healthy, clear-minded, and positive. The brain fog I was having in my late 60s, as well as some depression, is completely gone.

 I went from size 18 jeans to size 10 and from XL/XXL tops to mediums.

 This is the first time (even as a child) I have been in a “normal” BMI range. I have dozens and dozens of non-scale victories, including not being embarrassed in a bathing suit, having the stamina to walk over 4 miles at a time with no fatigue, having a lot more confidence when interacting with people, and wearing clothes that look cute on me. I have skin tags that have disappeared, joint inflammation that has lessened immensely, clearer skin, and thicker hair. The list is almost endless.

I NEVER counted calories, points, or macros. I guess I am in maintenance because this is where my body has been since last May. I weighed the exact weight I was in the eighth grade. I am 20 pounds less than when I graduated high school and 25 pounds less than when I married. Despite my age, I have more energy today than 20 years ago.

Our Patreon Supporters Community -Join us!

Please consider joining the Fasting Highway Patreon community. The feedback has been great for all who have joined. Visit www.patreon.com/thefastinghighway for more info.

Joining the Patreon community, it's a very cost-effective way to get extra accountability and support for just 0.16 cents a day

Come and give it a go for a month. Most people stay and love the content; regular audio encouragement is sent directly to their inbox weekly.

My book, The Fasting Highway, can be found on Amazon, and the audiobook can be downloaded on Applebooks, Spotify, or Kobo, among many other audiobook platforms.

For one-on-one coaching with me, go to the webpage www.thefastinghighway.com, click on get help, and get coaching if you want one-on-one help. I would love to work with you one-on-one.

Disclaimer: Please note the views of the host and guest on this podcast are our own and should not be taken as direct medical advice. Please consult your Dr before starting any health plan.

I’m Nic,

 Raised in rural New Zealand, from a sheep and beef farming background. Big family, active, always outside helping on the farm or riding horses.

Dad was starting horses all the time; we all rode as kids, tho I’m the only one who carried on after we went to high school, travelling to town daily.

We're all fit and trim, kids. I'm into my early 20s, though far from heavy. I did my first stint with WW and starved the weight off, counting calories. I am still super active, riding and working on farms with an entire working dog team.

 Then, one day, I just started eating and couldn’t stop. Weight back on…..

I did that again in my early 30s; by then, it had gotten quite big. I lost the weight quickly…. Maintenance? No……. I gained it all again.

 Again, around 40, I did the same….. exercising too, over and above the farm work and horses. Each time, WW was utterly obsessed with food and starving all the time.

I'm approaching my 50th birthday at my highest weight, and I hate it. I gave away so many fabulous clothes, as I had given up.

 51, huge …… and one of the photos I hate the most. When my family met for lunch, I had nothing to wear, nothing fit, and I was getting bigger by the day…… Those photos disgust me.

 Around eight months later, I saw something about 16:8. I thought I could try that, as I rarely ate early anyway; I was probably too full from the night before…….

 I decided if I didn’t do something, the foods I was eating were going to either kill me early or make me ill.

I knew I couldn’t continue the way I was; something had to 'give'. So I started. At first, I still ate three times over those eight hours. I didn’t know about any FB pages, books, apps, etc.

 I cut out all 'crap' like obvious sugars and chose lowish carbs. Unfortunately, I didn’t weigh at the start!

I rarely weigh, but I think I was close to 90 kg, which is huge. I am 5'7 "in height.

I soon discovered there were FB pages, books, and podcasts! I can’t recall when I joined those, but I quickly weeded out the ones that weren’t for me.

 What I liked about The Fasting Highway was its down-to-earth approach, book, podcasts, page, sharing, and support. I also appreciated the accountability to myself and the importance of sharing before-and-after pics. And here I am now, close to six years in.

Donna D's comment on a recent post resonatedwith me, 'it’s not all unicorns and rainbows' prompted me to do the podcast.

I’d felt that because my binge eating still plays a part, I’m rubbish at food choices when out of my routine…..

I thought I couldn’t share that; it wouldn’t be productive to other people's journeys….

Then a friend said, 'Yeah, but it works for you,' and that made me stop and think—it does!

So that, along with Donna’s comment on her post, leads me to share.

I lost about 20kg when we were locked in, then once I saw after that time, farming friends were gobsmacked, commenting, then commenting again, like they barely recognised me.

 I stayed around the 70kg mark for a few years, if Istrayed too far with the food choices, I regrouped, remembering the mantra to "Trust the Process" and things soon lined up again.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve lost a bit more; I’m around 62-63kg now. As my diet evolved, I fasted a bit longer now, eating once or twice a day.

 I took up cycling (I never had bikes as a kid) and cycled12km a day, which I loved, still do it, tho not as often, purely just 'time'. I still ride most days. Animals make you active, and they are all that chubby, too. It was what I ate, the contributor!

 When I veer off my path, I’m desperate to regroup and get back on my road. Always, and that’s the winner. I WANT to do it.

 So, 'Do it' is a long game that is game-changing.

Our Patreon Supporters Community -Join us!

Please consider joining the Fasting Highway Patreon community. The feedback has been great for all who have joined. Visit www.patreon.com/thefastinghighway for more info.

Jim Peeler lives in Hickory, a small city in the foothills of North Carolina. He and his wife Diana have two adult children who live in the western NC mountains and one grandson. Jim is a financial controller for a logistics company. Jim has just passed his first fasting anniversary on February 1, 2025. This year has resulted in a loss of 73 pounds so far, and he plans to start maintaining soon within a range of 140 to 145 pounds. Now 64 years old, Jim has struggled with weight issues at least since the 5th grade of elementary school, at the age of ten. He has lost hundreds of pounds over the years, using various methods, but always gained back to an even higher level once the diet ended. The hope is that intermittent fasting will hold the key to finally losing significant amounts of weight for the last time.

Looking back, Jim realizes that over his life, he had reached a tipping point roughly every 10 years, which prompted him tostart a serious weight loss attempt, with numerous attempts in between that never lasted very long. Jim successfully lost in these serious attempts, shedding more and more pounds each time, but the diet rollercoaster led him to heavier weights with each try until he hit a maximum weight of 245 pounds in late 2018. And at only 5 feet, 4 inches he was seriously morbidly obese.

Through 2019 and 2020, he successfully reached150 pounds through calorie reduction and walking, but by 2024, he had once again risen to 215 pounds following a job change and the loss of his mother, among other stressful situations. He had heard of intermittent fasting sometimebefore but never seriously considered it until he decided to try it in February 2024. Since then, he has been fasting and is on the path to long-term maintenance thanks to intermittent fasting.

Our Patreon Supporters Community -Join us!

Please consider joining the Fasting Highway Patreon community. The feedback has been great for all who have joined.

It has become an excellent add-on to our Patreon members' IF lifestyle, who enjoy a lot of bonus content to support them in living an IF life for as little as 0.16 cents a day

For less than a cup of coffee a month, you can join and support your own health goals and meet like-minded people and get a lot of support

Graeme hosts Zoom meetings four times a month in the Northern and Southern hemispheres for members to come and get support for their IF lifestyle, which has proven very popular with our Patreon members.

You will not find anywhere that provides that kind of support and accountability for just 0.16 cents a day. There are over 100 exclusive pieces of audio content for Patreon members to help you navigate your IF journey and get more accountability and support.

Please go to www.patreon.com/thefastinghighway to see the benefits you get back and how to join.

Graeme's best-selling book, The Fasting Highway, about his journey and how he did it, is available in paperback and Kindle at your local Amazon store. It is also available on audio at Applebooks, Kobo, Spotify, and many other audiobook platforms.

Graeme can also be booked for one-on-one mentoring and coaching by going to www.thefastinghighway.com, clicking on get help, get coaching, and book a time. All times you see are your local time zone.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this podcast should be taken as medical advice. The opinions expressed herein are those of the host and guest only.

Carl Madonna lives in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, in the USA, with his loving wife and family . As you will hear in this podcast, Carl has just completed his first full year of living an Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle, Losing an incredible 100 pounds-45 Kg. Carl shares many takeaways and insights in this episode and has transformed his life and health, as you will hear. Carl is a travelling salesperson who spends a lot of windshield time, as he calls it, on the road. His passion for fasting shines through, and so does his desire to help others by telling his story.

Our Patreon Supporters Community

Please consider joining the Fasting Highway Patreon community. It has been great for all who have joined.

It has become an excellent add-on to our Patreon members' IF lifestyle, who enjoy a lot of bonus content to support them in living an IF life.

For less than a cup of coffee a month, you can join and support your own health goals.

Graeme hosts Zoom meetings twice monthly in the Northern and Southern hemispheres for members to come and get support for their IF lifestyle, which has proven very popular with our Patreon members.

You will not find anywhere that provides that kind of support and accountability for just 0.16 cents a day. There are over 100 exclusive pieces of audio content for Patreon members to help you navigate your IF journey and get more accountability and support.

Please go to www.patreon.com/thefastinghighway to see the benefits you get back and how to join.

Graeme's best-selling book, The Fasting Highway, about his journey and how he did it, is available in paperback and Kindle at your local Amazon store. It is also available on audio at Applebooks, Kobo, Spotify, and many other audiobook platforms. Disclaimer: Nothing in this podcast should be taken as medical advice. The opinions expressed herein are those of the host and guest only.

More in the episode

I’m a 37-year-old mother, wife, boss babe, and “Life Strategist Expert” navigating the busiest season of life—balancing a demanding career and a whirlwind of kids.’schedules, and a deep commitment to a Journey of Resilience, Healing, and True Transformation. For decades, food was my comfort, a source of solace through trauma, stress, and the never-ending demands of life. But in October 2019, everything changed. Through clean intermittent fasting, I’ve not only released 153 lbs. but also shed toxic habits, negative self-beliefs, and relationshipsthat no longer served me. What started as a physical transformation became a rebirth that brought newfound strength, body positivity, and the ability to move in ways I never dreamed possible. Living with PCOS for over a decade, I struggled with metabolic resistance, disordered eating, and food obsession. But intermittent fasting became the key to flipping the metabolic switch, healing my relationship with food, and reclaiming control over her health. Today, I am passionate about sharing my journey to inspire others toprioritize themselves—because self-care isn’t selfish, it’s necessary. In this episode, I opened up about the highs and lows of my transformation, the power of mindset shifts, and why intermittent fasting truly saved my life. If you’refeeling stuck, overwhelmed, or need a little motivation, my story might be the spark you need. Tune in and get inspired—because change is possible, and it starts with YOU. I'll be here forever re-writing my story so it suits me best for each life phase.  Follow my health journey on Instagram @LivelyLisa_Fasting4Life.

A 36-year-old mother, wife and “chaos coordinator” juggling a busy phase of life with multiple activity schedules and a demanding career while continuing a wellness journey committed to overall health. It’s an absolute must to make myself a priority through the daily stressors of this busy phase of life as I let food be my comfort throughdecades of trauma comfort. Since starting clean intermittent fasting in October 2019, I cannot see living my life any other way.  Intermittent Fasting over the last 3.5 years has laid the foundation for wellness for me and has allowed me to release 145 lbs. This lifestyle is a true passion of mine. Iam committed to sharing my story as I am different today than when I started this journey. Physically, yes, but so much more about me has also changed. Living a life of body positivity and being able to move in ways I never could before was always just a dream. If Intermittent Fasting saved my life from disordered eating and food obsession, anyone can also take the time to listen to this podcast episode. 

Our Patreon Supporters Community

Please consider joining the Fasting Highway Patreon community. It has been great for all who have joined.

It has become an excellent add-on to our Patreon members' IF lifestyle, who enjoy a lot of bonus content to support them in living an IF life.

For less than a cup of coffee a month, you can join and support your own health goals.

Graeme hosts Zoom meetings twice monthly in the Northern and Southern hemispheres for members to come and get support for their IF lifestyle, which has proven very popular with our Patreon members.

You will not find anywhere that provides that kind of support and accountability for just 0.16 cents a day. There are over 100 exclusive pieces of audio content for Patreon members to help you navigate your IF journey and get more accountability and support.

Please go to www.patreon.com/thefastinghighway to see the benefits you get back and how to join.

Graeme's best-selling book, The Fasting Highway, about his journey and how he did it, is available in paperback and Kindle at your local Amazon store. It is also available on audio at Applebooks, Kobo, Spotify, and many other audiobook platforms. Disclaimer: Nothing in this podcast should be taken as medical advice. The opinions expressed herein are those of the host and guest only.

Bio:

Intermittent Fasting coach, Laurie Lewis, shows how it’s possible for us to take exceptional care of ourselves while dealing with life's complicated and fast-paced

Our Patreon Supporters Community

Please consider joining the Fasting Highway Patreon community. It has been great for all who have joined.

It has become an excellent add-on to our Patreon members' IF lifestyle, who enjoy a lot of bonus content to support them in living an IF life.

For less than a cup of coffee a month, you can join and support your own health goals.

Graeme hosts Zoom meetings twice monthly in the Northern and Southern hemispheres for members to come and get support for their IF lifestyle, which has proven very popular with our Patreon members.

You will not find anywhere that provides that kind of support and accountability for just 0.16 cents a day. There are over 100 exclusive pieces of audio content for Patreon members to help you navigate your IF journey and get more accountability and support.

Please go to www.patreon.com/thefastinghighway to see the benefits you get back and how to join.

Graeme's best-selling book, The Fasting Highway, about his journey and how he did it, is available in paperback and Kindle at your local Amazon store. It is also available on audio at Applebooks, Kobo, Spotify, and many other audiobook platforms.