In this episode of the Intermittent Fasting Stories podcast, host Gin Stephens speaks to a Missouri mother and son on the fasting journey together. Renee lives in St Louis and works in the real estate industry while Joel is a graphic designer and lives in Springfield. Their introduction to intermittent fasting came through Renee, who initially read The Obesity Code and tried some 3-day fasts. Though she’d previously fasted for spiritual reasons, the multi-day fasts felt overwhelming, and she put it aside until a friend told her about Delay, Don’t Deny and the Facebook group. Renee says it was immediately attractive that 3-day fasts were not required, and she was sold.
Prior to finding fasting, she had struggled on very restrictive diets, eating very little – chicken, veggies, pretzels – eating small amounts frequently and always feeling hungry. She was also “working out like crazy” yet found her weight would not budge and she even gained in the midst of that regimen. When she began doing daily fasts, her results seemed nearly instantaneous. She lost bloating and puffiness and saw changes in her face. Her weight began to drop and most importantly, she can finally eat a wide variety of food in normal portions. This has allowed her to let go of her previous food fear.
Joel says that weight was never a big issue for him growing up, but as he moved through his 20s into his 30s, he did note a gain of about 20 pounds. When his mom first told him about intermittent fasting, he admits to thinking, “Here we go again” since he had seen her try so many different diets over the years. He says the idea of an evening eating window appealed, so he began waiting until after work, eating mainly from 5-8 pm. For the first 8 months doing IF, he did not lose a single pound, and stresses that it did not worry him because he felt great and was enjoying the simplicity. In the ninth month, weight started to fall away, and Joel has lost the 20 pounds of excess weight without changing food types at all. He eats what he wants and feels great.
Renee says that she feels healthier and more energetic than she has in years, noting that she did not get sick at all last winter. She feels confident that IF will help her age well and she feels confident about the future. Despite a recent small weight gain, Renee trusts her body and knows the weight will go when as she tweaks her fasting regimen. Joel encourages others to remember that this is not a diet, so you can eat what you want and let your body heal during the fasts. Both Renee and Joel are happy they’ve found a long term lifestyle that works for them both.
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