In this episode of the Intermittent Fasting Stories, host Gin Stephens speaks to Taylor. Taylor is from Seattle, Washington, where she is a Research Assistant in the Children’s Mental Health Field. Taylor struggled with her weight from the time she was 7 years-old, and was even bullied in both Middle School and High School about her weight. She shares how this “shaped the way she saw herself.” She tried all sorts of diets, HCG being one of them. Taylor “hid her weight well” but it was very much an “internal battle.” In college, she thought she was IF, but really it was restrictive eating, calorie counting, along with intensive workouts. She moved to Seattle and felt “ready to make a change.” A colleague was IF, and told her about it. Taylor’s main motivation with IF was to change her lifestyle, instead of dieting. She was tired of feeling ‘lethargic
She found IF through the Podcasts, and began listening to inspiring stories of people who were successful with IF. Taylor began with 16:8 in March 2019. She shares that she was still “obsessing” about calories and food, treating IF like a diet. She was also “obsessive” with the scale, weighing herself daily. It became an emotional battle, as she describes a “toxic relationship with the scale.” As this is Taylor’s 7th month of IF, she is realizing the scale doesn’t tell the whole story. She knows it’s simply a number, and her body is healing as she embarks on finding freedom with food. She is also beginning to see herself differently in the mirror, and feeling herself getting stronger as she has a new “healthy view of the gym.” She now focuses on how she feels, more than on how she looks. Taylor views food as a “joyful thing.” And food is a “friend now.”
At 24 years-old, Taylor is the youngest Podcast guest. She shares some interesting perspective. Within her age group, there is major focus to love your body just the way it is, no matter what you look like. The message being that “you shouldn’t want to change.” So the desire to lose weight had Taylor feeling guilty and insecure. But she didn’t feel right in her body. It took some time to realize it was okay to have goals to change.
Taylor wants to tell other young IFers to stay confident, and don’t feel ashamed for having goals in order to feel better about yourself. Take pictures to see progress. Be flexible with IF, and let it be a lifestyle. She is excited for a long life ahead of this lifestyle.
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