Delay, Don't Deny: Living an Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle

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My sister noticed my success and asked me about it and I told her what I was doing and she seemed a bit skeptical. No way was I going to try to push her towards it with all she was going through but I knew she was miserable. :( Then around the end of October, I went to see her and she said, "Ok, you need to tell me more about what you're doing". And there you go. She started November 1, and I am so thrilled for her!! I don't really weigh anymore but I think I am down around 40 pounds and down from a size 14/16 and XL to 8/10 and sm/med. Maybe this season in our lives will be a story of weight maintenance rather than weight loss. That’s also okay. Jan - Delay, “Donut” Deny girl 🍩! Excited, high, I can do this! OMG can I do this?? UGH when is lunch? The most influential person for me along this journey has been a teacher from Augusta, Georgia, named Gin Stephens; she wrote an incredible book called Delay, Don’t Deny that lays out the principles I have followed almost since day #1. Her book has my highest recommendation for anyone interested in learning more about intermittent fasting. In fact, I was recently honored to be interviewed on Gin’s podcast, Intermittent Fasting Stories; it was gratifying to be able to tell her firsthand what an amazing influence she has had on my life. Here is the link for anyone who wants to hear more. It turned out that OMAD didn't suit my lifestyle, but 16:8 does. I eventually learned of the sister group Delay, Don't Deny, and that's my "sweet spot". Almost supernaturally, I came into possession of Gin's Delay, Don't Deny book, and it was definitely a great help. I still refer to it sometimes.

Join my support group. Our community is coming together during this difficult time to support one another through it. NOTE: As of 9/21, we are welcoming new members in our off-Facebook community. Go to ginstephens.com/community to find out more. Listen to The Intermittent Fasting Podcast (available on any podcast app) to hear listener questions and other IF-related chat from me and cohost Melanie Avalon. This is not going to be a post with medical tips for how to use intermittent fasting to survive in a pandemic. I am not a doctor, and I don't play one on TV. Don't look to me for your medical advice, in fact. There are people for that. As with many things Melanie loves (think Native, JoovI cleaned up my diet while doing some research on living on a food-stamp budget. Less eating out, more eating at home. Joined a co-op and started getting lots of fruit and vegetables to play with. 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. My story begins like a lot of the other stories I have seen. I am 49, but most of my life I have dieted or at the very least obsessed over my diet. I was always the bigger kid growing up, probably not by huge difference but in my mind, I was always big! I had my first child at eighteen and probably put on over 70 pounds. I prayed each time at the end going to my OB that I wouldn’t top 200. I went on to have 2 more children and at 26 I was settled into motherhood and always had weight to lose,..I would say anywhere from 30 up to 80 pounds more than I needed. At 30 years old I began slowly running and at 33 I did my first Chicago marathon and 2 years later I did my second. I truly enjoyed running and did manyraces, includingseveral half marathons, and completed 2 full marathons. I was very focused on accomplishing running goals and weight loss came as a result. I continued running until a few years ago after a long struggle with increasing right foot pain, which I learned was a stress fracture that left me in a boot for 3 months, I suffered from some plantar fasciitis after and it took its toll on me emotionally and physically. But, I am a person, just like you. I am an intermittent faster, just like you. And I AM STRESSED. Just like you. I quit weighing myself about a month ago (July 2017) and was down about 40 lbs. at that point. I currently am wearing a 38 waist jean and they are getting looser! I haven't felt this good since my 20s, seriously. I am no longer easily winded when I ride and have cut 5 minutes off of my bike commute to work! OMAD has been a miracle to me, allowing me to enjoy food (which I do) without guilt. No calorie, fat grams, or carb grams to count. If there was, I wouldn't do it. Period. I tend to be the kid who would be up the tree he was told to stay away from 5 minutes ago, and that inner rebel has persisted into middle age. Tell me I can't eat it and I will shove it into my pie hole while looking you right in the face, lol.

Feb - Hurray! Lost 4 pounds and no dieting! I ate what I wanted in a 2-4 hour window - birthday cake, Valentine’s, donuts 🍩😋 Be strong, friends.In this season of our lives, we have little control of what is happening in our world. But, we CAN lean into our daily fasting practice. Several years ago, I walked happily into my doctor's office seeking treatment for my cold/flu that I had for several weeks. Not a big deal. As my eyes met the doctor's, my heart sank. Right away, I knew that the words that would soon flow out of his mouth would be words of despair. As I felt the heart-breaking energy in the room, it happened. He announced in the same tone that he would a death that I was a diabetic. He went on to inform me that it was due to my weight. In 2011, I did the Whole30 for 3 months. The Whole30 was the key to me quitting my 5 can a day Diet Coke addiction, but the constant meal prep was more than I could handle. I started out my current weightloss journey doing a low carb/ketogenic diet in the spring of 2016. I had heard about keto from a friend who touted it's effectiveness. I read up on it, and started eating that way, and it was indeed effective, but I couldn't shrug off this feeling that I was still a slave to my weight. Sure, I could eat all the bacon I wanted, but I couldn't feel free to celebrate with a piece of birthday cake with my family, or a glass of wine with friends. I had this constant anxiety that one molecule of dreaded carbs would erase all my hard work. I could never feel totally "normal" eating low carb. It wasn't a feasible lifestyle change for me, because it didn't fully allow me to live.

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Then I hit my 40s. I was up to 158. That's 20 lbs. over my wedding weight. I'm 5'6. I tried countingmacros. I was eating more and losing weight painfully slowly--5 lbs in 3 months. I was happy I wasn't gaining and it was summer time. By August I was tired of the slow process. Kerry is a counselor. She was thin as a child and teen but after having children, she struggled with her weight. She tried her first diet in 2008 when she reached 204 pounds, and she managed to lose weight. But this began years of yo-yo dieting. It was also at this time Kerry was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and put on medication. Meanwhile, I found running in 2003 and truly enjoyed it, training almost daily, completing 5 half marathons over the years and successfully managing my weight with it. I’d brag to friends that I never diet, and run so I can eat and drink whatever I want, whenever I want. And I did. The metabolism of my 30s made it possible. If you are looking for intermittent fasting inspiration, listen to episodes of the Intermittent Fasting Stories podcast. You can listen for free on any podcast app, and starting in April, there will be 2 episodes per week for you to listen to: one on Tuesday, and one on Thursday. It's impossible to listen to these stories and not feel inspired.