I discovered this way of life almost by accident. A friend of mine started a keto diet, and I thought it might be dangerous for him so I started doing some research. Through the research, I discovered Dr. Fung's videos on YouTube, and discovered OMAD (one meal a day) soon after. Fast forward to today. Now at 57 years old, I have absolutely never felt more alive, healthier, more energetic, or sharper, after one year of incorporating intermittent fasting into my lifestyle. I have eliminated the need for blood pressure medicine. Gone! I am stronger than I have been in decades. All my general aches and pains have disappeared. Haven’t had a headache in a year; I don’t think I have even taken an Advil during that time. I wake up with a sense of well-being that is indescribable; in fact, over the past year I don’t believe I have had a single truly bad day. I feel so liberated from the toxic soup of negative thoughts and guilt I was marinating in about my health and my weight, starting upon waking every morning and rarely ever quieting down from their constant suffocating presence. My skin tags have vanished. I am so much more focused. I now have boundless energy! I have even developed a strong desire to exercise, returning to things I have loved since childhood, like biking and dancing and swimming and jumping on a mini-trampoline. I enjoy food more than at any time in my life, and I eat a robust and unrestricted diet. I saw absolutely no loss per the scale for at least 3 weeks, but my belly was going away and clothes were fitting looser. I did a 72 hour fast and dropped 5 pounds, sat there for a while; another long fast with a drop, and sat there - but then my body seemed to start to learn what to do. The next day I got up and resolved to fix the problem that I had created. I was the only one capable of digging myself out of the hole. I began by just watching what I ate, walking every day, and focusing on healthy fats and portion control. It wasn’t long after that I began a HIIT workout three times a week. I lost weight with this approach, but an odd thing happened... I found that when I got up in the morning that I no longer wanted to eat breakfast. In fact, I resented being told that I must. I've spent most of my adult life in a size 12/14 weighing a little more than I do now give or take. I started IF wearing size 10 jeans. This past summer I bought all new clothes in a size 8. Now they are all too big. I had to buy smaller underwear for the first time in my adult life. Large t-shirts are too big on me for the first time in my adult life. That string bikini I bought as a joke...well, it's too big. I've run several races over the past few years and all my running shorts/shirts are too big. I'm just about ready to commit to size 6 jeans...but not yet. I'm no longer the girl who is "large" everything. I weigh less than what is on my driver's license...and we all know that was a lie from the start. I am no longer the "biggest" person when in a group of people. If you have been this person without fail, you know how painful that is. IF has healed some of the autoimmune aspects of my hypothyroidism. I really do look younger! THIS is why we don't quit. THIS is why we trust the process.

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No matter if you’re looking to lose some weight or gain a healthier body, intermittent fasting is a good way to go. First of all, intermittent fasting is simple. It’s not about what you eat, it’s about when you eat. There are all types of plans out there that will help you decide what works best. There’s a variety of approaches, and whoever decides to give it a go, decides what works best for them.“Delay Don’t Deny” covers all of the different plans folks are doing, and Gin encourages the reader to find their own path. In a nutshell, intermittent fasting helps with making food more about something you enjoy, and less about something you crave. I love fasting. This lifestyle is something I share with anyone who wants to listen. I carry a copy of DDD in my work bag and help other flight attendants if they want to learn the lifestyle. Our job sets us up for random eating, late hotels drinks with bar food and heavy airport meals. Its not uncommon for a flight attendant to gain weight and have a hard time losing it. I love getting others started on this way of life. The stats: while I’m sure I exceeded 250 pounds during the summer of 2016, my highest recorded weight was 247 pounds in the previous May. I wore a size 22-24, or a 3X. I now weigh 147 pounds, and I wear size 3/5/7 jeans depending on the brand, a size small or medium shirt, and a size 6 or 8 dress.The picture functionality is so much better. They don't get cut off when you post them and you can also easily add multiple photos or images to any one post. 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. In the Summer of 2017 I made a trip to Bed Bath and Beyond and on a whim, I decided to step on one of their operating scales. Before I did, I guessed that at 5’ 7.5” that my weight would be in the 160-pound range. I knew that wasn’t great, but in my mind, I could justify it. So, I stepped on the scale and it said 188.8 pounds. I stood in the store in front of two other women and wept. I had read Melanie Avalon's first version of What When Wine and found Gin's podcast with her. I have a 4 hour drive to work each week and started listening. I was hooked by the time I made it to work. I wanted to jump in with both feet. By April of 2022, Shannon was at her highest weight of 183 pounds. She stumbled upon IF through a Facebook group and read Delay, Don’t Deny in one day. Shannon began her IF that day! She has lost 25 pounds, and though she would like to lose more, Shannon is happier than ever and has found peace with food.

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Eat meat, don’t eat meat, eat lots of fat, don’t eat any fat. Eat less, move more, count points. Ohh, and how about that food combo plan? If you eat meat, don’t eat carbs, and if you eat carbs, don’t eat meat. It’s soooo confusing! Once we learned to speak the natural "fast and feast" language of our bodies, appetite correction sorted out our eating habits effortlessly. Fasting taught me that I was never a glutton weak in willpower, nor was I ever "eating my feelings." My inability to stop eating--and to stop eating toxic garbage--before finding the fasting lifestyle was directly caused by the effect of insulin on my cells. As soon as fasting balanced my hormones, I appeared to have herculean control over food. But I've learned it's not about control, nor even food at all, it's about fasting's power to heal our bodies, change our relationship to eating, and prolong our lives. 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’s kind of strange, but changing the “when”of eating somehow fixes cravings and binging. Oh happy day! Cravings turn into decisions - Uncontrollable binge eating turns into choices! Lots of good, life-changing information came from reading this book!I've been through all the diets. My most successful was Weight Watchers. Then I was a fitness coach for 5 years to lose my baby weight with both my kids. My wife asked me if intermittent fasting is something I could continue. I told her absolutely. I am not deprived, just delayed! I turn 60 this month. I weigh less than when I was 40. My blood chemistry is as good as when I was 35. Thanks to autophagy, I don’t have any hanging skin and look pretty trim. My wife says when I turn sideways, I disappear! I’ve lost almost 50 pounds. There were weeks when my weight didn’t change but I knew from DDD to stay the course and trust the science. My name is Melissa and I am a food addict... I lost over 100 pounds in 10 months with Intermittent Fasting.

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In the next few weeks I read Gin's other books, as well as a few others including The Obesity Code by Jason Fung. I have always felt that knowledge is power and all of this information was so awesome. I could barely contain my excitement. 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. 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. Shannon did not struggle with her weight until after her second pregnancy in 1998, when she tried her first diet. This would lead to decades of diets, calorie counting, weight loss, and weight gain. The best part? I have returned to my home cuisine, which I enjoy eating with my family every night. My food has no restrictions – wholemeal grains and millet, lots of dal, nuts & seeds, fermented food, all kinds of fruit & vegetables, full fat yoghurt and cheese.

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We don't feel like the same people, either. It's more than the 200 pounds we have lost. After struggling with food for decades (him since childhood, me since my mid 20s), we are finally FREE. We have gained and lost weight. We have tried numerous diets, separately and together. We struggled. We felt deprived. We gave up hope that there was a better way. During our 15 year marriage, we dealt with a lot of change in our extended family, our finances and our careers. Dysfunctional eating became the one stable constant in the center of our lives. And I think of my dear Ammamma every time I drizzle a large spoon of delicious ghee over my food at the table, after so many years of denying it. My skin and hair is shining, just as she said it would. Further research revealed OMAD (one meal a day). I stumbled upon Gin’s books and her Facebook group. In September I started OMAD. To begin OMAD, I simply cut out the lunch protein drink and suddenly I was living one meal a day, feeling so good and full of energy. I was instantly hooked. I lost 55 pounds eating low carb in 5 months and I’ve lost an additional 37 pounds doing OMAD for 2 months. My testimonial is lengthy so if you prefer the cliff notes version: I was 235 lbs. in 2008 and 180 lbs. today in 2017; 25 lbs. of the loss is 100% attributed to intermittent fasting and one meal a day, which occurred over a two month period. I have never known such an effortless way of eating which adds countless health benefits and a new relationship with food.