Intermittent Fasting Stories

By: Gin Stephens
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  • Summary

  • Are you ready to be inspired? Tune in each week to hear real-world stories from successful intermittent fasters, including their best tips to help you find success. Intermittent Fasting Stories is hosted by Gin Stephens, author of the New York Times bestseller Fast Feast Repeat, as well as her other books: Cleanish, Delay, Don't Deny, and Feast Without Fear. Looking for a community of like-minded intermittent fasters? Go to ginstephens.com/community for more information and to join.

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Hygiene & Healthy Living
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Episodes
  • Episode 457: Lisa Pinchback

    Episode 457: Lisa Pinchback
    Mar 13 2025

    In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Lisa Pinchback from Charlottesville, VA.

    Lisa is a solo real estate attorney. Lisa shares her journey with intermittent fasting, which began in April 2023 after a recommendation from a friend during a real estate closing. She downloaded the podcast and bought Fast Feast Repeat immediately and decided to give fasting a try. Despite her lifelong struggle with weight and previous attempts with various diets and weight-loss methods, she found that intermittent fasting brought a sense of control and balance to her life, ultimately helping her reduce her weight from 157 to 137 pounds by November 2023.

    Lisa's story is filled with emotional highs and lows. She reflects on how her weight impacted her self-image from a young age, influencing her emotional eating habits and weight gain. Lisa also expresses regret about body shaming herself in front of her daughters and the potential impact it had on them.

    Throughout the conversation, Gin and Lisa touch on the broader implications of diet culture and societal pressures. They discuss Lisa's various weight-loss attempts over the decades, ranging from the Susan Powter low-fat diet to Weight Watchers and even medically supervised programs. Despite spending significant money—approximately $15,000 over the years—on consultations, exercise equipment, and various diets, Lisa found intermittent fasting to be the most sustainable approach she every tried. Both Gin and Lisa highlight the concept of "delay, don't deny," allowing occasional treats within moderation, and the empowerment and confidence that intermittent fasting brings.

    Towards the end of the episode, Lisa reflects on finding joy in new activities. Lisa’s final advice to listeners is to embrace self-awareness and responsibility in food choices, be patient during periods of struggle, and enjoy the feeling of fitting into your clothes comfortably. She emphasizes the importance of having a supportive community and the benefits of intermittent fasting, which extends beyond weight loss to overall well-being, empowerment, and confidence.

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    56 mins
  • Episode 456: Erika Delco

    Episode 456: Erika Delco
    Mar 6 2025
    In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Erika Delco from Charlotte, NC. 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. 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. 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. IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. Erika is a therapist and health coach. When Erika first heard about intermittent fasting, she was skeptical. Her skepticism shifted in 2018 after reading Gin’s book, Delay, Don't Deny, and Dr. Jason Fung's The Obesity Code. She shares her long history with dieting, starting from Weight Watchers in the ninth grade, and her eventual freedom from food obsession through adopting intermittent fasting.Erika initially experienced about 5 pounds of weight loss but hit a plateau and didn’t lose any more weight for three years, despite still having weight to lose. She loved the freedom IF brought to her, but her weight was stuck. She began incorporating berberine, which led to a dramatic weight loss of 30 pounds between March and October of 2021.Throughout the conversation, Erika highlights the importance of listening to your body and finding a fasting routine that fits one’s lifestyle. She emphasizes the health benefits she’s experienced over the years, noting how intermittent fasting helped her reduce instances of illness and manage her weight despite frequent travel. Gin and Erika discuss the mental aspects of fasting and food freedom, stressing the need for empowered choices over restrictive eating.The discussion transitions to Erika's work as a health coach. She has developed a program called Finding Food Freedom Fast, combining fasting principles with strategies for building habits and managing emotional eating.Erika concludes with final advice for new IFers: start gradually and be patient. She encourages them to find a routine that fits their lifestyle and to stay motivated by hearing others' stories and struggles. Importantly, Erika stresses that intermittent fasting should be approached as a long-term lifestyle change with an emphasis on the health benefits rather than just weight loss. She underscores the importance of consistency in one’s health regimen, listening to the body’s needs, and finding food freedom through empowered choices.Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audiobook. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, an easier to understand and more thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has a 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is available now! Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts. Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    55 mins
  • Episode 455: Shanna Baritot

    Episode 455: Shanna Baritot
    Feb 27 2025
    In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Shanna Baritot from Rochester, NY.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. 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. 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. IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. Shanna is a national account manager for a pharmaceutical company, an author, and a repeat guest. She first came on the podcast for episode 298 in April of 2023.Shanna and her husband realized they needed to work on their personal finances when they stumbled upon a book about money. That book totally changed their lives. Shanna wished she could come across a book that would change her relationship with food the same way that she had changed her relationship with finances.Then, in October of 2020, she found Delay, Don’t Deny. While she was listening to the audiobook, she became excited about what she was learning and she started intermittent fasting that very day. In the years since, she has not missed on day of fasting and is an intermittent faster for life. Intermittent fasting allowed Shanna to go from 170 pounds to around 135-139, and she is now living her goal lifestyle. Still, she recognizes that she has a bit more fat on her body that she would like to lose, so in her own personal study of one, she is doing some ADF. She is also paying attention to her food quality. Both Gin and Shanna talk about the power of making food swaps that are enjoyable, but more likely to help you reach your health and wellness goals. Throughout the episode, Gin and Shanna delve into the significance of listening to one’s body and tweaking meal timing and strategies over time. They touch on Shanna’s use of different fasting strategies like the two different types of down days that you can choose with an ADF protocol, and Shanna shares that she dislikes the calorie counting that goes along with the 500-calorie down day option. Gin suggests creating set down day meal options that are satisfying and that you enjoy to simplify the process.Both Gin and Shanna encourage listeners to embrace flexibility and make practical adjustments in their fasting routines. Shanna’s final advice to listeners is to stay open to different strategies, listen to their bodies, and make small, sustainable adjustments for long-term success.Look for Shanna’s book The Debt Diet if you want to learn more about how she got completely out of debt and changed her financial life forever.Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audiobook. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, an easier to understand and more thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has a 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is available now! Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts. Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    58 mins

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Profile Image for lisa328

Inspiring stories but unscientific and annoying

I do commend Ms Stephen’s for her hard work in inspiring and supporting intermittent fasting, which has worked well for thousands now and for me too so far. However in her material there is an undertone of competition with other intermittent fasting experts, communities and coaching programs which is distracting. Also there is an attitude that her way is the only way to intermittent fast, when it seems that flexibility is key to adhering to fasting and to tailoring fasting to differing needs, lifestyles, and people’s biologies. Other programs, like The Fasting Method have much more scientific backing (studies referenced in The Obesity Code by Dr Jason Fung) and use behavioral strategies to help inspire adherence. Also Gin almost always takes over her interviews, gushing about her own experience, detracting from the interviewee’s experience. Sorry but it can be hard to listen to at times. But I do usually take away at least one or two tips from each story, so I grit my teeth and listen.

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Profile Image for Mary Catherine VonGarlem

Always so informative

Love it! Always learn something and each episode inspires me! Gin is so personable and brings out the best conversations with her guests.

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Profile Image for Elaina Love

So motivating and inspiring

I love hearing g everyone’s stories on their IF journey! We are all so different and it’s good to hear the journeys people have taken to their health success. Also Gin is a great interviewer and I really love listening while I exercise and drive! This is a great podcast!

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Profile Image for Steven Miller

inspired

this was an amazing and enlightening conversation. this will stay with me as I make IF a lifestyle.

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