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

First, I have read all of the science-y books: Gary Taubes', Good Calories, Bad Calories and Why We Get Fat, Jason Fung's, The Obesity Code, The Diabetes Code, The Complete Guide to Fasting, Jimmy Moore's and Dr. Eric Westman's, Keto Clarity, Joel Fuhrman's Fasting and Eating for Health and Super Immunity, Jeff Volek's and Stephen Phinney's The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living, David Perlmutter's, Grain Brain, Randi Frederick's, Fasting: An Exceptional Human Experience, Johnny Bowden's, The Great Cholesterol Myth, Valter Longo's, The Longevity Diet, Dan Buettner's, The Blue Zones: Nine Lessons for Living Longer... I also am a member of dietdoctor.com for the last two years, which has a plethora of information on keto and low carb diets, and fasting. Dr. Fung is a regular on this website, along with Gary Taubes and other major and minor luminaries in the weight loss world based on keto and low carb principals, and fasting. My credentials: I am not a scientist, but an elementary school teacher for 21 years. I have a degree in English, and a masters in Educational Administration, so not a ding-dong either. Anyway, the point of the super long intro is that I had read all of that and still was struggling with fasting even though it had worked really well for me! My highest non-pregnant weight before I began fasting was 187 lbs. (I'm 5'7"), and I managed to get down to 163 lbs. I maintained this loss for about two years. Well, I'm sure that you asking why didn't I keep it up. Well, it was hard, because I wasn't clean fasting, and simply put the CLEAN FASTING approach that Gin Stephen's promotes in her book is the key. I should be clear. I have been fasting on and off since 2012, starting with Michael Mosley's, The 5:3 Fast Diet. I have done 3 day fasts, 4 day fasts, 5 day fasts, and one 7 day fast, and Alternate Daily Fasting. I could do these fasts even when I hated it or felt uncomfortable or even weak. I'm one of those people, who can will myself to complete arduous self-imposed tasks. I can assure you, it sometimes is an awful way to live! Anyway, the point of this post, is to tell you that I always fasted with heavy cream in my coffee, bullet proof coffee, and sometimes homemade bone broth, which unbeknownst to me made my fasts extremely difficult. A few weeks ago, at the end of March 2019, I had been fasting for 9 weeks straight on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 36 to 42 hours with my creamy coffee and bone broth in order to get back down to 163 from my weight of 174 due to my regain over the past year. Note, I wasn't fasting as often, and was eating way too much sugar. Was I losing weight? Yes! Was I starting to feel like some dark force was draining the energy from my body- YES!!! When I came across Gin's book I learned the term CLEAN FASTING, which simply means fasting with only flavorless or nearly flavorless liquids such as black coffee, green or black tea, and water. That's it! Sounds so simple, and yet it made all of the difference in the world! Gin also promotes a daily eating window, some people do OMAD (One Meal a Day) and others have longer eating windows, but usually not more than 8 hours because the point it to give the body a break and to keep insulin levels low. By the way, there are no precise rules on how any one person should fast or eat. Why? Because we are all different. A person with 10 or 20 pounds to lose and who is not insulin resistant will not have to restrict as much as a person who has a 100 or more pounds to lose and who is pre-diabetic or even diabetic. I now fast daily, and have about a 4 hour eating window in the evening because I like to eat with my family. The best thing now is that my daily fasts are a breeze. I drink coffee and water with pink Himalayan salt added (your body tends to lose salt when you fast), and I feel fabulous. I can think more clearly and don't get easily stressed. Plus, I'm saving money on food, and I have extra time in my day! Last thing, did Dr. Fung talk about fasting without the heavy cream and bone broth? Yes, he did, but I never applied it. Gin doesn't claim to have invented this way of eating, but she has certainly but it into a format that it easy and entertaining to read. She also gives credit, where credit is due to other authors, such as Dr. Jason Fung. She is a down to earth person, who wants to help people escape the tyranny of diets and food deprivation! She also has two pod casts. Intermittent Fasting Stories, which I just adore! It is so inspirational, and The Intermittent Fasting Podcast with Melanie Avalon. There is also a super supportive Facebook group, and I don't even like Facebook! If you are even just thinking that this might be the answer that you were looking for, then please buy this book! Oh and I'm back down to 163 lbs. and all of my size 10 clothes fit again. I'm not buying anything new though, because, I am continuing to effortlessly lose weight and my body is reshaping itself, so I'm waiting a couple of months until things are getting baggy on me. Oh, do I exercise? Yes, I was an athlete when I was younger, and have exercised when I was fat or thin because I love exercising! Buy this book, now!

I've known Gin, the author for a couple of years now, having met her in the intermittent fasting groups on Facebook. I've been intermittently fasting for over two years now, having dropped 220 lbs in the first 17 months, and maintaining 190 of it over the past year. Gin is so well read on this topic, and I've always looked to her for troubleshooting ideas and encouragement when I've had troubles. Her wisdom has been absolutely invaluable. I wouldn't have made it through some of my harder times so swiftly if it weren't for her sage advice. I'm so happy to see her finally sharing that same wisdom with the world. The book is wonderful! Written in such a way that anyone can understand the basic science behind intermittent fasting, this book explains it all without the textbook feel. Easy and light enough to read in one evening, like I did, and inspiring at the same time. This book is a great beginner's guide to intermittently fasting for weight loss. And I'll tell you from my own experience, once you try intermittent fasting earnestly, you'll wonder why more people aren't doing it! ~Nicole S. lost 220 lbs with IF in 17 months

A really great book to read if you are thinking of getting into fasting but you don't want to plow through a 500 page book. It's short and to the point. It's just the right amount of technical for most of us. Includes lots of stories of individuals and their major breakthroughs, including of course the author's story. My own experience with struggling with being 10-40 lbs overweight most of my life confirms the power of fasting; intermittent fasting is the *single* most important step I have ever taken. I've had severe, chronic sugar cravings; I've done a Candida cleanse (never again); I've had an eating disorder; I've abstained from sugar for months at a time; I've transitioned toward Paleo. And I've wasted so much time and energy in my life thinking about food. Eating paleo and not eating sugar are no doubt good for me, but it's only intermittent fasting that regulates my appetite hormones so effectively that I finally have freedom from thinking about food all the time. The author also says she just never felt good on a really low-carb diet, and neither do I, yet IF seems to mean I don't have to beat my head against that wall. IF seems to regulate my hormones & appetite mostly independently of *what* I'm eating. It does help, however, to make sure in my eating window that whatever else I'm eating, I'm also getting enough protein (4-7 oz/day for my ~120# body) and enough vegetables, because the fiber and protein combination will *also* help powerfully regulate your appetite hormones to see you through a good long fasting period. Other good tips she offers: how you break your fast matters, so you don't send your insulin through the roof. If I eat my protein and veggies first, then it's easy to eat a reasonable amount of dessert, I don't feel tempted to binge. I've also been a total stevia addict, but I dropped it after reading her book, and my hope for that is that I can shorten my eating window even more. One comment; she believes a 5-hour eating window is a good place to start, but for any novice, I'd start with 10 hours, and every couple of weeks shorten it by an hour or so until you get to the place that feels comfortable. Currently I typically do a 6-hour window, but without the stevia, I want to see if I can get to a 2-5 hour window. Also like the author, a 36-hour fast is too long for me - I can't sleep because it triggers stress hormones. Like her, I didn't take to the 5/2 method, because it just felt too restrictive on the days where you don't eat/don't eat as much. Doing a daily limited eating window, I feel like I eat when I'm hungry, I eat lavishly, and then I'm solid until the next day's window. Again, for novices, I will say that it took maybe 4-5 weeks of being *terrible* about fasting until all of a sudden, I woke up one day and waiting to eat was no problem! I felt like I'd woken up with a new super power. Fasting was far easier after that. I never adapted to low-carb, but it was really obvious that I had adapted to fasting. My advice to beginners; don't worry if you are doing fasting "wrong" at first - do it anyway. For example, I chewed a ton of gum that had sugar and aspartame at first, a total no-no, but I got there anyway, my liver still made the switch from burning glucose to burning fat. Last thing; I used to be that person who had to eat right away after waking up, and for whom the next hangry episode was always just around the corner. I couldn't even make love with my partner first thing in the morning because my blood sugar would be low. Now I can go for a long time without having to be fed, which is useful at work and just in general. Fasting is freedom!!!

The beginning of a new life, so well explained and written. Friendly, uplifting and easy to follow. Lost 30lbs in a year and have been fasting for over three years now. Thank you Gin!

After a lifetime of unsuccessfully losing weight Gin has happily found her sustainable way of eating, and argues very persuasively that others should follow suit. Full of practical advice, and not too heavy on the science (but with relevant links to studies) this is a well balanced, well written book.

This book has changed my life. Intermittent Fasting is not a fad diet. It's a lifestyle with incredible health benefits and a side effect of weight loss. This book in the only thing that you need to buy to invest in this life style - it will provide all the knowledge that you need to be successful right from the start. Gin Stephens has done all the legwork and has condensed all the research and knowledge into one small, fun to read, easy to understand book. Save yourself time and frustration and please read this book. You deserve to be happy and healthy too!

I love this book. I love the way Gin writes and I love the results following this way of life and eating. Easy to read and Gin provides backup with Facebook support groups and podcasts. Ten ways that IF and this book have changed my life: 1. Weight loss of course. I now love my body. I’m right in the middle of the preferred BMI range and the bloat is gone. I’m not at ‘my goal’ but think I may be close to ‘my body’s goal’. 2. Higher self esteem and confidence. I walk into a room and don’t feel I need to shrink into corners. I’m also finding I’m more assertive in giving my opinion. 3. A stream lined wardrobe. No more fat clothes, no more shoes that hurt my feet, no more clothes I buy just because they fit. Now I buy good pieces and I buy them because I love them. 4. Exercise. I don’t go to the gym but I do walk 10 kilometres five mornings a week. I don’t do it for weight loss, I do it for healthy bones and lungs and heart. 5. I love, love, love preprepared meals. I would never have tried them without Gin and DDD and now I can’t imagine living or cooking without them 6. Pantry with just enough. Thanks to my new relationship with food and other stuff I’ve streamlined and then streamlined again. I buy enough without the just in case. 7. Less waste due to numbers 5 & 6. My rubbish bins go out once a fortnight and they’re never more than half full. 8. Black coffee and black tea. I actually gave up sugar in hot drinks 45 years ago after my eldest son was born to lose my baby fat. I gave up milk in tea not long after but loved lattes and cappuccinos. Now I drink it black and can’t imagine having it any other way except sometimes cold over ice. 9. Saves money. For all the above reasons. 10. A calmer, happier me. Because life is fun and IF gives me time to enjoy it. Also it’s Delay don’t Deny so I get to do the yummy stuff as well. Do yourself a favour. Buy the book. Read it and act on it. You won’t regret it

This book and "The Obesity Code" by Dr Fung are the must-have books about intermittent fasting. I'm practising IF for five month, I've lost lot of weight and my health has improved.