Episode 459: Melissa Allison

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Melissa Allison from Jerseyville, IL.

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.

Melissa is senior director of managed care operations. She struggled with her weight from childhood, and learned about intermittent fasting when her doctor introduced the concept to her in 2019. Despite only losing 12 pounds over 18 months, she felt better. Gin highlights that not everyone experiences rapid weight loss.

Melissa recounts significant life events, including pregnancy loss and the loss of her parents, and how these experiences impacted both her weight and health journey. She speaks candidly about her body's struggles with weight gain. During challenging periods, such as the loss of her parents, she found intermittent fasting to be a stabilizing force in her life. It provided her not just with physical benefits but also with a sense of control amidst chaos.

Discussing her current fasting practices, Melissa explains how she's recently experienced a 30-pound weight loss and continues to aim for improved health and strength rather than a specific number on the scale. Melissa shares that her intermittent fasting journey helped alleviate both inflammation and arthritis pain. She highlights the importance of adjusting the eating window rather than solely focusing on the fasting duration. This approach has made intermittent fasting a sustainable lifestyle that she plans to continue indefinitely. Her story also touches on overcoming the desire to "break the rules" and finding what works best for her individual needs.

Melissa leaves listeners with this essential advice: focus on the length of your eating window rather than the length of your fast to find greater flexibility. She emphasizes the value of listening to your body and adjusting accordingly while remembering that the goal is to feel healthy and strong, not just to meet a specific weight target. Despite life's difficulties, intermittent fasting can be a lifelong, beneficial practice that helps bring clarity, control, and improved well-being.

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/community

Do 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.com

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