In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Alyssa Welling from West Des Moines, IA.
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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. Alyssa is an administrative assistant for the parks and recreation department. Alyssa explains how she initially dismissed IF as “unhealthy” when someone first mentioned it to her, but grew curious after plateauing on Weight Watchers following two close pregnancies. She recounts how, beginning in early 2020, she dove into fasting podcasts and adopted a gentle 16:8 approach, gradually shortening her eating window as her comfort and understanding grew. Alyssa describes how immersing herself in fasting resources helped her unlearn pervasive diet culture messages like the need for constant meals and snacks.
The conversation delves into Alyssa’s challenges and milestones, from her significant weight fluctuations due to multiple pregnancies and postpartum experiences, to the setbacks she faced after a bout of Covid that caused her to regain some of the weight she had lost. Then, Alyssa became pregnant with her third child, which meant she needed to take a break from IF. After her third baby was weaned, Alyssa went back to IF, but she didn’t see the weight loss she was hoping for. Despite that, she never abandoned IF, citing the mental clarity and stress reduction it provided as reasons to stick with the lifestyle regardless of the scale.
A pivotal point in Alyssa’s journey came when she confronted the reality that her eating habits—particularly mindless binging and snacking during her eating window—were undermining her progress. Diagnosed with ADHD and binge eating disorder, she used calorie tracking for awareness and shifted her focus to intentional, satisfying meals, and avoided grazing and finishing her children’s leftovers. Alyssa added regular, enjoyable treadmill walks to her routine and cut out alcohol, which improved her food choices and boosted her well-being. These changes, paired with intermittent fasting, helped her shed over 100 pounds, reaching a weight lower than she dreamt possible, and transforming both her confidence and quality of life.
Alyssa wraps up by offering heartfelt advice for those starting out with intermittent fasting: don’t expect drastic changes overnight and avoid focusing on a specific finish line. She emphasizes that lasting success comes from treating IF as a sustainable lifestyle, allowing ample time to adapt, maintaining a clean fast, making foods work for your body, and not being afraid to make adjustments if progress slows. Alyssa also encourages listeners to be open about fasting without shame and to remember that growing bodies—like those of children—need to eat differently. Ultimately, she underscores that giving yourself the grace to adjust and the patience to persevere are the keys to enjoying the many benefits IF has to offer.
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!
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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.
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