On this episode of the Holistic Health Bites podcast I was joined by multiple best selling author Gin Stephens. Gin has written several books on living a healthy lifestyle by incorporating intermittent fasting. She has a brand new book coming out December 26th that gives a simple, 28 day, day-by-day plan to incorporate intermittent fasting into your life.
Listen to the audio here:
Watch the video here:
Episode Summary:
Key Takeaways
- Intermittent fasting provides many health benefits beyond just weight loss, including improved blood sugar, inflammation, cardiovascular health, brain health, and more.
- It's important to fast clean - stick to black coffee, plain tea, plain water during the fasting window. Anything that spikes insulin will break the fast.
- Give intermittent fasting at least 4 weeks for your body to adapt before assessing weight loss or other progress.
- Don't overly restrict calories or overfast - listen to your body's signals. Increased urges to binge eat are a sign you need to pull back.
- Eat nourishing, satiating meals during eating windows - avoid ultra-processed foods.
Gin's Background
- Former teacher who struggled with yo-yo dieting and obesity until finding intermittent fasting in 2014
- Lost 80 lbs and has maintained the weight loss for 10 years
- Wrote her first book Delay Don't Deny after getting questions from friends about how she succeeded with intermittent fasting
Differences Between Gin's IF Books
- Delay Don't Deny - her first book, more basic intro to IF
- Fast Feast Repeat - goes deeper into the science and benefits of IF, comprehensive guide
- New book 28 Day Fast Start focuses on getting started and making IF stick as a lifestyle
Health Benefits Beyond Weight Loss
- Improved blood sugar, insulin sensitivity, reversed metabolic syndrome and diabetes
- Lowered inflammation and helped autoimmune diseases
- Cardiovascular benefits - improved blood pressure
- Brain health benefits - Alzheimer's prevention
- Overall longevity - one of the best things you can do for longevity is IF
Common Mistakes with Intermittent Fasting
- Drinking coffee with cream, flavored coffee, diet sodas - anything that spikes insulin during the fast
- Not giving it enough time for your body to adapt - takes 4+ weeks
- Having unrealistic expectations for weight loss in the beginning
Signs You Are Over-fasting
- Increased urges to binge eat
- Cycle of over-restricting and bingeing
- Feeling worse and worse over time
Nourishment During Eating Window
- Don't purposefully change your diet when starting IF
- Over time people naturally gravitate toward more nutritious foods
- Focus on eating satiating, real foods until satisfied during eating window
Next Steps
- Preorder Gin's new book 28 Day Fast Start, available December 26
- Join Gin's 28 Day Fast Start challenge starting January 4 at ginstephens.com
- Check out all of Gin's intermittent fasting resources at ginstephen.com
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