Episode 147: Insulin Levels and Health, Does Everyone Need to Take Electrolytes?, and More

<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Fast Feast Repeat Intermittent Fasting for Life. I'm
<v Speaker 1>Jen Stevens, author of the New York Times bestseller Fast
<v Speaker 1>Feast Repeat.
<v Speaker 2>And I'm Sherry Bullock, longtime intermittent faster and health and
<v Speaker 2>wellness advocate. Please keep in mind that this podcast is
<v Speaker 2>for educational and motivational purposes only, and is not intended
<v Speaker 2>to provide medical or diagnostic advice. Jen and I are
<v Speaker 2>not doctors, so make sure to check with your trusted
<v Speaker 2>healthcare professionals before making changes, especially when it comes to
<v Speaker 2>any medical treatments or medications.
<v Speaker 1>Whether you're new to intermittent fasting or an experienced intermittent faster,
<v Speaker 1>tune in each week to get inspired, to learn, and
<v Speaker 1>to have some fun along the way. Hi, everybody, we
<v Speaker 1>are so glad you're here today. Welcome to this week's
<v Speaker 1>episode of the Fast Feast Repeat Intermittent Fasting for Life Podcast.
<v Speaker 3>How are you doing today? Sherry?
<v Speaker 2>Hi am doing fine? How are you doing?
<v Speaker 3>I am fantastic? Sick.
<v Speaker 1>I have an interesting update? Share share well you know
<v Speaker 1>how I haven't weighed since twenty seventeen.
<v Speaker 2>Uh huh, I got a scale and.
<v Speaker 1>I weighed myself. Oh you did, Yes, I did not
<v Speaker 1>nine years of not knowing my weight.
<v Speaker 3>Wow.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, And how did that make you feel, not knowing
<v Speaker 2>it or weighing again? Like weighing again? Did it make
<v Speaker 2>you nervous? Were you okay with it.
<v Speaker 3>A little bit?
<v Speaker 1>I was like, you know what, I feel like, I
<v Speaker 1>don't have scale anxiety anymore because when I did, remember,
<v Speaker 1>I had never successfully maintained weight loss in my entire
<v Speaker 1>adult life long term. I was always yo yoing, and
<v Speaker 1>so when I weighed in, you know, when I waited
<v Speaker 1>for the first year of maintenance. Then I didn't weigh
<v Speaker 1>again for a year, and I got on the scale
<v Speaker 1>and it was the same weight that it had been,
<v Speaker 1>and I thought it should be lower, and then I
<v Speaker 1>was mad, That's when I throw away my scale. I've
<v Speaker 1>just been going by the fit of my clothes, and so,
<v Speaker 1>you know, I went on that cruise and I'm like,
<v Speaker 1>I feel like I'm up a little bit. You know,
<v Speaker 1>I've been having a little celebratory window with situation, and
<v Speaker 1>I'm like, you know, i feel like I'm up at
<v Speaker 1>the higher end of my maintenance range, and so I
<v Speaker 1>feel like, I don't know, maybe five pounds. I'm just
<v Speaker 1>guessing in my head I feel like I'm up maybe
<v Speaker 1>five pounds from where I really like to be, So
<v Speaker 1>it's like, I really just want to know. So I
<v Speaker 1>got a scale and my weight is, drum roll please,
<v Speaker 1>exactly five pounds higher than it was when I last
<v Speaker 1>weighed twenty seventeen.
<v Speaker 3>Is that hilarious or what I mean?
<v Speaker 2>I think you are very in tune with your body
<v Speaker 2>now I am, and you've always been able to tell like, Okay,
<v Speaker 2>I've been a little extra indulgent, and you know my
<v Speaker 2>geens aren't fitting the right way. I need to tighten
<v Speaker 2>things back up again.
<v Speaker 3>But yeah, I think that's my range.
<v Speaker 1>I think my range is when I like, the pivot
<v Speaker 1>point is like where I feel my best. Is that
<v Speaker 1>weight the last time I weighed, right around one thirty
<v Speaker 1>is where I feel my best. And I think that
<v Speaker 1>whenever I start getting around that one thirty five, I'm like,
<v Speaker 1>all right, Tom, to do something, tighten it back up.
<v Speaker 1>So I think that, and then maybe sometimes I end
<v Speaker 1>up in the one twenties. I don't know, I haven't waited,
<v Speaker 1>but I think my range is like that one twenty
<v Speaker 1>five to one thirty five, up and down, pivoting around
<v Speaker 1>one thirty. So I'm like, all right, I'm just go
<v Speaker 1>to wait now. I want to see what happens. I
<v Speaker 1>want to see what it does. So but I don't
<v Speaker 1>have any nervousness about it.
<v Speaker 3>Good. Yeah, So anyway, that's really good.
<v Speaker 1>So I now know exactly what my smart BMI is
<v Speaker 1>and my scale claims to measure all that stuff.
<v Speaker 3>You're visceral fat and all that. I don't know bone density.
<v Speaker 3>How can it know that?
<v Speaker 2>Well, I mean it depends. I've been reading a lot
<v Speaker 2>about you know, these bioimpedent scales and stuff, and the
<v Speaker 2>research on them. And yes, they fluctuate to a degree
<v Speaker 2>based off of are you in the feed or fasted state? Right,
<v Speaker 2>how hydrated are you?
<v Speaker 3>Yep?
<v Speaker 2>But from what I've heard is that they are close
<v Speaker 2>enough that you can monitor trends.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.
<v Speaker 2>That's just like our weight fluctuates from day to day,
<v Speaker 2>and it's not static. Your muscle mass, your bone mass,
<v Speaker 2>your you know, visceral fat mass, your lean body mass,
<v Speaker 2>it's going to shift from day to day. But if
<v Speaker 2>you're looking at a trend over time, that you'd be
<v Speaker 2>able to see that.
<v Speaker 1>If it's going up or downright, Yes, that's what I've
<v Speaker 1>always read about bioepede scales too, But everything looks really good.
<v Speaker 1>My muscle mass was good, my visceral fat is excellent.
<v Speaker 3>So I'm like, alrighty, I got some data. Now.
<v Speaker 1>It really took me, I guess, that much time to
<v Speaker 1>heal from the scale brain. We always talk about diet brain,
<v Speaker 1>but the whole idea of like being panicked what the
<v Speaker 1>number might be, and I'm like, really, am I just
<v Speaker 1>lying to myself?
<v Speaker 3>Do I not really know where I am? Am I
<v Speaker 3>higher than I think? Where am I? I have no idea?
<v Speaker 1>So when I got on there and I saw that number,
<v Speaker 1>I'm like, oh, what have I been afraid of? I'm
<v Speaker 1>exactly where I thought it was anyway, So that gave
<v Speaker 1>me a lot of confidence and what I've been doing.
<v Speaker 1>I mean, I know my clothes and how they fit
<v Speaker 1>and all of that. So anyway, I am now back
<v Speaker 1>to be in a daily wayer Back in.
<v Speaker 2>My way washers days, and even when I first started
<v Speaker 2>eye if I still had that, I'll always weigh every day.
<v Speaker 2>But I definitely was like I was not able to
<v Speaker 2>look at it as objectively back then. It was like,
<v Speaker 2>oh my gosh, I really need to tighten things up today,
<v Speaker 2>or oh I want to see you. I mean like,
<v Speaker 2>in some cases it could be encouraging. It would be like, oh, well,
<v Speaker 2>the scale's up three pounds since the other day, and
<v Speaker 2>I have been really indulgent with piar and pizza, so
<v Speaker 2>I need to tighten things back up there. And so
<v Speaker 2>in some ways it was like a positive motivator. But
<v Speaker 2>then on other days you're just like, oh my gosh,
<v Speaker 2>I did everything right yesterday. Why isn't the scale down today?
<v Speaker 3>Right?
<v Speaker 2>But it really wasn't. Until I started, I really was
<v Speaker 2>able to wrap my head around each individual wigh in
<v Speaker 2>doesn't really matter. It is what your trend is doing
<v Speaker 2>over time that is what matters. And I think that's
<v Speaker 2>the same thing with fat mass, muscle mass, lean body mass,
<v Speaker 2>that sort of thing. Even just watching your bone mass.
<v Speaker 2>You know, yes, mine fluctuates on my scale, but over
<v Speaker 2>the last five years I can see that it's still
<v Speaker 2>right at the same range.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.
<v Speaker 1>So well, it gave me great confidence to see that number.
<v Speaker 3>It was a little scary, It's.
<v Speaker 1>Like, oh gosh, what am I going to see, But
<v Speaker 1>that it was exactly where I thought it would be
<v Speaker 1>was kind of funny and very confirming, and it gives
<v Speaker 1>me confidence that I know my body and I know
<v Speaker 1>what works for me and what doesn't, and I know
<v Speaker 1>what I need to adjust, and I know when I'm
<v Speaker 1>being a little too lucy goosey, and I know how
<v Speaker 1>to tighten up.
<v Speaker 2>So and you know me, I'm like kind of competitive
<v Speaker 2>and I like games. Yeah, so I play the game
<v Speaker 2>where before I ever get on a scale, I guess
<v Speaker 2>the number. I'll be like, how's my ring fitting today?
<v Speaker 2>What did I eat yesterday? Okay, I know I'm kind
<v Speaker 2>of inflamed. I bet the scale is going to say this,
<v Speaker 2>and then I get on it just to see if
<v Speaker 2>I'm right. And usually I'm pretty dead on because I
<v Speaker 2>kind of know how my body responds to different foods.
<v Speaker 2>And yeah, you know, I'm if I wake up and
<v Speaker 2>I feel inflamed, if my rings are tight, like, I'll know, Oh,
<v Speaker 2>the scale is going to be up probably about four
<v Speaker 2>pounds today. So yeah, well that's fun. It is doing.
<v Speaker 1>Chris is doing great. You know, he's still slow and steady.
<v Speaker 1>Six tenths of a pound a week, that is what
<v Speaker 1>he loses week in week out. You know, his weight'll
<v Speaker 1>go up, his weight'll go down. Today he had a
<v Speaker 1>new low on his weight, but either then it'll go up.
<v Speaker 3>That his pattern is up and down and up and down.
<v Speaker 3>That's what mine was when I was trying to lose
<v Speaker 3>weight and so back in the day. So and for
<v Speaker 3>me now, like maybe I know I'm at the upper
<v Speaker 3>end of my maintenance range.
<v Speaker 1>So I'm tightening it up. But I don't feel like
<v Speaker 1>I'm like, no, I have to lose weight. You know,
<v Speaker 1>it's my range.
<v Speaker 3>I'm in it.
<v Speaker 1>I'm just gonna get back to that middle part that
<v Speaker 1>feels a little better. But yeah, he's doing great, still
<v Speaker 1>still plugging along, excellent.
<v Speaker 2>Well. Yeah, the pictures I've seen of him recently, he's
<v Speaker 2>looking really good. I can see it really in his
<v Speaker 2>face a lot.
<v Speaker 1>Yes, yeah, yeah, and clothing sides is changing quickly. And
<v Speaker 1>I mean, you know, the scale doesn't always six intens
<v Speaker 1>of a pound. It doesn't seem like you would even
<v Speaker 1>notice the difference, but you do. That is that body
<v Speaker 1>recomposition in action.
<v Speaker 3>So anyway, well, I love it.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, So I was going to share something, Okay, Well
<v Speaker 2>I shared it with you, Okay, But I just find
<v Speaker 2>this so fascinating. I keep thinking about it. I'm becoming
<v Speaker 2>you know, what is it why we get sick?
<v Speaker 3>Is that Benjamin.
<v Speaker 2>Title of Bedgamin mcmans, Yeah, I think it's called Why
<v Speaker 2>We Get Sick, and it's all about insulin. Okay. So
<v Speaker 2>I had a patient who was really has been struggling
<v Speaker 2>with diverticulitis and they'll get over an episode and then
<v Speaker 2>they'll get it back again, and they'll get it again,
<v Speaker 2>and this I've gone on for the last several years. Well,
<v Speaker 2>just knowing what his lab work looked like, his body habitus,
<v Speaker 2>seeing what his blood glucose was when he came into
<v Speaker 2>the er, I was like, this span is significantly insulin resistance.
<v Speaker 2>And it made me think, is there a connection between
<v Speaker 2>insulin resistance and diverticulitis? So I started doing some research
<v Speaker 2>and there absolutely is a very strong correlation between insulin
<v Speaker 2>resistance and diverticulitis. Even just so you can have diverticula,
<v Speaker 2>which is the condition of having little out pouches in
<v Speaker 2>your colon, but never have a flare up of diverticulitis,
<v Speaker 2>which is inflammation of it. Both, however, are correlated with
<v Speaker 2>insulin resistance. So to go down that same pathway. I'm
<v Speaker 2>in a healthcare Facebook group and somebody was asking if
<v Speaker 2>they've noticed a higher prevalence of preeclampsia in pregnant women,
<v Speaker 2>and all these women who work in labor and delivery
<v Speaker 2>and in like high risk maternity settings have said, yes,
<v Speaker 2>you know, in their last twenty years or thirty years
<v Speaker 2>of working that suddenly it's becoming very common. And I'm like,
<v Speaker 2>and everybody was like, why do you think that is?
<v Speaker 2>And they're all talking about this and that and nutritional
<v Speaker 2>deficiencies and ultra processed foods and lack of exercise, and
<v Speaker 2>I'm like, I wonder if it has anything to do
<v Speaker 2>with insulin resistance. Guess what, Yes, it does.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and PCOS is also related to levels that when
<v Speaker 1>I read Why We Get Sick, my big takeaway was
<v Speaker 1>having high levels of insulin is connected with so many
<v Speaker 1>things that you wouldn't even think. I'm okay, we understand
<v Speaker 1>insulin resistance and visceral fat and weight and certain health conditions,
<v Speaker 1>but more than we thought, more than we realized.
<v Speaker 3>It's like, literally, get your insulin down, get your health back.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, exactly, exactly. So things some things started to click,
<v Speaker 2>and one of them was we hear all the time
<v Speaker 2>that people have a lot of GI issues or they've
<v Speaker 2>been hospitalized for diverticulitis or you know, abscesses in their abdomen, obstructions,
<v Speaker 2>that sort of thing, and so it immediately I was like, well, no,
<v Speaker 2>wonder when they start fasting. They write in and they say,
<v Speaker 2>you know, I haven't had a flare up of diverticulitis
<v Speaker 2>since I started fasting three years ago or whatever, and
<v Speaker 2>it's because they have healed their insulin resistance.
<v Speaker 3>Yep.
<v Speaker 2>So just more and more, just in my every day
<v Speaker 2>I've always said, you know, I fast because I see
<v Speaker 2>how being sick when you get older and fighting off
<v Speaker 2>disease and being immobile really just diminishes people's quality of life.
<v Speaker 2>And I don't want that. But more and more I'm
<v Speaker 2>seeing that I fast not for weight loss, not so
<v Speaker 2>I can be a SI six, so that I can
<v Speaker 2>have a healthy body inside and out. Because more and
<v Speaker 2>more it's just becoming apparent the insulin resistance is the
<v Speaker 2>root of so many diseases, yep.
<v Speaker 1>And that's why the clean fast is so important, And
<v Speaker 1>that is why drinking the diet sodas and having to
<v Speaker 1>have creamy coffee because it makes you just emotionally happy
<v Speaker 1>in the morning, and not wanting to fast clean You're
<v Speaker 1>affecting your insulin levels with that, And so even if
<v Speaker 1>I could, knowing what I know about insulin now, if
<v Speaker 1>I could eat all day and not regain the weight,
<v Speaker 1>I still wouldn't do it. Right, It's more than the
<v Speaker 1>wait for me. It's so much more than the weight,
<v Speaker 1>and it's keeping my insulin low.
<v Speaker 2>I know.
<v Speaker 1>You mean my dad had type two diabetes, and I
<v Speaker 1>know that if I had not discovered well, I mean
<v Speaker 1>I had to discover it, you know what I mean.
<v Speaker 1>If I had not begun intermittent fasting or found it
<v Speaker 1>for myself, I didn't invent it.
<v Speaker 3>I guess this is what I'm saying. I discovered it,
<v Speaker 3>but I didn't invent it.
<v Speaker 1>If I had not started doing it, I would probably
<v Speaker 1>be obese and type two diabetic right now. Instead, I
<v Speaker 1>am right there in my maintenance range without having been
<v Speaker 1>on a scale since twenty seventeen and not really having
<v Speaker 1>to stress about it either.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. So many, I mean, just reasons to continue the
<v Speaker 2>lifestyle for life, yep.
<v Speaker 1>And the health benefits that we see are really amazing.
<v Speaker 3>The stories we hear in.
<v Speaker 1>The community, the people that are members of the community
<v Speaker 1>that share how they're doing, and you know, on the
<v Speaker 1>flip side, we have the people that struggle with the
<v Speaker 1>clean fast, and I really think that a lot of
<v Speaker 1>people still only have their weight as their why or
<v Speaker 1>their goal. And I agree, it feels really good to
<v Speaker 1>be in a slum body that feels like it can
<v Speaker 1>move through the world. Well, but I don't think you
<v Speaker 1>get there without healing the insulin resistance. And I don't
<v Speaker 1>think you heal the insulin resistance without making big changes
<v Speaker 1>that might feel uncomfortable, right, Maybe the clean fast feels
<v Speaker 1>uncomfortable because you need that emotional hit from that creamy
<v Speaker 1>coffee that you're used to. But you know, comfort doesn't
<v Speaker 1>keep you where you want to be. You got to
<v Speaker 1>be a little uncomfortable.
<v Speaker 2>Right right, Well, And you know, some people I know
<v Speaker 2>struggle with this sort of anger, like it's not fair
<v Speaker 2>because my friend's skinny and she eats and drinks all
<v Speaker 2>day long and she can have creamy coffees and she
<v Speaker 2>gets to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but her genetics
<v Speaker 2>may keep her thin, but you don't know what is
<v Speaker 2>going on metabolically with her.
<v Speaker 3>Well, it makes me think of Chad's aunt who had
<v Speaker 3>early on set Alzheimer's and she was skinny, as a raal.
<v Speaker 3>She barely ate, but she lived on candy bars and coke,
<v Speaker 3>so she was never overweight. She was really really skinny.
<v Speaker 1>But you know they call Alzheimer's type three diabetes and
<v Speaker 1>it affects the brain, and so I bet her and
<v Speaker 1>this fun response was not healthy at all, even though
<v Speaker 1>she was skinny.
<v Speaker 2>Right, yeah, yep, all right, just so much to think about.
<v Speaker 2>It is thankful for all right. We have a celebration
<v Speaker 2>from Cindy from South Louisiana. She said, I love IF.
<v Speaker 2>I've been a listener for several weeks and was sort
<v Speaker 2>of following but not really clean fasting. After realizing I
<v Speaker 2>wasn't really fasting, I switched to clean fasting about four
<v Speaker 2>weeks ago. And I am thrilled to say it is
<v Speaker 2>so easy and I am down seven pounds. I feel great,
<v Speaker 2>and I'm at a weight that I haven't seen in
<v Speaker 2>sixteen years. Let's just say I am thrilled. I truly
<v Speaker 2>believe I have found the answer at the age of
<v Speaker 2>sixty nine. I eat what I want and I do
<v Speaker 2>sixteen to eighteen hour fast depending on my workout schedule.
<v Speaker 2>I have a goal to lose twenty more pounds and
<v Speaker 2>I am confident I will reach my goal with no problem.
<v Speaker 2>I did listen to the Fast Piece Repeat audiobook, which
<v Speaker 2>was so educational. I am ready to conquer this overweight
<v Speaker 2>problem thanks to you. Drinks some choice during fasting our
<v Speaker 2>black coffee, black tea, water and mineral water.
<v Speaker 1>Well that is awesome. Well, Cindy job Sinny. You're doing great,
<v Speaker 1>and I would like to encourage you. You're pretty pretty
<v Speaker 1>much new to this. You're four weeks in to the
<v Speaker 1>clean fast and you're following. If you're fasting for sixteen
<v Speaker 1>to eighteen hours, then I'm assuming you're eating window is
<v Speaker 1>somewhere between six and eight hours. You may find that
<v Speaker 1>you need to tighten that up as time goes on.
<v Speaker 1>Just something to think about. If you plateau, I mean,
<v Speaker 1>if you're really happy the weight, you get to a
<v Speaker 1>weight and you're happy there and you don't lose the
<v Speaker 1>twenty pounds but you're happy, then keep doing what you're doing.
<v Speaker 1>But if you find that you plateau and you do
<v Speaker 1>want to lose those twenty more pounds, tightening up your
<v Speaker 1>window is probably going to be the solution to that.
<v Speaker 3>Just something to file away, right.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, and you know
<v Speaker 2>you're like, I'm down seven pounds. Great. But what we
<v Speaker 2>see in the early days, the first several weeks of fasting,
<v Speaker 2>is that people shed a lot of inflammation. It's a
<v Speaker 2>lot of water weight. And so if you get to
<v Speaker 2>eight weeks in and you're really not see any more
<v Speaker 2>weight loss, that's when you'll kind of know if that's
<v Speaker 2>your goal to tighten things up.
<v Speaker 3>Yep.
<v Speaker 1>So now we have a question from a listener. This
<v Speaker 1>question is from I don't know who it's from.
<v Speaker 2>Oh my bad, that sorry, Oh my gosh.
<v Speaker 3>See if you can find who it's from, I'm going
<v Speaker 3>to read the question. If you find who it's from,
<v Speaker 3>you can share it. In a minute.
<v Speaker 2>I know exactly who this is.
<v Speaker 3>Okay, who it is.
<v Speaker 2>This is Jody from Fingerlakes region of New York.
<v Speaker 1>Okay, hell, hello Jody. She said, Hello to my favorite ladies.
<v Speaker 1>I am a longtime faster. I feel like when I
<v Speaker 1>hit my five year faster verse you're on January first.
<v Speaker 1>I can say that now. I think you absolutely can.
<v Speaker 1>I think if you're several years in, you are a
<v Speaker 1>long time faster.
<v Speaker 3>She said.
<v Speaker 1>I've maintained for four years. I can truly say that
<v Speaker 1>I live the lifestyle, and I help others through my
<v Speaker 1>small coaching business. However, even coach can have questions, and
<v Speaker 1>you know what, I will never stop having questions about
<v Speaker 1>things you either share.
<v Speaker 2>That's why I didn't get her name down, because she
<v Speaker 2>asked this question and my brain went hah, and I
<v Speaker 2>had to start looking for the answer.
<v Speaker 1>So funny, but you know, we never stopped looking for
<v Speaker 1>the answers to different questions that pop up. Because the
<v Speaker 1>minute you think you know everything, well you don't anyway.
<v Speaker 1>So she said, when I first began my journey, I
<v Speaker 1>invested in Zoe and I learned that I have poor
<v Speaker 1>blood sugar control and good fat control. This was back
<v Speaker 1>in January of twenty twenty two. I wonder if you
<v Speaker 1>know if these results from Zoe have any connection to
<v Speaker 1>my fasted insulin. Here's the thing, they're not.
<v Speaker 3>We can't.
<v Speaker 1>We could guess things about that, but they have never
<v Speaker 1>taken anyone's fasted insulin and then compared it to the
<v Speaker 1>other results, so it would just be guessing. I mean,
<v Speaker 1>can we talk about blood sugar control and how that
<v Speaker 1>might relate to insulin?
<v Speaker 2>Right? Seem if you have poor blood sugar control that
<v Speaker 2>you probably are not insulin sensitive. Yep.
<v Speaker 3>But if that's something you can change or not.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, Like some people are just more prone genetically right
<v Speaker 2>to having like reactive hypoglycemia because their body may just
<v Speaker 2>push out more insulin when they eat. So yeah, I
<v Speaker 2>don't think that they test that per se.
<v Speaker 1>No, So she said, I had the first her insulin
<v Speaker 1>done in August of twenty twenty one, and it was
<v Speaker 1>six point six, but currently it is four. Here's another
<v Speaker 1>thing about fasted insulin that I really want to continue
<v Speaker 1>to reiterate all the time, and that is we know
<v Speaker 1>how blood glucose changes within a range every single day.
<v Speaker 1>If you took your if you've ever want to see GM,
<v Speaker 1>you've seen your blood sugar change. And if you haven't
<v Speaker 1>want to see GYM, and you've taken your blood sugar,
<v Speaker 1>if you have a blood sugar value thirty minutes later,
<v Speaker 1>it's going to be higher or lower or exact factly
<v Speaker 1>the same or somewhere within a range. So the same
<v Speaker 1>with blood sugar and fasted insulin. Your fasted insulin is
<v Speaker 1>not a number, like you're not like, all right, I'm
<v Speaker 1>six point six, and that means all the time I'm
<v Speaker 1>six point six And now I'm four, so I've gotten
<v Speaker 1>better and now I'm four. You might be exactly the
<v Speaker 1>same as you were when you've got a six point
<v Speaker 1>six and now you have a four. It doesn't mean
<v Speaker 1>that you got better. You might get better, but we
<v Speaker 1>don't really know how much you're fluctuating within that fasting
<v Speaker 1>insulin range. Maybe you were fluctuating slightly higher and now
<v Speaker 1>you're fluctuating slightly lower.
<v Speaker 3>We can't tell.
<v Speaker 1>You'd have to have a lot more data to know,
<v Speaker 1>and we just don't have, you know, continuous insulin monitors
<v Speaker 1>or you know, a lot of fasting insulin data because
<v Speaker 1>people don't do it very frequently. That's not a test
<v Speaker 1>we have, like a CGM will tells our blood sugar
<v Speaker 1>constantly over the course of the day. So everybody always
<v Speaker 1>be a little cautious when comparing too fasting insulin numbers
<v Speaker 1>because they are a snow app shot in time. Now,
<v Speaker 1>if one time you got a twenty five and the
<v Speaker 1>next time you got a four, that's right, We're not
<v Speaker 1>going to fluctuate that much from day to day, right,
<v Speaker 1>But I think four and six point six are very
<v Speaker 1>close together. So anyway, I just wanted to pop that
<v Speaker 1>out because sometimes people are like, really disappointed that their
<v Speaker 1>fasting insulin looks like it's worse, when.
<v Speaker 2>Really it just was five point two a year ago
<v Speaker 2>and today it was six point three and I've been fasting.
<v Speaker 2>Why did it go up? Right? But it could have
<v Speaker 2>been you didn't sleep well, traffic was heavier driving to
<v Speaker 2>the lab, you had it at a different time of the.
<v Speaker 1>Day, you ran up the stairs before they did the
<v Speaker 1>blood draw, and your right body pulsed out some glucose,
<v Speaker 1>and then your fasting insulin went up a little bit
<v Speaker 1>just because of that. It's because exercise raises our blood sugar,
<v Speaker 1>and our fasting insulin is always changing in the background
<v Speaker 1>to match what our blood sugar is doing.
<v Speaker 3>So I just wanted to keep that in mind.
<v Speaker 1>So Jodie says, I've worn cgms and I've learned that
<v Speaker 1>i have a pretty good insulin response over all. I
<v Speaker 1>guess she's meaning a blood sugar response, and then she's assuming.
<v Speaker 3>That that means her she's insolent sensitive.
<v Speaker 1>So she said, I'm wondering if what Zoe tests is
<v Speaker 1>similar and also changes over time with this lifestyle. I'm
<v Speaker 1>guessing it does, but I wanted to get your insight
<v Speaker 1>on it.
<v Speaker 3>Do you want to just talk.
<v Speaker 1>About that for just a minute on the well, that
<v Speaker 1>exact question that she asked, and then we'll go onto
<v Speaker 1>the rest because she now she's still going to talk
<v Speaker 1>about LDL for example, like do you think that I mean.
<v Speaker 2>I would assume that, I mean I don't. So when
<v Speaker 2>they're looking at your blood sugar control, they're looking at
<v Speaker 2>what was your response to their cookie? Right? I mean
<v Speaker 2>I did it back when it was the predicted muddy.
<v Speaker 2>I haven't done a new updated Zoe now. So we
<v Speaker 2>had muffins and then you also ate regular food. You
<v Speaker 2>are a CGM. You also pricked your finger, I mean
<v Speaker 2>like it was a lot. So I can't speak for
<v Speaker 2>how they're doing it now. In fact, right now you
<v Speaker 2>can't even do it. So I don't know even what
<v Speaker 2>the new one's going to be. But I'm assuming that
<v Speaker 2>what they're doing is they're looking at this is what
<v Speaker 2>you ate. They want to see how did your body
<v Speaker 2>react to it? What was your blood sugar rise after
<v Speaker 2>you had the cookie? Similar, what was your what was
<v Speaker 2>the fat in your blood? Which that's going to be
<v Speaker 2>her next question. Yeah, so as you become more insulin sensitive,
<v Speaker 2>it makes sense to me that your blood sugar control
<v Speaker 2>would improve, because that's our goal. You know, when you're
<v Speaker 2>not insulin sensitive, then your body's pushing out insulin, but
<v Speaker 2>it's not working to keep your blood sugar as tightly controlled. Now,
<v Speaker 2>with that said, you've been by the time you did Zoe,
<v Speaker 2>you've been fasting a couple of years, and if your
<v Speaker 2>insulin was six point six, then you were significantly more
<v Speaker 2>and sensitive than most people, most people out there on
<v Speaker 2>the streets.
<v Speaker 3>Yep.
<v Speaker 2>So you know, if you still came back with poor
<v Speaker 2>blood sugar control, I think that just means that you
<v Speaker 2>need to be more careful about how and what you
<v Speaker 2>eat exactly.
<v Speaker 3>All right, So we go on, She says, I know that.
<v Speaker 1>When Jenn speaks of her results, she says, I clear
<v Speaker 1>dot dot dot well. Actually I always say I don't
<v Speaker 1>clear fat well, because that is that's what I found out.
<v Speaker 1>I don't clear fat well. Now, she mentioned she does
<v Speaker 1>have good fat control. Mine is not as good. So
<v Speaker 1>Jody says, I also struggle with a high LDAL, which
<v Speaker 1>I've spoken to Sherry about during a one on one
<v Speaker 1>coaching session and wondered if or how that could connect
<v Speaker 1>clear fat well.
<v Speaker 3>But high LDL just my curiosity getting the best of me.
<v Speaker 1>On a side note, the Zoe test also showed that
<v Speaker 1>my gut diversity was high the good guys. And since
<v Speaker 1>that time, I did receive an email from Zoe saying
<v Speaker 1>they identified more good gut bugs and that now my
<v Speaker 1>diversity is accepttional because I had those at that time.
<v Speaker 1>How cool is that? Thank you for always explaining the
<v Speaker 1>science and physiology of our bodies in such understandable terms.
<v Speaker 1>You are both such great coaches, and I strive to
<v Speaker 1>offer the same clear information and support to my clients.
<v Speaker 1>All right, so you know a whole lot more about
<v Speaker 1>LDL than I do.
<v Speaker 2>Well, So I actually it's funny because I've had the
<v Speaker 2>same question. Yeah, when I did the predict to study,
<v Speaker 2>which was like the precursor of Zoo. Yeah, yeah, same results.
<v Speaker 2>Poor blood glucose control, yeah, great fat clearance. Got high
<v Speaker 2>scores for fat clearance, And so at that point I
<v Speaker 2>was like, oh, well, I've always eaten fairly low fat,
<v Speaker 2>but if eating fat is not inflammatory for me, then
<v Speaker 2>maybe I have room to introduce more into my diets.
<v Speaker 2>And my LDL skyrocketed. So I'm like, how could that be? Well,
<v Speaker 2>so your question forced me. Thank you Jody to really
<v Speaker 2>look into this because I'd never taken the time to
<v Speaker 2>do it. It always kind of been that little light bulb
<v Speaker 2>in my head that was like, huh, I wonder how
<v Speaker 2>that is. Yeah, so I did a little deep dive
<v Speaker 2>and I also included some resources in the show notes
<v Speaker 2>from Zoe that explains this so you can read it
<v Speaker 2>more in detail. So, when zoe blood test shows that
<v Speaker 2>you clear fat well, it means that your body efficiently
<v Speaker 2>processes and removes triglyceri rides from your bloodstream after eating.
<v Speaker 2>And that if your body removes triglycerides from your bloodstream
<v Speaker 2>after eating, that results in higher blood fat control score.
<v Speaker 2>What this indicates is that you had of a lower
<v Speaker 2>risk of metabolic inflammation, reduced heart risk of heart disease,
<v Speaker 2>and a healthier metabolic response compared to those who struggle
<v Speaker 2>to clear fat. Now, like, if you struggled to clear
<v Speaker 2>fat and you had poor blood glucose response, to me,
<v Speaker 2>that would be a metabolic swarmp wreat Yeah, Like you
<v Speaker 2>wouldn't want to be there, right, But so you have
<v Speaker 2>like one thing not working great for you, but you
<v Speaker 2>also have one thing that is working great for you.
<v Speaker 2>So what clearing fat well means if you have a
<v Speaker 2>high blood fat score, it means you have lurer cardi
<v Speaker 2>mascular risk, because if fat lingers in your blood for
<v Speaker 2>too long, it can damage your arteries and lead to
<v Speaker 2>heart disease. A high score means your body clears the
<v Speaker 2>fat faster, which minimizes damage. It also means it's not
<v Speaker 2>as inflammatory, so it means that your body should not
<v Speaker 2>be experiencing chronic low grade inflammation triggered by high fat meals.
<v Speaker 2>And it also just means that you probably have better
<v Speaker 2>metabolic health. And it's often linked to a healthy gut microbiome,
<v Speaker 2>which affects how you metabolize fat. However, LBL cholesterol is
<v Speaker 2>sort of a different beast, and it's comes more from
<v Speaker 2>like your liver and how your liver metabolizes and pushes
<v Speaker 2>out fat and clear and like, I don't want to
<v Speaker 2>say disposes of it, but yeah, like sort of detox
<v Speaker 2>is fat from your body, and that's a whole other
<v Speaker 2>deep dive. Do a deep dive into how your liver
<v Speaker 2>processes and uses an affects your LDL level and so anyways, basically,
<v Speaker 2>they just basically say that if you have strong fat
<v Speaker 2>clearing scores, it means that your body's adept at handling
<v Speaker 2>dietary fat without causing undue metabolic stress. Now, everything I've read,
<v Speaker 2>I could not find any connection to LDL with that right,
<v Speaker 2>and they really just talk about triglycerites. So probably going
<v Speaker 2>to take a little bit deeper dive than what I
<v Speaker 2>did here. But there is some links and they also
<v Speaker 2>have I did not know it, a really great resource
<v Speaker 2>section on their web site with all sorts of information.
<v Speaker 2>And if you just google like a question and then
<v Speaker 2>like Zoe or predict to study, it brings up different
<v Speaker 2>white papers.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, so yep, And you know, to go back to
<v Speaker 3>what you say.
<v Speaker 1>I've talked to before about my body doesn't clear fat well.
<v Speaker 1>When I eat too much fat, I definitely feel increased inflammation.
<v Speaker 1>Like I'm puffy right now. You can probably tell how
<v Speaker 1>puffy and my face is. I've just gotten off that
<v Speaker 1>cruise ship. I was on a cruise for five nights
<v Speaker 1>with my family. There were eleven of us. We had
<v Speaker 1>a great time. I ate two meals a day, and
<v Speaker 1>the first few days Sherry, ugh, I'm so full. Like
<v Speaker 1>the very first meal we got on, my sister and
<v Speaker 1>her husband and me and Will had like this special
<v Speaker 1>get on early and they give you a special lunch
<v Speaker 1>and whatever. So I was like, well, I'm doing it.
<v Speaker 1>So we're having our special lunch. At noon, it was
<v Speaker 1>like a filet mignon from the steakhouse.
<v Speaker 3>So I like, I'm delicious. I know.
<v Speaker 1>I had like pilet mignon, and then for dinner I
<v Speaker 1>had chicken, and the next day for lunch, I had
<v Speaker 1>like a burger. I was eating like a lot of meat.
<v Speaker 1>Early in the cruise. I felt so full and just uncomfortable.
<v Speaker 1>So about day three I was like, all right, no
<v Speaker 1>more meat. So I mean, and I did have like
<v Speaker 1>a little bit like something here and there, but for
<v Speaker 1>the rest of the cruise, I was like choosing the
<v Speaker 1>vegetarian options, heavy on the beans, things like that.
<v Speaker 3>I felt so much better.
<v Speaker 2>It is interesting that you say when you eat high fat,
<v Speaker 2>you feel inflamed, and you had good blood glucose control,
<v Speaker 2>but you had poor fat clearance. Right, I'm the opposite.
<v Speaker 2>I have poor blood glucose control and great fat clearance. Right.
<v Speaker 2>Refined carbohydrates inflame me like pizza crust. If I was
<v Speaker 2>to eat a big sandwich on a big crusty French
<v Speaker 2>bread roll, I would be puffy and inflamed. I feel it.
<v Speaker 2>I feel it in my feet, I feel it in
<v Speaker 2>my hands the next morning. But fat doesn't seem to
<v Speaker 2>have any bearing on that. It's literally breads, pretss that
<v Speaker 2>sort of thing.
<v Speaker 1>Well, that kind of stuff does cause water retention, just
<v Speaker 1>you know, the carbohydrates ten plus water night.
<v Speaker 2>It makes my joints hurt. Oh, like I get up
<v Speaker 2>in the morning and my feet hurt.
<v Speaker 1>Oh not just because you're retaining fluid. Not just okay,
<v Speaker 1>it's so interesting. But I was like, I felt uncomfortable,
<v Speaker 1>and I'm like, I've been eating meat at every single meal.
<v Speaker 3>I've been eating two meals a day.
<v Speaker 1>And then when I switched over and said, all right,
<v Speaker 1>that's it, I'm just eating vegetables. I weared all the
<v Speaker 1>bean stuff, lental stuff, whatever I could find, I felt
<v Speaker 1>so much better. And so I like, I got off
<v Speaker 1>the cruise ship on Saturday, and then I fasted all
<v Speaker 1>the way till I got home, and then I didn't
<v Speaker 1>eat till dinner. Had a pretty short window. And then
<v Speaker 1>I got on the scale the first time on Sunday.
<v Speaker 1>Now my weight was up a couple more pounds. I'd
<v Speaker 1>just gotten off the cruise ship. So, you know, we
<v Speaker 1>tell people not to weigh.
<v Speaker 3>When I get off a cruise shup, and I hadn't
<v Speaker 3>weighed since twenty seventeen, and I got right on the scale,
<v Speaker 3>but that was it was like it was a couple
<v Speaker 3>pounds higher than it is today. So the one thirty five,
<v Speaker 3>I think is more like my beau.
<v Speaker 2>I think it's fun to watch that inflammation leave. I'll
<v Speaker 2>be like, I wonder if I can get rid of
<v Speaker 2>it in five days if I eat real clean.
<v Speaker 1>Well, I don't have a baseline number I wish now,
<v Speaker 1>I wish i'd weighed before I got on the cruise shup.
<v Speaker 1>But I am down two point two pounds since the
<v Speaker 1>day I got off, you know, Sunday. I weigh on Sunday,
<v Speaker 1>like I said, So I'm down two point two pounds
<v Speaker 1>and probably inflammation weight.
<v Speaker 3>But I don't think that's my rule.
<v Speaker 1>You know, definitely, you can't lose two point two pounds
<v Speaker 1>of fat for two days any.
<v Speaker 2>Well, in a week, you'll have a good base.
<v Speaker 1>I will go, I will I'm going to have a baseline.
<v Speaker 1>And now I'm just really curious to see.
<v Speaker 3>What my maintenance range really does look like, you know,
<v Speaker 3>because I felt like I was maintaining within a range,
<v Speaker 3>but now I'm going to have the data to know
<v Speaker 3>for sure. And again I'm no longer scared of the scale.
<v Speaker 1>It's just I wonder how much of that is coming
<v Speaker 1>from the fact that Chris makes me feel very confident
<v Speaker 1>in my body. Maybe maybe Yeah, Suddenly I'm like, I
<v Speaker 1>don't need that external.
<v Speaker 2>Or you've just killed your relationship made your body over
<v Speaker 2>the year because I feel like I have yep, yeah, yeah,
<v Speaker 2>I think you know. The other thing is too, You've
<v Speaker 2>been fasting now for going on eleven years, yeah, or
<v Speaker 2>eleven years now.
<v Speaker 1>Fourteen is when I started, So fourteen, okay, going on
<v Speaker 1>twelve Yeah.
<v Speaker 2>Okay, yeah, because I started fifteen, So you clearly have
<v Speaker 2>not eaten up all your muscle mass.
<v Speaker 3>My muscle mass is excellent according to the scale. And
<v Speaker 3>also my bone density, Like I said, I don't know
<v Speaker 3>how accurate it is, but my bone density is excellent.
<v Speaker 3>So I have excellent muscle mass, excellent bone density, low
<v Speaker 3>visceral fat.
<v Speaker 2>Awesome. Yeah, all right, Well we have a question from
<v Speaker 2>a Salt Lake city. She says, Hi, ladies, I've been
<v Speaker 2>inter fasting for nearly two years. I begin my reading
<v Speaker 2>fast feast repeat on the recommendation of my primary care
<v Speaker 2>nurse practitioner, who is a big fan and thought it
<v Speaker 2>would be a good fit for me. Do you to
<v Speaker 2>my family history of type two diabetes. I jumped right
<v Speaker 2>into clean fasting with an eighteen six window, which eventually
<v Speaker 2>moved to nineteen five. I found fasting to be relatively easy.
<v Speaker 2>I was thrilled to lose forty pounds in the first year,
<v Speaker 2>and the non scale victories were even better. While my
<v Speaker 2>fasting glucose and A and C were not in the
<v Speaker 2>problematic range before I started fasting, they both improved in
<v Speaker 2>that first year, and my triglycerides dropped almost in half.
<v Speaker 2>I have struggled to be as consistent in the second year,
<v Speaker 2>especially as I know that now I need to focus
<v Speaker 2>on the quality of my food during my eating window.
<v Speaker 2>I have support and I'm committed to getting back to consistency.
<v Speaker 2>I have two questions. My first question is this, I
<v Speaker 2>do not drink coffee and therefore only plain water during
<v Speaker 2>my fasting. I'm curious whether you've ever researched Creo Brew,
<v Speaker 2>which is a product made from unsweetened cocoa beans. Currently,
<v Speaker 2>I only have it during my eating window, and I
<v Speaker 2>prepare it with stevia. If I were able to drink
<v Speaker 2>it with no sweetener at all, would it still break
<v Speaker 2>a fast and be comparable to black coffee or be
<v Speaker 2>comparable to black coffee. I'm not referring to the flavored
<v Speaker 2>options they have, but just to the more basic flavors
<v Speaker 2>like ghana. The flavor profile is quite bitter.
<v Speaker 1>As a reference, well, we have had this question a
<v Speaker 1>bunch of times over the years, and we always give
<v Speaker 1>the same answer. We would not recommend that as part
<v Speaker 1>of a clean fast.
<v Speaker 2>And.
<v Speaker 1>It's gonna have those chocolate notes even there. Even if
<v Speaker 1>the flavor profile is bitter, it's still it's chocolate.
<v Speaker 3>You're brewing cocoa. So save that for your eating window.
<v Speaker 3>For sut. You know you're in your second year.
<v Speaker 1>You said you've struggled to be as consistent. That's really
<v Speaker 1>what I would focus on. Consistency. I know for a
<v Speaker 1>fact in hindsight, over my maintenance years, I can always
<v Speaker 1>tell when I'm a little loosey goosey, and it generally
<v Speaker 1>little tiny bit of window creep, But it mainly is
<v Speaker 1>food quality. It always for me, always comes back to
<v Speaker 1>food quality. Here's the thing I feel better when I
<v Speaker 1>eat better food. It's not just that I want to
<v Speaker 1>be smaller so I eat better food. I feel better
<v Speaker 1>when I eat better food. I just talked about how
<v Speaker 1>I felt so inflamed and yucky after a couple of
<v Speaker 1>days of eating the food that doesn't work as well
<v Speaker 1>for my body, and when I was like, now I'm
<v Speaker 1>going to prioritize beans and lental soup, and I didn't
<v Speaker 1>still need you know, I still was eating more than
<v Speaker 1>I needed. I was on a cruise, I was eating
<v Speaker 1>two meals, but I felt better instantly when I added
<v Speaker 1>more high fiber foods and focused on.
<v Speaker 3>That so quality of food.
<v Speaker 1>I want everyone to disconnect from the idea of I'm
<v Speaker 1>only eating better food because I want to lose weight,
<v Speaker 1>or like the idea of eating better food is like
<v Speaker 1>punishment and then when you lose the weight, you can
<v Speaker 1>go back to eat any other food. We feel better
<v Speaker 1>when we eat better food, and you know, I really
<v Speaker 1>think that's an instrumental part of the eat like a
<v Speaker 1>grown up program. Is why we're choosing to eat like this,
<v Speaker 1>and why we're going to do it for health long term,
<v Speaker 1>and we're going to feel better when we do it, all.
<v Speaker 2>Right, So The second question is about electrolytes during a
<v Speaker 2>longer fast. I have done only one thirty six hour fast,
<v Speaker 2>and while I didn't feel particularly dizzy or weak, I
<v Speaker 2>did have a headache. I attribute that to not knowing
<v Speaker 2>what I was doing with electrolytes. I would like to
<v Speaker 2>add in longer fast a few times a month. I
<v Speaker 2>have sodium tablets and as well as magnesium, zinc and
<v Speaker 2>potassium tablets, and I'm not sure how much to take
<v Speaker 2>on a forty hour fast roughly seven pm to about
<v Speaker 2>eleven am. A day and a half later, I would
<v Speaker 2>be doing at least one fasted workout during that time.
<v Speaker 2>It is normal for me to work out fasted within
<v Speaker 2>my normal nineteen five without any electrolytes supplementation and have
<v Speaker 2>no problem.
<v Speaker 3>All right.
<v Speaker 1>The first thing I would encourage you to do is
<v Speaker 1>if you don't have the second edition of Delayed on Deny,
<v Speaker 1>I would go ahead and get that, and I would
<v Speaker 1>read the ADF chapter. I would not start eating on
<v Speaker 1>an up day at eleven am. I would start eating
<v Speaker 1>earlier than that. And that's all really explained in the
<v Speaker 1>second edition of Delayed on Deny, and we've talked about
<v Speaker 1>it a lot on this podcast, the update you need
<v Speaker 1>longer than opening at eleven. You're going to have a
<v Speaker 1>hard time waking up your appetite to get in a
<v Speaker 1>full up day. Eight to twelve hours is what we recommend,
<v Speaker 1>and err on the side of longer. As far as electrolytes,
<v Speaker 1>I've personally never needed electrolytes.
<v Speaker 3>And if you didn't.
<v Speaker 1>Feel dizzier week, but you did have a headache, I mean,
<v Speaker 1>could that be electrolytes, Yes, it could have been. Could
<v Speaker 1>it be something else? Yes, Yeah, there are lots of
<v Speaker 1>reasons why we have a headache. It could do with
<v Speaker 1>It could be related to your blood sugar, it could
<v Speaker 1>be related to atmospheric pressure. It could have been a
<v Speaker 1>one time thing. So, Sherry, would you talk about electrolytes,
<v Speaker 1>because you're somebody who does need electrolytes, talk about how
<v Speaker 1>you know you need them and how you feel when
<v Speaker 1>you need them.
<v Speaker 2>Well, first of all, let me just address zinc. While
<v Speaker 2>fasting is not usually a great combination.
<v Speaker 3>Because it makes you easy.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, zinc has a way of making people very nauseous,
<v Speaker 2>definitely stomach So I would I can't use zinc.
<v Speaker 3>I can't eat fasting, No, absolutely not.
<v Speaker 2>I would be very just cautious about that. As far
<v Speaker 2>as magnesium and potassium while fasting, that should not be
<v Speaker 2>an issue. If you're having a headache while you're fasting.
<v Speaker 2>First of all, you said you've only done one. I
<v Speaker 2>don't know where you were in your fasting history when
<v Speaker 2>you did that. Sometimes people have a headache while they're
<v Speaker 2>fasting just because they're not Their bodies are not adapted
<v Speaker 2>to fasting that long, and so a lot of people
<v Speaker 2>will well hear when they start, like ADF, they have
<v Speaker 2>a headache the first couple of days, kind of like
<v Speaker 2>when you first started fasting originally and you started introduced
<v Speaker 2>the eighteen six and then moved to ninety five. It's
<v Speaker 2>really common to ap headaches. But if it was something
<v Speaker 2>that you did again, you got a headache more often
<v Speaker 2>than not, you may just need some sodium. I always
<v Speaker 2>recommend taking magnesium at bedtime. So if you're taking magnesium
<v Speaker 2>at bedtime and you were to have a headache, I
<v Speaker 2>would simply do a pinch of high quality salts. You
<v Speaker 2>can simply put it under your tongue, kind of let
<v Speaker 2>it absorb, wash it down with some water. You want
<v Speaker 2>to be careful that because you're not eating and you're fasting,
<v Speaker 2>that you are not overhydrating as a way to keep
<v Speaker 2>your mouth busy. Having the down day meal on the
<v Speaker 2>down day is really beneficial for replenishing your body naturally
<v Speaker 2>with electrolytes from food, from minerals from food. So if
<v Speaker 2>you really needed other electrolytes, you're going to have issues
<v Speaker 2>like muscle cramps, spasms. I get eyeics, I get hand
<v Speaker 2>finger toe spasms, not so much like Charlie horses, though
<v Speaker 2>some people do. And then headaches can be a sign of,
<v Speaker 2>you know, needing some sodium. It can also be a
<v Speaker 2>sign of needing some magnesium. So it can't hurt you
<v Speaker 2>if you have a fast safe electrolyte and you want
<v Speaker 2>to take it, but if you're unsure if you need
<v Speaker 2>it while you're fasting, I would start first with just
<v Speaker 2>like I said, a pinch of high quality salts. If
<v Speaker 2>that takes your headache away, you just know you're a
<v Speaker 2>little sodium depleted. Very good information. All right, Now it's
<v Speaker 2>time for our segment called what's your why. Most of
<v Speaker 2>us have weight loss in mind, so it's fine for
<v Speaker 2>that to be part of your why, but there is
<v Speaker 2>so much more to what Intermittent fasting can do for
<v Speaker 2>us beyond weight loss in twenty eight day fast art
<v Speaker 2>day by day. There's a reason why I asked readers
<v Speaker 2>to craft their why statement before beginning. I genuinely believe
<v Speaker 2>when your why is deeper than weight loss alone, you're
<v Speaker 2>more likely to find long term success, and you're more
<v Speaker 2>likely to view intermittent fasting as a lifestyle. This week,
<v Speaker 2>we have a wife from bridget in Massachusetts. She said,
<v Speaker 2>my why for intermittent fasting started with weight loss, and
<v Speaker 2>that is still very much part of it. I want
<v Speaker 2>to feel strong in my body. I want to reach
<v Speaker 2>the one hunh hundred and thirties as I had never
<v Speaker 2>had before. I want to feel confident and proud of myself.
<v Speaker 2>But over time my why has deepened. I am recovery
<v Speaker 2>from severe drug abuse. I spent my teens in most
<v Speaker 2>of my twenties poisoning my body and neglecting my most
<v Speaker 2>basic needs. Today, more than twelve years into recovery and
<v Speaker 2>over four years into intermittent fasting, I feel the best
<v Speaker 2>I have ever felt in my life. If represents the
<v Speaker 2>opposite of how I used to live. It is intentional,
<v Speaker 2>it is aware, It is disciplined instead of harming my body.
<v Speaker 2>I am protecting it instead of disconnecting from myself. I
<v Speaker 2>am paying attention. If gives me information, it helps me
<v Speaker 2>understand what I am putting into my body and how
<v Speaker 2>it affects me. Knowledge is power for me, structure feel safe.
<v Speaker 2>Just like my recovery program. It teaches me to take
<v Speaker 2>things one day at a time. I do not have
<v Speaker 2>to be perfect forever. I just have to make the
<v Speaker 2>next right decision today. That blueprint has changed my life.
<v Speaker 2>I fast because I want to be healthy and present
<v Speaker 2>for my family and for the people who rely on me.
<v Speaker 2>I fast because I want energy, clarity, and strength. I
<v Speaker 2>fast because I respect my body.
<v Speaker 3>Now.
<v Speaker 2>Weight loss is part of my story, but healing, awareness,
<v Speaker 2>and longevity are the bigger reasons I continue.
<v Speaker 3>I love that so much. And Bridget, congratulations for all
<v Speaker 3>of your progress, your changes, your disciplined lifestyle, for beating
<v Speaker 3>drug abuse. That is amazing. That's what's amazing. Yeah, it's
<v Speaker 3>very strong if you can do that, all.
<v Speaker 2>Right, So we have a question from Sell from Australia.
<v Speaker 2>She read, I've been fasting since May of twenty twenty
<v Speaker 2>five and I've been doing nineteen five daily some days
<v Speaker 2>twenty one hours and if I have a long run,
<v Speaker 2>I do tend to have shorter fasts. I am turning
<v Speaker 2>forty three this March. I am one hundred and sixty
<v Speaker 2>one centimeters tall or five foot three and sixty one
<v Speaker 2>kilos or one hundred and thirty four pounds when I
<v Speaker 2>started last year in May. Now my weight won't move.
<v Speaker 2>I am at one hundred and twenty seven pounds.
<v Speaker 1>All right, So you know what we did. We ran
<v Speaker 1>it through the smart Bmi, and I also ran mine
<v Speaker 1>through the smart b What I waited today just to
<v Speaker 1>see sell you and I have exactly the same Smart Bmi,
<v Speaker 1>like literally exactly. That's exactly what my smart BMI was.
<v Speaker 1>Your smart BMI is twenty three and so it's mine.
<v Speaker 3>And we are. Now that's our conventional Oh that's her
<v Speaker 3>conventional BMI.
<v Speaker 1>Oh yeah, well convention Oh okay, okay, oh I see
<v Speaker 1>down there. Huh Well, I don't know what myne smart
<v Speaker 1>be and my with our conventional BMI is exactly the same.
<v Speaker 1>So let me put it that way. That's close enough, right,
<v Speaker 1>Our BMI is exactly the same. I didn't scroll down
<v Speaker 1>on mine, so I understand that like for me, like
<v Speaker 1>I feel like I'm about five pounds up from where
<v Speaker 1>am I like to sit? I get it for me.
<v Speaker 1>I'd like to, you know, maybe drift back down to
<v Speaker 1>the lower end of my maintenance range. I'll feel a
<v Speaker 1>little better when I do. But my body has very
<v Speaker 1>much decided where I'm going to maintain over the years
<v Speaker 1>without me having to be too dramatic about anything. And
<v Speaker 1>your body is going to do that as well. Your
<v Speaker 1>body is going to decide. And one factor is, you
<v Speaker 1>know how much muscle mass do you have? You know,
<v Speaker 1>you said you have long runs, and when you do
<v Speaker 1>have a long run, you have a shorter fast. So
<v Speaker 1>it might be that you need to tighten up even
<v Speaker 1>on long run days so that you're burning more fat
<v Speaker 1>if you would like to lose more fat, if your
<v Speaker 1>body is going to get you a little bit lower
<v Speaker 1>over time, maybe you don't need to have a shorter
<v Speaker 1>fast on a run day. But maybe your body is
<v Speaker 1>exactly where it wants to be. Or maybe your food
<v Speaker 1>quality could get a little bit better and you could
<v Speaker 1>lose a little bit more weight if you make changes
<v Speaker 1>in your foods. Because we don't really know how your
<v Speaker 1>food quality is right, So just those are things to
<v Speaker 1>play around with. You are your own study of one.
<v Speaker 1>What news is we have the same BMI and also
<v Speaker 1>you and I are both right in the middle of
<v Speaker 1>the healthy weight range for our height and our age.
<v Speaker 1>So that is a really good thing. And the better
<v Speaker 1>news is if you just focus on, you know, a
<v Speaker 1>few things. See what happens if you keep that window
<v Speaker 1>to five hours a day every day?
<v Speaker 3>Is there really see?
<v Speaker 2>That was my suggestion was that she said she's doing
<v Speaker 2>twenty one hours some days, and then if she has
<v Speaker 2>a long run, she does shorter fast, but she doesn't
<v Speaker 2>really say how much shorter. And I almost wonder if
<v Speaker 2>she just kind of kept the boundaries of a five
<v Speaker 2>hour eating window every day, right, if she wouldn't feel
<v Speaker 2>like she needed to break fast early on the run days, yep,
<v Speaker 2>And just keep a more consistent eating window, ignoring your
<v Speaker 2>fast link. Just focus on your eating window each day
<v Speaker 2>and just settle into somewhere like around four to five
<v Speaker 2>hours each day, and that I would not be surprised
<v Speaker 2>if that wouldn't help you a little bit, just with
<v Speaker 2>some consistency.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.
<v Speaker 1>And by the way, I did look up my smart BMI.
<v Speaker 1>I scrolled on down and our smartbmis are exactly the
<v Speaker 1>same as well.
<v Speaker 3>Thirty four, right in the.
<v Speaker 1>Middle, where is she and I are exactly in the
<v Speaker 1>right place or in the same place with our smart
<v Speaker 1>Bmi and our regular Bmi.
<v Speaker 3>And again I.
<v Speaker 1>Realize I would feel better if I were down about
<v Speaker 1>five pounds, which is probably where I normally find my
<v Speaker 1>happy maintenance wait to be so, I understand. But for me,
<v Speaker 1>when I need to tighten it up what I've done
<v Speaker 1>over these years of maintenance, whenever my clothes feel like
<v Speaker 1>they feel right this minute, I tighten up my window
<v Speaker 1>a bit and I focus on food quality. Fewer restaurant meals, right,
<v Speaker 1>That's the thing that's been the biggest difference with you
<v Speaker 1>having Chris around. We've had a little celebratory more restaurant meals.
<v Speaker 2>It's that new love. It is.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, we're having a lot of fun.
<v Speaker 2>You're happy and you're out living life and.
<v Speaker 1>We're baseball learn all the baseball games. That's been a
<v Speaker 1>challenge for me, nailgating fun. Well, the baseball games are
<v Speaker 1>funny because I don't want to eat at the ballpark.
<v Speaker 3>So the game might start at two o'clock.
<v Speaker 1>On let's say a Sunday, and then it goes on
<v Speaker 1>for hours, and I don't want to eat at the ballpark.
<v Speaker 1>So if I eat before I go to the ballpark,
<v Speaker 1>then when am I closing my window? I am I
<v Speaker 1>gonna to get it anyway. So that's been a challenge
<v Speaker 1>for me. It's which is kind of funny that I'm
<v Speaker 1>having a challenge.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, yeah, well you're outside of your norm.
<v Speaker 3>I'm doing something different that you're.
<v Speaker 2>Having to learn how to flex a little bit different.
<v Speaker 1>I'm learning to flex around baseball season exactly right.
<v Speaker 2>So before I get to the tweak of the week,
<v Speaker 2>I just want to take a minute to talk about
<v Speaker 2>the coaching that I'm doing and how you might know
<v Speaker 2>that it's right for you. Do any of these sound
<v Speaker 2>like you You feel like you might need some one
<v Speaker 2>on one support for your I have lifestyle. You've started
<v Speaker 2>and stopped without ever being able to create a sustainable lifestyle,
<v Speaker 2>and you just need help trying to figure out how
<v Speaker 2>to make that happen. Maybe you're stuck in a plateau
<v Speaker 2>or you just aren't seeing the results you seek. You've
<v Speaker 2>lost your initial motivation and you need to find your
<v Speaker 2>excitement again. You're struggling with how to structure your eating
<v Speaker 2>window and how to balance nutrition or how to dial
<v Speaker 2>in a flexible eating window that supports your busy life.
<v Speaker 2>Or maybe you just need help breaking free from self
<v Speaker 2>limiting beliefs or help with mindset. So whether you're looking
<v Speaker 2>for a one time session, quarterly sessions, or a month
<v Speaker 2>of one on one support, or you can check in
<v Speaker 2>for daily accountability, I have options available for you, and
<v Speaker 2>I am here to help you with all of that
<v Speaker 2>and more. Bottom line, I want to help you succeed
<v Speaker 2>in living your best life. And sad news for me
<v Speaker 2>is I'm going to be having surgery and not be
<v Speaker 2>working for probably about twelve weeks here in the next
<v Speaker 2>I don't know when, sometime this spring. So my availability
<v Speaker 2>is going to be a little bit wider than it
<v Speaker 2>normally is. So if you reach out before and our
<v Speaker 2>timing didn't align, reach back out again, because I'm going
<v Speaker 2>to be opening up my schedule because I will just
<v Speaker 2>be at home seven days a week. Guys, I might
<v Speaker 2>even open up some Saturday mornings. So yeah, don't hesitate
<v Speaker 2>to reach out. There's a link in show notes, or
<v Speaker 2>you can always email me at Sherry at fastpeasrepeat dot com.
<v Speaker 3>Well, I know that the surgery is the last thing
<v Speaker 3>you were hoping for, so.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I know, and I'm going to be climbing the walls.
<v Speaker 1>Reach out to Sherry, get her off the wall. So
<v Speaker 1>now it's time for our tweak of the week. This
<v Speaker 1>is from Karen from San Diego. I started intermittent fasting
<v Speaker 1>two and a half years ago. Although I only needed
<v Speaker 1>to lose about ten pounds, there are so many other
<v Speaker 1>benefits that have kept me wanting to keep eye up
<v Speaker 1>as my lifestyle. I've struggled to stay within my eating
<v Speaker 1>window of four to five hours. I've never used an
<v Speaker 1>app since I prefer to try my window and not
<v Speaker 1>my fast I think it was Jen who recently mentioned
<v Speaker 1>setting a timer on your phone is a good alternative.
<v Speaker 1>I decided to try this. It's amazing what this little
<v Speaker 1>tweak has done for me. I set my timer for
<v Speaker 1>twenty hours and I do not eat until the timer
<v Speaker 1>goes off. As soon as I start eating, I set
<v Speaker 1>it for four hours. It seems so simple, but it
<v Speaker 1>has given me a hard boundary. When I set my timer,
<v Speaker 1>that is my commitment. It hasn't come up yet, but
<v Speaker 1>I know there will be days I will need or
<v Speaker 1>want a longer window, which will be fine. I'll just
<v Speaker 1>set my timer for longer it's nice not being concerned
<v Speaker 1>about what time it is and simply looking at how
<v Speaker 1>much time is left on my timer. It's much easier
<v Speaker 1>to commit ahead of time and commit on a one
<v Speaker 1>day at a time basis, as it provides flexibility. I
<v Speaker 1>commit when I'm in the right frame of mind, and
<v Speaker 1>I'm no longer acting on impulse.
<v Speaker 3>It's all about the tools that work for you.
<v Speaker 1>Well.
<v Speaker 2>We love to leave you with an inspiration or motivational
<v Speaker 2>message to carry you through the next week. And this
<v Speaker 2>week we have a quote from Nick Cave shared by
<v Speaker 2>Jenna and Nebraska. The quote is, rather than feel impotent
<v Speaker 2>and useless, you must come to terms with the fact
<v Speaker 2>that as a human being, you are infinitely powerful and
<v Speaker 2>take responsibility for this tremendous power. Even our smallest actions
<v Speaker 2>have potential for great change, positively or negatively, and the
<v Speaker 2>way in which we all conduct ourselves within the world
<v Speaker 2>means something. You are anything but impotent. You are, in fact,
<v Speaker 2>exquisitely and frighteningly dynamic, as are we all, and with
<v Speaker 2>all respect, you have an obligation to stand up and
<v Speaker 2>take responsibility for that potential. It is your most ordinary
<v Speaker 2>and urgent duty. Jenna shared it was true for me,
<v Speaker 2>and it might feel true for others listening. But after
<v Speaker 2>so many failed diet attempts, I felt powerless over my
<v Speaker 2>weight in my body, and I reached a point where
<v Speaker 2>I'd just given up and accepted that there was nothing
<v Speaker 2>I could do. Yet each year I started to despise
<v Speaker 2>my body more and more. Then I discovered this podcast.
<v Speaker 2>A friend at work told me just listen. Listen to
<v Speaker 2>a few episodes. I've been online friends with Sherry for
<v Speaker 2>over fifteen years, and I've watched how fasting has transformed
<v Speaker 2>her health. Give them a fair chance and hear what
<v Speaker 2>they have to say. I don't know who this was
<v Speaker 2>that told her this.
<v Speaker 3>I know that's cool.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, And for the first time, I gained hope, and
<v Speaker 2>I realized that by giving up, I was not doing
<v Speaker 2>anything to contribute to the change I wanted. Six months ago,
<v Speaker 2>I started IF keeping a variable four to five hour window,
<v Speaker 2>and all I can say is that this one small
<v Speaker 2>action has created drastic change. And the more I take
<v Speaker 2>charge of my health, sleep and food quality, the better
<v Speaker 2>I feel, the better the scale reacts, and the more
<v Speaker 2>excited I am about the future. I have a newfound confidence,
<v Speaker 2>encouraged to stand up and take responsibility for other things
<v Speaker 2>in my life that I had let go while mired
<v Speaker 2>in my fat suit of misery. Life looks so much
<v Speaker 2>better now that I realized that the power to create
<v Speaker 2>change starts with me.
<v Speaker 3>I love that.
<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much for listening today. We would love to
<v Speaker 1>have you join us in the Delay Don't Deny community,
<v Speaker 1>where you can interact with both me and Sherry, plus
<v Speaker 1>the most supportive bunch of intermittent fasters you'll find anywhere.
<v Speaker 1>Go to Jenstevens dot com slash community to join us.
<v Speaker 2>Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast to your favorite
<v Speaker 2>podcast app, and if you haven't already, please leave us
<v Speaker 2>a five star review that helps new listeners find the
<v Speaker 2>show and we really appreciate it.
<v Speaker 1>We're a community driven podcast, so to submit your success stories,
<v Speaker 1>your questions, your favorite tweak it till It's Easy, moments,
<v Speaker 1>or anything else you want us to share on the podcast,
<v Speaker 1>go to Fast Feast Repeat dot com slash submit and
<v Speaker 1>then listen each week to see if we share your
<v Speaker 1>submission or answer your question.
<v Speaker 2>Until next week. Thanks for listening. This podcast was edited
<v Speaker 2>by Resonate Recordings wo