Hello and welcome to the intermittent fasting gems with Jen podcast.

I'm your host Jen, a middle aged Michigan mama, wife and teacher who

in 2021 stumbled upon this crazy cool thing called intermittent fasting.

And before I knew it, I'd lost 46 pounds in four months and

gained an incredible lifestyle filled with complete food freedom.

If you're hungry for unique, no nonsense fasting tips that actually

work, you're in the right place.

So whether you're walking the dog, folding that last load of laundry, or

cruising to your nine to five, let's start fasting our way to freedom together.

Welcome and happy 2025.

This is my very first episode of the new year, and it just so

happens to be episode number 25.

So that's a fun little coincidence.

If you are a new listener to the show, welcome.

I'm so glad that you're here with us.

And I am pumped up for the new year and I thought it would be fun to

begin my first episode of 2025 with a super motivating and inspirational

show featuring a collection of all the best intermittent fasting success

tips that have been shared with me by people who have embraced intermittent

fasting as their new lifestyle and have achieved incredible health, weight

loss, and non scale victory success.

So these are all people that have shared their fasting success with me and people

with whom I have connected with since I started my own intermittent fasting

journey four years ago in January of 2021.

Many of them are members of my So What If With Jen fasting Facebook group

that I started in February of 2022.

Some have completed my intermittent fasting masterclass, some I've connected

with on TikTok, and a few have been close family and friends who I've

known for years and after seeing how fasting changed my life, they decided

to give fasting a real chance to change their lives for the better, too.

All right, let's dive in and get inspired.

I'm just going to be referring to these intermittent fasting

rock stars by their first names.

And a few of them have already graciously agreed to tell their complete stories.

And they've been featured on one of my success story podcast episodes.

The others, well, I hope that at some point in the future.

I'll get a chance to feature them on an upcoming podcast success story episode, so

that you can all hear their full story and all of the juicy details that go with it.

But until then, let's get started with Tina.

Tina lost an incredible 70 pounds with intermittent fasting, and she did this by

fasting between 20 and 22 hours each day.

She also did an occasional extended fast of about 36 hours a few times a month.

Tina also had great success combining fasting with the keto diet.

Tina says if you want to get the very best weight loss results possible, it

is very important to make sure that you are fasting clean and not dirty fasting.

Be patient with your weight loss and the amount of time it takes to see

the numbers go down on the scale.

You may see inches lost and body changes before actual pounds lost on the scale,

especially if you struggle with insulin sensitivity and or insulin resistance.

It's also important to track your journey so you know what is

working and what is not working.

Then make changes accordingly.

And Tina also says to try breaking your fast with Jen's ACV fast

breaking weight loss drink.

It really, really helps.

Not only did Tina lose 70 pounds with intermittent fasting, but her

consistent weekly headaches disappeared.

And her knees and hips also stopped hurting and her energy

levels went through the roof.

Here is a direct quote from Tina.

Joining Jen's Eye of Facebook support group and reading the

book, Delay Don't Deny by Gin Stevens, was exactly what I needed.

Intermittent fasting works and I cannot foresee myself living to see it.

Any other way for the rest of my life.

All right, next up we have Don.

Don is in his early 50s and he lost 33 pounds in 3 months

with intermittent fasting.

He started with a simple 16 8 schedule and found that to be pretty easy to do.

So he quickly moved up to a 20 and 4 OMAD schedule.

So 20 hours of fasting, 4 hours of eating.

Besides losing 33 pounds, Don gained a ton of energy.

He said he read the book, Delay Don't Deny, by Jim Stevens, and that

that book really made sense to him.

Here is a direct quote from Don.

I love being in fat burning mode, and I'm excited about the health

benefits of intermittent fasting and the body composition changes

fasting has made to my body so far.

Alright, let's talk about Jen.

Not me Jen, but a different Jen who set a goal for her 50th birthday and reached it.

Losing a total of 21 pounds and several inches all over her entire body.

Jen has found success with both the 24 Warrior Diet and

also the 20 and 3 schedule.

So she kind of flip flops back and forth.

She often throws in a meal less day or an extended 36 hour fast.

Jen has found that the raw, unflavored Element, LMNT electrolyte

supplements are the best.

Jen has found that the raw, unflavored Element, LMNT electrolyte

supplements are the best.

added to plain sparkling mineral water that she has

found that to be very helpful.

It helps her with feeling good while fasting and with muscle

recovery from working out.

She also believes that using a fasting tracking app helps keep her motivated.

She enjoys breaking her fast with bone broth and finds

it very soothing to her gut.

As far as really cool non scale victories go, Jen's face cleared up, she gained

tons more energy, and her clothes fit way better with many even being way too big.

Here is a direct quote from Jen.

I was really surprised that intermittent fasting actually worked for me.

All the other diets I tried in the past didn't work, and having a messed

up thyroid like I do always made losing weight an uphill battle.

Fasting really works and it gets easier the more you consistently stick with it.

So if you're new to IF, keep going.

Your body will adapt, even for people who have slow and stubborn bodies like mine.

Our next intermittent fasting rock star is Velda, who at 71 years old, lost

28 pounds with intermittent fasting and went from a size 12 to a size 4.

And she looks incredible.

So, to lose the 28 pounds, Velda was pretty consistent with the OMAD 21

in 3 or 22 in 2 fasting schedule.

However, since she has been in weight maintenance, she is much

more flexible and less strict with her schedule and her fasting hours.

Velda has pretty healthy eating habits and she is a strict vegetarian.

She does really enjoy eating different varieties of healthy nuts and she does

limit her dairy and processed foods.

Besides the weight loss, Velda says she sleeps much better.

She has way more energy and her arthritis has cleared up.

Velda recommends clean fasting from the beginning of your IF journey.

She said she was dirty fasting at first, but once she started clean

fasting, she was finally able to lose that last bit of weight that just would

not come off no matter what she did.

Here is a direct quote from Velda.

Thanks for watching!

Reading the book Delay Don't Deny and joining Jen's Intermittent

Fasting Facebook support group.

Helped me tremendously.

Aw, I love you, Velda.

And I have to tell you that having Velda inside our fasting Facebook

group has been so awesome because she really has been very helpful.

All right.

Next on our list is a middle aged married couple who started their

fasting journey together a few years ago and are still going strong.

Steve and Jean.

Together, Steve and Jean lost an impressive total of 72 pounds.

Steve lost 47 and Jean lost 25 pounds.

Steve and Jean follow the OMAD or one meal a day fasting schedule together

and try to eat fairly healthy.

Intermittent fasting foods like grilled vegetables and lean

proteins like chicken and fish.

They said that they have tried a lot of my weight loss dinner recipes.

Uh, the homemade chicken noodle less soup, um, is one of their favorites.

They also get their healthy fats in, uh, each day by eating

a fat lasting coconut bomb.

They still have occasional drinks, and they even eat chips

and dessert sometimes too.

So a reminder to everyone out there, I have over 100 yummy, healthy, intermittent

fasting recipes on my website.

They're free, you just need to go to SoWhatIfWithJen.

com and I, uh, I'm adding new recipes every single week, so check it out.

Steve and Jean say that they regret not taking body measurements and

before pictures when they started.

So don't forget how important it is to do those two things.

And it also made a big difference in their success.

Once they switched to the clean fast, Steve and Jean said at first, they

really didn't think fasting would work and were shocked when they got

such great results because nothing has ever worked for us like this before.

We were even able to help Steve's sister and get her into Jen's Facebook

group and get her to jump on board.

after seeing our success.

Next up is Annette.

Thanks to intermittent fasting, Annette lost 14 pounds at 52 years old and

gained an incredible amount of energy.

Annette attributes a lot of her success to using a fasting tracker app because

it really does help keep her accountable.

She says that once she kicked her cream and Splenda coffee habit,

which she never thought she could do, she saw immediate results.

And that said, the weight loss is great, but I feel like I finally

have control of the food I am eating.

I have spent decades in a cycle of eating, feeling guilty about

what I just ate, promising myself I'll do better tomorrow, repeat.

The cycle is finally broken and all the intermittent fasting

benefits I've experienced so far are immeasurable on any scale.

Annette says, IF has allowed me to finally stop counting calories and stop

trying new diets that just don't work.

I am so fortunate to have my husband, friends, and family

enjoying the benefits of IF with me.

We really encourage each other and that has been life changing.

I'm thankful every day to Jen Tiemann and the wisdom and encouragement

shared by the So What If with Jen Facebook group and community.

Aw, that's so sweet.

I love Annette so much too.

She's so awesome.

All right, let's talk about Sonia.

Sonia, who is a mother of three school aged children, lost 31 pounds with

intermittent fasting, and she did it by mixing things up and using a variety

of intermittent fasting methods.

She made sure to exercise or at least move her body every day with her preferred

activities being walking with light dumbbells, dancing, riding her bike, and

just having fun playing with her kids.

Besides losing 31 pounds, Sonia says she feels successful and

energized, not overwhelmed by having to stick to a specific way

of eating or the latest diet trend.

Sonia said, I feel like intermittent fasting was the piece to the

weight loss puzzle that I was missing for so many years.

Alright, moving on to Kim, a retired elementary teacher who lost 20

pounds with intermittent fasting.

Kim started with an 8 hour window, moving to a 17 7 and then an 18 6 schedule.

She then eventually added in one longer 19 20 hour fast per month.

And two big tips that really worked well for Kim were cutting out snacks after 8 p.

m.

and, and I love this one, exercising while being in the fasted state.

Also, after talking about my love for Green Chef, Uh, in my Facebook group, Kim

said that she decided to give it a try.

Kim started getting three keto meals per week from Green Chef and she loves it.

It's a great way to eat healthy and she says it helps keep her on track.

Other than the weight loss, Kim says her knee pain has greatly

decreased and fasting has just overall made her feel so much better.

All right, next up is Amanda, who lost an impressive 34 pounds, 24

inches and three jean sizes with the help of intermittent fasting.

The most challenging thing about doing intermittent fasting for Amanda was

giving up her creamer in her coffee and learning to love her coffee black.

But she did it and now she says it was totally worth it

because of the results she saw.

After doing it.

Besides losing the 34 pounds, Amanda said her foot and knee pain went away and

that now she has so much energy that she doesn't even need her coffee some days.

Here is a direct quote from Amanda.

I have tried many different diets in the past, and I would lose some

body weight, but never too much.

kept it off because I could never stick with it.

I love how easy intermittent fasting is and how I can keep it

up as a new forever way of life.

Moving on to another long time intermittent fasting

rock star is Meredith.

I actually went to high school with Meredith and we connected again when

I started the fasting Facebook group.

So, Meredith is one of the original members of my group and she has been

fasting for almost as long as I have.

Anyways, Meredith, who is a teacher and a new grandma, usually sticks to the

16 8 and sometimes the 18 6 or the 2 2.

too mad intermittent fasting schedule.

And when losing the weight, she cut out most sugar.

She also really paid attention to what was in her food and she stuck to plain

black coffee during her fasting window.

Meredith's biggest success tips include.

Take body measurements when you first start your journey.

Read, delay, don't deny.

Drink your coffee black.

And chart your progress along the way.

Meredith says she has lots of energy now because of fasting

and just overall feels great.

Her husband follows the same eating schedule out of convenience

and he has lost 10 pounds.

And her mother in law has also seen her progress and now does great.

On a side note, uh, one of Meredith's children recently got married and I saw

her in the wedding pictures on Facebook and she looked absolutely incredible

in her mother of the bride dress.

And after that, she messaged me and said she'd been sticking to her fasting

routine leading up to the wedding.

It really paid off.

Here is a quote from Meredith.

I don't ever see myself not using IF.

It has become a lifestyle for me and one that I love.

Next up, we have Stacy, who I also went to school with.

Stacy is a teacher who lost 30 pounds with intermittent fasting.

Stacy said as she approached her mid forties, she was dirty fasting

and it just wasn't cutting it.

The weight wasn't coming off and she was feeling pretty crappy.

She soon learned how to fast clean and Realize that you really will get

much better results if you fast clean.

So She says that she has a lot of cheat days But that is

what she loves best about IF.

You just pick up where you were Give yourself some grace and move on.

So some non scale victories.

She has experienced better sleep, fewer headaches, fewer neck

aches, back aches, better skin, more energy, increased libido.

And she said, overall, she just feels really good.

Here's a direct quote from Stacy.

Once I started fasting correctly, I could not believe.

How quickly I was seeing results and how much better I started to feel.

IF has been a game changer and I know it's something I can stick with long term.

For the rest of my life, moving on to Margie, who lost an impressive

31 pounds, mostly following the 24.

So 20 hours of fasting, four hours of eating, sometimes called the warrior diet.

Margie mostly eats low carb foods and keto foods because of the

medical studies about ketosis and brain function and mental health.

She does enjoy a little low carb dessert every day.

And she appreciates the flexibility and the freedom that you get

from intermittent fasting.

Besides losing 31 pounds, Margie says she has almost zero body aches.

Her clothes fit so much better.

Her headaches are gone.

And the brain fog she had.

is lifting.

Margie says it's important to have a strong why for doing intermittent

fasting because it will help propel your success and move you forward.

Here's a direct quote from Margie.

I have a big why.

And that is to be healthy enough to enjoy my grandkids, and one day their kids.

Dementia is pretty strong in my family, and I'm working to break

that curse, along with heart disease.

I want to play with my grandkids, dance at their weddings, and hold their babies.

I'm excited for what my intermittent fasting future holds.

Alright, the last intermittent fasting rockstar that I am going to talk about

today is my sweet and sassy mama, Linda.

Linda was a little bit of a, okay, a lot bit of an IF skeptic in the

beginning when I first started my intermittent fasting journey.

But, she came around and at 71 years old, she lost an

incredible 30 pounds with fasting.

And she is now almost 74 years old and is still fasting and is

still looking absolutely amazing.

So, Linda, or mom to me, she pretty much follows a consistent

18 6 or 18 hours of fasting with a 6 hour eating window schedule.

Also uses a meal delivery system like I do, only she uses HelloFresh,

um, and I use Green Chef.

She has found this to be very helpful along her weight loss and

her weight maintenance journey.

She says it makes eating healthy meals so easy, delicious,

convenient, and weight loss friendly.

I'm pretty sure my mom has never met a food that she didn't like.

But she does generally stick to window worthy foods during her six hour

eating window like Greek yogurt with blueberries and raspberries with a

little bit of cinnamon, a little granola.

She loves her coffee and she really likes those Belvita cookies.

I'm not sure why, but yep, that's what she likes.

So besides losing the 30 pounds, Linda has gained loads of energy.

My mom has always had energy, but it is pretty cool to see,

um, the blast of energy that intermittent fasting has given her.

Here is a quote from my mama.

I have lots of energy and I just feel great.

I love that this healthy lifestyle is not about calorie

restriction and feeling deprived.

This is a diet plan that I can totally follow.

I'm a believer in IF and I have witnessed the many great changes

that have helped so many people.

I am really hoping to talk mom into jumping on for an upcoming podcast

episode in the next few months so that you can hear her full intermittent

fasting story and all the juicy success details that go along with it.

So stay tuned for that.

All right.

So I am definitely hoping that these intermittent fasting rock stars have

given you a boost of inspiration.

and motivation to get on out there and start or continue on your intermittent

fasting and weight loss journey.

And if you're hungry for more inspiration and motivation, you can go back and listen

to any of my previous intermittent fasting success story episodes, including episode

number five, how Laura dropped three jean sizes and lost 21 pounds without exercise.

Episode number nine, how fasting helped Mark at 66 years old lose 12

pounds and his stubborn belly fat.

Episode number 13, how Danielle used fasting plus OMAD plus keto

to finally reach her goal weight.

Episode number 17, how Amy lost 25 pounds and achieved incredible health victories

with intermittent fasting or episode number 21, how Mary lost 100 pounds and

64 inches with intermittent fasting.

Finally, feel free to go back and listen to my full intermittent fasting

success story, which is episode number two, titled how Jen lost 46 pounds in

four months with intermittent fasting.

It's a brand new year with new beginnings and new possibilities.

And I want to help you fast your way to freedom.

So if you're ready to do this intermittent fasting thing, remember.

During the month of January, you can snag my intermittent fasting

and weight loss masterclass for just 39 when you use the discount

code GEMS10, G E M S 10 at checkout.

And in just 6 weeks, you could be lighter, healthier, and so much happier.

And like Mary, who lost 100 pounds with intermittent fasting.

Like Mary says.

Why not make today your day one.

Thanks for listening.

Everybody have the best day ever.

Hey, thank you so much for choosing to spend part of your day listening

to this episode of the intermittent fasting gems with Jen podcast.

If you think these tips could help a friend or a family member, please

consider sharing this episode with them.

And if you really enjoyed the show, taking a minute or two to leave a positive review

Would be so appreciated tune in for new 15 to 25 minute episodes released on

the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month episodes will feature solo shows filled

with IF hacks that have worked for me, as well as episodes where I get to chat with.

fun folks of all ages who've experienced incredible success

with intermittent fasting.

If you have questions or want more unique intermittent fasting health

and weight loss tips, tricks, and recipes, please visit my website

and blog at sowhatifwithjen.

com.

Finally, we'd love to welcome you into our free intermittent fasting program.

Fasting Facebook support group.

So what if with Jen?

Find all of these links in the show notes below.

And as always, I hope you spend your day loving without fear and

laughing until your cheeks hurt.