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've 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 to episode number 62 of the Intermittent Fasting

Gems with Jen podcast.

I'm so glad you're here.

So today I wanted to take a few minutes to dive into a really cool,

weird word that I'd never even heard of before I started my intermittent

fasting journey in 2021, but I quickly learned what a truly awesome.

Powerful, weird science word.

It really is.

Okay, so we'll start out with the correct pronunciation of this

word because honestly it took some time to figure out what the actual

correct pronunciation was and then to practice saying it the right way.

Uh, it's not exactly an easy one.

Let's listen to how Google suggests we pronounce it.

Alright, here we go.

How do you go about pronouncing it in British English?

This is usually said as autophagy.

You do want to stress on the second syllable, the to syllable autophagy

in British English versus autophagy in American English, autophagy or autophagy.

Did you get it?

All right.

So did you get it autophagy?

I think that's close enough.

Have you ever, have you ever used those, uh, Google pronunciation?

Just, uh, you know, search it up, check the correct pronunciation of the word.

I think those pronunciation videos of words are really funny sometimes.

So check it out if you haven't.

It's, it's kind of comical, but anyways.

That's that.

Let's move on to the important stuff about this word.

Like what in the heck is autophagy anyways?

And, uh, we're gonna dissect this in simple elementary school teacher language

because it can get pretty complicated, but we're gonna keep it super simple.

So autophagy literally means selfe, but don't worry.

This is a good kind of self eating that your cells use

to stay clean and efficient.

You can think of autophagy as your body's built in recycling and cleanup crew.

Your cells are constantly getting a little beat up.

Proteins are getting damaged.

Cell parts wear out and junk just starts to pile up.

And autophagy is the process where your cells pinpoint that junk.

They package it up and then send it to.

Tiny recycling centers inside the cell to be broken down and reused

as fresh building blocks and energy.

This helps cells work better, handle stress, and it may play a role in

staying much healthier as you age.

Now let's chat about autophagy and specifically how it is

connected to intermittent fasting.

One of the strongest triggers for autophagy is mild stress, especially

the kind that happens when your body isn't getting a steady stream of food.

When you go for longer stretches without eating your cells, realize, hey.

Nutrients are low, and they flip from storage mode into clean and repair mode.

And instead of focusing on digesting your last snack, your body starts

digging into old damaged cell parts and using them for fuel.

And that cleaning process is autophagy in powerful action.

Now, intermittent fasting doesn't just magically turn on autophagy the second

you stop eating, but longer fasting windows and extended fast, give it

more room and more time to ramp up.

And those who have.

Studied this very powerful process.

Believed that short, overnight, fast, probably only nudge the process of

autophagy while extended fasting windows like for 16, 18, or even a few.

Uh.

More hours without food can really create a stronger recycle and repair signal,

and that's one reason people are so interested in fasting for longevity.

For the brain health, we talk about the mental clarity and for better

metabolic health and not just seeing a smaller number on the scale.

That's like we say we, we come for the weight loss, but we stay for

the health benefits and autophagy is really a big part of that.

So how can fasting enhance autophagy in a practical, real life way?

First, keeping a very consistent fasting window.

Most days, say 16, eight, or even occasionally pushing it to 18 to

20 hours if it's safe for you.

Gives your body regular time in that repair zone.

Second, not constantly snacking during your eating window really does matter.

Every time you eat, especially high sugar or high refined carb foods, you shift your

body back toward digestion and storage rather than that deep cellular cleanup.

And third.

Pairing fasting with healthy nutrient dense meals, good protein, healthy

fats, plenty of fiber, gives your cells the raw materials they need to

rebuild after they've cleaned house.

Here's the big picture.

Autophagy is your body's way of taking out the cellular trash and basically

turning it into useful energy and parts.

Intermittent fasting is one lifestyle tool that can really encourage more of that.

Awesome.

Process, which may support better metabolism, the brain health, like we

talked about, and long term wellness.

But like any powerful tool, it might not be a good fit for everyone.

If you're pregnant, breastfeeding, underweight, have a history of disordered

eating or certain medical conditions.

Again, I am not a doctor.

I'm an elementary school teacher, so you'll definitely wanna talk with

a healthcare professional before experimenting with longer fasts.

So there you have it short and sweet.

Today the word is.

Autophagy, and that's how most people are saying it.

It means selfe or your cells recycling their own junk to

stay healthy and intermittent.

Fasting plays a really big part in autophagy because it gives your body

more time in repair mode instead of digestion mode, which really can

enhance autophagy when done safely.

And consistently.

And finally, it might just be the magical trick we've all been looking

for to look and feel years younger.

So why not give it a go?

It's, it's definitely a cleaning service that we can all afford.

Thanks for being here with me today.

I really appreciate it.

Happy holidays, and I definitely hope to catch up with all of

you in the very next episode.

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.

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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 F 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.

So what if with jen.com?

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

Fasting Facebook support group.

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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.