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 fasting friends.

Today we are chatting with Meredith Doro, who lives in Davison, Michigan.

Hey, Meredith, how are you?

I am good, Jen, how are you?

Great.

So Meredith, uh, has a beautiful family.

She is married to Jeff for 29 years.

She has a son and a daughter who are both married.

She has a grandson named Asher and another grandson on the way in December.

So Meredith and I, we actually go way.

Way back.

Way

Uh, we graduated from high school, Kearsley, Hornets class of shout

out class up to 1993, so you guys can all do the math on that.

Well, let's see.

I'm gonna be 50 in a couple weeks.

How about you?

Ha.

Did.

am, I

You turn 50.

All right.

So Meredith and I played basketball and volleyball together.

Meredith was a lot better than me, but, uh, we played together in school.

We had so much fun in the early nineties.

And, um.

Meredith is also one of the OG members of my So what if with Jen Facebook group,

uh, that I started in February of 2022 and I have been wanting and bugging Meredith

to jump on the show with me for a while.

So I'm super excited that you're here.

So welcome Meredith.

Let's just have a super fun time chatting about how you make

intermittent fasting work for you.

Okay.

right.

So I like to start off by asking, um, what have been your top three wins with

intermittent fasting, whether that's weight loss or any non-scale victories,

like improved sleep or more energy?

Go ahead, Meredith.

Um,

I'm gonna say number one was losing weight.

I lost like 30 pounds when I first started.

incredible.

over a year.

I, you know, have had two kids.

After the first kid I was early twenties and boom, it melted off.

I was in a bikini in two or three months.

Second child, no.

Did not happen.

And

then.

busy and just kept convenience things and not, you know, not

watching what I was eating.

And I um, after COVID was up to almost what I weighed after when I

was pregnant with my second daughter, or with my daughter, pregnancy.

you sound like me.

oh my goodness.

And so that I lost 30 pounds and I was back to almost what

I weighed in high school.

That's awesome.

Yeah.

was the first thing.

Second was controlling my appetite.

Like I would just, would have say there's donuts in the teacher's lounge.

And I was, I was down there.

Now I'm like, I don't, I don't need that.

I'm not hungry.

So,

Yeah,

controlling my appetite throughout the day is a lot easier.

absolutely.

Yeah.

And making smarter decisions with food, like, do I really want that?

Is

really

it?

helps you get in tune, uh, with those appetite signals in your body.

Yeah.

Yeah, it is just, and it's just the way we do things and everybody knows it.

Everybody's like, oh, are you eating?

My husband does it.

My husband is.

Six foot two, a hundred and seventy five pounds.

He runs five to eight miles a day.

He's super skinny.

He's like, I feel better when I do intermittent fasting.

And he doesn't even need to.

He just does it 'cause he feels better.

Yeah, I saw, I saw some pictures of him recently and yeah, you, he

is very thin and so did he start doing intermittent fasting along

around the same time that you did?

He did.

He just thought, if I'm,

You're gonna eat that?

and eat that, that, that time, it's easier.

And so he tried it and he is like, oh.

It was like almost like a game between us, like who can go longer?

And then,

I love that.

and, and then we're eating the same things at the same time.

It's just easier 'cause we're empty nesters

Yes.

the two of us.

Right.

Okay.

So that would have been, I'm, I'm thinking I started the

group in February 20, 20, 22.

Is that around when you started?

Yes.

Yes.

Okay.

All right.

Very good.

and he started also, our daughter went away to college in 2020,

and just, it was just the two of

Okay.

for most of the time.

And, uh, my mother-in-law got started doing it.

I, I spread it.

I.

Good for you.

You go, girl.

Does she still do it?

Uh, yes, she does.

She is,

I love it.

we're working through some things, but she's, she still does it.

Oh, very good.

Okay.

All right.

So you said weight loss, appetite, um, kind of control correction.

I jumped in there.

All right.

Do you have a number three for me?

making smarter decisions with actually what I put in my mouth.

Love it.

Yeah.

And you just feel, feel good.

So you want to make those smarter choices, you know?

If I had to do a number four, I, I've always had lots of energy, but the

energy and the time that I have, 'cause I don't have to prepare a breakfast

'cause I don't eat breakfast and I have a lot of energy all day long.

So those are also bonuses.

It gives you a lot more kind of space in your head, and like you said, extra

time and to not have to worry about what am I gonna make for breakfast, what am

I gonna make for lunch, you know, and snacks and all of that throughout the day.

So That's awesome.

All right, Meredith, so what would you say has been, or is your, your

main or your preferred intermittent fasting method or schedule?

Like is, are you mostly omad?

16. Eight.

What works best for you?

Meredith?

Um,

Um,

more of like a 18 six and 'cause of the way my schedule is, so like I

eat dinner five or six at night, and then my lunchtime isn't until noon.

Okay.

So it works well with school.

And then I'll throw in Omas.

Like yesterday I did a omad,

Oh good.

Yeah, and I love that you're mixing it up and I think that really does,

uh, you know, make a big difference.

So, okay, so let's say you're 18 six.

What would be like basically your fasting hours?

Um.

um, so after dinner like 6:00

PM

noon the next day.

Okay.

And you, because you said you eat lunch at school right?

With,

Yeah,

your colleagues.

schedule

Perfect.

and it's around noon.

Okay.

Yeah, that sounds really good.

Um, do you use any kind of a fasting tracker app?

Like, I know we, a lot of us use that life app forever and,

I

um.

the Life app and then I also have Fast Minder.

Oh, that's a new one.

I haven't heard.

Can you fa two words Fast Minder?

Fast minder.

No, it's one.

It's

It's actually

well, they're fast.

The F and the M are capitalized.

But it's all one word on the like app

App Store.

the app,

That's all.

I, okay.

The uh, big question.

Is it free?

Yes.

Okay.

pay for anything.

I'm cheap.

No, that's okay.

I, I, I like the free ones too.

I've been using Easy, fast, and I know a lot of other people in the group

too, and I, I like it, it's fine.

Um, but I always like to hear about other ones too, and I

have not heard of that one.

Fast Minder, all one word.

You said the F and the M are big.

Does it have a certain color, the icon for the app?

It's

It's green.

and it,

Okay.

a, it has a clock on it.

Okay.

So what, what would you say you like most about the app?

Is it simple?

Is it, you know?

It is simple,

Okay.

Easy to

and um,

use.

it will go into like health, um, data from your phone and stuff if you

Oh, sweet.

Okay.

track, can keep track of hydration, your weight, your steps if you want it to.

So everything, you pretty much need all the basic stuff.

That's great.

So it does, um, kind of pair with your, your phone, you said,

Yeah.

if you want to.

Awesome.

Okay.

All right.

Let's move in to the tough stuff.

So, um, we all have challenges.

What would you say is your biggest challenge with intermittent fasting?

Um, mine would be that on a Oma day not to like overeat and be like, oh, I'm

get to eat, and I shove because like.

I was, sometimes I'll use, um, your, your drink concoction of your cayenne and

A CV drink.

Okay, Uhhuh.

And then, so a lot of times I'm not prepared enough where I have that made,

so I'll get a handful of nuts, right?

So I

Okay.

a, a bowl of nuts that I pre-make.

Uh, and then I

I find

on like, oh, I just did like

myself,

handfuls.

Like, why did I just do three handfuls?

I'm nuts.

and.

Then

nuts.

I know.

And then on my meal, I'm like, okay, well I'm only eating one

meal so I can, it's like too much.

'cause you're, you're like, oh, it's only

Only one.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's definitely a minder ahead thing, for sure.

Yes.

Yeah.

overeating or eating poorly, I'm like, oh, well I'm only eating this.

We're out to eat and I'm eating at Chick-fil-A.

What kind of a, what kind of a meal can I get?

I'm only eating one meal, but then making smart choices at that time.

No, that makes sense.

That makes sense.

So, alright, so let's talk about, um, so eating and fasting windows.

Let's, um, talk about fasting first.

So do you, pretty much, would you say you fast clean?

Yes.

Okay.

So,

have anything but water and coffee

okay.

And it's obviously just black coffee, I'm assuming.

Okay.

When I first started fasting, um, you, when you first started, I, you put tips

on, 'cause I, I hated black coffee.

I,

me too.

chocolate, chocolate mocha, whatever I could put in it.

And it was more like a hot chocolate.

Oh yeah.

for three, the first three weeks I started intermittent fasting.

I put salt in my hot black coffee.

Choked it down, and then after three weeks I liked it.

Now all I, all I drink is black coffee no matter what.

Yeah, and you do you stick with the salt then?

No.

Yeah.

And salt really does work, doesn't it?

Yeah.

I don't know what it does.

It cuts the bitterness and I had to do the same thing and it, it

took me two to three weeks as well.

And now I just love my black coffee.

But, um, okay, so your water, plain water, black coffee.

Do you do any, um, sparkly mineral water?

Are you a fan or not A fan?

Okay.

I'm not a fan.

It's so funny.

the the A VC drink, but

Yeah.

choke.

I choke it down.

I still don't like it.

I, well, I, I like the plane.

For me, it's, I just love it because it, for some reason, it really helps

me curb that kind of hunger, pain.

Mm-hmm.

but I would not use the plane.

Are you using the plane in the a CB drink?

'cause that is

like a

nasty.

Okay.

Alright.

So that's what I recommend.

But yeah, some people have a difficult time with it still.

It's, it's, it's grown on me and it does, you know, it's just kind of what

you get used to, but it's the same time.

Yes.

Some people struggle with that.

How about an electrolyte supplement?

Have, have you used that in the past or do you, you know, use any type of supplement?

Okay.

I haven't, take a lot of supplements, but not electrolytes especially,

Um,

because my husband's a runner.

mm-hmm.

a lot and he takes salt tablets.

Uhhuh,

if

I'm feeling

like, um, I'm getting a headache or I need something, I'll take salt tablets.

okay.

Yeah.

I haven't really experimented with the, I've seen it, I've seen it on.

The website I've seen on different things about electrolyte supplements, but no,

I've just, I've done the salt tablets.

and you do have to be careful with those because some of them,

if they're flavored especially, they've got a lot of crap in 'em.

You know, sugar and stuff.

I do like the raw unflavored ones, but they're a little bit pricey.

The element when I first was starting.

Uh, that absolutely helped me kind of push up, bump up to that, you

know, 20 hour mark, which was really quite difficult in the beginning.

And now, um, I only take, I do like one a week because I take

it when I do an extended fast.

So if I do like a 36 hour from like Sunday until Tuesday afternoon, I

take it usually around 20 or 22.

Hour mark and it, I don't know what it is, but it's like magical and

it helps kind of push me through.

But, um, I get what you're saying about the salt and my husband got some just like

mineral salt, some really good quality and I've been putting that in my water

in the morning when I wake up and just drinking, um, a cup of that with the salt

and before my, even, before my coffee.

And it does seem to be, be definitely helping.

I think it helps with the headaches and things like that for sure.

So.

And he goes into, um, like.

Different things where muscle contraction.

And honestly, even he has, um, if he's, he's really low.

He actually hallucinates honestly.

Wow.

Oh, that's so crazy.

Oh my goodness.

guy

guy was carrying,

suitcase and I know it's not real.

And I'm like,

wow.

yeah.

I'm gonna have to talk to Jeff about that.

So

How, how old is.

and he is fine.

Alright, my fasting friends, here's the deal.

Sometimes technology stinks.

Unfortunately we had a malfunction, uh, with our audio, um, recording.

And so the second half of our interview is just me, and so I am going to do.

A recap of all of the awesome points that Meredith gave us.

So I apologize.

Still learning this podcast stuff and, um, unfortunately, like I said, we had

a bit of a, , technology., Failure.

So, okay, so I, I asked Meredith her favorite foods and she talked about

two of her favorites from Costco Sweet Potato Chips, um, and Unreal

Chocolate Coconut Treats, which I will leave the links to both of those.

In the show notes.

I also asked Meredith if she knew what her longest fast was.

She wasn't super sharp, but thought maybe around 40 hours.

Her favorite recipe from my.

Intermittent fasting recipe site.

She almost every week makes my, homemade runny ranch dressing.

Um, so that's a popular recipe that I have.

I will definitely leave that, uh, as well in the show notes.

Okay.

And I'm not sure if I mentioned earlier that Meredith is a chemistry teacher.

Her husband is also a teacher.

They actually teach at the same school.

Um, so that's kind of cool.

They were like the cutest high school sweethearts ever.

Um, it was, they're just adorable.

So, Meredith enjoys breaking her fast with bone broth.

And we talked a little bit about exercise.

She, um, her and I actually have caught up at the crim road race,

which is a really cool 10 mile road race that they do in our hometown,

which is Flint, Michigan every year.

So, um, I've seen Meredith there.

Several times over the last several years.

, So she does enjoy running, but also she has, her and her husband have the

subscription to the formerly known beach body, which is now just body, I believe.

Uh, so she does some strength training and, um, other workouts

from that, uh, s system.

And one other thing she mentioned, which, uh, I wanna definitely check out.

She has been reading the book and enjoying the book fast, like a girl.

I recently picked that book up as well, and it talks about women who

are going through changes, uh, like.

Both Meredith and I are as, I'll be 50 in a few days and

Meredith has recently turned 50.

So those hormonal changes and um, so I will.

Leave the link for that book in the show notes if you want to check that out.

Again, everybody, I'm so sorry that, we had technical difficulties, but be

sure to look for the matching blog post.

I will have all of.

Meredith answers, to all of her podcast questions so you can

get all of the awesome details in that matching blog post.

Thanks so much for listening, everybody, and I hope you have

a super duper awesome day.

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 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.

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.