Episode 449: Pam Merriam

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Pam Merriam from McKinney, Texas.

Are you ready to take your intermittent fasting lifestyle to the next level? There’s nothing better than community to help with that. In the Delay, Don’t Deny community we all embrace the clean fast, and there’s just the right support for you as you live your intermittent fasting lifestyle. 

You can connect directly with Gin in the Ask Gin group, and she will answer all of your questions personally. If you’re new to intermittent fasting or recommitting to the IF lifestyle, join the 28-Day FAST Start group. After your fast start, join us for support in The 1st Year group. Need tips for long term maintenance? We have a place for that! There are many more useful spaces beyond these, and you can interact in as many as you like. 

Visit ginstephens.com/community to join us. An annual membership costs just over a dollar a week when you do the math. If you aren’t ready to fully commit for a year, join for a month and you can cancel at any time. If you know you’ll want to stay forever, we also have a lifetime membership option available.  

IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. 

Pam first heard about intermittent fasting in 2020, in a low carb group.  Someone in the group mentioned Gin’s book Delay, Don’t Deny, and Pam was intrigued. She got the book and started immediately.  Something just clicked, and Pam knew that she would be an intermittent faster forever.

Pam had lost 50 pounds, but over time she saw slow and steady weight regain.  Even though Pam was not seeing weight loss success, she felt so much better as an intermittent faster that she never considered stopping.  Throughout the years, she remained curious about the choices she made and the foods she ate.  She knew she had a lot of inner work to do in order to shed the figurative and literal layers surrounding her.

In 2024, Pam’s dad went into hospice and passed away, and when she returned home, she didn’t feel good in her body.  She had a pair of her dad’s jeans, and made it a goal to fit into those jeans.  

Pam decided it was time for her to begin to feel comfortable in her body again. She started a daily walking practice, and she loves to get out before the sun comes up.  She also recognized that she feels better without sugar, and also needs to limit starchy carbs to feel her best.  In addition to adding walking and dialing in the food choices that make her feel her best, Pam began ADF, with Monday, Wednesday, and Friday down days.  

Pam has lost 8 inches from around her waist since the spring of 2024, and she was able to comfortably fit into her dad’s jeans when the family got together to celebrate his life in the fall.  She also fit into a goal jacket, and she feels powerful, strong, and capable.

Pam encourages new IFers to find a way to be patient with the process. She recommends that you identify yourself as an intermittent faster, making it part of your identity.  In addition, we all need to make the choices that are best for us, recognizing that we are all going to be different.  Along the way, we are each empowered to figure out what makes us feel our best.

Check out our sponsor Zoe at ZOE.com, and use the promo code IFSTORIES10 to get 10% off your membership.

Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news!  The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audiobook.  This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF.  It’s been updated to include the clean fast, an easier to understand and more thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section.  When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has a 2024 publication date.  The audiobook for the second edition is available now!  

Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/community

Do you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.  

Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: gin@intermittentfastingstories.com

Visit Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com 

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