Episode 454: Bonnie Henderson
Digest
This podcast episode features Bonnie Henderson discussing her experience with intermittent fasting (IF). She details her accidental start and subsequent transition to intentional clean fasting, highlighting the challenges and successes she encountered. Bonnie explains how she adapted her fasting schedule (initially 16/8, later 19/5) to fit her lifestyle, emphasizing the importance of finding a sustainable approach. The episode also includes a brief advertisement for Magnesium Breakthrough and touches upon other healthy lifestyle choices Bonnie incorporates with her clients, such as regular exercise (even just walking), prioritizing sleep quality, and managing hormonal changes associated with menopause. Bonnie stresses the importance of understanding the difference between clean and dirty fasting and advises listeners to research and find a schedule that works for them, emphasizing patience and listening to their bodies. The podcast begins with an invitation to join a community focused on intermittent fasting.
Outlines
Introduction & Bonnie's Intermittent Fasting Journey
The episode introduces an intermittent fasting community and features Bonnie Henderson's story of transitioning to clean intermittent fasting, including her schedule adaptations and the benefits she experienced (weight loss, improved sleep, reduced inflammation).
Magnesium Breakthrough & Sleep
A brief advertisement for Magnesium Breakthrough, highlighting its role in improving sleep quality, particularly beneficial for intermittent fasting practitioners.
Bonnie's Fasting Challenges & Successes
Bonnie discusses the challenges and successes of her intermittent fasting journey, emphasizing the importance of finding a sustainable schedule and listening to one's body.
Healthy Living Beyond Intermittent Fasting
Bonnie shares additional tips for healthy living, including regular exercise, prioritizing sleep, and managing hormonal changes, especially during menopause. She also discusses the importance of clean fasting versus dirty fasting.
Keywords
Intermittent Fasting (IF)
A dietary pattern cycling between eating and voluntary fasting, potentially offering weight loss and metabolic benefits.
Clean Fasting
Intermittent fasting involving only water, plain coffee, or tea during fasting periods.
Sleep Quality
Crucial for overall health and the optimal function of the glymphatic system.
Menopause
The natural cessation of menstruation, often accompanied by hormonal changes.
Weight Loss
A common benefit of intermittent fasting and healthy lifestyle choices.
Healthy Lifestyle
Encompasses balanced diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and stress management.
Magnesium
A mineral that plays a role in various bodily functions, including sleep regulation.
Q&A
What are the key benefits Bonnie experienced from intermittent fasting?
Weight loss, reduced inflammation, less joint pain, improved sleep, and lowered cholesterol and blood pressure.
How did Bonnie adapt her intermittent fasting schedule?
She started with 16/8, then adjusted to 19/5 to fit her lifestyle and family schedule.
What advice does Bonnie give to those starting intermittent fasting?
Research clean vs. dirty fasting, find a sustainable schedule, and be patient.
What other lifestyle factors does Bonnie emphasize?
Adequate sleep, regular exercise, and managing hormonal changes, especially during menopause.
Show Notes
In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Bonnie Henderson from Pueblo, CO.
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.
Bonnie is a licensed clinical social worker. She unintentionally started skipping dinner five years ago while her spouse was away, which a medical professional later identified to her as intermittent fasting. Excited to learn that it came with health benefits, she began researching. Bonnie found Gin's book Fast Feast Repeat and adopted the clean fast, which resulted in gradual but sustainable weight loss.
Bonnie discusses the challenges and adjustments she faced when her husband retired and began preparing dinners each night, and she stopped fasting for two years. This led to weight regain, finding her at her highest weight of 165. Resuming an intentional intermittent fasting regimen, she committed to a 19:5 schedule from Monday to Thursday, and a more flexible eating pattern on weekends. This approach allowed her to regain control over her weight and enjoy the benefits of intermittent fasting, such as reduced inflammation and relief from various other symptoms.
The conversation delves into the broader health benefits of intermittent fasting and touches on various lifestyle factors contributing to overall wellness, including sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Bonnie also shares how she integrates insights about the benefits of intermittent fasting into her therapy sessions. Gin and Bonnie underscore the significance of individualized fasting plans and the unpredictability of weight loss rates, emphasizing patience and persistence.
Bonnie concludes the episode by reflecting on how intermittent fasting has given her a renewed lease on life, initially adopting the lifestyle without the goal of weight loss, but experiencing numerous unexpected health benefits. She advises listeners to maintain patience and perseverance, understanding that individualized approaches are crucial. Gin encourages leveraging resources like podcasts and books to deepen understanding and confidently share the lifestyle's benefits, even if faced with skepticism. Through her own experience, Bonnie's final advice is to embrace intermittent fasting as a sustainable, healthy lifestyle choice that can positively impact overall well-being.
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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