Gin Stephens has a compelling story to tell, about a discovery that dramatically improved the quality of her life. Members of my family have benefited tremendously from it. I am writing today to make you aware of it, dear reader, in the hopes it may prove to be very beneficial to you as well.
The journey to this discovery began with what is sadly far too common, at least here in America. The endless search for a "magical" weight-loss plan of some sort or another. Driving an incredible and seemingly insatiable (<= clue?) demand and market for "fad of the minute" dieting programs.
What I have to share with you is more than a diet. Much more ...
Intermittent Fasting - Not a Diet, A Lifestyle!
Gin Stephens first came to our attention through another family member. Who, frankly, did not present a very compelling argument for considering what she has to say. Probably because they were wresting with the key word in that subtitle you see just above.
Fasting!? 😳
Oh no ....
Oh no ....
Can anyone read this word dating back to antiquity and claim any neutrality about what they are almost immediately thinking?
Source 2: Creator Pexels on Pixabay
Here is what we (at least in America) far too often prefer to think about instead. Yeah, I know. That was not nice ... 😉
Seriously, dear reader, whatever is going through your mind at the moment, please, please read on, before "passing judgment" ...
"Lead by example" is a simple but awesome phrase when it comes to thinking about the type of leaders we might consider following. Here is why Gin Stephens is one such person to consider very seriously:
- A sincere and compassionate woman who has "been there, done that," she has a remarkably consistent track record of supporting people through her podcast. Through it, she is always providing encouragement and inspiration to her followers.
- She seems to have a very clear idea in her mind about "the line" between "discipline" and "love." That is rare, but vital in this area, as she knows all about what it takes to be successful. Especially early on.
- What goes on "behind the curtain" is unknown to her followers, but she seems to have a remarkable ability to attract both followers, as well as medical professional supporters. A regular feature of her podcasts are experts. She is humble enough to openly acknowledge her limitations, but wise enough to find people who can "fill the gap!"
The tough part of writing this post is how much detail to present. I will simply provide some highlights on topics which could each be a post or posts of their own:
- Fasting. The challenge of even thinking about it is our inclinations against "doing without" ...
Bad news: We don't want to do without! 👎
Good news: We're talking about ideally fasting for 18 to 20 hours in a 24-hour day. And some times longer. Trust me. In spite of what may be your first thoughts, you will not die. 😉
Even better news: Within days, given how favorably and beneficially your body responds, you will notice a difference. Not months. Not weeks. Days! 👍 - Eating. Again this is not a diet. So there is no specifically prescribed food to eat. The focus is not eating for what most people will view as an uhhh ... "unnaturally" long length of time. You are in for a welcome surprise on what a "reset" to this mentality does for your well-being.
- Benefits. Yes, for most people, there will be a welcome loss of weight. That is only the beginning. Beyond that, here are 3 vitally important additional benefits:
- Autophagy! One of the most powerful "preventative maintenance" mechanisms our body has for healing itself is fully released - a mechanism called autophagy. If not stopping it altogether, constant eating, drinking, snacking, etc. greatly inhibits this mechanism.
- Sleeping better! How many of us go to sleep with our digestive system fully at rest? Try it and find out how beneficial this can be for improving this essential part of good health.
- Reduce / eliminate inflammation! The detrimental effects of too much sugar in the diets of far too many of us is hard to overstate. A major consequence of overwhelming our bodies natural regulation of it via insulin is insulin resistance and the resulting inflammation. Intermittent fasting is a powerful "weapon" to fight against this debilitating impact on our lives.
A fan of self-help books? Look no further, dear reader, than this one, if you have never heard of it before. This testimonial has been written to give you some idea of the powerful concept contained within it. With the power to dramatically improve your life.
Let's look a little closer at a couple of these vitally important benefits:
The Marvelous Power of Autophagy!
Auto what @roleerob? Autophagy!
Autophagy: "The word derives from the Greek auto (self) and phagein (to eat). So the word literally means to eat oneself. Essentially, this is the body’s mechanism of getting rid of all the broken down, old cell machinery (organelles, proteins and cell membranes) when there’s no longer enough energy to sustain it. It is a regulated, orderly process to degrade and recycle cellular components."
Source: Diet Doctor web page.
Source 2: Webpage on Wikipedia
Wow! A mechanism to "self repair" my body. 💪 Sign me up! 🙌
Yes, well, dear reader, there is just one "teeny, weeny" catch. You need to fast to activate it! On this Diet Doctor webpage, we learn about the discoveries on autophagy made by Yoshinori Ohsumi, which resulted in him winning the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2016.
When we don't eat, release of insulin goes down and glucagon goes up. Glucagon is "kind of the opposite hormone to insulin." Fasting increases the release of glucagon, providing the greatest known boost to autophagy. Which, in turn, stimulates growth hormone for producing new cellular parts. "You need to get rid of the old stuff before you can put in new stuff."
What a powerful motivator to take on the challenge of finding out for yourself about the benefits of intermittent fasting!
There are ancient stories of man's search for "fountains of youth." While understanding the benefit of autophagy doesn't magically or supernaturally claim to go that far, it does have great restorative benefits. Which actually is believed to improve longevity.
So ... While you are waiting to find out ... 😉 How many of us have the odd and sundry "aches and pains" here, there, and (the older we get) everywhere?
Fully activate and "turn loose" this marvelous mechanism in your body and see what happens to them. Especially in conjunction with the next benefit of intermittent fasting!
Reducing / Eliminating Insulin Resistance and Inflammation
A very small part of my personal history is an historic problem with higher-than-recommended cholestrol levels. Leading to repeated recommendations to "consider" take statins. Which ... I have steadfastly refused ... 😉
Why?
The one time I had a slight bit of impetus behind actually succumbing to this artificial solution , I decided to do some "due diligence."
- Note: We are each born with the free will to do whatever seems good to us. Rather than blindly follow any advice, without any idea why you would, I would encourage you to find out for yourself more about it. Most particularly, when it comes to your health. Without good health, of what value is anything else, given your greatly reduced capacity to enjoy it?
Glad I did! In my research, I came across an amazing book. This book changed my life, as well as some of my family members, including the one for whom this testimonial has been written:
Source 2: Audiobook product webpage on Amazon
In it, you will read the history of America's public "battle" against cholesterol. And the "behind the curtain" story of how this focus "won out" over a focus on sugar. "Won out?" Yes, in the political battle, which "trumped" the medical profession's opinions and scientific facts.
Spoiler alert!
The details contained over
how this decision was reached
will likely make you angry!
😡
The details contained over
how this decision was reached
will likely make you
😡
Very succinctly, this book makes an authoritative and convincing argument sugar should have "won" the debate over which was the greater challenge to our health and well being. Well into the journey of discovery about the benefits of intermittent fasting, my family member had been so encouraged by the progress made, they decided to tackle another "big hurdle" on their path to better health. That hurdle had a lot of sugar in it!
To be clear, as stated above, there is no specific eat this or that details presented for implementing this new intermittent fasting lifestyle. That said, it is stating the obvious that not all food is "created equal."
What? 😲
You want me to learn to "do without" each day @roleerob, but deny me the "reward" of eating whatever I choose after? I am all about "abundance" brother! You know, an abundance of pizza 🍕, beer 🍺, a "dietary portion" ... 😉 ... of ice cream 🍨 every now (and then) ... Give me a break!
Yep, I did say simple, but I never said easy ... 🙂 Too many of us are well acquainted and have an "up close and personal" relationship with "comfort food" impulses. And the more frequently we "feed" those impulses, the stronger the hold they have on our lives ...
To be crystal clear, intermittent fasting is beneficial, no matter what you are tempted to eat, when your "window" is open. Also, the successful implementation of it will begin the process of breaking down the above mentioned "hold" of poor dietary habits and associated patterns of behavior ...
My family member elected to take on the challenge of squarely facing the "demon" of sugar and its hold on their life. This book was wonderfully informative and highly motivational in getting started.
The power of this book is similar to that written by Gin Stephens and for the same reason. The authors were themselves faced with the "irreversible" effects of diabetes and determined to prove otherwise.
That is, to prove that diabetes can, in fact, be reversed! I am happy to report, just like these gentlemen indicate in their book, that my family member's recent blood tests have confirmed how well founded their faith was in putting into practice what these gentlemen have to say.
Intermittent fasting definitely helps with insulin resistance. Following what is covered in this book will "drive a stake through its heart!" 🙌
One of the cold, hard realities of life, at least for some, is that you are your own best advocate. We all appreciate those who care enough about us to look out for us, but who are we going to "blame," if that doesn't happen? With serious consequences?
One of the best investments you can make is putting your time into understanding how your body is designed. And, as a result, finding out what is best for keeping it "humming along" at an optimum level. Your quality of life depends on it!
As an excellent "supplement" to the powerful concept of intermittent fasting, I do not know if there is a greater one than understanding, getting on top of, and controlling the role sugar plays in your diet. Sadly, doubly true, if you are the typical American.
Fast. Feast. Repeat.
True for any of us in life, we learn along the way on our journey through it. We get better. We get stronger. We are more confident of what we know vs. what we think we know (yes, there is a big difference) ...
Experience is foundational to this. Years after writing the story of what she had discovered, presented at the beginning of this post, Gin Stephens has written her latest book based on exactly that - experience in the real world.
In it, her experience in being a champion of this lifestyle really comes through. Here are two key highlights to be found in it:
- Her poignant retelling of her journey through life, desperately trying to find "the answer" is compelling reading. She did not give up and quit, such an important part of the success story of most people we come to admire.
She clearly knows what you are facing and is very empathetic in sharing what she has to offer. - Based on this, from her now much broader and deeper experience base, she has provided her followers with a 28-day plan to get off to a flying start!
The book at the beginning of this post is the one which changed the life of a loved one in my family. As good as it is, especially if you want to "speed up the process," you may wish to start with this one. That is, if you have found any value at all, dear reader, in what I have shared with you, in this testimonial.
Closing
Only discovering The Man Cave community this past Satrday, I found a #health-with-doc channel on their Discord server. Supported by the community's very own "doctor in the house" (yes, a real medical doctor) - @simplifylife (a glance at my profile tells you what impressions his account name made)!
Here is my first contribution to it ...
Self-discipline is a fundamental and universal "fact of life," with which we all must "wrestle" and settle out on how far we are prepared to go to not only consider it, but to act on it! There are so many aspects of our lives which "rise or fall" based upon how we choose to answer this "challenge."
The "siren song of the world" is constantly blaring out at us messages, both conscious and subliminal, which will "tell" you to act in a manner which ultimately is not beneficial. And certainly contrary to what you have now read in this post. A personal "favorite" example being the brilliant marketing slogan - "Obey Your Thirst!" Yeah, right. What could possibly go wrong ...
Eat better. Sleep better. Intermittent fasting is a simple no-cost-to-you lifestyle resulting in a greater sense of well-being and improved energy and vitality. Hopefully, for my new "band of brothers," (and sisters ... 😉) I have provided you some inspiration to at least look into what I have presented here. I’d love to hear any feedback you may be inspired to provide.
Until "next time," all the best to you for a better tomorrow, as we all work together to build up our Hive Communities and add increasing value to our Hive blockchain! 👍 😊
Respectfully,
Hive Blogger @roleerob
🐝 🍯 🐝
Posted using PeakD and “immutably enshrined” in the Hive blockchain on Wednesday, 15 July 2020!
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