The Fasting Method Podcast

How you lose the weight has to prepare you to keep it off.
Episode #279
🎙️ Coaches Terri Lance and Heather Shuker explore what sustainable weight loss actually asks of us, and why reaching a goal weight is not the point where the work ends.
Heather explains why maintenance begins with the first pound lost. The behaviors that help you lose weight also need to become part of how you live, even though their intensity may change over time. Terri and Heather discuss the difference between an on/off approach and learning to adjust the dial, why consistency matters more than perfection, and what happens when we keep waiting for the point where we can finally "relax."
They also explore identity, vacations, food rules, setbacks and experimentation, including Heather's own experience of learning over several years which choices genuinely make her feel better.
👉 What you'll learn
• Why reaching your goal weight doesn't mean you're finished
• What it means for maintenance to begin with the first pound lost
• Why sustainable change needs a dial rather than an on/off switch
• How the behaviors used for weight loss may change in intensity during maintenance
• Why self-care continues long after active weight loss
• What perfectionism can do to consistency
• Why the scale shouldn't be your only measure of success
• What people often really mean when they say they need a "break"
• Why lasting change involves identity as well as behavior
• How experimentation helps you discover what works for you over time
📝 Read the Transcript
You can read the transcript and explore more episodes of The Fasting Method Podcast here:
https://www.thefastingmethod.com/podcasts/
📌 Make It Stick with Coach Heather Shuker
If losing weight is only part of the challenge, Make It Stick is about what comes next: building the consistency, habits and skills that help you protect your progress and reduce the risk of regain.
Make It Stick starts Thursday, October 22.
Heather's free webinar, Avoiding Regain: Why the Weight Comes Back and How to Prevent It, takes place Thursday, October 15.
Register for the live webinar here:
https://thefastingmethod.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MrBihTaNTryeOdfbx65cHA
Can't make it live? The replay will be available afterward via the Make It Stick website page.
Learn more and join Make It Stick:
https://www.thefastingmethod.com/make-it-stick/
 
📣 Connect With Us
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastingmethod/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFastingMethod
Join our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/obesitycodenetwork
🤝 Join The Fasting Method Community
Build your fasting knowledge, learn from experienced coaches and connect with people who understand the journey:
https://www.thefastingmethod.com/community/
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 There is no on/off switch
00:22 Terri and Heather introduce sustainable weight loss
01:29 Why we fixate on reaching a goal weight
03:05 What happens after you reach the number?
04:10 Maintenance begins with the first pound lost
06:20 When rapid weight loss creates unrealistic expectations
07:29 Think of intensity as a dial, not a switch
09:15 The self-care journey lasts forever
11:29 Weight loss is about how you live
12:36 When healthy behaviors stop feeling new and exciting
15:00 Why healthy living doesn't need to be entertaining
18:55 What matters when you don't follow the plan perfectly
20:26 If you're white-knuckling your way to goal, what happens next?
21:09 What does "taking a break" really mean?
23:14 Why permanent change involves identity
24:44 You're not starting over, you're continuing
25:35 Using experiments and food rules to learn what works
27:24 Why experience teaches what information alone cannot
29:00 Becoming a healthy person who makes healthy choices
⚠️ Disclaimer
This podcast is for educational purposes only, and it is not to substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. You should always speak with your physician or other healthcare professionals before doing any fasting, changing your diet in any way, taking or adjusting any medications or supplements, or adopting any treatment plan for a health problem.
The use of any other products or services purchased by you as a result of this podcast does not create a healthcare provider-patient relationship between you and any of the experts affiliated with this podcast. Any information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Knowing what to do doesn't always make an old pattern disappear.
Episode #278
🎙️ In this solo episode, Coach Terri Lance explores why old eating and coping patterns can return even when we understand them, dislike their consequences and genuinely want to change.
Terri explains why behaviors that now feel frustrating may once have helped us manage stress, seek comfort, feel safe or create a sense of control. Rather than simply asking, "Why am I still doing this?", she offers a more useful question: what is this pattern still helping me manage, avoid or obtain?
She also looks at the difference between self-compassion and excusing a behavior, why removing an old coping strategy without replacing its function can leave us struggling, and how new patterns become stronger through repetition.
👉 What you'll learn
• Why old patterns can persist even when you know better
• How problematic behaviors may still be meeting an immediate need
• Why our brains favor immediate rewards over long-term consequences
• How shame and self-criticism can reinforce the very pattern we want to stop
• Why self-compassion still needs to include accountability
• What can happen when you remove a coping strategy without replacing it
• The question Terri uses to uncover what a behavior is really doing for you
• How to build a more supportive response to the same underlying need
• Why old patterns often reappear during stress, exhaustion or social pressure
• How repetition helps strengthen newer, more useful patterns
📝 Read the Transcript
You can read the transcript and explore more episodes of The Fasting Method Podcast here:
https://www.thefastingmethod.com/podcasts/
🧠 Ready to Go Beyond Knowing?
Beyond Knowing is for people who already know how to fast and what nutrition choices support them, but still struggle to follow through consistently.
Led by Coach Terri Lance, the program digs deeper into patterns, emotional eating, self-sabotage, shame, identity and the internal work that can help knowledge translate into lasting change.
Starts October 13
Learn more and join:
https://www.thefastingmethod.com/beyond-knowing/
Want to hear more first?
Watch Terri's webinar:
I Know What to Do, So Why Can't I Stick With It?
https://youtu.be/_XzjvaDgqF8
📣 Connect With Us
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastingmethod/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFastingMethod
Join our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/obesitycodenetwork
🤝 Join The Fasting Method Community
Build your fasting knowledge, learn from experienced coaches and connect with people who understand the journey:
https://www.thefastingmethod.com/community/
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 Why our behaviors make sense
00:35 Terri introduces Beyond Knowing and today's topic
02:35 Why old patterns are so hard to let go
03:19 Stop judging the pattern and understand its purpose
03:46 Why behaviors persist even when they cause problems
05:14 Where old eating patterns may have started
06:21 When an old solution starts creating new problems
07:42 The immediate reward we often overlook
09:00 How self-criticism can reinforce the cycle
09:37 Self-compassion without excusing the behavior
10:35 Why coping strategies need replacing, not simply removing
12:03 What need is the behavior still meeting?
13:02 A better question than "Why am I still doing this?"
14:05 The 3pm vending-machine example
17:16 Why old patterns return under stress
19:10 Using setbacks to strengthen new coping strategies
20:37 How to examine the patterns you're struggling to release
21:31 Beyond Knowing and the webinar replay
⚠️ Disclaimer
This podcast is for educational purposes only, and it is not to substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. You should always speak with your physician or other healthcare professionals before doing any fasting, changing your diet in any way, taking or adjusting any medications or supplements, or adopting any treatment plan for a health problem.
The use of any other products or services purchased by you as a result of this podcast does not create a healthcare provider-patient relationship between you and any of the experts affiliated with this podcast. Any information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Just because something can be measured doesn't mean it deserves equal weight when you're thinking about your health.

Episode #277
🎙️ Coach Terri Lance continues her conversation with Dr. Jason Fung about how to interpret health markers in context rather than focusing too heavily on a single test or number.
Dr. Fung discusses CRP and inflammation, why he believes metabolic markers such as triglycerides, HDL, glucose and insulin deserve more attention than LDL alone, and how different markers can answer very different questions.
They also explore coronary calcium, emerging research around vitamin K2, and the challenge of deciding what to do with interesting new evidence before the science is fully settled.
👉 What you'll learn
• Why not every measurable health marker is equally useful
• What CRP can—and can't—tell you about inflammation
• Why Dr. Fung places more emphasis on triglycerides and HDL than LDL alone
• How triglycerides, HDL and insulin connect with metabolic syndrome
• Why metabolic health is important when thinking about cardiovascular risk
• What a coronary artery calcium score can tell you
• Why emerging evidence doesn't always mean immediate action is warranted
• How Dr. Fung thinks about risk versus potential benefit when evidence is still developing
• Which metabolic markers he considers most useful to follow
• Why health information is most useful when it helps guide practical next steps
📝 Read the Transcript
You can read the transcript and explore more episodes of The Fasting Method Podcast here:
https://www.thefastingmethod.com/podcasts/
📣 Connect With Us
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastingmethod/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFastingMethod
Join our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/obesitycodenetwork
🤝 Join The Fasting Method Community
Build your fasting knowledge, learn from experienced coaches and connect with people who understand the journey:
https://www.thefastingmethod.com/community/
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 Coronary calcium and cardiovascular risk
00:24 Why no single health marker tells the whole story
02:50 What CRP tells us about inflammation
04:32 Why a high CRP can be difficult to act on
05:10 Triglycerides, HDL and metabolic syndrome
05:32 Why Dr. Fung looks beyond LDL
08:00 Comparing cardiovascular risk factors
10:00 How triglycerides and HDL connect with insulin
12:00 Why metabolic health matters more than a single cholesterol number
14:39 Catching metabolic dysfunction earlier
14:57 Coronary artery calcium and emerging evidence
17:00 Vitamin K2 and the challenge of evolving research
18:45 Which health markers Dr. Fung prioritizes
21:07 Looking at risk in context
24:06 Terri reflects on how to use health information without becoming overwhelmed
⚠️ Disclaimer
This podcast is for educational purposes only, and it is not to substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. You should always speak with your physician or other healthcare professionals before doing any fasting, changing your diet in any way, taking or adjusting any medications or supplements, or adopting any treatment plan for a health problem.
The use of any other products or services purchased by you as a result of this podcast does not create a healthcare provider-patient relationship between you and any of the experts affiliated with this podcast. Any information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Rob lost 205 pounds—but the biggest change was learning to stop blaming himself and start trusting the process.
Episode #276
🎙️ In this Community Voices episode, Coach Amy Medling talks with TFM member Rob about the physical and psychological transformation that took him from 434 pounds to a very different way of living.
Rob shares the wake-up call that started his journey, his experience with a GLP-1 medication, discovering Dr. Jason Fung and intermittent fasting, and how rolling 42-hour fasts became part of his path forward.
But this story goes well beyond weight loss. Rob explains how he moved away from decades of shame and self-blame, learned to work with his body rather than fight it, and used the TFM Community to help build the identity, flexibility and trust he now brings into maintenance.
👉 What you'll learn • How a serious health scare became Rob's turning point • What changed when food noise disappeared on a GLP-1 medication • Why discovering Dr. Fung's work changed how Rob understood his weight • The difference between releasing blame and giving up responsibility • How Rob used fasting as an exit strategy rather than a temporary diet • Why rolling 42-hour fasts worked so well for him • How Rob lost 205 pounds and 22 inches from his waist • Why mindset and identity became just as important as the fasting itself • What "trust the process" means when life knocks you off course • How Rob approaches fasting, food and maintenance now • Why learning to listen to his body has given him more freedom
📝 Read the Transcript You can read the transcript and explore more episodes of The Fasting Method Podcast here: https://www.thefastingmethod.com/podcasts/
⚙️ It's Not Too Late to Join What It Takes What It Takes has started, but there's still time to join Coach Heather Shuker for this six-month intermittent fasting and weight loss program designed to help you stop starting over and build the habits, skills and confidence to make change last. Weekly live sessions at 6pm ET Replays are available, so it's easy to catch up if you join late or miss a live session. Learn more and join: https://www.thefastingmethod.com/what-it-takes/
📣 Connect With Us Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastingmethod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFastingMethod Join our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/obesitycodenetwork
🤝 Join The Fasting Method Community Build your fasting knowledge, learn from experienced coaches and connect with people who understand the journey: https://www.thefastingmethod.com/community/
⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Rob on willpower and finding what finally worked 00:25 Meet Rob and hear about his 205-pound transformation 01:07 Decades of weight struggles and conventional dieting 04:15 The cardiac wake-up call that changed everything 05:50 Stopping alcohol and searching for another answer 07:00 Rob's experience with a GLP-1 medication 09:00 Discovering Dr. Fung and a different explanation for weight gain 10:59 Letting go of shame without giving up responsibility 13:00 Finding fasting and building an exit strategy 15:00 Why rolling 42-hour fasts worked for Rob 17:30 Coming off medication and continuing to lose weight 20:49 Seeing the physical transformation 22:34 Identity change and why Rob joined the TFM Community 27:30 Replacing alcohol as a way to manage stress 31:27 What happened when Rob stopped the GLP-1 medication 34:39 Building flexibility into fasting and maintenance 37:39 Learning to see himself differently 39:06 Trusting the process when life goes off course 41:42 Food noise, fullness and learning to trust his body 42:40 Amy reflects on what made Rob's transformation last
⚠️ Disclaimer This podcast is for educational purposes only, and it is not to substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. You should always speak with your physician or other healthcare professionals before doing any fasting, changing your diet in any way, taking or adjusting any medications or supplements, or adopting any treatment plan for a health problem.
The use of any other products or services purchased by you as a result of this podcast does not create a healthcare provider-patient relationship between you and any of the experts affiliated with this podcast. Any information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

If the fasting is solid but progress has stalled, the answer may be hiding in what happens between your fasts.
Episode #275
🎙️ In this Metabolic Troubleshooting episode, Coach Heather Shuker looks at a common frustration for experienced fasters: completing solid therapeutic fasts but still not seeing the progress they expect.
Heather explains why the fasting protocol itself may not be the issue. Food quality, eating frequency, grazing, under-eating and compensating for difficult eating days by fasting longer can all make it harder to understand what is actually working.
She also explores why eating days need to be nourishing as well as structured, how they become practice for eventual weight maintenance, and why erratic eating sometimes reflects stress, boredom, loneliness or overwhelm rather than a lack of nutritional knowledge.
👉 What you'll learn
• Why fasting can work extremely well at first even when food isn't ideal • What "eating normally" can actually mean in practice • How grazing through an eating window can undermine the benefits of fasting • Why extending a fast after difficult eating days can become compensatory • Why eating days should be nourishing rather than another form of restriction • How chronic under-eating can increase hunger and contribute to later overeating • Why eating days are important practice for eventual weight maintenance • How stress and emotional eating can sit upstream of inconsistent food choices • What to stabilize before increasing the length or frequency of your fasts
📝 Read the Transcript
You can read the transcript and explore more episodes of The Fasting Method Podcast here: https://www.thefastingmethod.com/podcasts/
⚙️ Ready to Stop Starting Over?
What It Takes is a six-month intermittent fasting and weight loss program led by Coach Heather Shuker, designed to help you build the habits, skills and confidence needed to make change last. Weekly live sessions at 6pm ET Starts Monday, September 21 Learn more about What It Takes: https://www.thefastingmethod.com/what-it-takes/
Want to hear more first?
Join Heather for a free webinar exploring what actually drives sustainable weight loss—and why so many people get caught in a stop-start cycle. Weight Loss Blueprint: What It Takes to Lose Weight Monday • September 14 • 6pm ET Register here: https://thefastingmethod.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XrJDBuywSQ-HfA57r9_bxQ
📣 Connect With Us
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastingmethod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFastingMethod Join our free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/obesitycodenetwork
🤝 Join The Fasting Method Community
Build your fasting knowledge, learn from experienced coaches and connect with people who understand the journey: https://www.thefastingmethod.com/community/
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 When the fasting isn't the hard part 00:20 Heather introduces the eating-day problem 00:31 When fasting works like a "magic eraser" 02:46 Why solid fasting may still not produce progress 03:38 What does "eating normally" actually mean? 04:42 Eating windows, snacking and grazing 05:13 Why fasting longer can become compensation 06:43 Are you eating enough on your eating days? 08:30 Eating days as practice for maintenance 09:55 When restriction leads to hunger and overeating 10:29 Stress, emotions and erratic eating 12:39 What to stabilize before increasing your fasting 14:45 Which feels more stable: your fasts or your eating days? 15:38 Why support can matter when you already know what to do
⚠️ Disclaimer
This podcast is for educational purposes only, and it is not to substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. You should always speak with your physician or other healthcare professionals before doing any fasting, changing your diet in any way, taking or adjusting any medications or supplements, or adopting any treatment plan for a health problem.
The use of any other products or services purchased by you as a result of this podcast does not create a healthcare provider-patient relationship between you and any of the experts affiliated with this podcast. Any information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.