The Fasting Method Podcast

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.

Normal blood sugar doesn't always mean everything is metabolically normal.
Episode #274
🎙️ Coach Terri Lance is joined by Dr. Jason Fung for a conversation about what routine lab results can—and can't—tell us about metabolic health.
Dr. Fung explains why blood glucose and A1C can remain within normal ranges even while insulin levels are rising, why "normal" and "optimal" aren't always the same thing, and why looking at a single number without context can miss important changes happening underneath.
They also discuss fasting insulin, C-peptide, why these markers can be useful when assessing hyperinsulinemia, and why trends over time often tell us more than one isolated result.
👉 What you'll learn • Why normal lab results don't necessarily explain how you feel • The five criteria used to define metabolic syndrome • Why hyperinsulinemia can develop before blood glucose becomes abnormal • How A1C can remain normal while insulin levels are rising • The difference between a laboratory "normal range" and an optimal result • Why fasting insulin can be difficult to interpret from a single measurement • What C-peptide can tell us about insulin production • Why C-peptide may be more stable than fasting insulin • Why repeated measurements can provide more useful context than one result • How better information can support more useful conversations with your healthcare practitioner
📝 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 How A1C can look normal while insulin rises 00:31 Terri and Dr. Fung introduce the lab conversation 01:25 What does "normal" actually mean? 02:56 Why normal bloodwork doesn't explain everything 04:36 Looking at metabolic health more closely 05:13 The five markers of metabolic syndrome 05:47 Hyperinsulinemia versus insulin resistance 06:52 Why measure insulin at all? 07:32 How insulin can rise while glucose stays normal 08:37 Normal range versus optimal range 10:42 Why insulin measurements can fluctuate 11:55 What C-peptide tells us 13:05 Why one result isn't enough 15:50 What can you do with the information? 19:37 Why tracking results over time can matter 21:13 Why A1C may miss early metabolic dysfunction 23:42 Using lab information to ask better questions 25:14 Understanding what your doctor is—and isn't—testing
⚠️ 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.

Michele lost 120 pounds—but the deeper transformation was learning to live without the food noise, social pressure and old identity that had shaped her relationship with sugar for decades.
Episode #273
🎙️ Coach Amy Medling talks with TFM member Michele about losing 120 pounds, reversing diabetes and building a way of living that feels sustainable rather than temporary.
Michele shares how a one-year sugar-free commitment changed her relationship with food, why the social side of giving up sugar was harder than the physical side, and how she learned to celebrate, connect and care for herself without relying on sweets.
She also reflects on people pleasing, identity change, navigating comments about her body and continuing to move forward through ordinary wobbles rather than expecting perfection.
👉 What you'll learn
• How Michele lost 120 pounds after decades of obesity and 12 years with diabetes
• Why she originally planned to join The Fasting Method Community for only one month
• What happened when she reintroduced sugar after a sugar-free period
• Why removing sugar eventually felt freeing rather than restrictive for Michele
• How social expectations became harder to navigate than the food itself
• Why celebration and connection don't have to revolve around sweets
• What it felt like to no longer be the largest woman in the room
• How repeated choices gradually became part of Michele's identity
• The practical strategies she uses in social situations and during difficult moments
• Why wobbles don't erase genuine transformation
• How Michele thinks about slow progress, maintenance and every pound she doesn't regain
• Why different seasons of life can call for different fasting tools
📝 Read the Transcript
You can read the transcript and explore more episodes of The Fasting Method Podcast here:
https://www.thefastingmethod.com/podcasts/
⚙️ There's Still Time to Join the Intermittent Fasting Masterclass
The Intermittent Fasting Masterclass started Monday, August 31—but there's still time to join before the first live Q&A with Megan Ramos on Saturday, September 5.
Across four weeks, you'll get 14 recorded lessons and four live Q&A sessions with Megan, helping you understand how intermittent fasting works, how the main strategies fit together and what you may need to adjust in your own fasting practice.
New to fasting? Unsure whether your current approach fits? Wondering how fasting, nutrition and eating days work together—or what to change when progress stalls? The Masterclass is designed to help you build a clearer foundation and make more informed decisions about your next step.
And if you can't attend every session live, you won't miss out: replay access and TLDR summaries are included.
Learn more and join:
https://www.thefastingmethod.com/intermittent-fasting-masterclass-summer-2026/
📣 Connect With Us
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastingmethod/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFastingMethod
Join our free Facebook group: https://bit.ly/TFMNetwork
🤝 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 your body changes faster than your identity
00:32 Amy introduces Michele's Town Hall conversation
02:35 Decades of obesity, diabetes and starting again at 55
06:41 Michele's evolving relationship with sugar
09:05 Why giving up sugar was socially harder than physically
12:50 Learning to celebrate without sweets
20:32 Losing 120 pounds changes more than your body
22:33 No longer being the largest woman in the room
25:39 People pleasing, self-care and honoring your own needs
30:26 Navigating social situations without sugar
37:10 "Every pound I don't gain is a pound of loss"
40:10 What Michele would say to someone still caught in old patterns
42:16 Different seasons need different fasting tools
45:58 The 120 pounds were only part of the change
47:52 "Washed from the inside out"
⚠️ 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.

Conflicting fasting advice can make it difficult to know whether intermittent fasting is actually appropriate for you—and the answer is often more nuanced than a simple yes or no.
Episode #272
🎙️ Coach Terri Lance is joined by Megan Ramos to look at five situations that frequently raise questions about intermittent fasting: women and hormonal changes, people who are lean but metabolically unhealthy, stress and cortisol, concerns about muscle and bone health, and the use of GLP-1 medications.
Megan explains why broad rules such as "women shouldn't fast" or "fasting is bad when you're stressed" miss important context. Health history, body composition, life stage, current stress and the way fasting is applied all matter.
Terri and Megan also discuss why someone can appear lean while still having significant metabolic dysfunction, how fasting can be adapted during periods of stress, and what people using GLP-1 medications may need to consider around appetite, protein and lean mass.
👉 What you'll learn
• Why fasting advice often needs more nuance than a simple yes or no
• What women should consider across different hormonal stages
• Why perimenopause and menopause don't automatically rule out fasting
• How someone can be lean while still having metabolic syndrome
• Why body composition matters more than scale weight alone
• How the type and severity of stress can change the fasting approach
• What fasting means for muscle and bone health
• What to consider when fasting while using a GLP-1 medication
• Why different circumstances may call for modifying rather than abandoning fasting
📝 Read the Transcript
You can read the transcript and explore more episodes of The Fasting Method Podcast here:
https://www.thefastingmethod.com/podcasts/
⚙️ Go Deeper With the Intermittent Fasting Masterclass
Megan's Intermittent Fasting Masterclass starts August 31 and is designed for people who are new to fasting as well as those who have been fasting for a while but aren't getting the results they expected.
Across four weeks, you'll get 14 recorded lessons, four live Q&A sessions with Megan, concise lesson summaries and one month of access to The Fasting Method Community for non-members.
The Masterclass covers what fasting actually is, what you can have during a fast, how to approach eating days, how to navigate social situations and how to adapt the principles to your own fasting journey.
Learn more and join:
https://www.thefastingmethod.com/intermittent-fasting-masterclass-summer-2026/
📣 Connect With Us
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastingmethod/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFastingMethod
Join our free Facebook group: https://bit.ly/TFMNetwork
🤝 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 Fasting while using GLP-1 medications
00:13 Terri introduces the Intermittent Fasting Masterclass
01:47 Who is intermittent fasting really for?
02:32 Why fasting advice has become so confusing
05:47 Women and fasting across different life stages
13:20 Can lean people with metabolic issues fast?
16:56 Fasting, stress responses and resilience
20:13 Stress, cortisol and when to modify fasting
24:01 Fasting, muscle mass and bone health
26:18 Fasting while taking GLP-1 medications
29:06 Megan introduces the Intermittent Fasting Masterclass
32:06 Who should share this episode
⚠️ 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.