Show notes
My name is Erika Barnhart. I have lost nearly 90 lbs by using clean fasting and healthy eating. I was so excited to have a conversation with Jalene Weigand, an experienced Intermittent faster of 4 years. I hope you enjoy it!
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Or, reach out to me at pause.and.fast@gmail.com to join the fun and be a guest on the show.
Jalene: I honestly can’t remember a time when I wasn’t focused on my body image. Growing up in Southern California in the 80s, image was everything. MTV, thin models, and constant pressure made me hyper-aware of my curves from a young age. After puberty, with friends moving away and emotions running high, I discovered that food could numb my feelings—and that started a cycle of overeating, bingeing, and purging that followed me through high school and into my early 20s.
After a painful breakup, my eating disorder spiraled, and I reached my lowest weight—sadly unnoticed in a culture that praised being waif thin. My family didn’t mean harm; they were simply repeating the generational message that thinness meant control and worth. Eventually, I hit a breaking point.
A blind date changed everything. The man who would become my husband was the first to lovingly tell me I needed help. At 23, I recovered from the binge/purge cycle, but the obsession with my body stayed. For decades I cycled through diets, calorie counting, intense workouts, and every trend—from vegetarianism to Atkins, Weight Watchers, and Pure Barre. Later, hormone issues and food sensitivities pushed me into more research, leading me to a grain-free lifestyle that worked—until 2020 hit.
As a preschool teacher navigating remote teaching during the pandemic, everything unraveled. Despite trying to stay healthy, I eventually gained 30+ pounds without realizing it—thank you, stretchy clothes! A photo posted online and a few concerned friends finally made me face it. Their honesty stung, but it pushed me back into research mode, where I stumbled on insulin resistance and intermittent fasting. A podcast with Laurie Lewis moved me to tears, and that day—November 2021—I started clean fasting.
I lost 20 pounds quickly with 16:8 fasting, but ongoing health issues led me to a new endocrinologist who discovered I had no hormones, thyroid antibodies, and had unknowingly gone through menopause years earlier. With fasting and HRT, my health finally clicked into place. I’ve lost the weight, stabilized my hormones, and now live a lifestyle that feels sustainable and peaceful.
I’m deeply grateful—for the medical professionals who truly listened, for those who shared their own healing stories, and for everyone who supported me along the way. This journey has been long, emotional, and transformative, but I’m finally living in a body and life that feel like home.
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