Gin Stephens, author of Delay Don't Deny and Fast Feast Repeat, has been a powerhouse in the booming intermittent fasting movement!

It’s also Gin’s support and promotion that has helped Data-Driven Fasting explode the way it has! I am very grateful to her!

It all started when she had Lori Leeke on her Intermittent Fasting Stories Podcast. After Lori’s encouragement, I made an appearance on her podcast later on Melanie Avalon’s Biohacking Podcast. They also said some very kind things about Big Fat Keto Lies on their Intermittent Fasting Podcast. And the rest is now history.

It was great to have her on to chat about her research for her new book, Clean(ish) and the importance of WHAT to eat (nutrient density) as well as WHEN to eat (intermittent fasting).

We also covered the perils of extended fasting, what she's had to unlearn and what it's like to leave Facebook after nurturing several groups to more than half a million members!

Follow Gin

• Delay Don’t Deny Social Network
• Website
• Clean(ish) (coming 4 January 2022)
• Intermittent Fasting Stories Podcast
• IF Podcast (with Melanie Avalon)

Craig Emmerich is the author of the book “Keto: The Complete Guide” and the PMSF Cookbook and hubby to Maria Emmerich.

Mariah and Craig have been at the forefront of the keto movement since way before it was trendy. Craig is a fellow engineer who seeks to understand how things work to understand how to help people more effectively with their books and MANY cookbooks, website and Facebook groups.

I have been chatting with Craig for years about nutrition for the past six years since the early days of the Optimising Nutrition Facebook Group, where we were all avidly sharing and learning the nuances of nutrition. Like me, he shares a lot of the frustration of what ‘keto’ has become and works to correct the many false beliefs that lead people down the wrong path.

This was a great chat to reflect with Craig on the past and future trajectory of the ‘keto’ movement. We discussed:

• What are the biggest misconceptions in the low carb/keto nutrition space?
• What are the most common issues you encounter with your clients who come to you for guidance?
• When is dialling up protein % appropriate (e.g. PSMF)?
• Do you recommend chasing higher ketones?
• Should you eat more fat to lose body fat?
• What would you change in Ketoland if you could?
• Does fat or protein with nutrient density and satiety?
• Why is insulin so misunderstood?
• Finally, where do you see the keto movement heading in the future?

You can also check out my chat with Mariah and Craig here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reXt0p7P1-I

Follow Craig & Maria Emmerich

• Maria Mind Body Health
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTubeAmazon

We are all about optimising your nutrition, regardless of your food preferences. Our mantra is your diet doesn't need a name, just enough nutrients. And Karen Lerner-Mayrand takes it to heart!

It was great to chat with Karen about how she dialled in her vegetarian diet to top the nutrient density leaderboard in our Nutritional Optimisation Masterclass not once but twice.

After trying different diets for decades and fasting for weeks on end, under the guidance of the biggest names in fasting, everything fell into place once Karen focused on giving her body the nutrients it needed!

These are some of the topics we discussed:

Why do you follow a vegetarian diet?

Why did you want to solve the puzzle of nutrition?

What did you find the hardest?

What surprised you the most?

What did you learn from Data-Driven Fasting vs. the Masterclass?

What foods do you eat less of now?

What do you eat more of now?

What are your primary protein sources?

Do you use supplements on your vegetarian diet?

How do you feel now?

What excited you most about the process of nutritional optimisation?

Where would you recommend someone start without becoming overwhelmed?

You can also learn more about Karen’s journey and check out some of her nutrient-dense vegetarian recipes at: https://optimisingnutrition.com/karens-chart-topping-nutrient-dense-vegetarian-diet-with-recipes-and-photos/

Links

• Optimising Nutrition
• Data-Driven Fasting
• Nutrient Optimiser
• Optimising Nutrition Podcast

Follow

• Facebook
• YouTube
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Pinterest

Products

• Big Fat Keto Lies (Book)
• NutriBooster Recipe Books
• Data-Driven Fasting 30 Day Challenge
• Nutritional Optimisation Masterclass

Groups

• NutriBooster Recipes
• Optimising Nutrition
• Data-Driven Fasting
• Nutrient Optimiser

University of Sydney Professors Stephen Simpson and David Raubenheimer’s work in protein leverage is perhaps the most important body of research around, empowering us to understand our appetite and what leads us to eat more (or less) than we need to.

Professor Stephen Simpson is the executive director of Obesity Australia and the academic director of the Charles Perkins Centre. PubMed shows that he has published a whopping 361 journal articles!

Professors David Raubenheimer, originally from South Africa, began working with Professor Simpson as a PhD student in Oxford. Many of his 197 research articles are co-authored with Professor Simpson.

They are perhaps best known for their 2005 Protein Leverage Hypothesis paper, which aligns with much of our research and analysis of data from people using Nutrient Optimiser.

In 2012 they published The Nature of Nutrition, and in 2020 they published Eat Like the Animals to bring their research to the public. In August last year, I wrote a blog discussing Eat Like the Animals. They subsequently reached out to start a dialogue to discuss some points of difference and agreed to take the time to come on for a podcast chat.

It was such a pleasure and honour to discuss a range of topics around their groundbreaking research, including:

• How does looking at insects and animals give us unique insights into human biology?
• How did the Protein Leverage Hypothesis come about? How did you go from studying insects and animals to cracking the code for human nutrition?
• What were some of the objections to the acceptance of the Protein Leverage Hypothesis?
• What are the implications of protein leverage for diabetes and blood sugar management?
• Is protein leverage about eating more protein or less energy from carbs and fat?
• Why is it crucial to think about the interaction of all three macronutrients?
• How does someone know if they are getting adequate protein based on their goals and context?
• What are the downsides of a chronic high protein %? When should someone add in more carbs and/or fat in their diet rather than more protein?
• What does the future hold in terms of translating this more into the public consciousness?
• How does your research affect the way you eat at home?
• Do you have any tips on how people can apply this practically in their lives?

Lori is one of the primary reasons that I created DDF.

One of the first articles I wrote on Optimising Nutrition five years ago detailed how to use your glucose as a fuel gauge to optimise your fasting routine. Lori found this a couple of years ago and put it into practice.

Over the past few years, Lori kept contacting me to tell me how well it had worked for her. I had had it in my mind to go back and develop the concept more. Lori’s story and encouragement motivated me to develop DDF into a complete system to dial in your feasting and fasting routine.

While listening to Lori’s recent podcast with Gin Stephens, I had a lot more questions. So, I thought it would be great to chat with her about her journey a little more and to share her wisdom from doing this for two years.

We got to chat about:

• How did you get started using your glucose as a fuel gauge?
• What was your motivation to try this approach to weight loss and metabolic health?
• Why is/was it important for you to be/stay trim and healthy?
• What approaches did you try that didn’t work so well?
• What did you find that worked well for you?
• Why does simply focusing on limiting calories not work for most people?
• You’re a big fan of Trim Healthy Mumma. How are they different? Why do they advise that is it important not to mix fat and carbs in a meal?
• Lots of people are talking about carb cycling or metabolic flexibility. What are the benefits of incorporating carbs?
• Who do you think alternating between carbs vs fat for energy doesn’t work well for? Many people would struggle to think in terms of low fat vs low carb meals and switch between them.
• What sort of meals do you enjoy for a low fat vs low carb meal?
• Why is it important not to be locked into one dietary dogma?
• You spend a lot of time sharing what has worked for you. Why are you so passionate about this?
• Who do you think DDF would be most beneficial for?

Thanks again, Lori, for your support, encouragement and inspiration, leading the way for thousands of others to take up Data-Driven Fasting.