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! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AoBkkDTvU/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pause_and_fast/ TikTok: @pause.and.fast Or, reach out to me at [email protected] 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.
More from The Pause and Fast Podcast
Fasting doesn't have to be complicated! In this episode of The Pause and Fast Podcast, I'm sharing a few personal updates, what I'm learning from Gin Stephens' The 28 Day Fast Start, and my experience navigating fasting in a convention setting. I'm also excited (and a little nervous!) to share that my intermittent fasting story is coming out this week. Thank you for being part of this journey and for helping me share these conversations with others! Our fasting tip of the day is one that has really made me stop and think: Tweak It Till It's Easy. Sometimes the answer isn't to push harder or be more disciplined. It's to make small adjustments until your routine fits your life. 🌿 Pause and Reflect: What is one thing in your life that might become easier if you stopped pushing harder and started making small adjustments? I'd love to hear your story, too! If you're interested in being a guest on the podcast, email me at [email protected]. Your perspective might inspire someone else. Thanks for listening, and remember to pause and fast! Follow The Pause and Fast Podcast on social media for more fasting conversations, personal reflections, and practical tips.
Hey all! I accidentally uploaded a short clip from the episode on Sunday. Please listen to the FULL EPISODE HERE_
What happens when the things you thought would make you happy—changing your body, reaching a certain weight, building a career—don’t quite give you the peace you were looking for? In Episode 27 of The Pause and Fast Podcast, Erika sits down with her yoga instructor, Maria Urso, for a conversation that goes far beyond yoga. Maria shares her journey from bodybuilding and corporate life to discovering yoga, spirituality, mindfulness, and a deeper sense of purpose. We talk about the way our relationship with food can become connected to our self-worth, how body image can be shaped by childhood and the media, and what it means to learn to appreciate your body for more than the way it looks. Maria also opens up about how the COVID-19 pandemic became an unexpected turning point in her life and ultimately led her toward becoming a yoga instructor and pursuing work that feels more aligned with who she is. Together, Erika and Maria explore self-care, authenticity, spirituality, community, and the importance of letting go of constant self-judgment. Maria shares practical advice for anyone who wants to begin a health or self-care journey—but may not know where to start. This conversation is a reminder that you don't have to have everything figured out, and you don't have to be perfect to begin. Sometimes, the real transformation isn't about changing your body. It's about changing the way you see yourself. Follow Lilurspg01 on YouTube and Instagram https://youtube.com/@lilurspg01?si=Hmx9oPtEybO-imeB https://youtu.be/TKtFNrKhm4E
Life doesn't always follow our fasting schedule—and that's okay. In this episode of The Pause and Fast Podcast, I’m talking about one of the things I think is so important for long-term success with intermittent fasting: flexibility. I’m sharing a little behind-the-scenes look at my own week, including what I ate on two particularly busy days, what worked well, what I might have done differently, and how I adjusted when things didn't go exactly according to plan. We’ll also talk about “diet brain”—that all-or-nothing thinking that can make one meal feel like a failure or convince us that we need to compensate for what we ate. I’ll share some practical ways to step away from that mindset, give yourself some grace, and remember that one meal or one day doesn't define your journey. Fasting doesn't have to be perfect to be meaningful. Sometimes the most sustainable approach is simply learning how to make it work alongside your actual life. If you're a faster, fasting creator, or someone with a story or perspective you'd like to share, I'd love to have you join me for a conversation on the podcast! Reach out and let's talk. And don't forget to follow The Pause and Fast Podcast on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook for more conversations about fasting, self-care, mindset, and finding a little more pause in everyday life. Fasting without all the drama. Life with a little more pause.
What happens when something you thought you would need for the rest of your life suddenly doesn’t seem to fit anymore? In this solo episode of The Pause and Fast Podcast, I’m sharing the somewhat sad, somewhat funny story of my CPAP journey—and one of the most unexpected non-scale victories I’ve experienced since starting intermittent fasting. I had been a lifelong snorer, but as an adult, my snoring became more than an annoyance. I was experiencing extreme daytime sleepiness, falling asleep while driving, and struggling to stay awake even when I was trying to get up and get moving. My husband's sleep was being affected too, and eventually my family staged an intervention of sorts! A sleep study revealed that I was having more than 300 breathing events in one hour. Suddenly, my exhaustion made a lot more sense. I started using a CPAP with a full-face mask, and it truly changed my life. For years, I wore it every night and assumed it would always be part of my routine. Then, in 2023, I started intermittent fasting. As I lost weight and my body changed, I noticed something unexpected: my CPAP mask started feeling too big and uncomfortable. It was slipping around, and I began taking it off during the night. At the same time, my husband started telling me that I wasn't snoring anymore. After talking with my doctor, I eventually tried sleeping without my CPAP—and the results surprised me. Today, I haven't used my CPAP in nearly two years. I still have it tucked away in my closet “just in case,” but I definitely don't miss cleaning it, packing it for travel, or wearing it every night! For me, this has become one of my biggest non-scale victories. Not because I stopped using a machine, but because I sleep well, wake up rested, and have a little more freedom in my everyday life.