Episode 477: Tatsiana Bender

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Tatsiana Bender from Fort Worth, TX.

Gin has a new YouTube Channel! Visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_frGNiTEoJ88rZOwvuG2CA and subscribe today so you never miss an intermittent fasting tip, a support session, or an interview with a past IF Stories guest or expert.

Are you ready to take your intermittent fasting lifestyle to the next level? There’s nothing better than community to help with that. In the Delay, Don’t Deny community we all embrace the clean fast, and there’s just the right support for you as you live your intermittent fasting lifestyle. 

You can connect directly with Gin in the Ask Gin group, and she will answer all of your questions personally. If you’re new to intermittent fasting or recommitting to the IF lifestyle, join the 28-Day FAST Start group. After your fast start, join us for support in The 1st Year group. Need tips for long term maintenance? We have a place for that! There are many more useful spaces beyond these, and you can interact in as many as you like. 

Visit ginstephens.com/community to join us. An annual membership costs just over a dollar a week when you do the math. If you aren’t ready to fully commit for a year, join for a month and you can cancel at any time. If you know you’ll want to stay forever, we also have a lifetime membership option available.  

IF is free. You don’t need to join our community to fast. But if you’re looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. 

Tatsiana is a CPA, and she moved to the Texas from Belarus when she was 20. Tatsiana shares her unique and humorous entry into intermittent fasting—prompted by wanting to match her stated weight on a life insurance application after a festive Fourth of July. She recounts her quick initial weight loss, how a serendipitous YouTube video introduced her to Gin’s book Fast Feast Repeat, and her realization that a “clean fast” made a difference. Tatsiana describes that, although she never struggled significantly with her weight growing up in Belarus, moving to America exposed her to a drastically different food culture and led to weight fluctuations, especially after having children.

Tatsiana reminisces about her childhood in Belarus with seasonal, simple foods, and homemade sweets being the norm. She contrasts this experience with her first exposure to America’s abundance of processed foods and shares how returning home helped her effortlessly lose the weight she’d gained during her stay. The conversation naturally moves to food traditions—like gardening and preserving homegrown vegetables at her family's summer house (dacha)—and reflects on how these habits cultivated appreciation for natural, unprocessed foods. Tatsiana finds it amusing that what was once a necessity is now recognized as the foundation for a healthy lifestyle.

Her health journey gained depth when she started to focus on what foods make her feel best and support her long-term well-being. Tatsiana opens up about testing various diet strategies like Whole30, experimenting with plant-based cooking inspired by Dr. Fuhrman, and participating in Zoe’s program to learn more about her body. She shares insights from wearing a continuous glucose monitor, revealing how her body handles sugar and fats, and describes small but significant lifestyle upgrades, such as switching to cleaner water and crowding out processed snacks with vegetables. Tatsiana explains that intermittent fasting, once started for weight loss, gradually led her to a sustainable pattern of eating that emphasizes health and nourishment over dieting.

To wrap up, Tatsiana offers encouragement to those just starting out: arm yourself with knowledge and do intermittent fasting the right way—she especially recommends reading Fast Feast Repeat for clear guidance. Tatsiana emphasizes that it’s all about making steady progress with small, lasting changes, not perfection or overnight results. Most importantly, she reminds listeners that this is a lifestyle, not a diet to start and stop, and urges everyone to approach fasting and healthier living one baby step at a time.

Get Gin’s books at: https://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html. Good news! The second edition of Delay, Don’t Deny is now available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audiobook. This is the book that you’ll want to start with or share with others, as it is a simple introduction to IF. It’s been updated to include the clean fast, an easier to understand and more thorough description of ADF and all of your ADF options, and an all new success stories section. When shopping, make sure to get the second edition, which has a 2024 publication date. The audiobook for the second edition is available now! 

Join Gin’s community! Go to: ginstephens.com/community

Do you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You’ll probably also like Gin’s other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.  

Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: [email protected]

Visit Gin’s website at: ginstephens.com 

Check out Gin’s Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.html

Subscribe to Gin’s YouTube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_frGNiTEoJ88rZOwvuG2CA

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.