Dharmesh Topiwala

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Dharmesh Topiwala, who lives in Raleigh, NC. This episode is brought to you by Audible: Audible is the leading provider of spoken-word entertainment and audiobooks, ranging from best sellers, to celebrity memoirs, news, business, and self-development. Visit Audible.com/ifstories or text ifstories to 500-500 to get started with a free trial. Even better, choose Fast Feast Repeat or Delay, Don’t Deny for your first free listen as a new member! Dharmesh is a software engineer, and he is originally from India. His family moved to the US in 1992, and Dharmesh shares that this was when he began to gain weight. In India, he was very active. But after moving, he "lost all of his friends, and lost all of his activity." He found himself turning to food for comfort. Dharmesh remembers that he "fell in love with Doritos." When his weight climbed to 300 pounds in 1998, he decided to do something about it. This began many years of yo-yo dieting for Dharmesh. He followed extreme calorie restriction and exercised. He took diet pills and tried low carb, and eventually lost 50 pounds. But whenever he stopped restricting calories or exercising, the weight would pile back on. By 2018, Dharmesh gave up, deciding he would be 300 pounds for the rest of his life. He shares: "I invested in being this size," and bought all new clothes that fit. At this point, he was wearing a size 44 pants. In July of 2019, Dharmesh came across intermittent fasting through an app on his phone. He researched everything that he could about IF, and started with 16:8. The weight fell off quickly! He easily transitioned to 18:6, then 20:4. He currently follows 22:2. Dharmesh has lost 90 pounds and is now wearing a size 34 pants. The Delay, Don't Deny facebook group has been a huge support in his IF journey. The advice Dharmesh would give to new IFers: "Take a lot of pictures. IF is not a wagon, it's a path. Don't punish yourself. It is day to day. Deciding to change your life is the hardest decision you'll make, and you've already won!" Get Gin’s books, including her latest New York Times Bestseller, Fast. Feast. Repeat . , available wherever you buy books! http://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: gin@intermittentfastingstories.com Follow Gin on Twitter @gin_stephens Follow Gin on Instagram @GinStephens Connect with Gin on Facebook: " https://www.facebook.com/Gin-Stephens-370557866639779 Listen to Gin on the Intermittent Fasting Stories podcast: Intermittent Fasting Stories on iTunes See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .