Success Story of Dezarae

Why did you want to lose weight? What encouraged you to take action and try intermittent fasting?

I have struggled with weight my entire life. I’ve always been big because I have a very unhealthy relationship with food and struggle with binge eating and emotional eating. I’m a recovering alcoholic and quit drinking back in 2009. I’m 5 foot 3, and I was around 220 pounds by 2010, but after being sober for a couple of years, I started counting calories and working out with a friend and lost about 70 pounds. However, when life got hard after a few years of sobriety, my addictions came back full force with food. I began binge eating with a vengeance and gained all my weight back over the next few years.

In 2016 we started our family. From 2016 to 2020, I had 3 children. I was up to 230 pounds when I had my third child in May of 2020. I had chronic back pain, and my knees hurt all the time. I was exhausted constantly. I had given up on trying to look good. I didn’t style my hair. I didn’t wear makeup, and I didn’t wear cute outfits. I lived off caffeine and junk food. I was complacent and thought I was happy but physically felt terrible all the time.

What was your weight goal?

I was around 220 pounds when I started trying to lose weight again. I wanted to be back where I was in 2012 – 160 pounds.

Did you have any struggles or setbacks that kept you dissatisfied with your results? How did you feel back then?

I couldn’t get myself to stick with any diet or exercise program, so I sought help medically. I tried several medications to help with weight loss, all of which came with a high price – SIDE EFFECTS! Terrible ones. All were very expensive, and none worked after my body adjusted to the medication. I would lose 10–15 pounds, then gain it all back. It was quite defeating.

My biggest struggles and setbacks came along with my addictive personality. I don’t use drugs or alcohol, so my escape was food. Any time I was stressed out, anxious, upset, I ate. And, I ate A LOT!! It was easy for me to consume 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 calories a day. I also had 0 control when it came to sweets. Once I started drinking anything super sugary, I would eat in excess.

When did the DoFasting app come into your horizons?

I had heard of IF before but never considered doing it myself. But one day, I was on the couch, and I saw an ad for the DoFasting app, and something inside of me just said to give it a shot. It was $60 for a year, and I had NEVER spent money on an app before, but I just did it with 0 hesitations. I followed my gut. This was in May of 2021 when my proper, life-changing journey began.

Right before I found the DoFasting app, in April 2021, I gave up sweets. I told myself I’d completely abstain from them as I did with alcohol, and for me personally, that set me up for even greater success when I began my fasting journey a month later.

Which methods of intermittent fasting worked the best for you?

I will say that the main thing I use the app for is to remind myself when to start and stop eating. It has become very iron clad in my life. I started with a 16:8 plan. I ate from 11 am to 7 pm. I will admit that at first, it was a tad slow going because I was still a very heavy overeater. I was consuming way too many calories during my eating window. I knew from my previous weight loss back in 2012 that calories are super important, but sticking to 1,200 per day seemed impossible to me at first. The summer at work was hectic, and I found myself some days having to wait even longer than 11 am to start my eating window. Some days I was fasting 18–20 hours, and I would still stop eating at 7 pm.

How long did it take you to see a difference?

After a couple of months of fasting for 18/20 hours when I could, my appetite started to decrease substantially. I started noticing weight loss and changes in my behavior with food. There would be days I would forget to eat and have to make myself grab something quickly in between other tasks, and for me, this was CRAZY!!! Food has always been a top priority in my life. I finished every bite on my plate and ate until I felt sick, snacking when I was bored. But, by July of 2021 – food just wasn’t that important anymore. I started gaining confidence in myself when the pounds began to fall off.

Did you feel any significant health improvements? Increased energy levels or anything similar?

I started to dress nice again, tan, take pride in my appearance, and I naturally became more active because I felt better and wasn’t struggling with chronic back/knee pain. By August 2021, I felt like a new person. I was so happy with my results, and the craziest part about it was that it was incredibly EASY!!! Not having to worry about eating gave me more time to think about other important aspects of my life. It freed up a lot of my time. By the Fall of 2021, everything was working naturally. I kept with the 16:8 fasting plan but continued to push myself any time I could. I’d say at least 2x per week I’d fast 18/20 hours. That was a massive deal for me. It is those longer fasting days that are keeping my appetite decreased.

What results have you achieved?

When I do eat, I eat what I want. And most importantly, I mess up at times!! I’ll get starving from time to time after my eating window has closed, and you know what, I’M HUMAN. I make mistakes, and I’ve eaten later in the evening before, BUT… any time I do that – I instantly update my app for the time to start my fast, and I wait until later in the day to start eating. I’ve done this on NUMEROUS occasions, and I’m still thriving and losing weight. When I fast, I fast CLEAN. I only consume water. I’m a person who cannot handle black coffee, so in the mornings, I take 2 Equate caffeine pills vs. coffee. And that keeps me going all day. I don’t work out much, but I’m hyperactive and constantly moving. I have SO much more energy now that I’m smaller. My chronic back and knee pain is GONE! 100% gone! I’m even able to wear heels again.

As of 1/10/22, I hit my goal of 160!!!! Nine months of using the DoFasting app helped me achieve this result. My new goal is to hit 140 and work on toning my body getting rid of my tummy flap from having three kids.

What would you like to tell others who are starting their journey?

1. If you mess up and eat when you’re supposed to be fasting, just update your time on the app and start eating later the next day.
2. Push yourself to fast 18/20 hours 2x per week.
3. Try to abstain from sweets if you have an addictive personality and can’t control yourself with that kind of food.
4. CLEAN FAST! Don’t cheat. You are only cheating yourself.
5. If you plateau or don’t notice instant results, JUST KEEP DOING THE NEXT RIGHT THING! It took 2 months to really start working for me personally. You have to allow your appetite to decrease, and the longer you can fast on a regular basis, the quicker that will happen.