About Your Host

Michelle Montone

The Story Behind Fast and Fabulous

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When maintaining weight meant deprivation.

I am a mom of 2 boys, and wife to my wonderful husband for over 10 years. We live in Lake Mary, FL (a suburb of Orlando). I am a full-time stay-at-home mom now, formerly a paralegal (for 15yrs).

I started yo-yo dieting around age 16. Since then I have struggled with my weight. In college, instead of the “freshman 15”, I gained about 40 pounds (18kgs). When I graduated, I lost it by working out 6 days a week, calorie counting, and depriving myself constantly. I didn’t eat meat, carbs, or sugar and honestly, I was miserable. I maintained (not so effortlessly) a healthy weight for about 4 years until I got married at age 30. This is when the weight started to pile on. I finally found comfort in a man that loved me for me. The comfort of marriage set in and before I knew it, I put on about 20 pounds (9kgs).

Pregnancy came with gestational diabetes.

I became pregnant with our first son in 2014 and gained a good 60 pounds (27kgs). I lost it all rather quickly after giving birth but this time by joining a weight loss Multi-Level Marketing (so embarrassed of this!) and using supplements and body wraps. Hundreds of dollars a month to sustain and I lost only around 10 pounds over the next THREE years!

Fast forward to 2016-17. I was pregnant now with my second son. I was gaining just like the first time but at 28 weeks was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Due to having to have an extremely strict diet to control my blood sugar, I didn’t end up gaining as much. It was what came in the next 2 years that was the worst.

Sugar became my answer to depression.

I tried to go back to work (I am NOT the stay-at-home type) when my youngest was 7 months old. It was an absolute disaster. My husband got a big promotion 9 months later and I was forced to quit my job and stay home with an infant and 3-year-old in the town we just moved to. I fell into a horrible depression and developed a pretty nasty sugar addiction…you know the kind when you’re eating an entire bag of candy in hiding, trying to cover up the wrappers in the trash. I ate ultra-processed food constantly; fast food cheeseburgers and fries were at least a weekly occasion.

Over those 2 years, I gained another 25(ish) pounds (11kgs). I am 5’3” (152cm) and my highest weight was around 185 pounds (84kgs)…although I’m not 100% as I never weighed myself. I believe I hit 200 pounds (91kgs) at some point probably.

Even the doctors couldn’t help with my health issues.

So many health issues started piling up at this point. I lived at the doctor’s office but none could give me any answers, and not ONE mentioned weight loss.

I tried everything to lose this weight. I would lose 5-6 pounds then it would come right back. This went on for awhile before I accepted that this is who I was now and that I would be unhealthy and miserable.

An old friend of mine had been telling me about intermittent fasting for about a year at this point. I thought he was NUTS. How could anyone not eat for 16-20 hours?! I was someone who carried snacks in my purse long before I had kids because I was taught, to keep your metabolism going you should eat 6 times a day!

When it finally clicked for me.

Fast forward to January 2020. I was getting my hair done and overheard the client next to me chatting about how she lost 30 pounds (14kgs) doing IF. I went home that day and began researching. A friend of mine invited me to Gin Stephen’s Facebook support group, Delay, Don’t Deny: Intermittent Fasting Support, where I lingered for about a week before deciding to start on January 24, 2020. I have been clean fasting every day since. I then read Delay, Don’t Deny by Gin Stephens, which completely changed my life.

Intermittent fasting is now the passion I share.

I lost 50 pounds (23kgs), meeting my original goal of 140 pounds (64kgs) in late October 2020. I have been maintaining now for over 3 years, bouncing between 135-140 pounds. Almost every single health issue I had, was gone. The best for me though- is I completely tossed my diet mentality in the trash (along with my scale) and my eating has never been cleaner – out of choice! I love the flexibility and freedom of this lifestyle. I would describe my diet as a modified low-carb, whole-food diet with a focus on protein sources. I do not deprive myself of anything, just delay when needed.

IF has truly saved me. The amount of gratitude I have for this community has now turned into my work and passion. In February 2022, I launched my podcast, Fast and Fabulous. I love sharing my story and helping others find this unbelievable freedom.

Meet Your Host

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Michelle Montone

What People Say

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