Have you ever wondered why you feel drained, bloated, or mentally foggy even after eating all day?

In this episode, I share a transformative approach to eating that goes beyond diets, rules, and willpower: intermittent fasting as a health protocol. I explain how giving my body dedicated periods of rest helps optimize digestion, immune function, hormonal balance, and mental clarity.

This isn’t about restriction — it’s about giving my body the space to heal, regenerate, and perform at its best.

1. Why Rest Matters for Digestion and Healing

I’ve learned that our bodies need periods of rest and digest. When I eat constantly, my energy goes into breaking down food, leaving little capacity for healing and regeneration.

By practicing intermittent fasting, I allow:

My immune system to clear debris through autophagy

Hormones and enzymes to rebalance

My body to focus on repair instead of constant digestion

2. Intermittent Fasting: More Than Weight Loss

While releasing weight can happen naturally, the main benefit for me is healing and energy optimization.

I experience:

Greater metabolic flexibility, using fat as fuel when glucose is low

Improved sleep and mental clarity with even a 12-hour window

Deep gut health reset with longer fasts up to 72 hours

3. Energy Comes From More Than Food

I used to think “food equals energy.” Even after eating constantly, I felt fatigue and brain fog.

Through fasting, I reconnect with my highest-level self, discovering that energy comes from:

Mental clarity

Nervous system balance

Connection with my own body, not just my plate

4. Finding the Right Window for Me

Intermittent fasting isn’t one-size-fits-all. I experiment with windows depending on my needs:

12-hour fasting window – supports digestion, sleep, and clarity

Longer fasts – for gut health or deeper metabolic reset

I remain flexible, listening to my body’s cues and adjusting my schedule

5. Integrating Fasting with Intuitive Eating

I combine fasting with intuitive eating:

Some days my brain or body needs more glucose

Some days my body thrives on longer rest periods

Flexibility keeps fasting a tool for self-support, not stress

My Takeaways

I allow my body to rest and heal

Fasting supports immune, hormonal, and metabolic function

Weight changes are a side effect, not the main goal

Energy and clarity often improve before physical changes

I honor my body’s cues and adjust my fasting window accordingly

Closing Message from Sherry

Intermittent fasting is not about restriction — it’s about freedom, energy, and connection. By giving your body space to rest and repair, you reclaim energy for the things that truly matter and strengthen your ability to listen to your own body with clarity and compassion.

This episode invites you to experiment, notice the difference, and tune into your own cues — turning fasting into a tool for wellness, presence, and sustainable transformation.

Work With Sherry:

Book your FREE 30-minute Food Freedom Call now and start your journey to lasting change! Schedule here: https://sherryshabanfitness.com/clarity

Struggling with emotional or binge eating? Download my free guide Calm the Craving: 7 Steps to Break Emotional and Binge Eating and finally end the cycle of out-of-control eating. Get Your FREE Guide Here: bit.ly/CalmTheCraving

Listen to more episodes at www.makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe to me on Spotify, Podcast, and YouTube so you never miss an episode!

Join my Facebook Community: www.myfoodfreedomlifestyle.com

Work with me: www.sherryshaban.com/transform

Go deeper: www.makepeacewithfood.com

Share your biggest takeaway and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn

Welcome to The Make Peace With Food Podcast, where we go beyond intuitive eating, food freedom, and food neutrality to uncover what’s really driving self-sabotage — from cravings and binge eating to the ways we cope with stress, relationships, money, past wounds, and life itself.

Hosted by Sherry Shaban, creator of the Make Peace With Food™ Method and Practitioner Training, this show dives into the deeper biology and psychology of behavior — exploring the nervous system, hormones, emotional patterns, and subconscious drivers behind why we do what we do.

Cravings aren’t about willpower. They aren’t about “just saying no” or forcing myself to resist. In this episode, I break down the three major influences behind cravings — and I show why understanding them is the key to finally ending unwanted eating patterns.

Whether you struggle with night-time snacking, sugar binges, or compulsive eating, this episode is for you.

1. Psychological & Emotional Influences

I’ve learned that my mind creates cravings in ways I often don’t notice.

• I recognize my scarcity mindset — feeling “not enough,” whether that’s not thin enough, not fast enough, or not perfect enough.

• I see how fear and anxiety trigger cravings for comfort and quick energy.

• I pay attention to the language I use: should, shouldn’t, can’t — they often reinforce scarcity thinking.

Even joyful moments can trigger cravings if I subconsciously feel undeserving or fear that happiness won’t last. I use hypnotherapy to bring unconscious patterns into awareness so I can consciously choose differently.

2. Hormonal Influences

I’ve seen how my hormones drive cravings:

• Cortisol spikes when my nervous system is in protection mode, increasing cravings for sugar and refined carbs.

• Insulin stores that blood sugar, creating cycles of hunger and fat storage.

Understanding this helps me realize it’s biology, not a lack of discipline, that often drives my cravings.

3. Habitual & Environmental Influences

Many cravings come from habits I’ve trained into my environment:

• Eating popcorn on the couch while watching Netflix.

• Always reaching for dessert after meals.

When I notice these triggers, I can create new routines that support me without relying on willpower alone.

4. My Individual Approach

I know there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.Some cravings are mostly emotional, some hormonal, some habitual. I focus on knowing myself, my triggers, and my body so I can make sustainable choices. My Make Peace with Food metabolic blueprint helps me find foods that fuel me and support lasting change.

5. Shift Your Perspective

I focus on behavior as the problem, not the weight. Curiosity replaces judgment. Understanding replaces restriction. Compassion replaces guilt. I remind myself: doing the same thing over and over expecting different results is insanity. Change starts by observing patterns, understanding triggers, and making intentional next choices.

Work With Sherry:

Book your FREE 30-minute Food Freedom Call now and start your journey to lasting change! Schedule here: https://sherryshabanfitness.com/clarity

Stuck in cravings, stubborn weight, or unwanted eating? Download my free e-Book Calm The Hormones That Drive Cravings and reset your body naturally.

Get Your FREE Guide Here: https://sherryshaban.com/hormones

Listen to more episodes at www.makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe to me on Spotify, Podcast, and YouTube so you never miss an episode!

Join my Facebook Community: www.myfoodfreedomlifestyle.com

Work with me: www.sherryshaban.com/transform

Go deeper: www.makepeacewithfood.com
Share your biggest takeaway and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn