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Podcast Summary: The REAL Reason Intermittent Fasting Isn’t Working for You | Monday Moments

Podcast: Kreatures Of Habit Podcast
Host: Michael Chernow
Date: December 1, 2025

Episode Overview

In this Monday Moments solo episode, Michael Chernow gets candid about the downsides of intermittent fasting. Drawing from personal experience and observations, Michael questions the stress and anxiety caused by rigid eating windows. Instead, he advocates for a simpler, more intuitive approach to food—focusing on regular, balanced meals and reducing overthinking around when to eat. This episode is grounded in practical advice, aiming to reduce food-related stress during a notoriously challenging holiday season.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Intermittent Fasting—More Harm than Good?

Michael opens by challenging the popular trend of intermittent fasting:
- "Intermittent fasting is not something that I recommend to anybody. It adds way more stress and anxiety than is necessary around food." (00:00)
Life is already stressful; restrictive eating windows can exacerbate this.
- "You should not have to add another layer by starving yourself until noon or one o'clock every single day." (00:15)

2. A Simple Eating Structure—Michael’s Recommendation

Michael advocates for a straightforward meal plan:
- Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner
- "Just eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, and have a healthy snack in between breakfast and lunch and in between lunch and dinner." (00:25)
This approach, he says, keeps him energized and prevents mood swings (like feeling 'hangry').

3. The Problem with Food Anxiety

Michael discusses how food trends, like intermittent fasting, complicate our relationship with eating:
- "Intermittent fasting has thrown people's relationship with food for a loop… It's a little ridiculous and a little out of control and… is really part of my French up the relationship with food for a lot of people." (02:43)
He stresses the importance of making peace with food as a source of nourishment and vitality, not stress.

4. Food Choices > Eating Windows

Emphasis on what you eat over when you eat:
- "It’s all about the choices that you make with the food that you put into your body. Way more important about what you’re eating than when you’re eating it." (01:00, repeated at 06:05)
Especially during the holidays, Michael encourages enjoying food mindfully without guilt.

5. Personal Routine—Practical Meal Timing

Michael shares his own schedule:
- "I like to eat breakfast at around 8. I like to eat lunch at around 12 or 1 and I eat dinner at 6 o'clock every single night. I have a snack at around 10:30 and I have a snack at around 2:30." (05:18)
This structure, he says, fits his lifestyle and keeps him in shape and happy.

6. A Message of Permission & Encouragement

For those struggling with intermittent fasting, Michael gives permission to stop:
- "If you needed someone to tell you, just give it a break." (05:55)
He acknowledges it works for some but argues that "way more people struggle with this thing and are questioning… Just eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner and a couple of snacks." (06:15)

7. Embracing Movement & Self-Compassion

Michael briefly encourages listeners to move more, whether with a standing desk or walking pad, to complement mindful eating.
He closes with a reminder to smile, relax around food, and focus on making smart choices.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On food and thriving:
- "Human beings need food to survive. Now there will be some people that will say, actually you don't need to eat food to survive. It's not true. We actually need food to survive. And I don't mean exist. I mean survive and thrive and feel good and look good." (01:32)
On the stress of intermittent fasting:
- "Wake up in the morning, hydrate, give yourself a little time to get grounded and eat, eat breakfast, you are going to feel energy from the food that you eat." (03:20)
A call to ditch unnecessary diet stress:
- "I hope this one has given you permission to lay off the intermittent fasting train. You don't need it. That's my belief." (06:35)
On the holidays and self-care:
- "During this holiday season, give yourself a break, smile. Be smart about the decisions that you make around the food you put into your body, and make sure to move." (07:00)

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:00 – Michael’s critique on intermittent fasting and opening remarks
01:32 – On food as essential for thriving, not just existing
02:43 – How intermittent fasting disrupts our relationship with food
03:20 – Morning routine: hydrate, ground, and eat
05:18 – Michael’s personal meal/snack routine
05:55 – Permission to drop intermittent fasting
06:05 – Why food choice beats eating window every time
07:00 – Closing thoughts on holidays, movement, and food choices

Tone and Style

Michael’s approach in this episode is direct, empathetic, and a little irreverent. He candidly shares his personal struggles and triumphs, aiming to empower listeners to simplify their approach to eating and let go of dietary stress, especially amidst the holidays.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
A
Intermittent fasting is not something that I recommend to anybody. It adds way more stress and anxiety than is necessary around food. Life is stressful. Life is anxiety provoking. You should not have to add another layer by starving yourself until noon or one o' clock every single day. Just eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and have a healthy snack in between breakfast and lunch and in between lunch and dinner. It's a very simple system. There's going to be many different things that you hear online. Everybody's got the best new thing, but way more people struggle with this thing and are questioning on whether they should do it or not or when they should eat, how much they should eat. Just eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and a couple of snacks a day. And your gravy. It's all about the choices that you make with the food that you put into your body. Way more important about what you're eating than when you're eating it. What's going on, everybody? Welcome back to the Creatures Habit podcast. This is Monday Moments. I love these little solo episodes. 5, 10, maybe 15 minute pieces of content of me sharing stuff that I found interesting that I want to relate to you, experiences that I've had, things that have inspired me. I want to talk about our relationship to food. Human beings need food to survive. Now there will be some people that will say, actually you don't need to eat food to survive. It's not true. We actually need food to survive. And I don't mean exist. I mean survive and thrive and feel good and look good. Food is a requirement. So we are, it is mandatory that we have a relationship with food. And a lot of us, including myself, have had battles and struggles and hills and valleys with our relationship to food. Over the years, what I have found to be the most successful way to get through my day consistently feeling energized, well balanced, is to have breakfast and then a snack, lunch and then a snack and dinner. That has been the most successful meal plan food system I've used to help me just feel regulated and never hangry. You see, intermittent fasting was something that was introduced probably around 10 years ago. I'm sure it's been around forever. But here's the deal. Intermittent fasting has thrown people's relationship, including my, my own, and has thrown our relationship with food for a loop. When should we eat? Should we intermittent fast? If we inter minute fast, what time should we start? What time should we finish? Am I eating enough in the window? Here's the deal. Wake up in the morning, hydrate, give yourself a little time. To get grounded and eat, eat breakfast, you are going to feel energy from the food that you eat. If you eat the right thing, you are going to feel like there that you know, I, I, I, I, I wanted to share, I wanted to do a podcast on this because I just, I have gone in so many different directions with this intermittent fasting thing and so many people that I know either are or are not intermittent fasting. It's not like, it's like you either are intermittent fasting or you're not intermittent fasting. And I just think it's a little, it's a little ridiculous and a little out of control and it is really part of my French up the relationship with food for a lot of people. So food brings vitality, food brings energy, food brings nourishment. Food is something that we should not demonize. Food is important and awesome and can be incredibly healthy. It all depends on the choices that you make. So the holiday seasons are here and our food intake chances are is going to be a little bit more or higher calorically than normal. And guess what? That's okay. That is okay. Intermittent fasting is not something that I recommend to anybody because at the end of the day it adds way more stress and anxiety than is necessary around food. Life is stressful. Life is anxiety provoking. You should not have to add another layer by starving yourself until noon or one o' clock every single day. I encourage you to just take a breath and think about your relationship to food. If you're thinking about it all the time, obviously there's something that needs to be addressed. If you're battling with the intermittent fasting thing, give it a break. Just eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and have a healthy snack in between lunch and dinner, in between breakfast and lunch and, and in between lunch and dinner. It's a very simple system and it's worked for years and years. There's going to be many different things that you hear online. Everybody's got the, the best new thing. Have breakfast, have lunch, have dinner. I like to eat breakfast at around 8. I like to eat lunch at around 12 or 1 and I eat dinner at 6 o' clock every single night. I have a snack at around 10:30 and I have a snack at around 2:30. That's just how I do it. And I am in great shape. I feel energized most of my days and I'm not like banging my head against the wall on whether or not I should be intermittent fasting. I do believe that intermittent fasting is, is arguably one of the most has made the biggest wave in the world of wellness, and it's just not necessary. So you heard it here. If you needed someone to tell you, just give it a break. You know, there are some people that intermittent fast and do it perfectly and don't stress out about it, and great. More power to them. But way more people struggle with this thing and are questioning on whether they should do it or not or when they should eat, how much they should eat. Just eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner and a couple of snacks a day and you'll. You're. You're gravy. It's all about the choices that you make with the food that you put into your body. Way more important about what you're eating than when you're eating it. I hope this one hit you. I. I hope this one has given you permission to lay off the intermittent fasting train. You don't need it. That's my belief. I know it's helped some people, probably a lot of people with weight management, but I do believe that it adds more stress. So during this holiday season, give yourself a break, smile, Be smart about the decisions that you make around the food you put into your body, and make sure to move. Make sure to move. If you sit at a desk all day, get a standing desk. If you want to take it even a step further, like me, get a walking pad underneath your standing desk. So you're getting. You're getting steps throughout the day. You don't feel bad about being inside all day without moving anyway. All right, that's enough out of me. I hope you guys are having a great holiday season. Until the next one, y'. All. Peace. Ra.