Learn about the Healing Power of Prolonged Fasting: HERE
What if two people step on a scale and see the exact same number, but only one of them is actually healing?
Host Dr. Katie Deming believes some of the most popular weight loss drugs on the market may be quietly blocking one of your body's most essential repair processes. Not because they're failing to work, but because they work in a way that keeps your body in a state it was never designed to stay in.
She takes an honest, no-shame look at GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy and lays out what's actually happening inside your cells when you lose weight on them versus when you fast.
The scale might show the same number. The story underneath is very different.
Key Takeaways:
- Your body can only repair itself when your stomach is truly empty.
- Fasting protects muscles and GLP-1s don't.
- Fasting cuts off this fuel source that cancer cells run on.
- Your cravings are a microbiome problem.
- Why the food system is broken.
Chapters:
00:04:23 – The Food System Is Broken
00:06:13 – Your Body Needs Empty Space
00:08:24 – GLP-1s May Block Repair Mode
00:10:41 – Weight Loss Is Not Healing
00:12:26 – What Cancer Cells Feed On
00:13:30 – Fasting Changes the Terrain
00:17:00 – Cleaning Out Damaged Mitochondria
00:18:00 – The Most Dangerous Fat
00:20:35 – The Hidden Muscle Loss Problem
00:22:20 – Clients Who Were on GLP-1s Before Fasting
00:26:06 – Who Should Never Water Fast
Dr. Katie explains a repair switch your body can only flip when your stomach is genuinely empty, and why staying perpetually fed may keep that switch turned off.
She connects the dots between mitochondrial health, cellular cleanup, visceral fat, muscle preservation, and metabolic flexibility in a way that's clear, grounded, and honest about what we know and what we're still learning.
She's not here to shame anyone taking these medications and understands why people reach for something that works. But she shares what happened when several of her clients who were absolutely certain they'd go right back on the drug after fasting.
Your body has a built-in cleanup crew. Think of it like street sweepers that only come out when the roads are clear. Food is the traffic and if the roads are never fully empty, the sweepers never get the chance to do their job.
Dr. Katie breaks down what that means for your long-term health, and why this one idea could change the way you think about eating, hunger, and what your body is actually trying to do between meals.
The difference between losing weight and getting healthy. They can look identical from the outside. But under the surface, one is shrinking the body while the other is restoring it. Dr. Katie explains why the type of weight you lose matters just as much as how much you lose, and what the research says about where GLP-1s and fasting part ways when it comes to muscle, fat, and long-term metabolic health.
And if you've ever felt like your cravings are running the show, this episode has something for you too. Dr. Katie shares why hunger and sugar cravings don't have to be a permanent condition you manage with medication.
There's a reason her fasting clients often come out the other side with a different relationship to food entirely. Something shifts at a deeper level and she explains exactly what that is.
If you've ever wondered whether weight loss and true healing are the same thing, or why one of her patients gained lean mass six weeks after a 14-day water fast, this episode will shift how you think about what your body actually needs.
Press play and learn why the repair process your body is waiting to run may only start when you finally stop feeding it.
Join Dr. Katie's 3-Day Guided Fast, for expert support, daily live calls, and a community to fast alongside: https://tinyurl.com/358fvn8s
Help us spread the word about holistic healing
- Please leave a review for Born to Heal on Apple podcast
- Take a screenshot, share it on your Instagram Stories, and tag @katiedemingmd
Transform your hydration with the system that delivers filtered, mineralized, and structured water all in one. Spring Aqua System: https://springaqua.info/drkatie
Don't Face Cancer Alone
“The 6 Pillars of Healing Cancer” workshop series provides you valuable insights and strategies to support your healing journey – Click Here to Enroll
MORE FROM KATIE DEMING M.D.
Free Guide – 3 Things You Need to Know About Cancer: https://www.katiedeming.com/cancer-101/
6 Pillars of Healing Cancer Workshop Series – Click Here to Enroll
Work with Dr. Katie: www.katiedeming.com
Follow Dr. Katie Deming on Instagram: @katiedemingmd
Take a Deeper Dive into Your Healing Journey: Dr. Katie Deming’s Linkedin Here
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Read the Transcript Below:
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DISCLAIMER:
The Born to Heal Podcast is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for seeking professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Individual medical histories are unique; therefore, this episode should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease without consulting your healthcare provider.
A thought-provoking podcast explores cancer through the lens of holistic medicine and functional medicine, discussing causes of cancer, metabolic health, and unconventional approaches like water fasting, fasting and autophagy, and detox, while weighing fasting benefits against chemo side effects and radiation side effects, sharing stories of a cancer survivor navigating chemotherapy, natural medicine, holistic healing, and even spiritual healing on the path toward cancer remission and holistic health.
