Tonya Kortekaas lives in Pontiac, Michigan, with her husband, Michael, of 11 years. She is the mother of three adult sons and a “bonus” mom to Michael’s three children. Tonya spent most of her adult life as a stay-at-home mom of 3 growing boys and self-employed as a portrait photographer.  She felt that her most important mission in life was to raise her children and give them all the care and love they deserved.  She has been good at putting her family before her own needs, but the costs of that have been not caring for her mind and body as she should.  As her children have become adults and she has had more time to work on herself, she has entered into the full time working world and currently works for Oakland University.  She enjoys outdoor walks, kayaking, biking, watercolour painting and coffee in her free time. Tonya has struggled with her weight since her early 20s. She realizes that emotional eating and overindulging in sweets have been her issues.   She has tried countless diets, which have allowed her to lose weight but eventually gain it all back and more over the years.  At her annual physical exam in March of 2022, she was confronted with the highest weight of her lifetime at 349 lbs. and a BMI of 51.  Her blood pressure was soaring to a dangerous high, and her blood tests showed she was pre-diabetic.  She knew at that moment it was time for a significant change. She was sick of living life with this ongoing weight struggle and longed deeply to be a “normal” "-sized person.  Little did she know that change was going to lead her to an intermittent fasting lifestyle and complete freedom from her struggles with eating.  She’s lost 155 lbs over 26 months of her weight loss journey. Since being on the podcast in February of 2023, episode 161, Tonya has discovered the benefits of a carnivore lifestyle and has noticed numerous health benefits by cutting the sugar and processed foods out of her life.     Our Patreon Supporters Community Please consider joining the Fasting Highway Patreon community. It has been great for all who have joined. It has become an excellent add-on to our Patreon members' IF lifestyle, who enjoy a lot of bonus content to support them in living an IF life. For less than a cup of coffee a month, you can join and support your own health goals. Graeme hosts three Zoom meetings monthly in the Northern and Southern hemispheres for members to come and get support for their IF lifestyle, which has proven very popular with our Patreon members. You will not find anywhere that provides that kind of support and accountability for just 0.16 cents a day. I cannot urge you more strongly to give it your utmost consideration. Please go to www.patreon.com/thefastinghighway to see the benefits you get back and how to join. Private coaching is available with Graeme one-on-one. Please go to www.thefastinghighway.com, click help get coaching, and book a time that suits you. All times you see are in your local time zone. Graeme's best-selling book, The Fasting Highway, about his journey and how he did it, is available in paperback and Kindle at your local Amazon store. It is also available on audio at Applebooks, Kobo, Spotify, and many other audiobook platforms. Disclaimer: Nothing in this podcast should be taken as medical advice. The opinions expressed herein are those of the host and guest only.