Fast Like a Girl: A Woman's Guide to Using the Healing Power of Fasting to Burn Fat, Boost Energy, and Balance Hormones

I love Fast Like a Girl! I have been practising fasting for years and this book has been a game-changer for me in refining my intermittent fasting (IF) practice. It provided me with invaluable insights on how to adjust fasting according to my body’s needs and hormonal cycles—something I hadn’t understood before.Pros:Tailored to Women’s Needs: The book explains how fasting affects women differently due to our hormonal cycles. I finally understood why I struggled with fasting at certain times of the month and how to modify my approach accordingly.Practical and Science-Based Advice: The author breaks down complex concepts into easy-to-understand, science-based explanations. It’s not just theory—there are actionable tips that helped me refine my fasting schedule, making it more sustainable and effective.Cycle-Specific Fasting Tips: One of the most helpful sections is the guidance on how to adjust fasting practices depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle. It’s an eye-opener for any woman who’s struggled with inconsistent energy levels or results during fasting.Empowering and Supportive Tone: The tone of the book is empowering and supportive, which is refreshing in the wellness space. It feels like getting advice from a knowledgeable friend who truly understands the unique needs of women.Staple Recommendation: I now recommend this book to all the women in my life, whether they’re beginners to fasting or seasoned practitioners. It’s a must-have resource for anyone looking to optimize their health through fasting.Cons:Not Ideal for Non-Fasting Readers: The book is primarily focused on intermittent fasting, so it may not be as useful for readers who aren't interested in or open to fasting practices. However, for those looking to understand fasting better, it's a fantastic guide.Fast Like a Girl is now about the staple recommendations I make to any woman looking to take control of her health and fasting practices. It helped me refine my approach to intermittent fasting and provided crucial insights into how to make fasting work with my body, not against it. Highly recommend for women seeking to burn fat, boost energy, and tailor fasting to their unique needs!

In 2021, I lost 30 lb by doing a calorie restriction diet (I was using Noom). I really loved Noom and I feel like I learned a lOt from it. And I would recommend it for the psychology aspect. However, I did not have success in keeping the weight off afterword. By the beginning of 2024, I had gained all the weight back. I just couldn’t keep up with the calorie counting. It was too meticulous. And I never achieved the state of being able to ‘feel’ when I did or didn’t need calories (without counting).Now, I have begun fasting (using this book as a guide). I’ve lost 15 lb so far (after 2 months). It’s the same pace of progress that I had with Noom, BUT I feel so much more confident that I will be able to maintain my weight once I get the fat off this time.That’s because fasting is *simple.* You just don’t eat. It takes no time to plan the meals and count the calories; no time cook, eat, or do dishes; no time to do anything. All you do is save time (and money).And I now that my body has gotten used to it, I feel fantastic while I’m fasting. When doing calorie restriction, I felt so tired all the time. And cold. Now I know that was because I wasn’t unlocking my fat to be burned for energy — I was keeping insulin high with ~5 small meals a day, and so (because insulin blocks fat burning) my body had to lower its energy output since I’d lowered the energy input.Noom helped me to learn the psychology behind my eating habits (and lots of nutrition and exercise info), and now fasting is helping me to lose weight in a much more sustainable way. If someone asked, I might recommend a combination of both Noom & fasting.With calorie restriction, I really felt like I was on a diet. And I was eager to be done with it so I didn’t have to deal with the calorie counting and the fatigue anymore. With fasting, I feel really comfortable with it as a sustainable lifestyle. Sometimes, I may gain a little weight (vacation, holidays, celebrations, etc). Then, I’ll just lose it by fasting. It’s so empowering.This book has been hugely helpful in my journey. Dr. Pelz lays out everything you need to know in a very simple format. I’ve also found her YouTube channel to be really helpful. In addition to her, I watch videos from Dr. Fung, Dr. Ekberg, and Dr. Jamnadas. They’re all incredibly informative. But Pelz is the only one that addresses what women’s bodies need. We have different hormone patterns than men.Overall, 5 stars for this book. Dr. Pelz is a modern day hero!

I originally heard Dr. Mindy Pelz for the first time on a podcast. Her insight and passion was beyond comparison and had to find more of her resources. This book is an exceptional resource to give ANYONE a better understanding of women's bodily changes, hormones, gut health, and overall health. She's broken everything down into a logical progression of information, building upon her concepts throughout the book. The charts/tables in the book are helpful, and the way the book has been laid out helps for easy note-taking and scanning for future reference. She also has GREAT food suggestions--down to snacks, meals, etc. I'm early in my journey of my fasting reset, so I can't speak to end result, but if you're looking for a lifestyle change that works, with a competent health practitioner, you need to pick up this book.