Book SummaryFast. Feast. Repeat., by Gin Stephens

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Fast. Feast. Repeat.

Fast. Feast. Repeat. is a practical self-help guide that explains intermittent fasting (IF) as a lifestyle and approach to overall well-being. Among other benefits, Gin Stephens argues that IF can help you lose weight, feel better, fight disease, and live longer.

Stephens is a teacher-turned-researcher who lost over 80 pounds through intermittent fasting. She then wrote Delay, Don’t Deny, her first book about IF, and she...

Fast. Feast. Repeat. Summary Intermittent Fasting Is a Way of Eating

To start, we’ll explain what intermittent fasting is and what it can do for you.

Stephens explains that intermittent fasting is simply a way of eating—it’s about changing how you eat. This distinguishes it from diets, which restrict what you eat. For instance, keto is a diet since it has a yes/no food list, while intermittent fasting doesn’t require you to restrict what you eat.

(Shortform note: As another example of a “way of eating” versus a diet, consider the standard “three square meals” pattern. It’s a way of eating, not a diet, in that it prescribes three daily meals, spaced roughly equally throughout the day. It doesn’t prescribe what you can eat—just when. Using this standard pattern, you can follow many different diets—keto, the standard American diet, paleo, Atkins, and so on. The same is true for intermittent fasting.)

To do intermittent fasting, you simply cycle between periods of fasting and periods of “feasting” or eating. Regular fasting yields benefits such as increased energy and fat loss, and the feasting periods allow you to eat without the stringent rules of a typical diet.

Stephens stresses that intermittent fasting is not a diet....

Fast. Feast. Repeat. Summary Leave Behind the Dieting Mindset

Now that we’ve covered how intermittent fasting works with the body to promote weight loss, let’s look at how to leave behind the dieter’s mindset and instead adopt an IF mindset.

Overcome Dieting Confusion

Stephens explains that decades of contradictory advice about how and what to eat has created immense confusion, a tangle that she calls “diet brain”: When you no longer have any clue how to eat “properly.”

“Nutritionism” and Diet Confusion

In In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan argues that when Americans began looking to medical experts to guide how we eat, we lost touch with tradition that once guided us to eat well. Pollan explains that the doctrine of “nutritionism,” or looking for the magic nutrient-based solution to health problems, produced conflicting views about what is healthy.

This is because such research focuses on nutrients rather than the whole-food contexts in which they exist. Because studies have concluded that certain nutrients are problematic instead of...

Fast. Feast. Repeat. Summary Fast Properly and Feast Well

Now that you know how to think like an IFer, we’ll explain the “clean fast”—Stephens’s approach to fasting—and her “delay, don’t deny” approach to feasting. Afterward, we’ll detail how to time your fasting/feasting cycles with various rhythms.

Fast Cleanly by Avoiding Foods or Flavors

According to Stephens, you must do a clean fast to get the full benefits of fasting. The main three purposes of clean fasting are insulin regulation, ketosis, and autophagy:

Purpose #1: Regulate your [restricted term]. Since [restricted term] prevents effective fat burning, you’ll want to avoid eating, period. Further, avoid consuming any flavors—sweetness, sourness, and umami flavors all activate the [restricted term] response.

(Shortform note: While Stephens approves coffee for her clean fast, some studies indicate that coffee consumption may briefly increase [restricted term] levels. As such, abstaining from coffee could result in a cleaner fast than not doing so.)

Purpose #2: Activate fat-burning. Fasting burns fat by activating ketosis—using fat stores for fuel....

Fast. Feast. Repeat. Summary Start Fasting: The Quickstart and Beyond

Having covered the science, mindset, and guidelines of intermittent fasting, let’s put what we’ve learned into action. We’ll outline how to start intermittent fasting by committing to a four-week adaptation period, and we’ll explore the changes you’ll experience while adapting to IF.

Commit to a Four-Week Quickstart

To get you started, Stephens lays out a four-week program during which you’ll adapt to IF by depleting your glycogen stores and teaching your body to access your fat stores. While adapting, be consistent and patient. Follow through with the full four weeks once you start. If you dabble, your body will struggle to adapt and you’ll delay the benefits of IF.

Keep your fasting clean: Follow Stephens’s clean fasting guidelines to teach your body to access its fat stores. You’ll gradually deplete your stored glycogen and cue your body to search for an alternate source of fuel—your fat.

Do not change what you eat during this four-week period. Adapting to IF is a large change, and another—such as diet change—can overwhelm you and hinder the process.

Build the IF Habit

While Stephens gives plenty of information about fasting, she doesn’t...

Shortform Exercise: Plan Your Intermittent Fasting Quickstart

Stephens recommends starting to fast intermittently with a four-week adaptation period. Below, reflect on your goals, plan your approach, and commit to intermittent fasting.

Consider why you’re interested in intermittent fasting—what do you want to achieve? (For instance, you might want to lose weight, feel more energetic, or just experiment with a popular lifestyle.)