Fast This Way summary

At this point, fasting might sound a bit scary. The thought of giving up food and social media does sound anxiety-inducing. But that’s the interesting thing about fasting – by going without the things that give a momentary sense of comfort or familiarity, you actually end up feeling stronger and more in control. 

That’s because you’re not, in reality, giving something up. Rather, you’re putting it on hold while you create new habits. So even though you might experience discomfort at first, remind yourself that it won’t last forever. 

While insulin regulation, inflammation reduction, and autophagy all sound great on paper, they’re also molecular-level concepts. They aren’t quite as tangible as promises of a slimmer waistline – one of the easiest ways to gain self-esteem and a big reason people turn to fasting in the first place.

But again, fasting isn’t dieting. Many weight-loss diets rely on calorie reduction, as if every calorie from food is the same. But 100 calories of salad is clearly healthier than the same serving of potato chips. And dieting frequently doesn’t address the underlying issue: the fact that your body can’t effectively convert food into energy. 

Isn’t it funny that most people would rather skip a few hours of sleep than miss a meal? While fasting for a few days won’t kill you, going without sleep could. 

But while everyone has felt the regenerative benefits of a good night’s sleep, did you know that getting six and a half to eight hours of sleep per night literally protects and heals you? It reduces the risk of cancer and heart attacks, aids in cellular repair, and reduces inflammation in the brain as the glymphatic system flushes out cellular waste.

As we’ve seen, fasting not only helps you confront your fears of not having all the things you swore you couldn’t live without – it actually helps you thrive. And the more your mind and body obey you, the stronger you become. 

Next, it’s time to hit the gym. Maybe that sounds impossible on an empty stomach – especially if you rely on sugary sports drinks to get through a gym session or practice carb-loading the night before a workout. But it’s actually harder to lose weight when your body is still relying on glucose for energy.

While fasting has many benefits, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution; you’ll probably need to experiment a little as you hone your process. This is especially true for women. Since an astonishing amount of fasting plans and medical studies still use men as their baseline, what works best for women’s bodies is, unfortunately, not often talked about. 

Obviously, men and women are different – and nothing underscores this difference more than women’s reproductive ability. This is precisely what makes them more sensitive to fasting. That’s because when a woman’s amygdala thinks her reproductive capabilities are threatened, it causes a stress response that restricts hormones to maintain her body’s resources. 

Soon after you start fasting, you’ll start to notice some differences.

Perhaps you’ll become more aware of your unconscious thinking around food, like the cravings triggered by stress. And with this awareness, maybe you’ll realize that hunger is just a feeling – and not always a rational one.