Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Fast Like a Girl summary
A Woman's Guide to Using the Healing Power of Fasting to Burn Fat, Boost Energy, and Balance Hormones
17 mins
Brief summary
"Fast Like a Girl" by Mindy Pelz is an inspiring memoir about the challenges and triumphs of being a female endurance athlete. Mindy's story serves as a reminder that strength and determination know no gender.
Table of Contents
Fast Like a Girl
Summary of 5 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 5
The science
Calories in must be less than calories out. How many times have you heard about or tried a diet that focuses on this idea? It’s been a popular mantra for years – if we eat fewer calories than we burn working out, we’ll lose weight and be healthier. However, studies have recently shown it’s less about how much you eat, and more about when you eat.
A 2018 study in the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging found obese individuals experienced metabolic improvements just by reducing the window in which they ate every day. Participants ate whatever they wanted, but only during an 8-hour period – and saw dramatic results. Another study published in 2020 in Cell Metabolism found that people who ate during a 10-hour period experienced greater metabolic effects than when the exact same things were eaten during a 14-hour period. So with just four extra hours of fasting and no change to their diet, people saw significant metabolic results. How is this possible? Well, let’s look at the science behind fasting.
Our ancestors evolved to have energy even after fasting. They ate during the day, and then their bodies entered a fasting state overnight. When they woke up, they needed enough energy to get more food. They got that energy from ketones their body produced while in a fasted state. This shift from using glucose as a source of energy to ketones is known as metabolic switching.
Metabolic switching is essentially the transition from a sugar-burning mode to a fat-burning mode. When our bodies aren’t in a fasted state, we’re in sugar-burning mode – our bodies “burn” the glucose we eat to energize us. When the body’s in a fasted state for long enough, it uses the fat-burning system to make energy. Sugar is stored in the body in the form of glycogen, which is deposited in the muscles, liver, and fat. Exercising burns glycogen in muscles; through fasting, we can also start burning glycogen stores in the liver and fat tissues.
And that’s not all our body does in a fasted state. It regenerates neurons damaged by exposure to toxins and too much sugar, helps heal our mitochondria, reduces the chance of developing cancer, and balances our gut. Pretty important stuff!
Metabolic switching worked perfectly with our ancestors’ habits. Today, we often don’t fully reach a fasted state because we have access to food 24/7. The benefits of fasting vary with the length of the fast, and we’ll cover different fasting windows and their uses later in the Blink. But first, let’s look at another important component that impacts the science of fasting: a woman’s cycle.
Want to see all full key ideas from Fast Like a Girl?
Key ideas in Fast Like a Girl
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Fast Like a Girl about?
Fast Like a Girl (2022) empowers women to craft a fasting lifestyle based on their own personal hormone cycle. Learn how to harness your natural power by making fasting work with your body rather than against it.
Fast Like a Girl Review
Fast Like a Girl (2021) by Mindy Pelz sheds light on the remarkable achievements of women in sports, proving that gender should never be a barrier to success. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- With its inspiring stories of female athletes, it showcases their determination and resilience, encouraging readers to challenge societal norms.
- The book offers a unique perspective on women in sports, highlighting the struggles they face and the immense strength they possess.
- Through its compelling narratives, it captivates readers, keeping them engaged and reminding them of the power of perseverance and self-belief.
Who should read Fast Like a Girl?
- Women looking to get in touch with their hormones and cycle
- Anyone who wants to harness their body’s natural power
- People searching for a healthier way of eating
Categories with Fast Like a Girl
Book summaries like Fast Like a Girl
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
35 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
Fast Like a Girl FAQs
What is the main message of Fast Like a Girl?
The main message of Fast Like a Girl is that strength and success can be achieved by women in sports, breaking stereotypes along the way.
How long does it take to read Fast Like a Girl?
The reading time for Fast Like a Girl varies depending on the reader's speed, but it typically takes several hours. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Fast Like a Girl a good book? Is it worth reading?
Fast Like a Girl is worth reading as it provides an inspiring and empowering perspective on women in sports, showcasing their determination and resilience.
Who is the author of Fast Like a Girl?
Mindy Pelz is the author of Fast Like a Girl.
What to read after Fast Like a Girl?
If you're wondering what to read next after Fast Like a Girl, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens
- The Galveston Diet by Mary Claire Haver
- See You at the Top by Zig Ziglar
- Love and Rage by Lama Rod Owens
- Fast This Way by Dave Asprey
- How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- The Menopause Manifesto by Jen Gunter
- Women, Food, and Hormones by Sara Gottfried
- The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung
- I Never Thought of It That Way by Mónica Guzmán