As an RN, and someone who suffers from an autoimmune disease, I'm a firm believer in "Food Is Medicine". What and how we eat has a profound influence on our health. As an intermittent faster and a fan of Gin Stephens, this is an excellent book to ease your way into IF. A wonderful companion to her book Fast, Feast, Repeat, this book holds your hand as you navigate the first 28 days. But if you want a more in depth explanation of the details and the science behind IF, don't neglect to read her book Fast, Feast, Repeat. In fact, I think it's imperative to own both books.

An invaluable resource for the intermittent fasting lifestyle, whether you choose IF for weight loss or for the health benefits. I highly recommend the paperback vs the e-book so you can write in the pages and easily refer back to earlier chapters. I bought the paperback book after reviewing the kindle version.

This is the starter book but if you only want to read one book, I recommend her prior book, Fast, Feast Repeat. Not everyone wants the science....if that is you then try this quick start!

Don't miss the 2 podcasts Gin Stephens hosts: Intermittent Fasting Stories, and Fast, Feast, Repeat, Intermittent Fasting for Life.

Thank you to Netgally for the ARC of 28 Day FAST Start Day by Day!

I want to do Intermittent Fasting, but where to start? just not eat.. well no it is much more than that, I found this book to be extremely helpful in that You really hear about IF everywhere I mean its the new things that works for so many people but where do you start, well look no further.


28-Day FAST Start Day-by-Day by Gin Stephens literally breaks down the basics for you. It sets you up so you can't fail. I was very skeptical going into this book but after completing the 28 days I am presently surprised with what I have learned , weight loss & more importantly how I feel!

Good summary on restarting this type of intermittent fast8mg food plan though it encouraged getting the first book too.

Fast clean
Adapt
Settle in
Tweak

This is Gin Stephen’s newest iteration of her “Delay, Don’t Deny”, and “Fast, Feast, Repeat” books.

Less theory, and more practicum, it’s part guide, part workbook, part cheerleader.

I particularly enjoyed the three streams: Easy Does It, Steady Build, and Rip Off the Band-Aid.

As I’m the kind of person who learned to knit by making a cabled sweater, the latter approach very much appeals to my Chaotic Good Energy.

I also love that she encourages readers to stay off the scale for the entire month.

My only issue is that, to get the most out of THIS BOOK, you really need her OTHER BOOK.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great, but it makes you side-eye this book a little.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this helpful ARC.

Let me start by saying my review is coming from someone this diet will not work for. I wanted to and this book gave me a quick synopsis and I will not be trying it. And for that I’m glad I read this one.

The author states from the very beginning that this is the companion book to her other book on the topic and that you need both books to fully understand the topic. I don’t know if I agree. You get a great start on IF from this book but maybe you want to know more on the why, you need the other. The author gives great explanations and directions.

For me realizing the “plan” is basically cutting your eating window to 4 or 5 hours won’t work for me. The end 28 days is to eat your calories in one meal and one snack. That’s a lot of calories in those two meals. And to try and keep them healthy would mean a lot f volume. For me it wouldn’t be sustainable for life, which this diet needs to be for it to succeed.

I didn't realize when I requested this book that it was the companion book to Gin Stephens' Fast. Feast. Repeat. I feel like a person should read that book first to be able to get more out of this book. I will be going back to read the first book and then come back to this one. At that time, I'll update my review.

I have read DDD and Fast, Feast, Repeat so I had an idea of what to expect. But since I have been "following" a clean fast for the last couple of years, I have fallen off here and there. So this book comes out just in time for me to restart in the new year. It is a new book, with new insight to each day.

After reading the other books, and having done IF for the last few years, I have a good idea on what to do. But for those that are just starting IF, or have fallen off the wagon, this is a good refresher. This gives a good intro on how to begin, what to expect through the first 28 days, and a good step-by-step of how IF works and why it works. I can see this as a good side read along with Fast, Feast, Repeat and how to do IF correctly.

Thank you Gin!

3.5 out of 5 stars!

This was a good book about how to start intermittent fasting, but it would have been better if it didn't make reference to a previous book by the author. I felt like I was missing something from the constant references to the other book. But this book is still beneficial for learning the ins and outs of IF.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

I originally gave this a 4-star review for the digital version but I'm bumping it up to 5 because I was able to see some of the pages of the hardcopy workbook on Amazon now that the book's been released... that will be more effective for me than the ARC/Kindle version I originally reviewed. Looking forward to participating in the daily "walk through" in January in Gin's DDD community.
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I’ll admit, I’m slightly biased; big fan of Gin Stephens. When I was introduced to her work, I’d already been learning about IF for a few years, began accepting that calories in/calories out is as outdated as 80s leg warmers… the clean fast truly made it all click. There are times though where my eating window slowly expands and I start to feel it, so I was excited to get an ARC of this book.

One observation: I’m not surprised to see some readers have felt a little misled since the only mention of FFR on the cover is that Gin is the author of it--not that this book is more like an accompanying foundational journal/workbook to FFR. There seems to be a disconnect between the cover and description/blurb marketing it as a standalone "new" book, vs how it’s described inside where the first page indicates it’s a companion to FFR and then the content regularly refers to the FFR book. I sensed some confusion there and ultimately felt like that while reading the book sometimes too ("Do I go look that up in FFR now?")

That said, I really loved going back to the basics and all the reminders of the science behind IF and why the lifestyle works for me. There’s a lot of Gin’s signature teaching style in here and I'd be curious to see the hardcopy. Being a podcast listener, it was fun to hear her voice in my mind as I read. Also enjoyed the reflection questions and the stories/inspiration shared by other members of the community, which is making IF an even more credible option through the evidence of "citizen science".

28-Day FAST Start Day-by-Day is an excellent how-to manual for anyone who wants to begin an intermittent fasting lifestyle in a structured manner. It is written in a workbook format, with daily journal activities and mini-lessons, as well as a daily testimonial from individuals who are experienced fasters. It looks to be easy to follow and inspiring for a person that would like to improve their health.

I have not read any other books on the topic of intermittent fasting, nor have I tried it myself. After reading the digital ARC of this book, I am highly motivated to begin and will be purchasing a hard copy so I can work through the daily activities. Gin Stephens' writing style is easy to read, and she explains the topic in understandable language. The FAST Start is broken down into readily manageable steps, with simple yet valuable exercises to complete every day. I can hardly wait to get started.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of 28-Day FAST Start Day-by-Day by Gin Stephens. The opinions in this review are my own.

The 28-Day FAST Start Day-by-Day is an accompanying workbook for the author’s 2020 book, Fast, Feast, Repeat. The author repeatedly states you must read the older book too. I haven’t read the other book but its blurb states that it has a 28-day fasting plan within it. I’m confused. Why do I need this book then?

It appears that this handbook just cuts down on the writing requirement of the original book. Instead of writing down which plan you followed each day, you can just circle it. It even has prewritten “strategies [used] to manage my feelings today” to circle.

There are some rah rahs to IF included here and it does make you feel not so alone on your IF journey. Since I haven’t read the first book, I don’t know if those parts are included there as well. But I would assume so.

I wanted an intermittent fasting book without all the boring research. What I got was a book with preprinted forms to complete with constant sales pitches for a book with all the research. I could just type up one copy of the daily check in form and make 28 photocopies to use and buy the other book for instructions and motivational stories. I wish the author had added more concrete information to this book instead.

If you have more money than time, buy both the 28-Day FAST Start Day-by-Day and Fast, Feast, Repeat. Otherwise, just buy the earlier book and save yourself some money for a new smaller pair of jeans. 3 stars because this book isn’t bad—just unnecessary. It will encourage me to buy, or check out, Fast, Feast, Repeat so it works as a marketing tool at least.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

I just finished 28 Day Fast Start Day by Day by Gin Stephens @ginstephens and here are my thoughts.

Firstly, I am not new to intermittent fasting (you will see me call it IF). I have lost 57lbs in my journey so far and I literally have 11lbs to get to my ultimate goal weight. Gin Stephens started me on my journey about 2 years ago. I went into maintenance mode about 18 months ago and realized that I wasn’t where I wanted to be so this book set me back on my journey to a healthy body and mind.

Gin makes it very clear that IF is not a weight loss plan but a lifestyle. You cannot allow diet brain to railroad your success.

A clean fast means only having water, black coffee, green tea. You eat nothing and drink nothing else. There are some grey area drinks but I personally, only drink water outside of my window.

FAST stands for Fast clean, adapt, settle in and tweak.

She gives you a super easy plan to ease yourself into fasting over 28 days. I didn’t do this when I started but this book would have made things easier for me had it been around when I started.
She leads you through preparing to start and its written in simple and easy to understand terminology.

Make sure you take measurements because the scale can be a naughty little liar!

I love the fast check-ins so you can record your progress.

She does a swell job of explaining how IF works and she talks about how to make the most out of your window. Yes you can eat what you want during your window but you shouldn’t spend your window eating pizza the whole time. Listening to your body is paramount but don’t deny yourself the foods you love. She talks about over-eating and it's so easy to follow along.

I personally just got back into weight loss mode and I follow an OMAD approach. I eat one meal a day over the course of an hour then I don’t eat again until the next day. I have rheumatoid arthritis and IF keeps me from having to take cancer drugs to keep it in check. This lifestyle saved my life and gave me back my quality of life.

I think this book is an excellent resource for beginners and old hands like me that needed to reset my mindset and uncomplicate it again.

5 stars. Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my gifted copy

#ginstephens #intermittentfasting #28DayFastStartDaybyDay #weightloss #lifestylebook #arc #netgalley #smp #smpinfluencer #bookinfluencer #weightlossclub

I've been hearing about this author for years and her take on intermittent fasting. This book is a really quick read with some good tips on fasting. The book was easy to read and understand. #netgalley #28-dayfast

I've always wanted to try intermittent fasting, but I think after reading I am still not ready for a 28-day fast. However, I liked some of the ideas and mindfulness that was presented. I attempted to follow some of the basics and did not gain weight in November, which I appreciated.

The 28-Day FAST had many interesting aspects. I really appreciated the information about the actual way this author recommends a person to fast. An interesting example of the different types of fasting explains the basics and important facts about each type. I enjoyed the different fasting schedules and ending up learning a lot of useful information that I will use in the future.

Thank you #stmartinspress, #netgalley and #ginstephens. I have read all of Gin’s book and was delighted to get the opportunity to read this one. The 28 day FAST day-by-day is a great book that will help people on their intermittent fasting journey. It has been helping for sure. I slipped in my journey and rejoined just before the start of this book. It has helped in so many ways. I will encourage all my friends and family to read this book.

This is great resource for anyone looking to start of 28 day fast! It was super easy to follow and there was great information on intermittent fasting for anyone who isn't familiar with it.

While this book is very interesting and helps you plan your Intermittent fasting journey. The frustrating part was that Gin is always referring to his other book Feast fast Reapeat and telling the reader To go and read this or that chapter. If you’ve never read that book or don’t have it, you are missing a lot of information because it’s not laid out in this book. I think there should be something on the front of this book stating that it’s a companion book to Feast Fast Repeat and not a stand alone book. That’s the main reason for my rating.

I wasn't expecting much, but have found a treasure of information. I've read so many diet books in my life, tried even more diets. I do like intermittent fasting, and have been doing it for many years, happily. I really like this author, she's a teacher, that studied diet books and medical studies, then put it together here. She quotes 2 of my favorite doctors that I trust in her studies. This author really put a lot into gathering all this. She presents it in a way that allows you to decide if this is what’s best for you, she acknowledges that we are all different, each body functions differently. She also backs that with various scientific reports. Forget the “diet” here and read this juts for the education alone, you will be amazed. I found myself shocked at one point when she explains how flavored drinks sugar free, calorie free really aren’t free, the body’s reaction shined a light on many symptoms I went through.

“28-Day Fast Start Day-by-Day” by Gin Stephens is a self-help guidebook about fasting. This book has daily check ins, daily lessons, inspirational spotlights, advice, etc.

I thought the daily lessons and inspirational spotlights were super long and boring. I really like the advice parts and thought they were very helpful. The beginning information about fasting helped stop my reservations with the fasting diet and culture. I like this book and find the content informational and helpful. I will be trying the beginning to end diet to see if it will work for me. 3 out of 5 stars.