I Stopped Fasting for a Year - Here's What It Taught Me (& Other Habits I'm Giving Up)

Live Like a Girl with Dr. Mindy Pelz

Dr. Mindy Pelz

Science, Health & Fitness, Perimenopause, Women's Hormones, Women's Health, Menopause, Live Like A Girl, Dr. Mindy Pelz, Alternative Health

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2026

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

After 30 years in health, Dr. Mindy is calling time on the rules.

This solo episode is one of the most personal things she's shared on this podcast. It covers two big ideas: the science and story behind why she stopped fasting for most of the past year and the five health habits she's deliberately walking away from in 2026.

First, flex fasting. When cortisol is high from grief, trauma, illness, perimenopause, or chronic stress rigidly pushing through long fasting windows doesn't support the body. It depletes it. Dr. Mindy shares what happened when she lost a close friend and found herself in an acute stress state, what the research says about prolonged fasting and the HPA axis, and how she developed a new approach she's calling flex fasting: a more intuitive, body-led way to use fasting as a tool without turning it into a rule.

Then the five things she's giving up: counting (macros, biometrics, followers, all of it), the gym, other people's urgency, productivity over health, and information overconsumption. Each one is a direct response to what the wellness industry has quietly done to us — turned health into a full-time job with a performance review.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Fast Like a Girl: https://www.drmindypelz.com/books
Age Like a Girl: https://www.drmindypelz.com/books
Substack Article "I Stopped Fasting for a Year": https://substack.com/@drmindypelz/
Carb Manager App carbmanager.com, available on iOS, Android, and web
The Movement Diet: Redefining Fitness at Every Age with Katy Bowman
Study: Prolonged Fasting, HPA Axis & Cortisol - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12736288/
Study: Estrogen & Cortisol Regulation - https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/102/12/4457/4587523
Midlife Women Fasting Trial - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65678-z
Study: Self-Selected Fasting Windows - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03375-y
BEAM Minerals, use code MINDY for 20% off: https://www.beamminerals.com/?oid=4&affid=648
LMNT, get a free sample pack with your order: https://bit.ly/drinklmntpelz

To view full show notes, resources mentioned, transcripts, and more, visit
👉 https://drmindypelz.com/ep343

Connect with Dr. Mindy:

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

Transcript

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0:00.8	Can I be honest with you for just a second?
0:05.0	So many of the women who have come to me have literally already tried everything.
0:11.4	They've done the diets.
0:13.1	They've worked themselves out to death.
0:15.3	They've done the programs.
0:16.8	They've diligently followed the advice of their doctors.
0:20.7	And yet they are still exhausted. They are still horminators. They've diligently followed the advice of their doctors.
0:23.2	And yet, they are still exhausted.
0:25.8	They are still hormonally lost.
0:30.3	They are still wondering why nothing seems to work for them.
0:35.6	And here's what I've learned after two and a half decades of working with women.
0:39.2	It's not a willpower problem. I promise you,
0:47.5	it's an education problem. Your body has a very specific set of needs. And most health advice out there was never designed with those needs in mind. And so this is exactly why I built my Reset Academy.
0:55.5	It's my monthly membership community where I teach you how to use fasting, food, and lifestyle
1:02.2	to genuinely work with your female biology.
1:07.0	Every month, you get new trainings, live Q&'s with my team and I, and a community of incredible
1:14.1	women who are all in it with you.
1:17.7	They're doing the work, they're seeing the results, and the best part is they're cheering
1:22.3	each other on.
1:23.8	If you're ready to stop guessing and start actually understanding your body and finally getting
1:29.2	results, come join us over there.
1:31.8	All you have to do is head over to resetacademy.
	...

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