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Dr Rangan ChatterjeeDr Rangan Chatterjee

Change This One Thing... The Body Fat Will Fall Off | Dr. Mindy Pelz

Download my FREE Nutrition Guide HERE: https://bit.ly/3Jeg9yL Order MAKE CHANGE THAT LASTS. US & Canada version https://amzn.to/3RyO3SL, UK version https://amzn.to/3Kt5rUK Today’s podcast could transform the lives of many women – but it’s a conversation that is just as relevant for men. My guest is Mindy Pelz, a nutrition expert, an author and a pioneer on the subject of women’s health, hormones and fasting. CAUTION: This podcast discusses fasting, and its advice may not be suitable for anyone with an eating disorder. If you have an existing health condition or are taking medication, always consult your healthcare practitioner before going for prolonged periods without eating. WATCH THE FULL CONVERSATION: The Biggest Intermittent Fasting Mistakes That Lead To Weight Gain! | Dr. Mindy Pelz https://youtu.be/uIToWSXziWI ----- Follow Dr Chatterjee at: Website: https://drchatterjee.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drchatterjee Twitter: https://twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Newsletter: https://drchatterjee.com/subscription DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Dr. Rangan Chatterjeehost
May 24, 202525mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Cycle-based fasting and nutrition to support women’s hormones and fat loss

  1. Perimenopause (often starting in the 40s) lowers estrogen, increases insulin resistance, and makes old diet/exercise strategies stop working, so weight gain is often hormonal rather than a willpower failure.
  2. Fasting is presented as a key tool for midlife women to restore insulin sensitivity and produce ketones that can help support cognition and mood as estrogen receptor activity changes in the brain.
  3. Post-menopausal symptoms can persist for years if lifestyle doesn’t adapt, and longer fasts plus strategic “feasting” days are suggested to support estrogen metabolism, reduce hot flashes, and improve weight and brain outcomes.
  4. For younger women with irregular or missing cycles, a structured “fasting cycle/reset” is suggested to help re-establish hormonal rhythm, with claimed downstream benefits for PCOS, infertility, and overall resilience.
  5. Beyond physiology, fasting is framed as hormetic stress that builds psychological resilience and can create mental clarity by reducing “noise,” historically aligning with spiritual uses of fasting.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Midlife weight gain is often a hormone-driven insulin-resistance shift, not a character flaw.

Pelz argues that declining estrogen in the 40s increases insulin resistance, so the same diet that worked at 35 may fail at 45; reframing reduces guilt and helps women choose new, age-appropriate strategies.

Perimenopausal women may benefit uniquely from fasting to regain insulin sensitivity and support the brain.

She positions fasting as “mandatory” during 40s–early 50s because it can improve metabolic flexibility and generate ketones, which may help cognition and mood as estrogen signaling changes.

Persistent post-menopause symptoms may reflect unchanged habits rather than “just aging.”

She notes many women still struggle with weight, hot flashes, and mood years after menopause and attributes it to not adapting lifestyle during the transition—implying changes can still help later.

Post-menopause requires both fasting and deliberate non-fasting to support progesterone-related needs.

Pelz recommends cycling: using longer fasts for “estrogen system cleanup,” then stepping out of fasting with higher carbs and “hormone feasting” foods to reduce anxiety and improve sleep.

A weekly rhythm can replace the monthly cycle after menopause.

Her “5-1-1” model is: five days of a 15–16 hour “gentle fast” with low-carb eating, one day stretching toward ~24 hours, and one day not fasting with more carbs to support hormonal balance.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

So as estrogen goes down, you become more insulin resistant. I really want you to, women to own this, because you're not all of a sudden becoming more in- uh, you know, undisciplined at 43.

— Dr. Mindy Pelz

I felt like somebody hijacked my body. Like, I was not able to use those old tools anymore. I needed a new set of tools, and I need to learn how to cycle them like I teach in the book.

— Dr. Mindy Pelz

45 to 55 is the most common decade for women to commit suicide.

— Dr. Mindy Pelz

They think it's a fad diet. It is not a fad diet. It is a healing state you put your body into. Your body was de- was designed to fast.

— Dr. Mindy Pelz

We have to have moments of micro-discomfort.

— Dr. Mindy Pelz

Perimenopause and ovarian “retirement”Estrogen decline and insulin resistanceKetones for brain energy and moodPost-menopause symptom persistence and lifestyle mismatch5-1-1 fasting framework (weekly cycling)Irregular cycles, PCOS, and fertility claimsFasting as hormetic stress and spiritual/psychological tool

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