Fasting for Women: How to Align Metabolic Health with Hormonal Rhythms with Dr. Mindy Pelz
Podcast Duration : 1:08:36
Podcast Publish Date : 10/21/26
Fasting has become one of the most popular tools for weight loss, metabolic health, and longevity. But the same fasting schedule does not necessarily work the same way for every body—and women’s hormones can change the equation entirely.
In this episode of Take Back Your Health®, Dr. Amy Myers sits down with Dr. Mindy Pelz to unpack what women need to understand about fasting, blood sugar, ketosis, autophagy, menopause, and metabolic flexibility. Dr. Mindy brings decades of work in women’s health and a personal history of moving from vegetarianism to paleo, keto, and fasting. Dr. Amy also shares her own evolution from needing snacks throughout the day to completing longer fasts as her metabolism and diet changed.
Together, they explore why a woman’s fasting strategy may need to shift across menstruation, perimenopause, and postmenopause—and why menopause may be an opportunity to understand your body, your stress, and your life in a new way.
What I Cover In This Episode
- Why fasting can feel different for women than it does for men.
- How menstrual-cycle hormones may influence the timing of longer fasts.
- Why perimenopause and postmenopause call for different metabolic strategies.
- What Dr. Mindy means by metabolic flexibility, ketosis, autophagy, and hormetic stress.
- How trauma, nervous-system regulation, strength training, protein, and community fit into women’s health.
- Practical questions about fast length, exercise, coffee, and preserving muscle.
Why Women Need a Different Conversation About Fasting
Dr. Mindy explains that women’s hormones follow changing rhythms, while men’s hormonal patterns are different. In the conversation, she describes why she does not recommend treating fasting as a one-size-fits-all practice. For menstruating women, she discusses the possibility that the week before a period may be a time to prioritize nourishment and carbohydrates rather than extending a fast.
She also explains why perimenopause may require a more gradual approach. When estrogen and metabolic regulation are already shifting, she says that shorter intermittent fasts and a strong nutritional foundation may be more appropriate than immediately reaching for longer fasts. The goal is not to force the body into a protocol, but to learn how to use fasting as a tool that matches the season of life.
Perimenopause, Postmenopause, and the Role of Ketones
One of the most important distinctions in the episode is the difference between perimenopause and postmenopause. Dr. Mindy describes perimenopause as a time when the hormonal system is in transition and may need more glucose and flexibility. She presents postmenopause differently, emphasizing the potential role of ketones as an alternative fuel source for the brain.
Dr. Amy and Dr. Mindy also discuss the emotional shifts that can occur when estrogen changes. Dr. Mindy calls estrogen’s support for neurotransmitters a kind of “neurochemical armor” and suggests that menopause can reveal stress, trauma, relationships, and patterns that were previously easier to ignore. Rather than viewing menopause only as a collection of symptoms to suppress, they explore how it can become a period of deeper self-understanding and change.
Autophagy, Hormetic Stress, and Using Fasting as a Tool
Dr. Mindy describes autophagy as a cellular cleanup and repair process that occurs naturally through sleep and exercise and can increase during longer fasts. She emphasizes that fasting should be pulsed rather than treated as a chronic state. She also explains hormetic stress as a small, manageable challenge that can encourage the body to adapt.
For women who are highly stressed or depleted, Dr. Mindy describes starting with very small changes, such as gradually moving breakfast later over a period of weeks. She shares that her own everyday fast is usually around 15 hours, while she uses longer fasts more selectively for specific goals. She also explains why she paused fasting during a period of significant trauma and returned to a more intuitive approach until her nervous system was more stable.
Strength Training, Protein, and the Practical Details
The conversation moves from theory into the questions many listeners have: How long should a fast be? Can you exercise while fasting? Does coffee break a fast? How do you protect muscle?
Dr. Mindy shares the framework she uses in the conversation: a 15-hour fast as a possible baseline, longer durations for different purposes, and a careful refeed after a longer fast. She emphasizes the role of strength training and protein, especially the importance of building a first meal around protein after fasting. She also discusses when fasted exercise may be reasonable and when a person may want protein before heavier strength training.
The coffee conversation adds another practical layer. Dr. Mindy distinguishes black or clean coffee from coffee with sugar, honey, or other ingredients that may raise blood sugar. As always, the right choice depends on the individual, their health history, their sleep, and the guidance of a qualified practitioner.
Living Like a Girl: Health Through a Female Lens
Dr. Mindy explains that Fast Like a Girl began as a fasting book but grew into a broader women’s empowerment message. Her newer Live Like a Girl framework asks women to look at food, exercise, sleep, stress, trauma, money, relationships, and self-worth through the lens of female biology rather than a male-centered, one-size-fits-all model.
She describes five principles: mindset matters, regulate the nervous system, live in rhythm, recognize that everything in life can affect health, and pursue health in community. Her final message is equally direct: believe healing is possible, pay attention to lifestyle, and remember that connection supports the healing process.
About Dr. Mindy Pelz
Dr. Mindy Pelz is a 2x New York Times bestselling author and a leading voice in women’s health, hormones, and aging. Her official biography states that she trained as a Doctor of Chiropractic. Her books include Fast Like a Girl, Eat Like a Girl, and Age Like a Girl. She is also the host of the Live Like a Girl Podcast and provides education through her website, YouTube channel, and Reset Academy.
Resources and Links
- Dr. Mindy Pelz’s Official Website
- About Dr. Mindy
- Dr. Mindy’s Books
- Beginner’s Guide to Fasting
- Reset Academy
- Live Like a Girl Podcast
Connect with Dr. Mindy Pelz
Connect with Dr. Amy Myers
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Episode Timestamps
- 00:01 Welcome and Dr. Mindy’s introduction
- 01:20 How Dr. Mindy came to fasting and autophagy
- 03:16 Detox pathways and why some women feel worse when fasting
- 06:11 What fasting means and the metabolic switch
- 10:18 From vegetarianism to paleo, keto, and intermittent fasting
- 13:41 Why women and men may need different fasting rhythms
- 16:48 Perimenopause, glucose, and metabolic preparation
- 19:00 Postmenopause, ketones, memory, and brain health
- 20:41 How ketosis may vary across life stages
- 22:05 Hormone therapy, menopause, and the opportunity for emotional healing
- 25:43 Estrogen and the “neurochemical armor” of the reproductive years
- 27:41 Ketones, neurotransmitters, and mood
- 28:43 Hormetic stress, adrenal stress, and gradual fasting
- 30:46 Autophagy and the range of longer fasts
- 31:53 How Dr. Mindy uses fasting in her own life
- 34:14 When trauma changes the way you use fasting
- 35:13 Practical fasting durations and their intended purposes
- 38:05 Metabolic flexibility and the appeal of quick fixes
- 42:08 Strength training, protein, and preserving muscle
- 46:15 Training in a fasted state
- 48:20 Coffee, additives, and fasting
- 51:37 Why Dr. Mindy created Live Like a Girl
- 53:35 Looking at health through a female lens
- 56:06 The five principles of living like a girl
- 59:15 Community and the “lime tree” idea
- 01:00:44 Dr. Mindy’s three ways to take back your health
- 01:02:05 Closing conversation
