Dr Mindy Pelz Reviews Common Fasting Mistakes

Dr Mindy Pelz reviews common fasting mistakes in this podcast with Mel Robbins. Much of this discussion is geared toward women because hormones need to be considered when women opt for a fasting lifestyle.

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If you’re new to intermittent fasting, please read this article to help you get started: How To Start Intermittent Fasting.

Fasting all the time is a common fasting mistake.

For women especially, fasting all the time can cause symptoms such as weight gain and fatigue. Intermittent fasting should be a tool for us to use to let our minds and bodies repair themselves, not break us down. Like many things, too much of a good thing isn’t necessarily good.

Here’s a high-level summary of what’s going on with hormones (and when it’s good to fast or not fast) for women who have a 28-30 day cycle. The first 10 days are when estrogen is building. We move into ovulation about day 10 or 11, and estrogen and testosterone are at their peak. (Motivation, drive, and focus are usually at their best during this time.) Dr Pelz says, “Estrogen loves when you fast.” Intermittent fasting during this time can give you extra energy and focus.

About a week before our period (around day 20), we need glucose to go up, and we need to rest and bring cortisol down to support progesterone production. Dr Mindy states, “Progesterone actually doesn’t want you to fast.” She follows up with, “Don’t fast the week before your period.” DO NOT muscle through the progesterone (week before period) to keep fasting. Let yourself just be and eat and rest. Sometimes rest is not an option. But if we are aware of the times when more rest would benefit us, we can try to avoid scheduling any unnecessary activities during that time.

We highly recommend Dr Mindy Pelz’s book Fast Like a Girl. Her book explains the details of our hormones throughout our cycle and how cycling fasting lengths can help you tap into the amazing benefits of fasting. Fast Like a Girl is also an excellent resource for learning when to lean into longer fasts and why. There are varying lengths of fasts that will help with gut repair, weight loss, and more. Read Fast Like a Girl to learn how and when to do the various fasting lengths.

What if you don’t have a monthly cycle to align with?

Suppose you do not have a cycle due to menopause, birth control, or other reasons, and you’re cleared by your physician to try intermittent fasting. In that case, Dr Mindy recommends following the same pattern of fasting and eating as you would if you did have a 28-30 day cycle. 

Mindy goes a step further by suggesting that those who do not have a cycle match up with the moon phases with the cycle of fasting. When the New Moon starts, it will be day one of a monthly cycle to follow.

Eating the same way all the time is another common mistake.

Dr Mindy Pelz reviews how our eating habits can affect how we feel because of the link between food and hormones. Eating is the opposite of fasting, but Mindy and Mel discuss this as one of the reasons some people may not feel as well as they can after implementing a new intermittent fasting routine. This is especially true if you continue to fast when your body is trying to make more progesterone.

Mindy says, “Progesterone is asking you to bring your glucose up. We crave carbs before our period, not because we’re undisciplined. We crave carbs, so we have enough resources to make progesterone.”

Dr. Mindy Pelz emphasizes that when you eat more frequently and eat more carbohydrates, please eat nature’s carbs versus ultra-processed carbs. At least minimize the ultra-processed carbs and try going for potatoes, peas, and carrots, for example, to help progesterone get what it needs.

Whether fasting on some days or not, we still need to plan for times when we eat. We’ll have better success if we vary our food intake from nature more often. Dr Mindy Pelz’s book, Fast Like a Girl, explains the times when it’s best to eat food to support the hormones within our cycle and has some fantastic recipes to help us pull it together.

Fast Like a Girl has 60 recipes to give you ideas for meals to support your hormones, break a fast, or build muscle. Depending on your goals, these recipes are a delicious way to incorporate a variety of healthy foods into your routine. I keep her book in my recipe book drawer because I regularly use it for meal ideas. It’s an incredible resource to have on hand!

Knowing what your goals are is essential.

We don’t all have the same reasons for embarking on a fasting lifestyle, but there are some common reasons that you might relate to. If you clearly know your reason for practicing intermittent fasting, it helps to give you a goal to strive for.

In this article about fasting cycle options, you’ll find more details about what each fasting length can help you achieve. For example, if you want to improve your gut health, find out the time in your cycle that it’s best to take on a longer fast and train (or work up to) a 24-hour fast once in a while. If weight loss is your goal, occasionally work up to a 36-hour fast.

This is another reason to have the Fast Like a Girl book as your guide. Mindy Pelz gives you all the necessary information to determine when and how long you should consider fasting, depending on your goals.

Dr Mindy Pelz reviews other fasting lifestyle hacks.

Mindy says that the beginning phases of intermittent fasting might seem tough. The first time you put yourself in the healing and fat-burning state, some people might be moody, have brain fog, have rashes, or have headaches. The body may be getting rid of some toxins, like a detox. Honor the temporary symptoms as our bodies start to heal.

If you don’t feel good while fasting and are not used to it yet, add a pinch of sea salt to coffee or water.

Add a good source of electrolytes to your water. Magnesium, potassium, and sodium can help us feel better. Electrolytes will not break a fast and can help us feel better while fasting! Dr Mindy Pelz and Mel Robbins both endorse LMNT electrolytes. There are several good brands of electrolytes; Dr Berg and Dr Sten Ekberg electrolytes are excellent, too. If you consider other electrolyte brands, make sure there aren’t unnecessary sugars listed in the ingredients.

Mindy says to not reject the idea of incorporating intermittent fasting into your lifestyle but to get curious and learn more about it. (Aka, get her book, Fast Like a Girl. : )

Start looking at 24-hour periods of time to figure out when you’ll eat and when you won’t eat. Plan it out for better success. (Download the free Women Who Fast app to track your fasts.)

Add a little MCT oil to your coffee or tea to move faster into fat-burning, turn off hunger triggers, and get ketones going more quickly. Mindy recommends 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of MCT oil.

Eat good quality food and protein to maintain and grow muscle. Refer to Fast Like a Girl for more details about how much protein you should strive to get and recipes to help you incorporate protein into your diet.

Conclusion

Work with your health provider to determine if fasting is a good choice for you. If it is, take time to learn how to align intermittent fasting to your cycle and to your personal goals.