Narrator: Imagine being a successful physician, an OB/GYN who has spent a career advising women on their health. Then, in your late forties, you find yourself blindsided by your own body. This was the reality for Dr. Mary Claire Haver. After the sudden death of her brother, she gained nearly 20 pounds. But when she applied the standard medical advice she’d given patients for years—eat less, exercise more—nothing happened. Instead, she was plagued by hot flashes, sleepless nights, brain fog, and body aches. The old rules no longer applied. This frustrating and deeply personal struggle forced her to question everything she thought she knew about weight management, especially for women in midlife.

Her journey into the science of hormones, inflammation, and metabolism led to a groundbreaking discovery. The answers are found in her book, The Galveston Diet. It presents a doctor-developed, patient-proven plan that reframes midlife weight gain not as a personal failure, but as a hormonal puzzle waiting to be solved.

Narrator: For decades, the prevailing wisdom on weight loss has been a simple equation: calories in versus calories out. But for millions of women entering perimenopause and menopause, this formula mysteriously stops working. The Galveston Diet argues that this isn't a failure of willpower; it's a failure of the formula itself. The book's central premise is that midlife weight gain is primarily a hormonal issue.

As women age, declining estrogen levels trigger a cascade of changes. The body's metabolism slows, and it becomes more prone to storing fat, particularly visceral fat around the abdomen. This isn't just an aesthetic concern; this type of fat is a hotbed for inflammation and increases the risk for chronic diseases. The book identifies nine key hormones—including insulin, cortisol, leptin, and ghrelin—that control everything from appetite and cravings to fat storage. When these hormones become imbalanced, weight loss becomes a near-impossible battle.

This is precisely what happened to Steph. For years, she struggled with her weight, which led to serious health issues like pre-diabetes and hypertension. After seeing a vacation photo that shocked her, she discovered the Galveston Diet. By focusing on nutrition that regulated her hormones instead of just counting calories, she lost over 60 pounds in eight months. More importantly, she was no longer pre-diabetic and no longer needed blood pressure medication. Her story illustrates that by addressing the root hormonal cause, the symptoms—including weight—begin to resolve themselves.

Narrator: The book draws a critical distinction between two types of inflammation. Acute inflammation is the body's healthy, short-term response to an injury or infection. Chronic inflammation, however, is a slow, destructive process that simmers beneath the surface, damaging tissues and contributing to diseases like arthritis, heart disease, and even cancer. A major driver of this harmful inflammation is the modern Western diet.

The Galveston Diet's second core action is to adopt an anti-inflammatory nutritional approach. This means systematically eliminating foods that fuel the fire of chronic inflammation. The primary culprits include added sugars, which spike insulin and trigger inflammatory chemicals; refined vegetable oils high in omega-6 fatty acids; artificial sweeteners that disrupt gut health; and highly processed foods filled with additives, preservatives, and nitrates.

Consider the story of Anna, a 50-year-old woman suffering from a long list of ailments: osteoarthritis, brain fog, headaches, and exhaustion. After discovering she had sensitivities to gluten, grains, and certain food additives, she realized her diet was likely the source of her body-wide inflammation. By adopting the anti-inflammatory principles of the Galveston Diet, she not only lost weight but also felt stronger and less inflamed in just a few months. Her experience shows that removing inflammatory triggers is a powerful form of medicine, allowing the body to finally begin healing.

Narrator: The first action of the Galveston Diet is intermittent fasting, specifically the 16:8 method. This isn't a diet in the traditional sense but an eating pattern. It involves consuming all meals within an 8-hour window and fasting for the remaining 16 hours. The book argues that our bodies are genetically adapted for these cycles of feasting and fasting.

The benefits extend far beyond weight control. During the fasted state, insulin levels fall, which allows the body to tap into its fat stores for energy. It also triggers a critical cellular cleanup process called autophagy, where cells remove damaged components, effectively recharging their defenses against disease and slowing the aging process. Furthermore, studies show that intermittent fasting is a powerful tool for reducing inflammation and improving insulin sensitivity.

This was a game-changer for Kelly, a 42-year-old woman experiencing the full force of perimenopause. She was tired, bloated, constantly hungry, and unhappy with her body. Intrigued by intermittent fasting, she gradually eased into a 16-hour daily fast. The results were profound. Her energy returned, the bloating disappeared, her hunger subsided, and her clothes fit better. Intermittent fasting gave her a sense of control and confidence, demonstrating its power to alleviate the disruptive symptoms of hormonal change.

Narrator: The third and final action of the diet is called "Fuel Refocus." This involves fundamentally shifting the body's primary energy source from carbohydrates to fat. The typical American diet, loaded with sugar and processed carbs, trains the body to constantly run on glucose. This leads to energy crashes, persistent cravings, and a metabolic state that favors fat storage.

Fuel Refocus flips this script by adjusting macronutrient ratios to approximately 70% healthy fats, 20% lean protein, and only 10% net carbohydrates. This high-fat, low-carb approach encourages the body to enter a state of nutritional ketosis, where it becomes highly efficient at burning fat for fuel. This not only accelerates weight loss but also stabilizes energy levels and reduces hunger. The focus is on high-quality fats from sources like avocados, olive oil, nuts, and seeds, and lean proteins to preserve muscle mass.

This approach was life-changing for women like Paula, a firefighter who had struggled with her weight for years due to PCOS and insulin resistance. Traditional diets had failed her. But by embracing Fuel Refocus, she finally started to lose weight easily. Her insulin resistance improved so dramatically that her doctor cut her medication in half. The diet didn't just help her lose weight; it helped heal her metabolism from the inside out.

Narrator: The Galveston Diet is not presented as a quick fix but as a "forever plan." The book emphasizes that the goal is not just to lose weight but to create sustainable habits that support long-term health. After an initial period of following the 70/20/10 macro split, individuals transition to a maintenance mode.

In this phase, intermittent fasting and anti-inflammatory eating remain cornerstones of the lifestyle. However, the macronutrient ratios become more flexible. As the body heals and hormonal markers improve, individuals can gradually reintroduce more healthy carbohydrates, moving towards a more balanced ratio like 40% fat, 20% protein, and 40% carbs. The key is to listen to one's body, monitoring for any signs of inflammation or weight regain, and to prioritize whole, natural foods over anything made in a factory.

The success stories of women like Valerie, who lost her "belly pooch" after a hysterectomy, and Laurie, whose debilitating hip pain vanished, underscore this principle. They didn't just follow a diet; they adopted a new way of life that gave them back their health and vitality. They prove that the principles of the Galveston Diet can be adapted to create a sustainable, enjoyable, and healthy lifestyle for years to come.

Narrator: The single most important takeaway from The Galveston Diet is that the rules of health and nutrition fundamentally change for women in midlife. The book provides a clear, science-backed roadmap to navigate this transition by shifting the focus from counting calories to controlling hormones. By combining intermittent fasting, anti-inflammatory nutrition, and a metabolic fuel refocus, it offers a powerful system for extinguishing inflammation, rebalancing hormones, and teaching the body to burn fat for fuel.

Ultimately, the book’s most profound impact is its ability to replace the narrative of self-blame with one of empowerment. It gives women the knowledge to understand what is happening inside their bodies and the tools to take back control. It challenges us to stop fighting a losing battle with outdated diet rules and instead ask a more powerful question: What could you achieve if you finally started working with your body, instead of against it?