If I Needed To Drop 25 Pounds FAST NOW: Here's What I Would Do

Summary

Dr. Mindy Pelz argues that weight-loss efforts are more likely to last when they focus on a few manageable habits rather than a sweeping New Year’s resolution. Her four main strategies are:

1. Try intermittent fasting if it suits your circumstances. Pelz suggests gradually delaying breakfast by an hour at a time, working toward a noon first meal and a fasting window of about 15 hours for beginners. Skipping breakfast may not suit people experiencing chronic stress or doing demanding morning workouts; skipping dinner may be a better fit for them. Fasting windows are personal.

2. Make one meal a high-fiber salad or vegetable-based meal. Pelz recommends fiber-rich foods such as vegetables, beans, lentils, chickpeas, edamame, quinoa, sweet potato, and fermented vegetables. She suggests adding protein, olive oil, and lemon. Her rationale is that fiber may help slow glucose absorption and support gut microbes.

3. Include protein at each meal. Pelz recommends roughly 20–40 grams of protein per meal, saying it may promote fullness and make a fasting routine easier to maintain.

4. Track daily steps and walk regularly. Pelz sets 10,000 steps as a goal and describes 7,000–10,000 steps as a useful range. She says tracking alone can encourage people to move more and presents walking as beneficial for general health and stress management.

Pelz also encourages choosing habits that feel realistic enough to sustain rather than trying to change everything at once. The video mentions community fasting and reset programs as additional options. These are the presenter’s recommendations, not a guarantee of losing 25 pounds. Fasting and weight-loss approaches should be individualized, especially for people with health conditions or high stress.

Presenters and Sources Mentioned

• Presenter: Dr. Mindy Pelz
• Dr. Stacy Sims: Discussed with Pelz on the Resetter Podcast regarding whether to skip breakfast.
• Studies or publications cited in the video: Journal of Clinical Psychology; Journal of Applied Psychology, Health and Well-Being; a 2024 intermittent-fasting meta-analysis (publication not specified in the subtitles); Obesity (2023 study); JAMA (2000 review); and The Lancet (2025 meta-analysis).