Want to reclaim your power over midlife weight gain? Dr. Mary Claire Haver shows how.

Hello Warriors!

This week’s episode of The Suburban Warrior Podcast features the one and only Dr. Mary Claire Haver—the board-certified OB-GYN turned national thought leader championing women in midlife. She calls out what’s really happening in perimenopause and menopause and gives us real-world tools—chief among them the Galveston Diet. With it, she cuts through decades of diet noise to center what matters: inflammation, hormones, and food quality—so women can stop white-knuckling and start thriving.

She brings clinic-floor credibility with kitchen-table practicality: after years of delivering babies and teaching residents, she kept hearing the same refrain—“I’m doing what always worked…and it’s not working anymore.” Rather than recycle “eat less, move more,” she dove into the research, connected the dots between hormonal transition and chronic inflammation, and built a framework that treats weight as one biomarker of whole-body health—not the destination.

Her own story sharpened her mission. After a hurricane upended her life, the loss of her brother plunged her into grief, stress eating, and weight gain. Extreme dieting and over-exercise didn’t fix it. What did: an anti-inflammatory nutrition plan, time-restricted feeding, and a radical honesty about how menopause changes physiology—not willpower. Today, Haver’s work helps women swap confusion for clarity, hot-flash haze for sharper days, and scale obsession for sustainable health.

The Galveston Diet isn’t a gimmick—it’s a framework. Intermittent fasting to nudge metabolic flexibility. Food quality over empty restriction. And a deliberate break from our cultural sugar addiction. The impact women report—better sleep, steadier mood, fewer hot flashes, clearer thinking—are exactly the point. Weight loss becomes a by-product, not the promise.  

The Power List: 7 Things We Learned from Dr. Haver

1. Calories Aren’t the Villain—Inflammation Is
In midlife, age-related inflammation, hormonal shifts, and visceral belly fat create a feedback loop. Pure calorie restriction ignores that biology and often makes things worse over time.

2. Time-Restricted Eating = Free, Legal Performance Enhancer
A consistent 16:8 fast (or similar) improves glucose control and inflammatory markers—even when total calories match a traditional all-day eating window. Many women report clearer thinking and steadier energy during the fasted hours.

3. Food Quality Beats Food Math
Ultra-processed “diet” foods trade nutrients for shelf life and palatability. Haver’s rubric favors whole, minimally processed choices that actively fight inflammation—think fiber, healthy fats, lean proteins, and color on the plate.

4. Break the Sweet Spell
Simple sugars and constant sweeteners keep hunger loud and insulin high. Reducing added sugars (and the “health halo” bars and shakes that smuggle them in) is non-negotiable if you want lasting results.

5. Menopause Isn’t a Character Flaw
Hot flashes, sleep disruption, brain fog, mood swings, weight redistribution—these are physiologic changes, not personal failures. Treatment can include HRT, but nutrition is the daily foundation.

6. Exercise Helps—But It Can’t Outrun the Fork
Strength training and movement matter, yet midlife metabolism won’t be bullied by gym hours alone. Pair resistance work with anti-inflammatory nutrition and a sane fasting window for compounding returns.

7. Education > Edicts
Galveston works because women understand the “why,” not because they’re handed a list. When you know the science, you can choose well at the grocery store, a restaurant, or on a hectic Tuesday night—without shame or superstition.

If you loved this conversation, share it with the friend who’s doing “everything right” and still stuck. The fix isn’t more punishment—it’s better strategy.

Ready to go from Confusion to Clarity?

Feeling stuck, confused, or a little gaslit by the “it’s just aging” shrug? Let’s change that—book a free holistic health consult with Crissy. Crissy’s a holistic health coach with real-world medical experience who blends science-backed therapies with natural, doable habits so you can feel like yourself again. After her own 10-year battle with perimenopause, she’s made it her mission to ensure no woman has to suffer in silence. In your consult, you’ll get a judgment-free space, clear next steps, and tools you can use right away. If you’re ready to move from survival to thriving, reach out—Crissy’s got you.

Hot Flash of Good News: The World Finally Puts Menopause Center Stage!

Ladies, grab your iced tea (or your fan), because here’s a scoop worth celebrating: the world has finally joined forces to give menopause the research spotlight it deserves! A powerhouse group—University of Melbourne, University of Chicago, Royal Women’s Hospital, Mayo Clinic, plus advocacy groups like The Menopause Society and Black Women in Menopause—pulled off something never done before. Guided by the James Lind Alliance, they asked thousands of women in over 60 countries what questions about menopause matter most.

The result? A dazzling Top 10 list, published in The Lancet, that promises to reshape research, funding, and care so that women stop being left in the dark and finally get real answers. For once, science is catching up with women’s lived experiences—and honestly, it’s about time!

Top 10 Menopause Research Priorities

1. What are the safest and most effective non-hormone treatments (including prescribed medicines, herbal, complementary) for perimenopause/menopause in people who cannot or do not wish to take hormone therapy (HT)?

2. What lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, reducing stress) benefit individuals at different stages of menopause? How can people be supported to make these changes?

3. Does perimenopause/menopause lead to cognitive problems (e.g. “brain fog,” memory loss)? If yes, why, and how does it happen? How best to detect, manage, prevent, or reverse them?

4. Why and how is sleep affected during perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause? What are the best ways to manage sleep problems?

5. How long should people have hormone therapy (HT)? What is the optimal way to stop HT?

6. What are the best ways to help prepare people for perimenopause/menopause and recognize when it is happening? What helps them decide when to seek professional help and make informed treatment decisions?

7. How do menopause experiences vary across countries, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds worldwide?

8. What are the best ways to manage perimenopause/menopause in people with or who have survived breast cancer?

9. Does hormone therapy (HT) change the risk of dementia?

10. How long can people with personal risk of heart disease or cancer safely take HT? If yes, which type/dose is best?

Now here’s the fun part—what do you think? Are these the priorities you would’ve come up with if someone had asked you? Do they capture your biggest questions and concerns? And most importantly—what would you add or change on this list?

Ready to Reclaim Your Health in Midlife?

Reclaiming your health in midlife isn’t just possible—it’s powerful. Whether you’re feeling out of balance, run down, or simply not like yourself, this is your moment to take charge. The From ‘Pause to Power Roadmap is your free, practical guide to navigating perimenopause with clarity, confidence, and zero shame. Download it now and take the first step toward feeling stronger, more energized, and unapologetically you—redefining midlife wellness with grit and grace!

Ready to Warrior Up!

Listen to the Full Episode: Suburban Warrior podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thank you for reading—and remember, knowledge is power! If you’re experiencing symptoms, don’t ignore them. There is help (and hope) out there. Stay tuned for our next newsletter to keep transforming your mindset and rocking your inner warrior!