Most women have heard the word “fasting” and immediately pictured something that sounds like punishment: restriction, deprivation, white-knuckling through another attempt at controlling a body that refuses to cooperate. This episode begins by putting that version down entirely — and replacing it with something far more powerful and far more true.

In this second part of a two-part series, we go deeper than the science of sugar cravings — though we go there too. We walk through what sugar actually is physiologically, why it behaves like an addictive substance in the brain, and why the midlife body is uniquely and specifically vulnerable to its effects. We examine four distinct types of fasting — complete, intermittent, the Daniel Fast, and the targeted fast — and make the case for why a 40-day sugar fast is the most accessible, sustainable, and whole-person intervention available to women in this season of life.

And then we go somewhere most health conversations never go: into Scripture. Into Matthew 6, Isaiah 58, and Joel 2. Into what God actually says about fasting — not as a religious obligation or a performance, but as an act of return. A way of bringing your whole self, body and spirit together, back toward the One who designed both. The argument of this episode is that the spiritual clarity promised through fasting and the physiological clarity that comes from removing sugar are not two separate experiences running in parallel. They are the same experience. The same clearing. The same quiet where something different can come in. This is Part 2 of a two-part series. If you have not yet heard Part 1, go back and listen first — it will make everything here land more completely.

What You Will Learn

• The four types of fasting — complete, intermittent, the Daniel Fast, and the targeted sugar fast — what each one does physiologically and spiritually, and why the 40-day sugar fast is uniquely powerful for midlife women navigating perimenopause and menopause
• What Scripture actually says about fasting in Matthew 6, Isaiah 58, and Joel 2 — and why the language of chains, yokes, and freedom is not metaphorical but deeply personal for every woman who has felt trapped in a cycle she cannot break alone
• Why the spiritual and physiological benefits of a biblical sugar fast are not two separate things but the same transformation operating through the same mechanisms — and what the honest 40-day arc actually looks like, from the hard first week to the quiet opening that arrives around day eight or nine

This is a solo episode hosted by Stephanie Shaw, founder of Hello, Hot Flash and creator of Reclaimed: 40 Days — a 40-day faith-integrated sugar reset designed for women navigating perimenopause and menopause.

To learn more, visit: [EPISODE URL]

Reclaimed: 40 Days. A 40-day faith-integrated sugar reset designed specifically for women navigating menopause — with live coaching calls twice a week, a private community, a full education library, and a 10-episode private podcast. The first 50 women to enroll pay $100. After that, the price goes to $150. Enroll here:

https://hellohotflash.com/reclaimed

Join me for an interactive workshop where together, we will map out a practical menopause meal plan using simple macro principles so you understand how protein, carbohydrates, and fats support energy, metabolism, and hormonal changes. You will also build a daily faith practice to help anchor your mindset, strengthen resilience, and stay steady through this season of transition.

https://hellohotflash.com/workshop

The limited-series podcast Christian Women and Menopause teaches what the Bible says about stress, anxiety, health, and confidence in midlife. Listen here:

https://hellohotflash.com/christian-women-and-menopause

This episode is also sponsored by Delta Dental. Protecting more than smiles. Visit the Delta Dental Institute to discover how they are advancing menopause care:

https://DeltaDentalInstitute.com

Or learn more about menopause and oral health directly here:

https://www1.deltadentalins.com/wellness/menopause-oral-health.html