This woman in menopause lost 77 pounds, got off 8 medications, and normalized her blood work while eating delicious, nourishing food.
Today’s story is a real treat. A few weeks ago, Dolly shared her one year transformation in our private facebook group and I was absolutely blown away. Literally every part of her life had utterly transformed: her health was back, she lost a lot of weight, she improved her relationship with food, and she started to feel good again… All while battling personal life struggles and the challenges of menopause.
And boy, does she have an inspiring story.
Suddenly I was hooked – not on dieting,
not on restriction, but on the simple, powerful idea of prioritising protein, fat, and fibre.
Say hello to Dolly!
Tell us about yourself!
Hi, I’m Dolly – I was born and raised in a tiny Australian country town and now live close
enough that I can “go home” whenever I want to spend time with my family, most of
whom still live there. Community, learning, and creativity are at the centre of who I am. I’m currently
completing a Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, specialising in project
management, and carrying out a research project on cultural safety in aged care – work
that aligns deeply with my passion for helping people live healthier, more connected
lives.
A defining chapter of my life was caring for my mum for seven years before her passing
in early 2023. It was the toughest and most meaningful journey I’ve ever walked: I was
an advocate, a carer, a full-time employee, a part-time student, a daughter, a sister, and
an aunty all at once. After mum passed, I turned to food to cope with the grief and the
huge hole she left behind, and I gained a significant amount of weight over the following
year.
Now, as I move through postgraduate study and rebuild my life, I’ve reconnected with the
things that bring me joy – especially food. I’m a full-blown foodie who loves cooking,
experimenting with recipes especially through baking, and finding ways to make
nourishing food taste incredible.
Related: At Age 61, She Lost 44 Pounds Fasting 12 Hours a Day
Which program did you use?
I stumbled onto Autumn’s YouTube Channel while searching for how a 50-something
menopausal woman could realistically lose 20 kilograms in a year and feel good again. I
gave myself one year, as I was to be the Maid of Honour at my baby sister’s wedding in
late October 2025. I watched a video where Autumn interviewed Guylaine, which then
turned into about thirty over a week or so, and suddenly I was hooked – not on dieting,
not on restriction, but on the simple, powerful idea of prioritising protein, fat, and fibre.
I’ve worked my way through a few of Autumn’s programs and resources, and each one
has played a role in changing how I approach food and wellness:
- Feel Good Again – 10 Free Recipes: The Vanilla Berry “Oatmeal” is my absolute
favourite that I make every week. - The 7-Day Detox: I’ve completed twice – and I’m doing it again this week before
going into the Christmas season! - The Smoothie Cookbook: I use this constantly. Sunrise Surprise and my Raspberry-
twist on the Strawberry Hemp Smoothie are my weekly go-tos. - The High Fibre Challenge: HP ONOs are life changing.
- And I’ll be starting the 6-Week Summer Meal Plan in the new year, as when it was
released it was Winter here in Australia.
Each program has taught me something new about my body, my habits, what I like the
taste of, and what fuelling and nourishing my body feels like.
Jumpstart your wellness journey
7 Day Detox
The 7 Day Detox provides a complete reset for your body, naturally promoting detoxification while curbing sugar cravings with a structured plan.
What were some of your wellness wins?
In the past 12 months, I’ve lost 35 kilograms (77 pounds), dropped 4–5 dress sizes, and
– biggest of all – my bloodwork is back in the normal range. I’ve also stopped taking
eight tablets a day that I was using to manage diabetes, anxiety, and reflux. That alone
feels like a miracle, and the biggest win of all!
But the transformation for me wasn’t just physical. I used to cook huge, carb-heavy
meals as a way of caring for others. But now I know that care can still be delicious – and
still support my health. Now I prioritise protein, fat, and fibre at every meal. Making pearl
barley risotto instead of using regular Arborio rice was a real learning curve that I had to
get my head around – and it’s delicious!
But my biggest win is honestly the shift in mindset: health and wellness begin in the
kitchen, and food is now something that supports my body, not work against it.
Have you tried anything else in the past?
Yes – I feel like I’ve tried almost every diet available. Weight Watchers, calorie counting
(often to extreme levels), Lite n’ Easy, strict meal plans like Keto, grapefruit diet, cabbage
soup diet, Mediterranean Diet, shakes like Optislim… you name it. If it was restrictive,
I’ve pretty much done it!
Nothing ever came close to the results I’ve had with Autumn’s programs, or the staying
power. This is the first time I’ve felt educated, empowered, and in control. Between
Autumn, my trainer, and a couple of other YouTube content creators in the women’s
exercise science and menopause sphere, I’ve learnt how a woman’s body actually
works.
Did you have any struggles?
Exercise. I really don’t like exercising – truly! Moving my body consistently was the
hardest part of this journey – because I’m a natural sweater, I hated moving! I joined a
gym and avoided it. I blamed the weather, my study schedule, family commitments etc.
Getting a gym membership and using it was a huge mental hurdle for me at the start.
What helped after a few months was starting where I was, not where I thought I “should”
be.
I started with walking my dogs regularly and doing weeding in the garden (seriously,
garden work is a great leg, back and arm workout), and then in December I reached out
to a Personal Trainer I’d worked with several years ago. I began training with Jenna
again in January 2025, and it was the other best decisions I’ve made regarding my
health. Her “strong, not skinny” approach changed everything. She consistently pushes
me with heavy weights while cheering me on when I want to quit.
Over time, I learned to focus not on the exercise itself – which I still don’t love – but on
the feeling afterwards. Those post-workout endorphins are awesome!
What was your goal?
My original goal was simple: to get off the medications.
Diabetes runs heavily in my family, my anxiety medication dosage was unusually high,
and reflux had become a daily battle. I knew deep down that my eating habits were the
root cause of my health issues.
I decided I didn’t want to be another statistic – I wanted a different life. I just had to figure
out how to do it. As my journey unfolded, the goal evolved into wanting long-term health,
strength, and a positive relationship with food. Once I started seeing results, I wanted
more. The fact that I could over the past year get into all those boxes of ‘too small’
clothes – many with the tags still on them that I accumulated over many years – means I
now have a completely different wardrobe of clothes, which, as a girly-girl is a huge
bonus too! I now look to fashion as something to celebrate instead of something to cover
me up.
What were some of your favorite meals?
I really am a savoury girl through and through! The Cauliflower Nacho’s, Vanilla Berry
“Oatmeal”, Moroccan Detox Tray Bake, Spiced Baked Tenders, and the variety in the
shake’s recipes are my favourites.
I like that I can batch prep the dry ingredients for the Vanilla Berry Oatmeal in small
containers each week and just add the wet ingredients on the mornings I want to cook it.
I now also keep batched home-made enchilada sauce in my freezer so I can just defrost
when I want to make the Nacho’s. I also love any food that has herbs and spices like the
Nacho’s – they literally make everything taste better and help to support me to crave
quality over quantity.
The Moroccan Detox Tray Bake is like a spicy party in my mouth! Lol. The Spiced Baked
Tenders are simply delicious and so packed with flavour too.
I love, love, love the shakes recipes. I don’t have a sweet tooth, but I do love berries and
pineapples, so the shake recipes that they are in are my favourites. These are especially
great for when I am traveling to my hometown, where I can throw the ingredients into a
portable blender and take it with me in the car instead of stopping at takeaway/fast food
places to get a meal on the go.
What do you wish you could tell yourself at the start of your journey?
I would tell myself to lift weights from day one.
For too long, I prioritised cardio every chance I got because I was so fixated on seeing a
number on the scale. I thought the scale would tell me whether I was succeeding, but it
slowed my progress. Now I’m working hard to build the lean muscle I wish I’d started
focusing on a year ago.
I’d also remind myself not to give the scale so much power. It can nudge you in a general
direction, sure – but it only tells you the weight of your physical body. It doesn’t show you
how much of that weight is muscle, bone, water, or fat. It doesn’t reflect your strength,
your health, or how your body composition is changing.
That’s something Autumn’s programs and wealth of knowledge really taught me: the
number on the scale is just one tiny piece of the puzzle, not the whole picture.
What are your top tips for someone starting their journey?
- Don’t chase perfection – chase progress: No week is perfect and don’t try to
be because you will stay in a stop-start cycle for life if you do. Your week is made
up of life events, incidents and just generally living. So don’t beat yourself up,
because you can make progress without perfection! I did exactly that – I can
honestly say there was not one single week where I was ‘perfect’, and I still hit
my goals. - Don’t “start again on Monday”: Don’t wait until Monday to start again if you
have a blowout with food, or don’t feel like exercising. Just reset at the next meal
or the next opportunity to move your body, because every small choice nudges
you forward. Seriously, don’t wait until Monday – because if you make that
decision on Tuesday or Wednesday, then that’s a lot of days you are missing out
on feeling good or even amazing! - Keep going, even when things feel messy: A single off moment doesn’t undo
your progress. It’s what you do next that matters because this journey isn’t about
perfection. I think it’s about consistency, compassion, and showing up for
yourself.
50+ NEW RECIPES!
The Body Recomposition
Meal Plan
The 6 Week Summer Meal Plan is focused on the science-backed tips, tools and recipes to help achieve a body recomposition goal.
