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Okay, dude… if you’ve ever had a doctor shrug and basically say, “Yeah, you’re in perimenopause, good luck with that,” this episode is going to hit hard. My guest today, Amanda MacKintosh, got that exact speech right at the moment when she was gaining weight, feeling constantly hungry, and low-key convinced her body was broken.

Her social feeds were screaming hormones. Her doctor was like, get used to it. And Amanda? She honestly didn’t feel like doing any of the things she was being told to do. Chocolate and chips were putting up a very convincing argument.

But instead of spiraling into despair, Amanda did something kind of brilliant-slash-petty-slash-genius. She decided to follow a healthy living program perfectly just so she could go back to her doctor and say, “See? I did your boring advice and it does not work. Now fix me.”

Except… plot twist… it did work.

In this conversation, Amanda shares how she went from that perimenopause panic to feeling strong, capable, and dare I say joyful again. From eating vegetables like a goddamn champion to doing push-ups in sets of thirty and lifting her carry-on overhead without asking some random guy for help.

We get into habit loops, chocolate negotiations, why “making it fun” felt like an insult at first and the surprisingly boring thing that changed everything. Spoiler: it is not hormones. It is vegetables.

If you have ever felt like your body changed overnight and your willpower packed its bags and left, Amanda’s story is going to give you hope, relief and maybe a little kick in the butt.

What’s Inside:

• How panic around perimenopause and the “it’s your hormones” message kept Amanda stuck and what actually moved her forward
• The shockingly boring secret behind her massive transformation
• How the MFA helped her ditch all-or-nothing thinking and build habits that actually stick
• Why fun matters more than willpower and how she made healthy living feel doable instead of dreadful

If you are nodding along to this and thinking, “Oh crap, this is me,” then dude, I want to hear about it. What is your version of feeling broken and what would it look like to feel powerful again? Not in some magical hormone hack way but in the real-life, choosing-yourself kind of way.

Send me a DM on Instagram and tell me where you feel stuck and what you wish felt easier in your life right now. I love hearing your stories and cheering you on.

Mentioned in This Episode:

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Oonagh Duncan on Instagram
Fit Feels Good
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