How Rachel Lost 14kg While Navigating Menopause, IBS & Grief (And Found Her Happy Weight at 50)
Picture this: your face flushes hot without warning. Your gut cramps so badly some days you can barely leave the house. And you're constantly checking labels, because one wrong ingredient could put you in real danger.
That was Rachel's daily reality. Menopause symptoms she couldn't shake. IBS that had plagued her for years. Allergies to soy, fresh fruit and penicillin, serious enough that she couldn't afford to get it wrong.
Two years on, Rachel is lighter, her menopause symptoms have settled, her gut has calmed right down, and she says she feels better now than she did in her 20s.
Oh, and she did all of it in a year that also handed her redundancy, her dad's death, and a house move.
The Year Everything Happened At Once
Rachel is 50, a mum of two teenagers, living in Hamilton, New Zealand.
"2024 was crap," she told me. "I lost my dad. Made redundant. I was in the middle of buying a house, and had this horrible feeling that I was gonna be on the street with my teenage children."
“Due to all my allergies and intolerances, staying on the straight and narrow was hard. I wanted to feel like myself again and not live in a body that was letting me down,” says Rachel.
So she decided to join, even without a job at the time, living on savings.
"I thought, do you know what, I'm gonna march off to the supermarket, and I'm gonna do a huge shop. I'm just gonna shop for everything on the Health with Bec list. " she says. "I just turned the year around. I got a new job. I bought my house. I felt like I had control back."
Finding Her "Soulmate Food Person"
Rachel has a long list of allergies, plus ongoing IBS that would flare without warning.
"I've got allergies to soy and fresh fruit, where my throat swells up. I've also got allergies to penicillin, so there's only certain medications I can take. And I've had IBS for years – 25 to be exact," she says.
“As I’ve gotten older, it’s been harder to manage my weight and get through the old menopause symptoms”
"I just remember looking at Bec’s plan and thinking, it was like I found my soulmate food person, that just understood that there were people like me out there."
Rachel loved how she could tweak the plan to fit her body rather than the other way around, swapping in certain ingredients at times
"If you want this to be your life, you have to make it work for you," she says.
What Changed for Weight, IBS, Mood, and Menopause
Rachel lost 4 kg in the first 3 weeks, with the 3 Week Body Reset.
Then, her peak weight loss teetered between 14 and 16kg, after about six months in the Tribe.
A year into the lifestyle, her doctor noticed the difference before Rachel even brought it up.
“I remember going to see my doctor a year after I’d been doing this, and she was like, ‘What have you been doing?’ Menopause symptoms subsided. I felt like I was 20 again!”
The gut symptoms shifted too, and Rachel says the effect went well beyond the physical.
"When your gut is out of whack, it affects your sleep, and it also affects your mood. When I was bloated and constipated all the time, I was so much more anxious and sad."
She's since started HRT patches, but when asked directly what she credits more, she doesn't hesitate.
"I'd honestly say that it’s more about the eating than the HRT, in all honesty."
2 Years In. What’s Actually Kept her Going
2 years into following this lifestyle, and today, her weight sits closer to 12 to 13kg down, and made peace with exactly where that landed.
"I used to be like 47 kilos, and it doesn't look good on me now. I mean, everyone knows I'm 50. I've also got a 17-year-old daughter that I need to set an example for. Over-stressing about every gram is not good for her, and it's not good for me. It's not good for anybody."
"Right now I'd like to be an extra couple of kilos lighter, but you know what? I don't really care because I'm happy. And I'm not gonna be where I was again, mentally or physically."
She's clear on what actually keeps her going, and it isn't the number on the scale.
"It's not even about the weight. I just feel so good. I don't feel like crap in myself, and my confidence... I actually feel better than I felt when I was in my 20s."
Staying Organised Without Being Perfect
Rachel doesn't meal prep every week, and she's stopped feeling like she has to.
"I think the key thing is to stock up your pantry with your staples. I've got two shelves set aside for Bec. I call it my Bec shelves. And I've got a ring binder of recipes. I just flick through the ring binder, the breakfast tab, the chicken tab, the lamb tab, and I'm like, what are we having for dinner tonight?"
"I don't always have time to plan perfectly. I just make sure that I have the majority of the food that I wanna cook with here at home in my cupboard."
Travel and Eating Out, Without the Stress
Rachel's approach to travel is practical, not perfect. Heading to the US at Christmas, she packed a loaf of bread from home.
"I took the bread over there because I like bread. And I was just like, if I get unstuck, I know I can make toasties!"
Her bigger rule is about mindset more than logistics.
"Eat what you know you're gonna enjoy. Eat what you can eat that isn't gonna react with you. There are gonna be freedom meals when you travel... I now know what I can and can't eat, and I'm just gonna enjoy myself and do my best."
Cooking for a Family Without Making Two Dinners
With teenagers at home, Rachel keeps the protein the same for everyone and adjusts the carb side to suit.
"If I'm doing a pasta dish, I'll do everything, making the meat and all the sauces, because the sauces are whole food so it's all good for them. And then when it comes to the rice or the pasta, they have that and I have that. We all have the same protein, and we all have roughly the same veggies."
The Facebook Group and Paying It Forward
Rachel credits posting in the privateTribeFacebook group with keeping her accountable for almost two years, and with reminding her how far she's come.
"Looking back at the me that came into this group almost two years ago that thought I'd last three weeks and then tap out. I’m so glad I didn’t. The Tribe is amazing, I love the support and uplifting of each other."
She's watched three friends join the Tribe after seeing her own transformation, and says her hope for anyone hearing her story is simple.
“If I can make one person feel like it’s doable, and they look at me and think, oh, she’s 50, I’m 50, I can do this. Age shouldn’t be a reason why we can’t do something.”
Rachel's Message To Other Women
Rachel is sleeping well, exercising through a mix of running, walking, hiking and, more recently, reformer pilates.
"Walking has become my friend, for sure," she says. "Some days you'll get big walks in and some days you won't. Just take what you can, even if it's just a quick walk to the letterbox. It's moving."
She closed the call with this, and it's stayed with me since.
"I just don't know where I'd be if I just hadn't started. This process is a lifestyle change and it is hands down the best thing I have ever done for myself”.
If Rachel's story resonated with you…
If her story tells you anything, it’s that you don't need to wait for the perfect moment to start. She didn't. Twelve months from now, you could be exactly where she is.
The first step is my 3 Week Body Reset – simple, structured meal plans designed to reduce bloating and support sustainable fat loss without the hunger – for the woman that’s tried it all…
Already done it and want to turn your diet change into a sustainable lifestyle? Continue your journey in the Health with Bec Tribe – where you’ll:
- Continue to lose weight and the bloat, and find your peak energy and confidence again
- Get new recipes, meal plans, and ongoing education to remove every piece of guesswork
- Have access to me in fortnightly coaching calls (and 2 years’ worth of replays)
You’ll also be able to watch a replay of the coaching call that I did with Rachel, where she shares her journey in more detail to inspire and motivate you to stay on track and find food freedom like she has.
Because here's the truth – investing in your health with the right support and community isn't a luxury. I could be the smartest investment you ever make – like it was for Rachel!
Author Bio
Bec Miller is a qualified nutritionist (Bachelor of Science in Nutrition), women’s weight loss specialist, and founder of Health with Bec. After years of struggling with her own gut health, energy, and weight, Bec developed a proven approach to sustainable weight loss for women – without restriction, hunger, or the yo-yo dieting cycle. She has helped 50,000+ women worldwide reduce bloating, lose weight, and finally feel like themselves again, and has followed her own approach for over 11 years. Her program is approved by Dr Will Bulsiewicz MD MSCI, Award Winning Gastroenterologist and 2x New York Times Bestselling Author, and holds a 4.9 average star rating from over 3,000 Google Reviews.
Medical disclaimer
This content is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your diet or lifestyle, particularly if you have a medical condition or are taking medication.