In July 2015 I got a big scare that might have diabetes. I was feeling tingling nerves in my feet and lower legs. I went to the doctor for a physical and she tested me for diabetes. Thankfully I didn't have diabetes but, it did scare me enough to say good bye to soft drinks. It's been 1 1/2 years since I drank a soda.
I started counting calories and started exercising (walking and running). I was losing weight but it was really hard to make the right food choices. I struggled to force myself to keep at it. But by Christmas I had lost 45 lbs. Christmas derailed me with the sweets and those tempting cheesy potatoes.
My hubby got me a Fitbit Charge HR for Christmas 2015. I loved it and it got me moving again. I was struggling with my diet but walking kept the weight off.
In February my brother talked to a nutritionist, Karen Hurd. She is called The Bean Queen because she has found that eating beans is a wonderful purifier for the body and a great way to lose weight. He was doing so well that by the end of March I started following (not as strictly) the diet plan she had laid out for him. I pretty much just ate beans 3 times a day, protein (not always lean and unprocessed) 3 times, and lots of vegetables, and drank lots of water.
I lost weight easier and my total weight loss by May was around 65 lbs.
I don't remember what derailed me this past summer (2016) but it happened and now I am about 10 lbs away from the weight I carried in July of 2015. 😞
The following is a copy of the do's and don'ts from the Bean Queen.
No List
(These things will worsen your condition and should be eliminated.)
Sweets (cakes, pies, cookies, doughnuts, chocolate, candy, ice cream, Jell-O, pudding, muffins, sweetened breads [pumpkin bread, zucchini bread] etc.)
Natural sweeteners (honey, jam, jelly, syrup [even 100% pure maple syrup], molasses, etc.)
Artificial and “natural-artificial” sweeteners (Splenda, Stevia, Sweet N Low, Equal, NutraSweet, aspartame, xyitol, mannitol, agave nectar, etc.)
Sweetened beverages (lemonade, Kool-Aid, hot chocolate, punch, Gatorade, etc.)
Sodas (diet or regular, caffeine free or not)
Fruit juice
Fruit
Caffeine (coffee; black, green, orange pekoe teas; Anacin, Excedrin, etc.). This includes decaffeinated beverages.Tea (of any kind, even if it’s herbal)
Fragrances or perfumes (this includes scented laundry products, soaps, shampoos, scented candles, aroma therapy, etc.)
Dairy (milk, cheese, butter, cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, buttermilk, kefir, etc. This applies to goat’s milk and goat’s milk products as well as cow’s milk.)
Saturated fats (fatty meats [bacon, sausage, bratwurst, hotdogs, etc.], deep fried foods, fried chips, butter, margarine, lard, shortening, palm oil, cheese, sour cream, etc.)
Gum (regular or artificially sweetened)
Starches (bread, rice, noodles, potatoes, cereal, crackers, chips, pretzels, corn, popcorn, grains)
Alcohol
Soy products (tofu, tempeh, miso, soy nuts, soy milk)
Rice milk
Cinnamon
Do List
(These things will improve your condition and are required to be accomplished daily.)
Eat a palm-size portion of lean efficient protein at every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Efficient proteins are: eggs, meat (beef, pork, venison, lamb, buffalo, elk, rabbit, etc.), poultry (chicken, turkey, pheasant, dove, duck, goose, etc.), fish (of any kind), and seafood.
Eat ¾ cup of legumes 3 separate times in the day (at breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Legumes are beans such as pinto, kidney, garbanzo, Great Northern, navy, lentils, black, brown, white, red, black-eyed peas, yellow-eyed peas, pigeon peas, green split peas, yellow split peas, refried beans (without the added lard), hummus (ground chick peas), etc. If cooking with bean flour, a serving is half the amount (i.e., ½ cup legumes = ¼ cup bean flour).
Eat 7 servings of vegetables daily with your meals or snacks. (Remember that corn is not a vegetable.) The vegetables can come from the frozen or fresh state, or from cans. One serving = 2/3 cup, unless it is salad, then one serving = 2 cups. The vegetables can be raw, steamed or cooked. Consider tomatoes a vegetable.
Drink 1½ gallons of water daily. You must drink water with every meal and snack. The water must be purified. Well water is also fine. No cold water. All beverages must be room temperature or warmer—the hotter, the better.
1 quart is 32 fluid ounces, ½ gallon is 64 fluid ounces, and ¾ gallon is 96 fluid ounces.
Sleep/rest 8 hours in a twenty-four hour period or a total of 56 per week. The hours do not have to be consecutive.
Allowed List
(These things will neither worsen or improve your condition and are allowed ONLY if the Do List is being accomplished every day.)
Nuts, seeds, and their butters (i.e. peanuts and peanut butter, almonds and almond butter, etc.)
Condiments (mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, salsa, tartar sauce, salad dressings, pickles, olives, avocados, etc.). Condiments must have 5 grams or less of sugar per serving.
Oils (olive, canola, peanut, etc.) except palm oil (i.e. coconut oil)
Unsweetened almond milk (warmed)
This is what I plan to start on January 1st 2017 to accomplish my weight loss goals. I have started this blog as an encouragement to others and a way to stay on track for myself.
This is what I plan to start on January 1st 2017 to accomplish my weight loss goals. I have started this blog as an encouragement to others and a way to stay on track for myself.
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