There is a lady named Beverly who took my Maximum Weight Loss class July of 2011. I recently talked with her and she said she has reached her weight-loss goal, had a better cholesterol reading upon her last doctor visit, and she no longer craves and eats a lot of sweets and sugar.

Before taking my class, she was in a panic mode thinking that she couldn’t eat like normal anymore and every bite was going to make her gain weight, but after taking the class and making some improvements, she’s been able to get to her ideal weight and become healthier and in control.

Beverly said that six years ago, she started to notice that without making any changes in her diet and lifestyle, she was starting to put on weight little by little. She is a grandma, and at the time of the class, she said she was 10-12 pounds overweight.

One year ago, she had some blood tests that showed her cholesterol to be at 217, but recently she had everything checked again and her cholesterol is now at 161. Her good cholesterol was up and the triglycerides were down – everything looked better.

I taught the basic principles for weight loss and encouraged the class to use whatever guideline(s) they wanted and to feel free to come up with their own personalized plans. I emphasized the need to make weekly improvements in their own lives, however they wanted.

She made some effective changes that helped her reach her goal and to also enjoy the benefits of overcoming sugar cravings and having a healthier heart. Here are some of the lasting changes that she made:

• Drastically cut back on consumption of milk from multiple daily use to maybe once a month.
• Make a Bean and rice combination of 1 cup beans, 1 cup brown rice, and 1 cup quinoa as her main food focus. She cooked them altogether in a slow cooker and used the mix for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Just measure them out into a slow cooker, add 9 cups water and cook on low for 6 hours or more. Use lentils if you cook them together, otherwise add the beans separate. Just do the 2 cups of grains with 6  cups water for 6 hours or more. For breakfast, she’d add some cinnamon and fresh fruit, for dinner, she added salsa. Many times, she skipped lunch and would maybe just have a banana.
• Cut back on fats and not eating out as much, trying to bake more instead of frying.
• Avoid adding so much water-retaining salt in recipes, just uses Mrs. Dash salt-free seasonings and only lightly salts the surface of foods on her plate if needed.
• Walks 30-40 minutes five days a week.
• Avoids adding so much cheese to casseroles and tries to keep it to a minimum amount possible.
  

  It’s amazing what healthy, high-fiber foods can do to eliminate the sugar cravings.

After just three days of making these types of changes, she lost her craving for sweets since she was eating some satisfying and high-fiber foods. She lost any urges to binge and realized this was working for her and that she needed to continue. She was able to avoid eating a lot of Halloween candy and only has a treat once in a great while.

She now takes the time to read more fat-free recipes to try out. If she ever notices that she is starting to gain again, she makes the rice/bean/quinoa mix and becomes more strict on food choices. She loves the knowledge that she’s gained and is on the road to a permanent lifestyle that works for her.

Just a note from me – when you eat concentrated animal proteins there  is a subsequent craving for sweets and dessert. And, for families who do the vegan diet of only plant foods, there is no craving for sugar. However, if you eat a lot of sugar, it is very detrimental to growing children because sugar depletes protein. So, it’s the worst thing for vegan families to consume a lot of sugar. Kids need plenty of protein for growth. They can get it from wholesome starches like grains, beans, potatoes, and winter squash. But, the sugar seems to defeat the purpose of raising healthy children that grow normally.

I think it is awesome that you can beat the sugar cravings by giving your body true body fuel of wholesome starches and by eliminating the eating of excess animals and animal products. You can usually tell if you are eating the concentrated animal proteins in excess if you have a sugar craving. Or, simply getting enough to eat of true body fuel eliminates cravings in general. Way to go Beverly in your new discovery!