Chaka Khan performs at the Lovebox Festival held at Victoria Park in London. (June 17, 2012)
*Chaka Khan said her recent health kick – which has so far resulted in a 60 pound weight loss – was her immediate response to discovering that she suffers from diabetes.
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The R&B legend, 59, was diagnosed with the blood sugar condition last year. She said the condition, and winning custody of her young granddaughter, were just the kick starts she needed to begin her drastic weight loss program, which involved fasting and adopting a vegan diet.
“I had diabetes type two and high blood pressure. I adopted my 10-year-old granddaughter last year. I have to be there for her,” she told Essence.com.
“I knew I couldn’t go out like this so I just fasted for, like, a month, then I went vegan and went off meats and all dairy and anything with eyes. If I have a craving for a little baked fish or something I might eat it. But that’s about it. I’ve mostly been doing a lot of high-protein foods and a lot of vegetables and exercise…
“I felt like I need to heal my body, so I would just fast and eat no meat, no dairy. I’ve never been a fan of meat, dairy and sugar. And when I developed diabetes last year I said, ‘Oh OK, I’m not going to be here long. A change is coming.’ So I started getting my mindset, then I started the fasting.”
But Khan admits she’s not a fan of working out to keep the excess weight off her new slimmer frame: “I don’t like exercising at all. I guess if I had one (exercise) of choice it would be walking. I do not run and I’m losing, like, on average about five pounds a month. I’ve lost 60 pounds since October.”
As previously reported, Khan was awarded permanent guardianship of her then-10 year old granddaughter in December after claiming her son and the child’s mother were incapable of caring for her as a result of drug abuse.