# Green Bean Diet?



## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

The green bean diet has worked for many here on the forum. There was just a thread about it on here today.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Green beans are simply used as a "filler" when you are decreasing the amount of food a dog is eating. I believe that for a short period they are fine, but you need to make sure that you are using sodium free beans. I've used beans when I've needed to take a couple of pounds off a dog fairly quickly, but I prefer to use a food that itself has less calories but still has the nutrients required if a fair amount of weight needs to come off. It is safer and healthier to take the weight off more slowly and over a longer amount of time - it is also more likely to stay off this way.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Using a lower calorie weight control food really helped Lucky. I went back to the regular after he lost the weight and lo and behold he's 10lbs over weight again.....


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## Heidi36oh (Feb 27, 2007)

I have two big boy's, one like yours looks very healthy and slim with weighing 85 pounds. The other one weight in just last week at 90 pounds. 

He is by no means fat, he needs to loose about 5 pounds, that's what I think. The vet said he looked good.

I have him on the green bean diet and he lost 1 pound already, it works but I wouldn't use it for long term.


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## 3459 (Dec 27, 2007)

Pointgold said:


> Green beans are simply used as a "filler" when you are decreasing the amount of food a dog is eating. I believe that for a short period they are fine, but you need to make sure that you are using sodium free beans. I've used beans when I've needed to take a couple of pounds off a dog fairly quickly, but I prefer to use a food that itself has less calories but still has the nutrients required if a fair amount of weight needs to come off. It is safer and healthier to take the weight off more slowly and over a longer amount of time - it is also more likely to stay off this way.


I have been really curious about this. I'll be doggy sitting my son's golden this summer, and she has quite a bit of weight to lose. I feed my Chessie Pro Plan, and have been trying to decide whether to feed Sydney the Pro Plan weight management formula or smaller portions of Chessie's food with green beans added. Any recommendations?


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

DaMama said:


> I have been really curious about this. I'll be doggy sitting my son's golden this summer, and she has quite a bit of weight to lose. I feed my Chessie Pro Plan, and have been trying to decide whether to feed Sydney the Pro Plan weight management formula or smaller portions of Chessie's food with green beans added. Any recommendations?


I have been very happy with Pro Plan's Weight Management. We put Pebbles and Jib on it when they lived with Gini and were both altered -when she became ill, they didn't get the amount of exercise they had been accustomed to, and Larry was overfeeding them. They lost the necessary amount of weight in good time, maintained their nice coats, and never acted overly hungry. I have Larry feeding it to both Pebbles and Graham, now, and they are in very good shape.


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## sophiesadiehannah's mom (Feb 11, 2007)

i am a firm believer of the green bean diet. hannah has lost 11 pounds since nov 12,2008, 3/4 cup proplan weight management food and 1/2 cup green beans (no salt) twice a day. will begin to use the green beans once daily and full cup food once daily to try to maintain weight.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

*Nutritional Info Green Beans
Serving size: 1/4 cup (83g)
Calories 25
Fat 0g
Sodium 0mg
Protein 1g
Carbohydrate 5g
Dietary Fiber 3 g 
% of U.S. RDA 
Vitamin A 2%
Vitamin C 8%
Calcium 4%
Iron 2% *

Please note that there is very little nutritional value to green beans. The "Green Bean Diet for Dogs" is meant for short term use, and not for maintenance. There is a very real concern that if fed long term with a small amount of food that there can be dietary deficiencies resulting. Again, I think it is useful to take weight off but don't feel it is ideal as a matter of routine feeding, especially for younger dogs.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

I use the formula given to me by a professional (meaning this is not my science). It's not for all dogs and you will know if your dog is losing weight too quickly, but it's the 10/1. If your dog should weigh 75 pounds, feed him 750 calories. It worked for our Tucker. If I were to use this method with Shadow it wouldn't be enough calories for him. You have to be aware and adjust as needed. 

It worked wonders for us. If you dog is still hungry then I'd think about adding the green beans. My two didn't do well on green beans, but many do.

Here's our Tucker.
This is Tucker before and after. I hope we have added some years to his precious life...
Attached Images


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## hmsalazar (Feb 19, 2009)

There is Iams Weight Control Large Breed, you can combine it with the beans but also make him do some exercise


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

hmsalazar said:


> There is Iams Weight Control Large Breed, you can combine it with the beans but also make him do some exercise


 
Years ago when we used Iams, the weight control formula really made the dogs gasey. Pro Plan Weight Management has not.


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## hmsalazar (Feb 19, 2009)

Pointgold said:


> Years ago when we used Iams, the weight control formula really made the dogs gasey. Pro Plan Weight Management has not.


I also prefer (and feed) pro plan but if he is eating iams right now maybe they not need to change to more expensive food.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

hmsalazar said:


> I also prefer (and feed) pro plan but if he is eating iams right now maybe they not need to change to more expensive food.


They are priced just about the same in our area.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

wow, what a difference! I'm sure you not only added years to his life, you also added quality to the years he has!




Kimm said:


> This is Tucker before and after. I hope we have added some years to his precious life...
> Attached Images


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

A question, PG, about the green beans.
Do you see any harm in adding them to a dog's diet over a long period of time in addition to the regular amount of food, not in place of? The reason I ask is that my 11 year old male has some constipation issues due to a compressed disk (L7) and I've just started adding green beans to his food to bulk him up, in addition to the big plops of pumpkin I also give him. I use the frozen green beans (which I thaw of course) because they are sodium free. 
Thanks!




Pointgold said:


> Please note that there is very little nutritional value to green beans. The "Green Bean Diet for Dogs" is meant for short term use, and not for maintenance. There is a very real concern that if fed long term with a small amount of food that there can be dietary deficiencies resulting. Again, I think it is useful to take weight off but don't feel it is ideal as a matter of routine feeding, especially for younger dogs.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

At the risk of being unpopular here, I think weight management foods and green beans are often (not always) about making us more comfortable, not the dogs. If you lower the amount of food a dog is getting gradually, over a couple of weeks, "fullness" won't necessarily be a problem. People are often just surprised at how little food some dogs really need to thrive. If the dog is, say 20 pounds overweight (30%), a food reduction from 3 cups of an AAFCO approved food to 1.5 cups isn't going to cause nutritional problems, and if you lower the amount incrementally, the dog isn't as likely to notice.

All of this only applies to healthy dogs that don't have thyroid or hormonal problems. In those situations, supplements and prescription foods may be necessary. But "weight loss" food is simply food with lower nutritional density, so why not just feed less?


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

hotel4dogs said:


> A question, PG, about the green beans.
> Do you see any harm in adding them to a dog's diet over a long period of time in addition to the regular amount of food, not in place of? The reason I ask is that my 11 year old male has some constipation issues due to a compressed disk (L7) and I've just started adding green beans to his food to bulk him up, in addition to the big plops of pumpkin I also give him. I use the frozen green beans (which I thaw of course) because they are sodium free.
> Thanks!


I wouldn't think it would be a problem, because you wouldn't be using it for weight loss, and the nutrition from the regular food is still available. 

I'm not a big believer in the pumpkin thing, I mean, how _does_ it know the difference whether it's being given for diarrhea or constipation? What is it, like a Thermos that knows the difference between hot and cold?


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

tippykayak said:


> At the risk of being unpopular here, I think weight management foods and green beans are often (not always) about making us more comfortable, not the dogs.


I know an owner, trainer, and breeder who would agree with you 100%.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

All 4 of mine get green beans with there food. There are not over weight and We havent
had any problems.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Maggies mom said:


> All 4 of mine get green beans with there food. There are not over weight and We havent
> had any problems.


I don't think you'd have any problems Mary. In most cases they're just a filler???


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Maggies mom said:


> All 4 of mine get green beans with there food. There are not over weight and We havent
> had any problems.


If you are simply adding them to the regular ration of food, there would not be. If you decrease the amount of food and make up for it with beans, over long term you are increasing the probability of problems because they have very little nutritional value.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Pointgold said:


> If you are simply adding them to the regular ration of food, there would not be. If you decrease the amount of food and make up for it with beans, over long term you are increasing the probability of problems because they have very little nutritional value.


But is it really possible that somebody would feed so little food that the dog would remain at a healthy weight and yet be getting insufficient nutrients? The green beans have essentially no caloric value, so it's not like replacing part of the food with, say, cheese, where the dog would get sufficient calories to remain at a proper weight but could be missing out on nutrients.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

I'm glad to see this thread. I've used green beans but STRONGLY agree with the fact that food should not be reduced drastically. Even while reducing, they need the nutrients to stay healthy. You want to reduce the calorie intake while not sending their bodies into starvation mode.

Just as with humans, I think that a steady weight loss is preferable to a quick drastic reduction.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

tippykayak said:


> But is it really possible that somebody would feed so little food that the dog would remain at a healthy weight and yet be getting insufficient nutrients? The green beans have essentially no caloric value, so it's not like replacing part of the food with, say, cheese, where the dog would get sufficient calories to remain at a proper weight but could be missing out on nutrients.


You'd be surprised how many people do, Brian. As I've said, in order to maintain healthy weight, you must be feeding enough of the regular food - the beans are essentially worthless.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Pointgold said:


> You'd be surprised how many people do, Brian. As I've said, in order to maintain healthy weight, you must be feeding enough of the regular food - the beans are essentially worthless.


I think I see our confusion, and I think we pretty much agree. Truly underfeeding a dog would cause him to drop below healthy weight and suffer nutrient deficiency. My point is that if a dog is maintaining a healthy weight on an amount of food that seems small, there is no problem. He wouldn't be able to maintain healthy weight without getting enough calories, and as long as those calories are coming from proper food, there should be sufficient amounts of vitamins, minerals, protein, fat, etc.

Therefore an overweight dog shouldn't be given starvation rations plus green beans, and just like in people, weight loss should be kept very, very slow. 

What I'm basically arguing is that in many (most?) situations where a dog is overweight, the best thing to do with the food is to gradually reduce it to an appropriate amount that causes him to lose weight very slowly. In the absence of other medical issues, the dog would be getting a good amount of nutrition and yet coming down to a healthy weight over time.

Again, exempting medical issues, dogs get overweight from being inactive and/or getting too many calories (just like us!). I do think some people are surprised at how little some dogs need in order to thrive, so they simply feed too much kibble or supplement with too many treats. The key there is to feed less. Green beans _may_ help them to feel full as they make the transition to smaller amounts of food, but they also may not be necessary if the food amount is scaled back very slowly. Bulking up food with beans may be more about making a portion that looks right to the human eye than fulfilling a dog's need to feel full.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Thanks.
I've wondered about the pumpkin thing, too...but it does seem to help him, so I just go with that. Of course, maybe I should try doing without it for a while and see if it's CAUSING the problem :doh:



Pointgold said:


> I wouldn't think it would be a problem, because you wouldn't be using it for weight loss, and the nutrition from the regular food is still available.
> 
> I'm not a big believer in the pumpkin thing, I mean, how _does_ it know the difference whether it's being given for diarrhea or constipation? What is it, like a Thermos that knows the difference between hot and cold?


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Ok, here's a perfect example for you, my 11 year old male, who weighs 80 lean pounds.
He can only get 300 grams of food per day or he starts to gain weight. He's on an AAFCO approved food. But 300 grams per day of this food only provides him with 54 grams of protein per day.
At 80 pounds, he needs 80 grams of protein per day. His weight will stay the same, but his body will begin to metabolize the protein stores in his muscles to supply his organs and brain. As he loses lean muscle, he will metabolize fewer calories, and start to deposit some of the calories as fat instead. Again, his weight remains the same but the lean/fat ratio changes.
So I have to remove some of the "kibble calories" and supplement him with "pure protein calories" instead to bring him up to 80 grams of protein in a day. His weight remains the same, but it's lean muscle weight.
And his strength in his back end has come back quite a bit now that his body is no longer metabolizing the big thigh muscles to provide the correct nutrition to the vital organs/brain.
Plus he gets pumpkin and green beans, but I don't figure the calories in either of those since dogs don't really digest either one.



tippykayak said:


> But I don't get it: how can the dog be at a healthy weight if he's not getting enough food?
> 
> I understand that an overweight dog shouldn't be taken to starvation rations plus green beans, and just like in people, weight loss should be kept very, very slow. But I'm not sure how somebody could feed enough of an AAFCO approved food to _maintain_ a dog at a good weight and yet be underfeeding for nutrients.
> 
> I guess the thing I wanted to clear up is that I don't think you can be underfeeding your dog and also maintaining a healthy weight at the same time if you're using a good food.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

tippykayak said:


> But I don't get it: how can the dog be at a healthy weight if he's not getting enough food?
> 
> I understand that an overweight dog shouldn't be taken to starvation rations plus green beans, and just like in people, weight loss should be kept very, very slow. But I'm not sure how somebody could feed enough of an AAFCO approved food to _maintain_ a dog at a good weight and yet be underfeeding for nutrients.
> 
> I guess the thing I wanted to clear up is that I don't think you can be underfeeding your dog and also maintaining a healthy weight at the same time if you're using a good food.


I'm not very articulate today. :doh: I agree with this, Brian. What I have seen is here people with obese dogs use the "Green Bean Diet for Dogs", and during the coarse of taking the weight off slowly, problems do occur because the dog is lacking the nutrients that are needed, especially if they've also increased the dog's exercise. This is why I say that it is useful to take a couple of pounds off, but if I had a dog that had a serious weight issue, I'd use an aternative method, rather than the beans. 
And I have seen a lot of dogs who have also lost weight to the extreme - as you've said, it i better to take weight off gradually, and in order to maintain a healthy weight, feed a good quality food, lower in fat and calories, an keep up with the exercise.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Never mind!


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## Karen2 (Jan 5, 2009)

Ok dumb question here...
Are the green beans good for anything other than filler.
Just wondering if they add bulk for digestive system or not (good or bad).
Just curious, Sierra has already taken the weight off she needed to .
I just need to balance her out now to maintain.
Karen


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

hotel4dogs said:


> Ok, here's a perfect example for you, my 11 year old male, who weighs 80 lean pounds.
> He can only get 300 grams of food per day or he starts to gain weight. He's on an AAFCO approved food. But 300 grams per day of this food only provides him with 54 grams of protein per day.
> At 80 pounds, he needs 80 grams of protein per day. His weight will stay the same, but his body will begin to metabolize the protein stores in his muscles to supply his organs and brain. As he loses lean muscle, he will metabolize fewer calories, and start to deposit some of the calories as fat instead. Again, his weight remains the same but the lean/fat ratio changes.
> So I have to remove some of the "kibble calories" and supplement him with "pure protein calories" instead to bring him up to 80 grams of protein in a day. His weight remains the same, but it's lean muscle weight.
> ...


Sounds like a special situation, but the essential point, that the green beans are not part of the nutrition equation, remains the same. Why are they in there?

Out of curiosity, where are you getting the 80 lbs/80g protein number?


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

you're right, the green beans provide no nutrition at all.
The 1 gm/1 pound of body weight is from Ohio State Veterinary School nutrition website, which has some great information on it (scroll down and you'll find the protein requirement)

http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/1850.htm



tippykayak said:


> Sounds like a special situation, but the essential point, that the green beans are not part of the nutrition equation, remains the same. Why are they in there?
> 
> Out of curiosity, where are you getting the 80 lbs/80g protein number?


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## Garfield (Apr 7, 2009)

hotel4dogs said:


> So I have to remove some of the "kibble calories" and supplement him with "pure protein calories" instead to bring him up to 80 grams of protein in a day.


What protein sources do you use to best accomplish this?


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## Garfield (Apr 7, 2009)

goldentroops said:


> I have 2 male goldens that are about the same height. They are large - Kasey is at a good weight at 80-85 pounds. Kody on the other hand is up to about 112 lb. He had been at 116lb and we got him to loose a little weight. He had a thyroid test which is normal. We feed the dogs exactly the same - Iams large breed dog food - measure their food and feed them in two seperate areas twice a day. Kody often only eats once a day -yet he stays fairly plump. He loves to go for walks, play ball etc. But he really enjoys being a couch potatoe. We have a doggie door and large back yard - when our other two dogs are out running around he likes to stay inside.
> 
> Just curious about adding the green beans? Can you please tell me more?
> 
> Thanks.:wavey:


For what it's worth, in the past my two dogs were on the Iam's Large Breed Weight Control formula and both did quite well on it. Though if you decide to go with a lower cal food for maintenance, there are probably better quality ones in a similiar price range as Iam's that might be worth a try.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

my dog has an autoimmune mediated inflammatory bowel disorder, and for a while I had to add ground venison to his diet. Then, after 2 years of this, his liver enzymes went up again (in his case, a sign that the disease is active) which indicated to us that he could no longer tolerate venison, so now I add rabbit to his food. Yes, I do buy ($7 a pound), roast, and de-bone rabbit for this dog. He needs 2 ounces a day to bring him up to the correct amount of protein.
IF the dog doesn't have an issue with regular proteins, you can use any high quality muscle meat, cooked egg, etc.




Garfield said:


> What protein sources do you use to best accomplish this?


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