I recently wrote about Tango’s and my journey to shed a few pounds. We both need to lose it for health reasons.
And speaking just for myself, there’s some vanity in my quest to lose a bit of me. I am 10 pounds over my “never go over” weight. Seems this aging thing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I remember eating two full Reese’s cups every day when I was younger. And never gaining even an ounce. Those days are far behind me, unfortunately. And from what I hear, it’s easier to take it off now than wait for another decade to pass…
THE PROBLEMS
I got the jolt I needed this morning when I tried on all the pants in my closet. And the number that don’t fit now exceeds the number that do. Depressing? No! Maddening? HELL, YES! For me, mad is good. Mad is motivating. Mad is “get your a$$ out of bed and workout this morning and every morning, missy.” [Which, by the way, I’ve done for the past few days. Yay for mad!]
Anyway, back to Tango. Tango’s goal is to be between a 4 and 5 on the body condition scale. I say that as if he and I had a conversation and he chose that goal. Not really — MY goal for Tango is to get him to that condition. But he’ll be happier there, for sure, because his joints will have less pressure and weight on them. To get there, Tango needs to drop about six pounds. Adding exercise to his routine is a little harder because of his osteoarthritis (OA). Too much exercise and he’s in pain.
In addition to Tango, we have an older Labrador, Lily, who just turned 11 years old. In an effort to keep her healthy, she’s joined (been drafted, if I’m being honest) into our exercise and weight loss plan. Walks thrill Lily. She’d walk 10 times a day, if that was an option.
THE SOLUTIONS
Exercise: So this morning, after my workout, I leashed up the two Labradors and set out for a neighborhood walk. I’ve been doing this at least once a day for the past week. It’s good for all of us. Why is this new for us? Doesn’t everyone walk their dog everyday? Here’s my confession: we don’t walk our dogs every day. We live out in the country, we have a big fenced yard, and the dogs get a lot of exercise out in the yard. We have cows, pastures and horses way out here, not sidewalks and street lights. So walking in the dark (at this time of year it’s dark more than it’s light) isn’t a good option.
In a perfect world, those leash walks would happen two or three times a day. I know how to modify behavior, therefore I’m setting myself up for success. Success = 1 leash walk a day. Once we get really good at reaching that goal, I’ll up that goal to 2 leash walks at least 2 times a week. And we’ll progress steadily from there.
Diet: I’ve been cutting Tango back on his food. He gets 3/4 cup of food each day [1/4c in the morning, and 1/2c in the evening]. He also gets two pork rawhides and 1 – 3 filled Kongs every day. I’ve since added pumpkin to the mixture to reduce the calories even further. The dogs frequently get a taste of what I’m eating, but now that taste is really just a smidge, something pea-sized: a pinch of the crust of my sandwich, a tiny tidbit of the waffle. They get lots of the healthy stuff like apples and carrots, of course. Veggies are good! [As for me, I’ve started eating more whole foods, have eliminated as many processed foods {like the frozen diet lunches, frozen waffles, store-bought cookies, etc.} as possible and am now officially snacking between meals. Hard to believe, but when I snack on healthful things (yogurt with blueberries and walnuts, cottage cheese, etc.), I eat less overall. Wouldn’t have believed it…]
THE PROGRESS
I haven’t taken Tango to get weighed yet, it’s only been a week since we’ve started our program in earnest. It’s occasionally very tempting to give the dogs (who have perfected the pathetic look) a few full-sized versions of what I’m eating, but then I remember that no matter how much I give them, they will always want more. There isn’t a point at which they’ll say “Oh, I’m full” and turn and walk away. They’d eat ’til they burst, so it’s a game I can never win. They’re just as happy, I tell myself, with a crumb as with the entire sandwich. [I have lost about a pound {I’m so not impressed by that number} and about 1% fat. Which is better than gaining, so while it’s a modest decline, it’s a decline and I’ll take it.]