It can be unsettling when a routine doctor visit produces a stern warning. That's what happened last week. The problem: the patient is overweight. The doctor said "overweight", I heard "chubby". The patient needs to lose 2 pounds and he's not happy about it.
My dog Lou is a 10-year-old bichon-frise (see pic attached). He's about 14" tall and weighs in a 27 lbs (I'm not sure what his BMI is or if that even matters for dogs). Bichons are normally under 16 lbs but he and his brother Armstrong were always bigger than the rest of the breed. But Armstrong, named after Lance, is the athlete. His 27 lbs is muscle. Lou....not so much...I'll admit he's a little squishy.
We offered all the normal protests:
"He's just big-boned."
"We really don't eat too many treats."
"We watch our portion sizes."
"Maybe that scale is wrong."
But, alas, the vet saw through our excuses. She stood firm. Lose 2 lbs.
The advice from the doctor is pretty straight-forward. You have heard this before. Reduce the number of treats and get in more walks. Basically, reduce calories in and increase calories burned.
I love Lou and I want him around for a long time. As a family member I know he needs my support to get trim.
Here's the plan:
- Reduce his treats to two per day.
- Make sure he is not getting more than his prescribed portion at breakfast and dinner.
- Increase the frequency and length of his walks.
If you have someone in your family who needs your support to make a positive change in their health then step up and help make it easier for them to achieve their goal. We offer in-home personal training programs with male and female trainers. We also conduct a great boot camp in Chalfont for all ability levels. Check us out at www.ActivePersonalFitness.com or call 267.626.7478.
We'll keep you posted on Lou's progress.
Be well,
Paul
Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
267.626.7478
"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."
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