Overweight Dogs by Debby Kay

It is a well-documented fact that more people living in the USA are overweight than any other country. This also seems to be true for American dogs as well. Research has shown that being overweight not only causes dogs to suffer more frequently from joint disease and related problems but it also reduces their life span by up to 30%. Yet people for whatever reason continue to feed their dogs too much food.

In my 40+ years of dealing with people who overfeed their dogs I have noticed that most of them do not even recognize that their dogs are overweight. So how do you tell if you have a fat dog. The easiest way is to compare it a chart that Purina research has put out that shows what the differences in weights on dogs looks like. Even with this great chart many people still cannot tell fat from muscle. Muscle is lean and when a dog is in proper weight you can see the cuts in the muscle very distinctly. Fat will make a hard rounded appearance and a very obese dog will have sides that roll back and forth like Jello™ when they are trotting towards you. The ribs of the dog should be easy to feel with lean muscle over them just enough to cover but not hide them.

If you have determined however, that your dog is overweight here are a few tips to help you get those pounds off.

1. Cut the amount you are feeding in half for one week. If let’s say, you are giving 2 cups of dry food in the morning and the same in the evening, then cut back to 1 cup for each meal.

2. Snacks should be meat or raw veggies like carrots and nothing else.

3. Double the exercise and make sure this is aerobic exercise. For example, if you take the dog on a walk to park once a day, keep that but add in another session where you jog instead of walk. Or if your dog likes to swim, add in a session of 30 minutes of vigorous swimming.

4. If you don’t jog you can put your dog on a treadmill for 30-60 minutes a day. I have one just for dogs with a longer base but, if you do things slowly, your dog will adapt to a human treadmill no problem.

Once you get the weight off keep it off by regularly weighing your dog at the vets. They don’t charge for it and it will give you a good guide that those pounds are not creeping back on when you thought you have gotten them all off.

You might want to switch foods as the one you are feeding may have too many carbohydrates or grains in it. A good grain free, balanced food like Rachael Ray’s Nutrish Grain Free diets might just the ticket to keeping those pounds off.

Debby Kay has been a pioneer in scent detection work for over 40 years. Debby teaches Super Sniffer® workshops for amateur dog owners and professional trainers alike.  She has set up several non profit organizations worldwide for Diabetes Alert Dogs and her Sweet Snoopers program is now in 22 countries around the world helping people manage this disease better through the use of trained  alert dogs.

Debby is a founding officer and lifetime member of the Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac, and a member of the Labrador Retriever Club Inc. She is a professional member of the Dog Writers Association of America, The Association of Professional Dog Trainers, and the International Association of Canine Professionals.

DIVABETIC BOOK SHELF:Walking with Peety: The Dog Who Saved My Life’ by Eric O’Grey

Eric O’Grey was 150 pounds overweight, depressed, and sick. After a lifetime of failed diet attempts, and the onset of type 2 diabetes due to his weight, Eric went to a new doctor, who surprisingly prescribed a shelter dog. And that’s when Eric met Peety: an overweight, middle-aged, and forgotten dog who, like Eric, had seen better days. The two adopted each other and began an incredible journey together, forming a bond of unconditional love that forever changed their lives. Over the next year, just by going on walks, playing together, and eating plant-based foods, Eric lost 150 pounds, and Peety lost 25. As a result, Eric got off all oral medication, and became happy and healthy for the first time in his life-eventually reconnecting with and marrying his high school sweetheart. ‘Walking With Peety’ is for anyone who is ready to make a change in his or her life, and for everyone who knows the joy, love, and hope that dogs can bring. This is more than a tale of mutual rescue. This is an epic story of friendship and strength. ORDER NOW

Don’t miss our exclusive interview with Author Eric O’Grey on Diabetes Late Nite scheduled for Tuesday, December  12, 2017, 6 PM, EST.

See Our ‘Workout with A Wow’ Fashion Show on Sunday

Come share your resolution to MOVE & GROOVE more this Sunday, January 22, 2017,

“Getting into activewear can launch you into exercise mode because clothing primes the brain to expect the forthcoming activity”, says Karen J. Pine, professor of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire and author of Mind What You Wear: The Psychology of Fashion.

The news gets even better: Your workout wardrobe can do more than just motivate you to move—it can also physically lead you to be more aware of your body, says Joshua Ian Davis, Ph.D., Director of Research at The NeuroLeadership Institute.

“Formfitting workout clothes make you feel like your muscles are stronger,” he says. “If clothes are comfortable, you’ll have a greater sense of fluency about your movement.”

That means what you wear to the gym can actually affect your performance. In one study found that when people wore a Superman t-shirt, they estimated themselves to be physically stronger than people who wore normal clothing, showing that we internalize characteristics associated with our attire.

According to the American Diabetes Association the affect physical activity has on your blood glucose will vary depending on how long you are active and many other factors. Physical activity can lower your blood glucose up to 24 hours or more after your work out by making your body more sensitive to insulin.

You should become familiar with how your blood glucose responds to exercise. Checking your blood glucose level frequently before and after exercise can help you see the benefits of activity. You also can use the results of your blood glucose checks to see how your body to reacts to different activities. Understanding these patterns can help you prevent your blood glucose from going too high or too low.

Join us at our ‘Workout with a Wow’ fashion brunch hosted by Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller AICI, CIP. We’ll be spotlighting NEON colors to lift your spirits, brighten up your workout wardrobe to get you up and out!

Divabetic ‘Workout with a Wow’ Fashion Show
Novotel in the Supernova Restaurant
226 West 52nd Street, 7th floor, New York, NY, 1-4 PM

‘Workout with a Wow’ Fashion Show 2:30-3:30 pm

Guests include:
Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek
Marcus Isaac – Owner and instructor at Dance Studio in Brooklyn
Momz in Da Hood – these hip hop glamorous grannies are inspirational

True Citrus hydration helpers
Blink Fitness memberships – affordable and accessible workout facilities
Workout wear giveaways

Weight Loss Tips by Jill Knapp Woolsey

ANGRY SHOW.003

Are you angry about hitting a weight loss plateau?

Don’t get discouraged!

OnAugust’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast special guest, Jill Woolsey-Knapp lost 100 pounds after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Jill shares her tips for how she successfully overcame her weight loss plateaus:

1. Do a variety of activities you enjoy.
Remember, there is no rule that says you have to go to a gym or buy equipment. You can walk around the block or to a at home exercise video.
Having a variety of activities, weight lifting, running, walking, aerobics classes will ensure that you can do something regardless of the weather or time of day.

2. Commit to another person.
“This social aspect of exercise is very important to me,” I am a stay-at-home mom. I may let myself off, but if I’ve agreed to walk with a friend after dinner, I won’t be letting them down.”

3. Make exercise a priority.
“It has to be a non-negotiable. Making exercise non-negotiable. Friends and family members will know the importance of your program and learn that it’s part of your identity, and give up saying things like, “Why don’t you take it easy today?”

4. Exercise first thing in the morning.
Doing this will ensure the workout gets done. Things can come up in the day and if you put it off more than likely it won’t be done. Experts agree that a morning schedule is best. “If you go to a gym, it should be located between your home and work.”Exercise, take a shower, and you’re energized for the day.”

5. Or, exercise on your way home from work.
The next best thing to exercising first thing in the morning is to do it on your way home from work. Or if you are a full time mom maybe your hubby can watch the kids and let you workout.

6. Exercise even when you’re “too tired.
Chances are, you will feel better after exercising I always do. “It energizes us,”! “You breathe deeply, and your body makes better use of the oxygen exchange. You’ll get an exercise-induced euphoria during the activity and for some time after.” I end up having way more energy after i work out and it surprises me to come home and want to clean or do laundry.

7. Log your activity.
Write down the things that are important to you. It could be how much time you exercise each day or how many steps you walked. Just like a food journal it’s good to see your progress.

8. Be aware of all the indicators of progress.
It’s great when your clothes fit better and you are able to lift heavier weights or work out longer without getting exhaust.

9. Walk – Use a pedometer.

“If you enjoy walking and haven’t exercised for awhile, 10 minutes three times a day will give you 30 minutes.”
Use a pedometer, and work up to at least 10,000 steps a day. “Nobody starts out with 10,000 steps,” You need to find out your daily average and the next week strive to walk an extra 300 steps. Increase your steps each week.

10. Reward yourself.
Have you been telling yourself that you don’t deserve a reward for something you should be doing anyway- or that once you can zip your jeans without lying on the bed, that will be reward enough? Well, come on, how inspiring is that?
Experts say that making behavior changes is hard, and rewards motivate. So decide on a goal and a reward, and work toward it. You may buy a DVD you have wanted after sticking with your fitness plan for a month, or buy and new walking shoes when you have achieved 5,000 steps a day. Do whatever it is that works for you. Just make sure you do something to tell yourself job well done.

Get more tips from Jill Knapp Woolsey‘s website, Get Up & Get Moving.

LISTEN NOW: Diabetes Late Nite ‘ The Angry Show’ podcast hosted by Mr. Divabetic. Podcast guests include Author of “Overcoming Destructive Anger” Dr. Bernard Golden PhD, Dr. Lori Shemek PhD, Susan Weiner MS, RD, CDE, CDN, Laura Laria MA, CASAC-T, Jill Knapp- Woolsey, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Mama Rose Marie, and the Charlie’s Angels Outreach.

 

Save

Save