The Doggie Diet

The latest diet isn’t a fad, it’s your best friend.

By Deborah Wood | Photographs by Jess Golden

When I take my dogs for a walk, all my neighbours recognize my little Papillons. They don’t always recognize me. I’m about half the size I was two years ago; I’ve lost 125 pounds. What’s my secret? Actually, I owe every ounce of my weight loss success to my little dog, Pogo.

Pawsing For a Reality Check
I didn’t start out planning to lose weight. It was my dog who was dieting. Pogo needed to lose about half a pound; on his small-dog frame, the equivalent of 10 pounds worth of love handles on me.

I’d cut down just a bit on the serving size of his super-premium dog food and added some pumpkin and veggies for volume, a sensible option for my little guy. One night, after scarfing up his dinner, Pogo gave me a sad look that clearly asked, “Isn’t there more?”

“ You’re just fine. You’ve had plenty,” I lectured him. Then I looked down at my heaping plate of spaghetti and had an epiphany. “Deborah, you are such a hypocrite!” I said out loud. The next day, I was at my first Weight Watchers meeting.