How Getting A Dog Helped Me Lose 10 Pounds
I knew getting a puppy would mean endless cuddles, lots of treats and toys, and yes, a lot more responsibility. But I never thought an added bonus would be losing weight! Keep reading to see what happened to me!
My husband and I had been married for three years. We weren’t ready for kids, but wanted to “take the next step.” Neither of us had grown up with a dog, but living in New York City, we constantly saw super cute pups passing us on the street.
We decided to get a mini goldendoodle, a family-friendly, smart, loyal, hypo-allergic breed. He would also be around 30 pounds — perfect for a New York apartment. Parker came home with us in October 2016, and he definitely changed our lives.
Stars Working Out — PICS
I’ll be honest — I’m an only child, and sometimes I can be selfish. I haven’t really had to take care of anything except myself for most of my life. Getting Parker changed that completely.
They say puppies can only “hold it” for the number of hours equal to how old they are. We got Parker at 8 weeks. 2 months. So he had to pee every 2 hours. Do you know how often 2 hours comes around? You can’t even watch a movie.
In my past life, there were weekends where, thanks to the conveniences of NYC, I haven’t left my apartment. Chinese food, pizza, groceries, wine — everything can be delivered. I barely had to move from the couch.
With a dog, you are FORCED to leave, whether you want to or not. This winter has had some brutally cold days. Instead of hibernating inside, Parker and I had to bundle up and rough the cold. Luckily, he has a lot of cute outfits.
Don’t feel like hitting the gym tonight? Well, you still have to walk your dog twice, maybe three times, between getting home from work and going to bed. And again when you wake up.
Parker doesn’t care if it’s cold or I’m tired. He needs to go out.
Despite the wind-whipping weather, the pleasant side effect has been that, on a normal week, I get almost 70,000 steps.
I have been doing Weight Watchers, and the two combined have resulted in me losing 10 pounds in about 2 months! I haven’t gone to the gym more than 5 times in those 2 months (whoops) but Parker is seriously keeping me on my toes and my step count high.
Of course, there are so many OTHER factors to consider before getting a dog — it’s a huge time and money commitment, and a social sacrifice in the beginning. But losing weight was definitely a perk I hadn’t really thought about before getting a pup.
HollywoodLifers, did you lose weight when you got a dog?