Can animals help you lose weight?
Food has always been there for you, it sits in the cupboard waiting for you, no human has ever been so freely available when you need them. There is food sitting in the supermarket, the pharmacy, the petrol station and even the places you would not expect to see it for sale. There is food for all budgets, there is food for all moods and purposes, there is food for sharing and food to eat whilst weeping alone. Eating itself is not a habit, the rubbish you eat is!
I am cat sitting this week
So many people have been emotionally dependent on food from day 1 because ‘it is always there’. In the morning, in the middle of the night and throughout the day. What else is a hungry girl to do other than eat if she is hungry? But are you really hungry or is it just emotional hunger? Too often, people plug gaps in their life with food when they really just want to be loved. It’s not pathetic, it is more common than you think!
Jonny and I are cat sitting this week and even though I’ve only been sat here with Manwell the kitten for a couple of hours, I haven’t felt lonely and I’ve not been so bored. He’s been hilarious jumping after a few feathers attached to a string on a stick. He practically back flips when I wiggle the feathers in front of his nose! I’m madly in love with the little dude and he is currently sleeping on my lap. I will join him for a nap when I finish this post.
Anyway, I got round to thinking, if people substitute love for food, what can food be substituted for? Then it hit me, can animals really help their owners lose weight? It sounds a bit mad but give me a moment to explain myself…
People often gain weight because they have low self confidence. Animals love their owners because they feed them and spend time with them. People who have pets always seem happier to me because animals give unconditional love no matter what you look like and how mean you have to appear at work just to get stuff done.
I would be really interested to hear if you believe the love of your furry, four-legged friend has pulled you from the brink of obesity and helped you to lose weight. I googled all kinds of phrases trying to find out if there are any studies that show that pet owners are more likely to lose weight and keep it off and I’ve not found anything. Is my searching wrong or is there really no studies on this? Please comment below with your stories, I’d love to hear them!
It certainly sounds reasonable. After all, someone who has a dog might find themselves playing with the dog out in the yard as opposed to eating. A win on two fronts.