Eat like a dog?

For a while, I was overfeeding Watson. When he began to look a bit chunky, I cut back on his food. Instead of underfeeding him to make up for overfeeding him, though, I fed him what the dog food package said he should be eating for his ideal weight. He slowly lost the extra weight.

Then I had an epiphany. What if humans did the same thing? Instead of eating 1200 calories a day to lose two pounds a week, something I just cannot maintain, what if I ate what I should to maintain my ideal weight?

Of course, the tricky part is figuring out just what that amount should be. Even though Clio and Watson weigh close to the same number of pounds (45 lbs. vs. 35 lbs), their nutritional needs differ to the point that Clio needs twice as much food as Watson.

The only way I see to do this is to figure out how much I can eat without gaining weight, then cut that back a little. Again, this remains tricky, as some days I seem to *need* more food - I'm legitimately hungry.

Another aspect of eating to trim down is to make healthy food choices. Dogs have kibble, while we have DQ. I find that the healthier my diet - fruits and vegetables, nuts and berries, beans and rice, watch the carbs, little meat but I won't forsake dairy - the less likely I am to get the munchies. This works unless I'm feeling stressed or anxious or sick.

The results? Well, I have lost a couple of pounds this past month without really trying to do anything except avoid overeating. As soon as I do overeat, though, they creep back on. Per usual.

Opinions?