How much should I reduce food for weight loss?

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Julia & Bandit (GA)

Julia & Bandit (GA)

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Hi Everyone,

Now that Bandit's well regulated, he's starting to pack on the pounds again, even with no dry food. He was up to 14 lbs at his recent vet vist (he should be around 11 or 12). He eats 9 oz of Fancy Feast a day, 1 can at 7am, 1/2 can at 1 pm, 1 can 7pm, and 1/2 can at 1am. I was wondering how I should go about reducing his food intake, and at what pace? Should I do 3/4 of a can at 7am/7pm, and stick with 1/2 at the other meals? That would reduce his daily intake to 7.5 oz. Does this seem like too much of a reduction?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
A typical cat requires an intake of 15 calories for each pound of IDEAL body weight per day.
Most low carb fancy feast foods are 60 to 75 calories per can depending upon the fat content.
(the higher the fat %, the more calories in that particular food).

If Bandit's IDEAL body weight is 12lbs, then he should be taking in approximately 180 calories per day.
That is about 2.4 cans of Fancy Feast per day, or 7.2oz.

*IF* he is one of those cats that THINKS he is starving all of the time, despite getting plenty of food,
add about 1/4 of a can of water to each of the cans of FF making it a bit soupy.
The addition of the water will help him to feel more full.

HTH,

~M
 
What about if you check the calories in the flavors you are feeding on Binky's list and see if you can try some others that have lesser calories.
Binky’s Food Lists

Also, the water is an excellent idea. Once I started 'souping' their foods, I have trouble getting mine to eat. The love the water and if I could blend their food into a soup, they would be even happier. The water gives the feeling of fullness and it's great for the body too.
 
Thanks Mary...

The research I did conflicts with your numbers a bit. I read that caloric intake should be [ideal weight] x 13.6 + 70. That comes out to be about 20 calories per/lb of of ideal weight. I averaged out the calories per can of FF i feed by using Janet and Binky's chart, which came about to be 92 cal. per can.

Per my calculations, I need to feed the following food to achieve these weights:

11bs: 219.6 cal. or about 2 1/4 cans
12lbs: 233.2 cal. or about 2 1/2 cans
13lbs: 253 cal. or about 2 3/4 cans


Where I'm stuck is that I don't know how much to start out with as a reduction. Is it safe to cut him down to 2 1/2 cans right away or should I got to 2 3/4 for a while, and then 2 1/2? If so, how long until I reduce a second time? When he reaches 13 lbs?

I already add water to his meals, is there anything else I can do to keep him from acting like he's starving? He is one of those cats that thinks he's hungry all the time.
 
Gayle and Shadoe said:
What about if you check the calories in the flavors you are feeding on Binky's list and see if you can try some others that have lesser calories.
Click to expand...

I did, and all the lower cal FF flavors that are low carb are fish flavors...and I don't like to feed more than a 1/4 of his diet with fish. There was one non fish flavor that was *slightly* lower, but not enough to really make a difference.
 
How about easing it back gradually over a 2-3 week period. Does he really need 4 feedings? My 5 diabetics are fed 2x a day when they get shots. You might try reducing the non insulin feedings (the 1pm and the late night feeding) first. After a period of time you might be able to eliminate the afternoon feeding. If you eliminated the afternoon and cut the night in half, you would be down to 7.5 ounces.

Also, how about using a laser light so he gets some extra exercise?

Good luck,

Claudia
 
Julia & Bandit said:
Thanks Mary...

The research I did conflicts with your numbers a bit. I read that caloric intake should be [ideal weight] x 13.6 + 70. That comes out to be about 20 calories per/lb of of ideal weight. I averaged out the calories per can of FF i feed by using Janet and Binky's chart, which came about to be 92 cal. per can.

Per my calculations, I need to feed the following food to achieve these weights:

11bs: 219.6 cal. or about 2 1/4 cans
12lbs: 233.2 cal. or about 2 1/2 cans
13lbs: 253 cal. or about 2 3/4 cans


Where I'm stuck is that I don't know how much to start out with as a reduction. Is it safe to cut him down to 2 1/2 cans right away or should I got to 2 3/4 for a while, and then 2 1/2? If so, how long until I reduce a second time? When he reaches 13 lbs?

I already add water to his meals, is there anything else I can do to keep him from acting like he's starving? He is one of those cats that thinks he's hungry all the time.
Click to expand...

15 calories per pound of ideal body weight is a general number and not a hard and fast rule. It is, however, the one that I use for the sake of expediency.
I can honestly say that I have not ever seen the "add 70 calories" rule before, though. Here is a link to feline obesity and how to combat it - it is from Dr. Lisa's site: http://catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity Cats should not lose more than 1-2% of their body weight per week while on a diet, so slow and easy does it would be for the best.


HTH,

~M
 
cjleo said:
Does he really need 4 feedings?
Click to expand...

He does, because my other cat with kidney disease needs to be fed every 6 hours or she gets an upset stomach (she has a lot of stomach acid). It's impossible to feed one cat in my house without feeding the other, because if you shut Bandit in a room while Gabby eats, he will whine and beg and whine when he gets out until I break down and feed him. It's easier just to give him *something*, even if it's a smaller amount.


cjleo said:
Also, how about using a laser light so he gets some extra exercise?
Click to expand...

We do play with him a lot with all sorts of toys, but laser lights are forbidden in my house. Bandit's eyes get so cross-eyed from focusing on the tiny dot that you can barely see the black part, and he stumbles around for hours until they right themselves out. Definitely NO laser pointers.

I've cut him back to 8.25 oz for now, and in 3 weeks or so I'll move him down to 7.5 oz. Even though it's inconvenient for me, I think it's best if I leave the 1pm/1am feedings at 1.5 oz, and reduce the 7am/7pm feedings to 2.25 oz. I think that will cause the lowest impact on him, and if I add a little extra water maybe he won't even notice. That's what I'm hoping anyway!
 
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