It is easy to be frustrated by your weight, and even easier to be frustrated by weight loss attempts — most are unsuccessful. Losing a few pounds is one of the most challenging things for a person to do because weight loss goes against your nature. In order to lose weight, a person must be in calorie deprivation — eating fewer calories each day, week or month than are used by the body. Voluntary weight loss requires a degree of self-starvation. Your survival instinct, which serves you well in many ways, makes weight loss very hard.Healthy weight loss is slow and steady. To lose one or two pounds a week requires a calorie deprivation of 600 to 1,200 calories each day. Burning 600 calories is a lot of work. For a 150-pound person to burn 600 calories, he or she would have to jog for 75 minutes, hike for 90 minutes or bicycle leisurely for more than two hours. Obviously, it would require a lot of time and exercise to depend on exercise alone for weight loss. Many people don’t have enough free time to exercise that much, anyway, and those who do have a larger appetite that can easily undermine weight loss goals.Believe it or not, avoiding 600 calories is much easier. Five tablespoons (a little more than 1/4 cup) of oil; five ounces (six slices) of cheese; three ounces of mayonnaise; a small fast-food hamburger with medium french fries; or one cup of rich ice cream all have about 600 calories. If you consistently replace these calorie-dense foods with healthier choices, you will be well on your way to losing weight.Healthy options include fruit like apples, pears, bananas or frozen berries; vegetables like carrots, broccoli, tomatoes or cucumbers; and lean meats like fat-free skinless chicken or turkey breast, or 96 percent lean ground round.Medical research indicates it is easier for most Americans to achieve healthy weight loss through dietary changes than through exercise alone. It takes planning, forethought, determination and time, but with diligent and consistent dietary change, weight loss is possible.So, this is what I consider to be the first and most important step in weight loss: eating healthy foods with low calorie density. Replacing high calorie density foods that have lots of refined sugars, simple carbohydrates, or fats with low calorie density foods like vegetables, fruits, berries and lean sources of protein is key for making sure you get the most out of your weight loss efforts. Without this first step, most people end up spinning their wheels.However, for many of us, weight loss is not that simple and it requires a multi-faceted approach. Exercise may be the second most important factor in weight loss. I prefer to recommend sustained moderate cardiovascular exercise like walking or hiking for 45 to 90 minutes on most days of the week. This approach increases the calories burned in a day without causing a dramatic drop in blood sugar which can stimulate your appetite. Our bodies are made for this type of activity and it is sustainable for most people, and you’re less likely to be just too sore to exercise the next day or hurt yourself and have to take a week or two off.Sleep is important, too. Our bodies produce more hormones that increase hunger when we are sleep deprived. You know you are getting enough sleep for your body when you are able to wake up without an alarm. Unfortunately, our culture does not make this easy. Just do the best that you can.I acknowledge that hunger, food and weight are very emotional matters for most people. Even the thought of changing the diet can be emotionally distressing. I have a couple of small hints that can be helpful here. First, it is important to enjoy food. Finding low calorie density meals, snacks and beverages that please the palate and satiate the appetite is important. It may take some time, trial and error, and ingenuity, but with persistence you will find foods you truly enjoy eating and weight loss won’t be tortuous. Second, it helps to become friends with hunger — not best friends, but good friends. Hunger is a sign from your body telling you that you are eating fewer calories than you have burned. You are losing weight. Your hunger lets you know you are on the right track, but if you let yourself get too hungry you may feel ravenous, and, in that moment, it may be difficult to stick with your diet plan.Good luck. With a good plan and self-compassion for mistakes you make along the way you are likely to get great results. Richard Malik is a naturopathic doctor with a practice in Lakeville offering comprehensive health care for the entire family.
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Marsala is eager to go home with you.
Tiffany Lemelin, shelter manager, brushing Marsala upon arrival.Provided
The Little Guild is an animal shelter at 285 Sharon-Goshen Turnpike in West Cornwall. Founded in 1957, the organization rescues animals from local surrenders and under-resourced shelters. When a rescue animal arrives at The Little Guild, staff begins a careful intake and transition process to ensure the animal is safe, healthy and ready for adoption.
New arrivals are quarantined in-house. Vaccinations are verified as up to date, and staff assesses each animal’s medical, behavioral and placement needs. Rescues receive medical care, daily support and behavioral training to ease shelter stress. Once a dog has finished quarantine and is ready for a home, its profile is published at littleguild.org.
Michael DeBarba, certified dog trainer working with Marsala.Jennifer Almquist
Prospective adopters fill out an online application with information about their household and veterinary and personal references.
The next step is for the prospective adopter and family members to meet the dog. If there is already a dog in the household, a meet-and-greet is scheduled so the dogs can get acquainted.
The animal care staff offers guidance based on its knowledge of each animal’s personality, needs and quirks to help families find the best fit.
Marsala wins a heart.Jennifer Almquist
Once a match is made, the adoption contract outlines aftercare. Adopters agree to return the animal to The Little Guild if the adoption doesn’t work out. The organization’s commitment continues after adoption, with six months of free training and follow-up from staff to answer questions or address concerns.
“Please don’t pass Marsala by,” Lemelin said. “He loves people and other dogs. He’s a lap dog who lives for snuggles, cuddles and face kisses. Marsala deserves a family, a soft bed and a lifetime of being chosen.”
To find out about Marsala and other rescue dogs and cats, visit littleguild.org
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Sampson, a playful and independent blind hound mix, explores the rescue’s large yard.
Though she takes in dogs of all ages, including some with disabilities — and one resident cat — the rescue’s motto is “Giving old dogs new lives.”
Sadie, center, a Carolina dog, plays with her friend Negra, a terrier mix. Bella Linda, the small poodle, has since been adopted.L. Tomaino
Sadie, a sweet Carolina dog, was the first to greet visitors.
“She could really use a home,” Meade said.
Then came Bonnie and Clyde, rat terriers; Negra, a small terrier mix; Sampson, a blind hound mix; and Jay Z, a terrier mix who was emaciated when Meade took him in and has since filled out, with fur regrowing over previously bald patches. Wesley, a young, shaggy mix whom Meade calls “a very good boy,” is also in need of a home.
Wesley, a young, exuberant mix, is looking for an active home.L. Tomaino
Meade began rescuing dogs after going to Waterbury to adopt one and learning that, by the end of the three-day weekend, the dogs she was looking at would be euthanized to make room for others.
She went home and started her rescue in New Preston, Connecticut. After five years there, she moved to California, where she rescued dogs from overcrowded pounds for 13 years.
Meade, a busload of dogs and her cat moved back to the Northeast a little more than a year ago.
Ninety-nine percent of the dogs at the rescue come from pounds, both locally and in California and New York City.
“We are more than happy to place dogs with older people, and we are also willing to give support after the adoption,” Meade said, noting that some rescues will not adopt to people over 60.
Bonnie and Clyde, an affectionate terrier pair.L. Tomaino
For those who cannot adopt, the rescue needs donations of old blankets, dog and cat food, cleaning supplies, puppy pads and dog treats. Monetary donations are also welcome and can be made through the rescue’s website. Meade also welcomes volunteers to help with the dogs.
Contact Meade at 805-239-4004, 860-866-7986 or 4dots@att.net to arrange a visit or drop off donations. For available dogs and more information, visit meadecaninerescue.org.
Newtown Veterinary Specialists
For Berkshire County residents, VCA All Caring Animal Hospital, 440 Stockbridge Road in Great Barrington, can be a nearby first call. The full-service hospital offers diagnostics and hospitalization and asks clients with an emergency or a pet requiring immediate attention to call rather than use its online contact form. It is not a 24-hour emergency hospital, however. Current hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sunday. Call 413-528-8020.
Poughkeepsie also has several options for urgent care. Creature Comforts Animal Hospital, 64 Pine St., is a full-service veterinary hospital offering emergency and critical care during regular business hours. The hospital treats dogs and cats as well as birds, reptiles and other exotic pets. Hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sunday. For after-hours emergencies involving dogs and cats, the hospital refers patients to regional emergency facilities. Call 845-625-2474.
Community Animal Care, 269 Titusville Road, offers urgent and emergency care during operating hours and asks pet owners to call ahead. Regular hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Urgent care is available daily by calling ahead, with extended hours until 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. The practice also offers after-hours veterinary triage by video to help owners determine whether a pet can safely wait or should be taken to a 24-hour facility. Call 845-471-7459.
When an animal needs care in the middle of the night, on a holiday or for a potentially life-threatening condition, the options become more limited.
Guardian Veterinary Specialists, 4 Hardscrabble Heights in Brewster, is a 24-hour emergency and specialty hospital, open seven days a week, 365 days a year. Its emergency department is staffed around the clock, with on-site imaging and laboratory services. No appointment is necessary for an emergency, although calling ahead is encouraged when possible. Call 914-704-3400.
Provided
Newtown Veterinary Specialists, 52 Church Hill Road in Newtown, Connecticut, also provides emergency care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. No appointment is required for emergency care, although the hospital recommends calling ahead when possible. Call 203-270-8387.
Pet owners should remember that emergency veterinary hospitals operate much like human emergency rooms in that patients are triaged according to the severity of their condition, so animals with less critical problems may have to wait.
The best preparation is simple. Keep the number of your regular veterinarian and at least one 24-hour emergency hospital in your phone, and know roughly how long it will take to get there. If circumstances allow, call before leaving home to confirm where your pet should be seen.
When something goes wrong at 10 p.m. on a Sunday, knowing where you’re headed can make a frightening situation a little less overwhelming.
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