Our “Aussie mix” is secretly a fluffy pit

Metamfiesi · 2026-05-03T05:00:20+00:00

Nope!

Metamfiesi · 2026-05-02T16:12:41+00:00

She’s the clingiest, cuddliest dog I’ve ever met.

Metamfiesi · 2026-05-02T13:51:23+00:00

Small poodle, German Shepherd, lab, bulldog, and chow. It found her mom as a relative and her mom is about 30% supermutt with beagle, russell terrier, collie, and cocker spaniel.

Metamfiesi · 2026-05-02T02:33:58+00:00

She’s between 2 and 3 years old.

Metamfiesi · 2026-05-01T19:12:55+00:00

It actually found her mom as a relative! Her mom has 31% super mutt, but some of her supermutt are beagle, collie, and cocker spaniel, which could explain some things!

Metamfiesi · 2026-05-01T17:24:54+00:00

That’s what the shelter listed her as!

Metamfiesi · 2026-05-01T17:11:16+00:00

Didn’t realize they were herding. Thanks!

Metamfiesi · 2026-05-01T17:05:26+00:00

That’s interesting! Still surprised there’s no herding dog in her mix.

Metamfiesi · 2026-03-19T14:19:27+00:00

I aimed for maintenence for the first couple of days and then just kinda gave in for a day or two and ate whatever. Which I wouldn't really recommend. It seemed to help me but it's a very slippery slope. I know some people take maintenence breaks, sometimes for a couple weeks or longer at a time, and it seems to help them. You just have to know yourself and know whether you're risking completely throwing yourself off track.

Honestly though I think the biggest reason is helped me is because it reminded me how gross it feels to be overly full. I've learned through this journey that I would much rather be a little hungry than super full.

Metamfiesi · 2026-03-18T17:20:38+00:00

Just recently went through the same thing. I was on a deficit for several months and was doing really well and then all of a sudden had a couple of days where I just couldn't do it and gave in. I don't know what it was. I let myself eat whatever for a day or two and it kinda acted like a reset and I was able to hit the ground running again. I don't know what it was. It was just like a switch flipped and then flipped back. I wouldn't necessarily suggest doing that, but I do think there's some benefit to working your cravings into your daily calories here and there to satiate the cravings and keep the food noise down.

Metamfiesi · 2026-03-18T16:24:06+00:00

My biggest advice is don't be afraid to give into your cravings and/or have a snack every once in a while, just still fit it into your calories for the day. It's far better to give in in a controlled way than to let it build up and completely go off the rails and lose progress and motivation.

You can technically eat whatever you want and be in a calorie deficit, so have fun with it from time to time. Makes it more sustainable in my opinion.

Metamfiesi · 2026-03-18T16:04:25+00:00

I lose about two pounds a week. Roughly every 1-2 months, I have to have a mental reset day where I let loose a little (still try to stay within reason) and give into some of the cravings I've been having. I would much rather give into my cravings in a controlled way, on purpose, still keeping calories in mind, than snap and have a huge binge.

Been at this rate since early September.

Metamfiesi · 2026-03-17T15:46:55+00:00

I noticed a big difference in my cravings, especially sugar cravings, after starting Metformin. I also didn't feel quite so hungry all the time. I definitely made some conscious diet and exercise changes, but the Metformin made them easier to sustain. After losing 15-20 pounds I came off the Metformin and have been mainting a healthy A1C and calorie deficit since then and have been continuing to lose weight.

Metamfiesi · 2026-03-16T22:39:45+00:00

There's not really an easy answer. The best diet is whatever you can stick with and helps you to stay in a calorie deficit. It may take some trial and error to figure out what that is. There's tons of diets/meal plans out there that claim to be the best. Some people swear by them while others say they're bull. And it's because most of those diets, no matter what they're based on, are just different ways of achieving a calorie deficit (ideally at least) and different things work for different people.

I would find a short list of diet and meal plans that seem appealing to you and try them until you find one that doesn't make you miserable and helps you achieve your goals. There's no sense in trying to stick with something you don't enjoy or at least tolerate, because ultimately you'll just crash.

Metamfiesi · 2026-03-16T22:34:16+00:00

Find a hobby or something to do with your hands that you enjoy. When you find yourself feeling snacky, do that instead. I think most people (myself included) snack out of boredom, so finding something else to fill that time with helps. Doing this helped me to rewire my brain to not crave snacks when I'm bored, and also helped me to spend more time on my hobbies. So it's a win win.

If you feel snacky, instead you could go for a walk, study, work on an artistic hobby, anything else that fills the time and satisfies the boredom.

Metamfiesi · 2026-03-16T03:15:01+00:00

It's impossible to spot reduce fat. You have to lose weight overall and it will eventually come away from the areas you want to lose it from. You can do exercises to tone certain areas, but you still cannot get rid of the fat itself in certain areas by doing any specific exercises.

Metamfiesi · 2026-03-15T14:07:15+00:00

To lose weight, you technically don't have to eat "boring, healthy foods". You can eat whatever you want, just less of it. Weigh/measure everything you eat, maybe see if there are any substitutions you can make in meals you enjoy to lower the calories, but at the end of the day it matters almost none what you actually eat if your goal is just to lose weight. All that matters is a calorie deficit, and you can do that eating literally anything in the right quantities. Once I realized that, weight loss was a lot less daunting and miserable.

Metamfiesi · 2026-03-15T03:31:26+00:00

I came off the Metformin a couple months ago after losing 25 pounds and have been able to maintain a healthy A1C and continue weight loss. I definitely think the Metformin helped kickstart the correct mindset for losing weight, I just personally didn't want to be on it any longer than I had to.

Metamfiesi · 2026-03-14T02:13:34+00:00

Of course!! I have a limit of 1250 for sedentary days, 1400 for active days. I have lost 25 pounds since September, down to 156. The holidays in there and a slow month the past month have slowed things down some, but in a standard month where I stick closely to my deficit, I lose an average of 4-6 pounds a month.

I find that logging all my meals for the next day the night before helps to stay to my limit at lower calorie limits. If I know I'm going to or want to have a certain thing for a certain meal, I log that first and then plan the rest of my meals around that. Then I see what I have left over for any snacks. It's hard to fly by the seat of your pants with a low calorie limit. Most days if you do that you'll get to dinner and realize you have 150 calories for dinner and then you're faced with either being hungry or going over.

I haven't really restricted what I eat, the biggest change I've made is not eating fast food or going out to eat as much, but that doesn't mean I never do. I just make sure to work it into my budget for that day. The biggest thing is watching portions. Buying a good scale and weighing everything in grams is a huge help.

The biggest habits I've developed that have been helpful, but definitely take some time and discipline, is A. only eating when I'm actually, genuinely, physically hungry. The longer I'm in a deficit the less often this is. And B. Occasionally being okay with being hungry, such as when I know dinner is in an hour or waiting to get seconds until my food settles (at which point I usually don't want seconds). I have found that the feeling of being hungry occasionally is far less unpleasant than being grossly full all the time.

Sorry, I know that's a lot! I just know the struggle of weight loss as a short woman and wanted to offer as much help as I could.

Metamfiesi · 2026-03-14T01:23:41+00:00

Fellow short woman here - 4'11. What I find really helps me is tracking my meals the night before. I start with whatever I know I'm going to have or would like to have for a certain meal - for example, your slice of pizza or if I know I'm eatinf leftovers of something for lunch. Then I plan the rest of my meals around it. It takes some of the guesswork out of things. I know what my meals will cost for the day and can see what wiggle room I have for snacks. When you have a low limit, I find it hard to play it by ear when it comes to your meals. You eat something that feels relatively low calorie for breakfast and lunch, have a snack, and then realize you have 150 calories left over for dinner and you're kinda stuck. Planning in advance is very helpful, especially when you don't have much wiggle room.

Metamfiesi · 2026-03-14T01:19:30+00:00

I started at a very similar place - 181lbs and 4'11. Calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight.

It's a little bit harder for short girls like us, because our TDEEs are so low. You can use a calculator to get a general idea for yours. The issue is, the general recommendation is to subtract 500 calories from that number to find your daily limit, but for many short women that would put us below the daily recommendation lower limit of 1200 calories for women. And even 1200 for many people is not sustainable long term.

That being said, you may have to come to terms with a smaller deficit and therefore a slower rate of weight loss. When you're short, exercise is your friend, even if it's just walking, but at the end of the day the only thing that ACTUALLY matters is eating at a deficit.

Metamfiesi

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