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Friday, April 30, 2010

fridays with asa: maintaining a stunning figure!

hello furry friends!
at the beginning of this year, my mom and dad determined that they were no longer spring chickens, and therefore, made the conscious decision to embark upon a program of regular exercise and more healthful eating.
since that time, my dad has been running long distances 4 days a week.  this includes running home from work on days when the weather is cooperative.  my mom purchased an elliptical, which she runs on 6 days a week for an hour.  in the healthful eating category, going out to eat has been heavily slashed and late evening snacking has taken a major reduction.  furthermore, daily intake of a multi-vitamin has been initiated and consumption of fruit and vegetables has sky-rocketed.
now that 4 months have elapsed, my mom and dad are feeling more confident about their physiques, not to mention that they possess more energy and stamina.  so my mom then decided to turn her attention to myself and my little brother booker.  mom concluded that we were getting enough exercise from our walks and hikes and playtime in the backyard.

 a post-walk asa enjoying the cool tile.

she turned her attention to our food and began to do some thorough research.  i have to admit that at this point, i was a little concerned.  i, asa, do enjoy a delicious meal or snack, and i was worried that mom might have me and booker consuming rice cakes by the end of this process.
my little brother booker and i have been eating iams kibbles.  we eat twice a day, at breakfast and dinner.  at dinner, we each get a heaping tablespoon of full fat, plain yogurt on top of our food to keep our skin glowing and our coats shiny.  booker and i can also supplement our kibble with the many fruits and vegetables that we love to eat  -- carrots, cucumbers, green pepper, bananas, apples, etc.  all in all, my mom considered our diet fairly balanced, but she became increasingly aware that our iams kibble was not the optimum choice for us.  though chicken was the first ingredient in our kibble, on down the list she noticed sub par things like corn meal and chicken by-product meal.  therefore, my mom began searching for a better food.  she found several wonderful food options, but unfortunately, they did not fit into our financial budget.  for instance, my mom really liked the blue buffalo brand food, but it was too expensive.  my mom did not abandon hope, and she found a food that looks more promising.  it is called nature's recipe.  right now, i am trying out (mixing in with my iams kibble) the easy-to-digest chicken meal, rice, and barley recipe, but i think i'd like to try the easy-to-digest lamb meal, rice, and barley recipe next because it has a slightly lower protein content.


once mom and i determine what food i would like to switch to, mom will start working on booker's new food choice.  oh, and i do believe mom decided that she would let booker and i supplement once a week with a can of delicious blue buffalo wet food.  we sampled a can last week, and it was quite scrumptious.


at any rate, i, asa, would love to hear about what kind of food all of my furry friends are partaking of.  though my mom and i think we have found a new food, we are still exploring any options that we may have overlooked.
good day!

29 comments:

Remington said...

It's good to have the good foods to eat to keep us healthy just like our mommy and daddy! Yummy!

The Schnauzer Brothers said...

Hi Asa - this was such an interesting post. Our FH was moaning about 'feeling old' so has embarked on a fitness regime a bit like your humans. Very wise we feel.

We get fed Royal Canin schnauzer food - we're quite impressed that there is a food specific to our breed! It's yummers, but also quite rich and as JD has a rather sensitve stomach (whereas Max could seemingly eat a vindaloo without any side effect!) we have it mixed with dried Chappie. This is a cheap food but is recommended by our vet as well as our breeder as being cheap because it's basic, with basic meaning 'good' as there's no fancy additives.

Our humans would love to try us on the raw food diet but admit they're not quite brave enough....

Schnauzer snuggles - JD and Max.

PS Asa - love the photo of you on the tiles, you're very pretty!

Two Pitties in the City said...

We feed the pooches California Natural dry food. We also started giving them raw food at dinner; we get these pre-frozen "chubs" and just thaw them out. The raw food is more expensive, but we noticed that we're saving ALOT of money it vet bills; it has cleaned up Miss M's allergies, and we don't have to do a $200/mth medicine plan for her small kidneys. Food is always perplexing to us. I know we should start incorporating more variety, and mixing...

3 doxies said...

Furst let me just say...at least you dont have to drink fish juice like Miss Mayzie...I can do da yogurt. Your mom is on a mission I can see. Don't let anybuddy see this but we haves to eat Pukearina cuz its cheaper. Brudder Albert are on da weight-control and I'm on sumptin fur a glowing coat.
But iam going to show this post to mom and see if hers can invest in a better food. We don't get to eat da expensive stuff cuz it seems like some doggy is always having to go to da vet...namely me...and it takes a big chunk out of Mr. Dad's pocket.
Puddles

Anonymous said...

Hey! That's what I eat... Nature's Recipe lamb & rice (for seniors, but I'm only 6!!) It was recommended by a VET when she thought I might have an allergy problem... I tend to get ear infections. I only get a cup a day (see todays post.) I've lost weight, but apparently that's a good thing. (I would disagree.)

I want to live with Remington and eat banana splits every afternoon. You only live once you know.

Nubbin' Tails said...

We eat Solid Gold Lamb and Rice. Breakfast and dinner and at dinner we get some of the Solid Gold Tripe wet food. Which mom, dad and Aunt Jaime say smells nasty, but we love it! We are lucky, mom gets our food from a coop group so it's about $10 less a bag than Wag-n-Wash. This is a good thing since we go thru about a 33lb bag every 10 days!

Wags!

Mr. Nubbin'

mayziegal said...

Me and Brudder Ranger eats Taste of the Wild - high prairie formula. We LUVS it. It's really a very much good food and on the lower end of the green papers for one of those premium foods. BUT - it mights not work for you if you're trying to go with lower protein cuz it's grain-free which works well for us but maybe not so good for you.

Have you looked at that Dog Food Project webbie site? My mom got lots of good info from them. It's http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

Wiggles & Wags,
mayzie

Dog Foster Mom said...

Congratulations to your mom and dad for working so hard to be healthy - it takes a lot of motivation and work - which I'm constantly trying to talk myself into (and forever failing). I'm sorry they turned their attention to you and Booker Man's health though - at least so far it sounds like they aren't making any horrible changes for you. Just remember, if you refuse to eat an awful tasting food for a few days, they'll usually relent and try something else! Good luck!

Bella Roxy & Macdui said...

Food, Glorious Food. We eat (almost) anything. Eat first and ask questions about it later. Our favourite is a few sardines and oil mixed with our kibble. Man we just sit down and get up every atom of oil on those days....only happens about once a fortnight.

XXXOOO Daisy, Kendra & Bella

Anonymous said...

Thank you Asa for a thorough review and thank you Mr Booker for always leaving me the most kind and encouraging comments. We started using the Solid Gold brand about a year ago, but Frankie's trainer showed us an ingredient comparison chart she had made on excel and we clearly saw the benefits of the Blue Buffalo. We wanted to switch to a better food because Linguini had started getting sick. You may want to blend the canned food with your kibble instead of having a full can at a time. That's how we like it. Thank you for the economical alternative. We will look into that. Really appreciated! Oh, and congrats to your bipeds, it's the only way to go!!! Our mom is an exercise proponent too.
Twinkie

RILEY AND STAR MY MALTESEKIDS said...

Hi Booker,

Our food is very similar to yours except we like Lamb.

We're fit also, teeny-weeny but fit!

Luv,
Riley and Star.

houndstooth said...

We eat Nutro and like it pretty well. We do love those Blue Buffalo treats A LOT, though! Oh, and once in a while, they mix in some of the canned Merrick's food. Now that is heaven!

Bunny

Pat Wahler said...

I cook for Indy. It's not too hard as I cook and freeze about 2 weeks worth of meals. I use the recipe that Dr. Michael Fox recommends on his website. He's an holistic vet.
I must say that Indy has been much healthier since I started doing this.

Pat
www.critteralley.blogspot.com

Frankie Furter and Ernie said...

Asa, let me start by saying that your fizz eeeek looks quite fetching to me.
I have tried all of the foods that you have mentioned. I like them at furst... butt then I get all picky again.
I am now eating (barely) a blend that is specifically for dachshunds.
I prefer... cheese and chicken jerky with some veggies and fruits for good measure. Mom worries about my eating beclaws she says I am a Junk food Junky. I didn't know cheese and jerky were Junk food. Oh well.

Lola and also Franklin, too said...

It's not about what I eat so much as it is about what I won't eat. That includes most dog foods, dry or canned. It's true that I won't let myself starve to death, but I will lose weight before I'll eat what I don't care for. And I don't really need to lose weight right now. I prefer human, cooked food, no veggies, please. This drives my humans crazy. They even tried to sneak in veggies with baby food. Didn't work. I will, however, eat Beneful prepared meals if there's no cooked dinner that I like. Only the Beef Stew variety, which is ironic because I'm not much on human beef stew. And only once in a while. My humans know that Beneful isn't the best for me, but it is the only thing I'll eat that contains any veggies. What I really like is ravioli.

wags, Lola

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

Mom says she buys me California Naturals Lamb and Rice...

I love it love it love it...

I akhtually tell her when it is time to feed me!

I used to eat Canidae ALS but once they changed their formulation and produkhtion facility she changed me

I do get some mini kharrots after I eat my dinner each night - they are yummy snakhks!

Thanks fur sharing this tasty topikh!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

My Sons Mum said...

Go Mom and Dad! Mine are doing the same currently....Its mean more walks for me! They run...its more of a trot I take beside them !!

Ina in Alaska said...

Dear Booker Man and Asa Mom and Dad, GOOD WORK on your exercise and healthy eating programs!

I would like to say it is very important that there is one thing you never ever give Booker and Asa and that is GRAPES and RAISINS.... very toxic for pups

Having stated my Public Service Announcement, my crew eats Wellness and I supplement it several times a week by making them very delicious recipes from a cookbook containing easy home cooked meals for dogs called

BARKER'S GRUB, author: Rudy Edalati

My pups LOVE the recipes and there are even supplement recipes as well as doggie treat recipes. The recipes are easy and they just love the variety. Many of the recipes have just a few ingredients and are super easy to make without much fuss. xoxox

sprinkles said...

Hmm...I thought Iams was pretty good!

I had a very sick kitty that had a lot kidney and bladder issues throughout his life. The vet had me put him on Iams which seemed to help him greatly! For awhile he was on some kind of prescribed Iams food specifically for his kidneys and when he came off that, he went on regular Iams and continued on that until he died. So that's what I've always had my dogs on.

The Strawberry Mallard said...

And remember are what you eat!
BOL ;o)......you

koko said...

Good that your hoomans are living a healthy diet lifestyle... No dog food for me though... only cooked food as I'm allergic to most processed proteins and root based veges.

Licks, hero

Scout and Freyja said...

What bad can anyone say about FOOD! We yike da yogurt in our foods, too. Mr. Scout and Miss Freyja also get a glucosamine and chondroitin pill wrapped in cheese each evening for a bedtime snack! YUM☺

Zona said...

Nice to finally meet you Asa! I've heard lots about you and your brother so I stopped by to say hi! What wonderful two-leggers you have to take such care of your nutrition and help you maintain your figure! Aren't we lucky? :) Phoenix and I eat Innova but my big sister Cali has a lot (A LOT) of allergies so she dines on Pinnacle. There are so many good for you foods out there these days and they're tasty too! I bet you love your new menu.

Brandon - The dog with a blog said...

Your food looks pretty good - Toby would have loved it!

Anonymous said...

Hey,
what a coincidence!!Mummy and Daddy decided to go on a get fit,eat healthy,stay young thing as a new year resolution this year. they have been going to the gymn cutting down on all junk food.(but mummy still has a hard time keeping daddy away from the goodies shelf n herself from the choclats n ice-creams)
anyways, our refrigerator smells more of veg than non-veg stuff now.
I happily eat Pedigree milk n rice kibble once a day.the other meal is usually one very small helping of steamed rice with boiled chicken bones and liver.YUMMZ!!
Mum modifies the recipe from time to time, adding just a little cholesterol reducing safflower oil or fat free margarine.
Apart from two major meals,we also get a small afternoon snack, mostly just one of these things :biscuits,carrots, yoghurt,ice-cream,boiled or poached egg,cottage cheese or some doggy treat.
buddy HATES kibble.After trial and error mom dicovered he tolerates IAMS.to some xtent!!
But today mornig he spit even that out to a record distance of # n half feet. and mummy had to make human food for him.Indian bread with yoghurt!and he wont eat that tomorrow. so she has to think of another combination!!

wags, Ginger

1000 Goldens said...

Your Mom and Dad are awesome! My Mom has been trying so hard to make progress in the same areas, but you put her to shame with your kick butt routine :)

Bella and Ollie said...

How very nice of your Mummy!
I am very fussy with what i eat, so i don't think accept all these new things. hehe
Good luck with your healthy diet, Asa. it will be really good for your body and you'll have lots of energy for playing. how fun!

Love, Bella.

Dexter said...

Good for mom and dad to get into shape and feel better. I know my momma would have more energy and mentals if she tended to her diet and exercise.

I have a most sensitive belly and eat a combination of Taste of the Wild and Back to Basics kibbles. For some reason, eating half and half is the only thing that keeps me, er, regular. But I get lots of nommies like you do too.

Slobbers,
Mango

Life With Dogs said...

California natural has been wonderful for us - no wheat, and that helps with allergies. :)