Last week, Murphy took a visit to the vet. Mal and I were a bit concerned about his weight, so we figured that a check-up couldn’t hurt. According to the AKC, male pugs are supposed to weigh between 14-18 pounds. Murphy weighs 28! 
Ok, so, he’s a really big boy. But, if you met him in person, you probably wouldn’t think that he’s overweight. He’s got some extra skin like all pugs do, but he’s muscular and just rock solid. Mal and I joke that he has “flabs of steal“! 
Even with his “flabs of steal,” the vet recommended that Murphy lose a few pounds, so now we’re making changes to get him down to 25 pounds. Just this week, we switched Murphy from puppy to adult food, and he’s getting apple slices for treats instead of peanut butter. Hopefully, some simple changes to his diet will do the trick!
The good thing, however, is that the vet was really happy with the amount of exercise that he gets in his life. Murphy gets at least an hour everyday. Most days he gets more– between multiple walks and frequent puppy play dates. In fact, Murphy’s workouts are actually getting him pretty buff. He can walk/run 4 miles, which is pretty good for a little (well, big) pug!
Snack
Before heading to NuVal, I refilled my iced coffee and added some caramel syrup and vanilla soy milk. (Having all of this caramel stuff in my house might be a problem! 
)
Lunch
I kept lunch simple today by mixing a homemade salad with leftovers from last night’s dinner. I just shook it all up in a Tupperware container to create an interesting and flavorful lunch. On the side, I had an orange and a Nature’s Path Lotta Apricotta bar.
Feel Great Weight
It seems like Murphy’s workout is working for him– well, at least helping him maintain his weight!
Is your workout working for you?
Check out my recent FGW post: 6 Reasons Why Your Workout Isn’t Working. I like to check-in with myself every few weeks to make sure that I am working as hard as I can– at least for most of my workouts. Sometimes, I really enjoy zoning out on the elliptical with a magazine!
P.S. I posted my groceries for the week over on Trading Up Downtown. I also explained my meal planning for the week.
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That might be the cutest picture of Murphy EVER. I’m surprised he weighs that much, he doesn’t look it.
I have 2 dogs that weight about the same, one gets half the exercise and twice the food and he’s skin and bones, the other is chubby and the vet agrees I can’t cut her food further and she gets plenty of exercise, so I wonder what she manages to get into that I don’t know about…
He definitely doesn’t look like he weighs that much! My dog is the opposite I’m trying to get him to gain weight so we may have to up the pb intake.
Murphy looks so cute.
I just did a check with myself today and decided my upper body hasn’t been getting hte attention it needs. So I’m starting a 30day plan for my upper body to tone it up and mostly make myself feel more confident.
We have a pug that is about 4 years old. His name is Baxter and he looks just like Murphy. He too weights about 28 pounds. We do watch his food intake, but he is just a happy, healthy, big pug!
I enjoy your blog!
How can you deny that cute face pb? His pics make me smile. BTW- I just read your post below and try making your grilled sandwiches with mayo. It sounds gross, but it is perfect. You can’t taste the mayo, but it coats the bread perfectly and toasts great.
That picture of Murphy is so stinking cute! As for my workout working for me, I find that I am constantly switching up what I do. I feel like I go through phases, usually lasting 2-4 weeks, where there is one thing I LOVE doing, and then I switch to something else. It works, but I want to get more strength training in.
I feel like I’m getting what I want out of my workouts. My goal is endurance, including being able to run a 5k by the middle of the summer. I’m up to running thirty minutes at a slow pace, but it’s more than I’ve ever been able to run, so it feels great. I run three times a week, and walk or cross-train three other days a week.
What a cute pup! I have a lab who is 75 lbs and right on track. I’m not sure how or why. He moderates his food. It’s weird.
oh that photo of Murphy is TOO cute
Awww….puppy diets. I feel like my dog (Oliver) has the opposite problem. Even though he eats a ton he always looks too skinny when his fir is trimmed, I think because he is manic and running around al lthe time. The photo is adorable. He’s such a good poser.
I had a chubby puppy too. We fed him 1/2 dry dog food and 1/2 a can of green beans and he’s really slimmed down.
aw, poor murphy! i am sure he will be at his feel great weight in no time at all. that picture of him is priceless. i am currently struggling with my workout and eating habits which all lands on the weight stuff so a lot of the information you give is super helpful although my boyfriend is getting a bit tired of me quoting you. he will just have to get used it though. thanks!
Another good snack for pups, at least mine, are carrots. My dogs prefer carrots to bacon and peanut butter. They know the word carrot now, and if I ever say it in the house they freak out. Note: they normally don’t even like food at all, because they are weird……
Dang! My cat is the same way, overweight but young and muscular…. Murphy is still a cutie pie!
OMG…. that pic of Murphy is so adorable! lol…. I think he’s feeling a little sad about his figure. But I’m sure he’ll be svelte in no time.
@Gabrielle: I am amazed that you can get a dog to eat carrots. I knew someone else who did the same thing and love telling people about the dog who eats baby carrots as a treat!
Katherine
@Katherine: I feed my daughter’s dog fresh green beans. I tried a banana one day. He was not too sure about it but he ate it.
Really enjoyed your article! Made me realize that maybe I do need to push myself harder
I love Murphy!! Overweight or not, I could look at that cute face every day!! Also, I have to say, his endurance is super impressive! 4 miles really is a lot for such a little guy. Good luck with your new diet Murphy!
Surely that 14-18 pounds thing is an average? There are always going to be slightly bigger and slightly smaller animals than “the norm” – just think about Einstein, that tiny tiny horse that was just born! And with the amount of exercise Murphy gets, he can’t be anything but healthy… hopefully he’ll still get peanut butter sometimes!
Cute about the dog! It’s funny how in America we can worry about our pets being obese! All those dog and cat treats out now, bragging that there’s only “two calories per treat”! I think it’s pretty funny. Important to keep our pets healthy, but the rest of the world thinks we are crazy. : )
I’ve been loving and reading your blog for awhile, but never comment. I love Murphy! He’s so adorable. When you first got him I thought he looked alot like my pug. I have a 2 year old puggy named Winston. We just weighed him at the vets office last week and he tipped the scale at 29.5 pounds. Like Murphy, Winston gets lots of walking time in. The vet mentioned that he is still healthy though, and not overweight! I thought Winston was going to have to go on a diet! his two little puggy playmates also weigh in at 31 and 27 pounds. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 14 pound pug. Although, Winston gets lots of looks from people wondering why he’s such a big boy. He just has a large frame!Good luck with the diet. It’s a good thing pugs have lots of energy!
Read the workout article and if I didn’t have my workout distractions, I’d either do no exercise at all or force myself into a miserable workout and be grumpy all day! That wouldn’t work for me either. What’s more fun is to make intervals part of your fun workout accessories (for example, for one or two magazine pages you up your speed or resistance, and then take another page or two to recover at a lower speed).
Murphy doesn’t look overweight at all! Maybe it’s just all muscle.
Can I just borrow Murphy for a few days? To love on and play with him? He’s too darn cute!
Cutest pic ever
Murphy is so cutest! My pug, Sumo (fitting name) is really big too so maybe I am biased. Did the vet say if some pugs are just larger? My friend has two and they are much smaller, tiny next to Sumo! Does Murphy have any allergies? Sumo can only eat lamb and rice food or he breaks out in a skin rash
lol fun info dude.
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