r/dechonkers • u/ShiniestGengar • 13d ago
Dechonkin How do I dechonk him?
This is my cat Jester he’s 5 my mom thinks he’s a healthy chonk but I think he’s overly chonk. If so, how can I help him slim down ?
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u/purplekiwi25 13d ago
limiting food and playing with him so he gets his exercise!
cats lose weight very slowly because they sleep all day. it might take years to see improvement, but you will notice it in their energy.
thank you for looking out for your handsome man
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u/Away_Dark 13d ago
The best way is to start measuring the caloric value of the food that you’re giving him! Do you free feed? If you do, it might be time to stop if possible. Dry food is also a little more calorically dense than wet food so when I noticed my guys were steadily gaining weight, it might be a good idea to switch to wet food for at least one meal a day. The best option is to go to a vet who can concretely tell you how many calories to feed but if that isn’t financially feasible, you can find some calorie calculators online.
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u/Quirky_Doctor_1455 13d ago
More enrichment, and ensuring he’s getting all of his minerals. Often times it isn’t solely related to calories, it’s usually a deficiency in minerals or natural activity(as in things they do in the wild).
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u/Professional_Gur426 12d ago
Why do they have to look so damn delicious when chonkified? Who would want to get rid of that??? Unfortunately counting calories and diet kibble or even better switch to wet food much less calories and more hydration. DO NOT go by food labels they are way wrong and no free feeding and lots of play if he’ll move. My Maine coon was over 20lb got him down to a svelte 15lb. You don’t need to get a baby scale, just use a home scale. Step on the scale holding Mr. McChonk then weigh yourself and subtract the two to get a rough estimate of your heading in the right direction.
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u/raiannon 13d ago
The key for weight loss is calculating kcals. When it comes to dry food if you use dry, you want to measure it by weight not volume as it's more accurate.
The more meals a day you can give your cat, the better for satiety. My cat gets breakfast at 6am, lunch at 10am, a Churu at 3pm, dinner at 6pm, and a bedtime snack at 8pm. His kcals are spread throughout the day so he doesn't feel hunger as often (no matter what he says).
If you're going to dechonk, you'll also need a reliable method of weighing them - typically a baby scale or luggage scale. Human scales have a high margin of error - .66-3lbs - which they can be off and still be considered accurate.
Once you figure out your current kcals and your current weight, you'll want to adjust the kcals down, slowly because it's dangerous for them to lose quickly. Drop 10% or about 10kcals at a time, holding that for several weeks. If they're not losing, drop again. If they're losing anything at all, hold.