Weightier Issue

As you may recall, Lion and I have been trying to lose weight. I got the idea that this weight loss procedure should play into our FLR. As incentive for Lion losing weight, I decided he should get punished if he gains weight. If his weight stays the same or if he loses weight, his buns are safe.

Aside from his kidney surgery, he has steadily lost weight. Before his surgery, he wasn’t eating so it stands to reason he would lose weight and then gain weight once he started eating after the surgery. He was sick so I didn’t punish him when he gained weight at that point. I’m not a monster.

I don’t have a minimum weight he needs to lose each week. As long as he maintains or loses, I count that as a win. Lion does too. Otherwise, he gets spanked. He does not want to be spanked. I’m not sure if the spanking itself or dreading it is worse.

This week didn’t go very well at our weigh-in. We both gained weight. Of course, we were not adhering to our low-carb diet as well as other weeks. I think eating well takes more effort and it’s boring. It’s much easier to grab a pizza or burgers. Tastier too, to me.

Right now, Lion is dreading the punishment for his weight gain. How many swats will he get? How hard will they be? What can he do to avoid it? Will I forget to punish him? He’s just a poor, injured Lion. Why would I be so mean as to punish him?

Ha! Poor Lion. He may fear the punishment, but on some level, he looks forward to it. He knows it means I care enough to hold him to his rules. If I tell him he’s earned punishment and then forget enough times, he’s upset because it looks like I don’t care. What’s the purpose of the rules if I don’t enforce them? Why should he follow them?

The truth is, even when I say the rules have been suspended, Lion tends to follow them anyway. For example, when he has his kidney stones, he still waited until I ate before he ate. Right now, many of the rules have been suspended because of his shoulder. He still follows them. Once he has his surgery, I’m sure he’ll falter, but that’s okay. They’ve been suspended for just that reason.

When I see him adhering to the rules, I try to recognize him. I think it’s important, maybe more so, to tell him when I see him doing something right. He likes to hear “good boy” too. Good boy isn’t really natural for me yet. I say it sometimes, but I bet he’d like to hear it more often. I generally just thank Lion for waiting to eat. It’s a work in progress.