I've lost 16 pounds so far following my wife's diet for diabetics.

[riderinthestorm]

16. I agree with this. Its not just calories in, calories out.

I have human anecdotes but let me move to the animal world where subjectivity is minimized. I own and operate a 40 horse farm. Most of them are competitive sport horses. About half of them are in consistent training with my husband. Same feed, same hay, same water, same supplements, same amount of turnout, and exercise, and yet I have horses with wildly differing diets to accommodate their needs. A large pony eats three times as much as a thoroughbred, and the pony still can't put on weight. I have one client who owns an Andalusian/Thoroughbred cross - BIG guy on near-starvation rations and who still struggles with being overweight after 6 years with us, who also owns a tiny Arab who consumes the most hay and grain of any other horse in the barn.

If it were simply a matter of calories in, calories out then I could simply calculate their BMI, height and weight, and voila! create a standardized feeding plan.

Yet soooo many other factors matter: their temperament, whether they have ulcers or other pain related issues, their genetics, their past medical history (yes actually that matters - if a horse has had poor management in their past say they weren't properly dewormed, that also takes a toll on their gastro-intestinal system) etc etc.

Feeding animals becomes science. Anyone with multiple cats or dogs will tell you the same. Its not as simple as calories in, calories out.