One of the first things you need to do is actually measure the exact amount of food you are giving her each and every time. Don’t guess at how much a cup is…you will be surprised just how wrong you are! Go buy a cheap measuring cup from the kitchen department (dollar or discount stores are great for this, or a super-department store like walmart or target) and measure the exact amount that you want to feed her for each and every single meal.

You need to do something different with her food. The guidelines on the bag and the amount of food your vet told you are both estimates and your dog may actually need fewer calories than that amount is providing. You could try cutting back on the amount of food she is eating now or, if you haven’t already done so, switch to one of the diet or "light" foods. Also, avoid lamb-based foods since lamb is very calorie-dense….usually your best bet for weight loss is a chicken-based food. If you’ve already switched to a light food and feeding her less than you currently are still isn’t working, ask your vet about prescription weight loss diets. They are a little more expensive than the over-the-counter diet foods, but the vet bills and ill health that you will save by getting her down to a proper weight are well worth the extra cost. If you are worried that the amount she is getting isn’t enough or if she seems to be constantly hungry, you could add some green beans or pumpkin to her food. Both of these vegetables are low-calorie but will help to make her feel full. Cut out all treats and/or take into account the number of treats she gets each day when feeding her. One thing you may try that would help this is to measure out the amount of food she is supposed to eat in one day and store it in a med/small plastic container. Use her regular food instead of treats and take it out of the container that her daily food is kept in…that way you can give her treats throughout the day without giving her any extra calories. If she doesn’t like her food enough for you to use it as treats, you can try putting a few yummy, stinky treats in with the food (but not feeding them to her) and her food will absorb some of the smell and flavor of the treats. you could also try low-calorie treats like carrots, or some dogs will even work for raw green beans.

One garbage-binge or a single large amount of human food alone is not enough to make a dog who is loosing weight suddenly gain it all back. Unless these binges are more than the occasional thing that you have led us to believe it is more likely that she isn’t loosing the weight like you think. Somewhere something has gone wrong with your diet plan. Either she’s getting too much food or someone is sneaking her lots of treats.

Another thing to consider is her health. I’m sure you’ve probably already discussed this with your veterinarian, but in case you haven’t, you need to make sure she is healthy and that there isn’t a medical reason for her not loosing the weight (especially if she is getting regular exercise and you aren’t cheating on her diet by feeding her too much or too many treats). There are several diseases that can cause a dog to gain weight or that make it difficult to downright impossible for a dog to loose weight. Make sure your vet discusses these diseases with you and does the appropriate blood tests.

Finally, "a lot" is very subjective as far as describing her exercise. Just walking her may not be enough depending on your walking speed and the length of your walks. You may need to take her for longer walks or keep up the pace a bit more. You could also try getting her involved in an active activity, like agility or flyball, once or twice a week. Also, if you have someplace you can take her, swimming is an EXCELLENT exercise for overweight dogs. Not only does it burn a lot more calories than walking, but it is low impact and builds muscle better than just regular walking.

The first thing you need to do is unilaterally ban "people food." Never again should you dog lick the leftover rice off of your plate or sample a cocktail weinie under the patio table. Food for humans has so much more calories than any dog food does. It is probably the chief reason that your dog is overweight in the first place.

The second thing you need to do is to get your dog on a regular feeding schedule (if you aren’t already doing this.) Now that she cannot snack on people food, choose a set time of the day to give her a set amount of food. (Most dog foods give guidelines about how much to feed a dog on the packaging; however, if your dog is already overweight, try feeding her 75% of the amount specified for her weight.) Your dog may be upset by this and choose not to eat the food you give her. That is fine; she will live if she doesn’t eat for one day.

Finally, continue walking her as you have been doing. Even if you add five or ten minutes to your walk a day, this will burn more calories for your pet. My new puppy came to me very overweight but by doing these things, we got the weight off him in just a few weeks. However, just like people, you have to stick to this diet/exercise program or the weight will creep back on. Good luck! And good for you for actually doing something about your pet’s weight – so many people let their pet suffer without realizing how bad it is for their health! You’re really a good dog owner for addressing the problem head-on.