Updated 10/24 - Post 3: Bloggers Discuss Their Results and Learnings from Jenny Craig
Meg from whatever learned a lot about herself and weight loss while on the Jenny Craig program. "I think the top five things I have learned with the Jenny Craig program about myself are:
1. Eating every few hours is healthy for your metabolism.
2. Portion size is IMPORTANT.
3. Vegetables are yummy.
4. Drink LOTS and LOTS of water.
5. If you mess up....get back up....don't give up because you had one bad day."
Lorie from Be Different, Act Normal realized that treating weight loss like a long-term investment was the best method for steady progress and lasting success. "Before I started this plan, dieting was always about something coming up. I want to lose 20 lbs before a wedding in 3 months. For the first time I am focusing on the end result, not an event. And because of that I don't feel the need to force myself to the gym every day for 90 minutes, which only makes me feel like I deserve to reward myself with a snack anyways. Instead I am planning on this taking a while, sort of like paying of a loan or saving money to buy a new house. Big goals deserve plans and plans take time."
Allison from Confessions of a 20 Something writes that while there's no magic weight loss solution, consistency is the key. "I have learned a lot over this past month. First, I have learned that it really is not that hard to lose and/or maintain weight. It is a simple formula. Calories in, calories out, exercise yadda yadda. We all know this deep down, it is just the putting your mind to it and DOING it that is half the battle. I know how to eat right, I just have to DO it! Ha ha. Easier said than done right? Well I feel like Jenny Craig is a great program that teaches you about healthy lifestyle eating. It is a change you have to make on a daily basis. There is no magic fix, it is a slow, natural process that in time will become a way of eating and living."
Pamela from pyjammy enjoyed adding more fruits and veggies to her diet, even rediscovering a childhood favorite. "But even without a dramatic metamorphosis into rail-thin supermodel, I do feel somewhat transformed. Let me share some of what I’ve learned in the past month.
Portion Control: I’m watching my portions and am much more aware of them. (Turns out, filling the cereal bowl halfway is the right portion. Who knew?)
Healthy Variety: I’m eating a lot more fruits and vegetables than before. I’ve rediscovered my childhood love of apples and am having fun finding new varieties. (Jazz apples are my current obsession.) I’m eating salads almost every day. This is pretty huge..."
Fiddledeedee found out that her eating sometimes falls victim to unconscious eating habits, but is working to overcome these with her learnings from Jenny Craig. "I’ve been learning a lot about myself and the reasons I may overeat. I’m a cross between an Emotional Eater and an Unconscious Eater. I typically crave carbs and sweets when I’m tired or depressed. And before if I sat down to watch T.V., I would grab something to munch on, even when I wasn’t hungry. Now if I’m craving something, I’ll make a healthier choice that satisfies me without throwing my weight loss success under the bus."
Lakeitha from Home To Three Duncan Boys discovered that while exercise is great for weight loss, it can also double as a great time for some much needed relaxation and reflection. "One thing that I am proud of about this experience is the fact that I got out and walked! I actually have added walking to my weekly routine. I know that walking is not a big deal to many of you, but I used to do it so much prior to being a mom. And now that I’m doing it again, I realized that I missed that. I missed having time to myself to just clear my mind and breathe!"Updated 10/17 - Post 2: Bloggers Share Their Weight Loss Challenges & Triumphs
Meg from whatever writes that she was happy with the support she's received through the Jenny Craig program "I have had two calls with my phone consultant, Alexis, and she is super sweet. She helps me talk through problem areas, dealing with eating out, why I eat the way I do, etc. Although it is a little hard to share so openly with her what I did eat or am tempted by...It is so helpful to be held accountable by someone. She has answers to my issues. It reminds me that I am not alone.... I am not the first person that has struggled with the desire to eat chocolate chip cookies."
Lorie from Be Different, Act Normal found an unexpected perk in having to eat lots of veggies as part of the Jenny Craig diet. "You are allowed to have as many non starchy vegetables as you like, so it is easy to dress them up. Add some broccoli to the pasta and zucchini to the soup. I really like veggies, but I was shocked at how many they actually have you eat. I think I averaged 4 to 5 cups of required veggies a day, not counting the free snacks. I had a complete light bulb moment. I didn't want to eat two cups of the same veggie at dinner, so I started making a few different veggies, which gave my kids more veggie options. I used to make only one because fighting over one type of vegetable seemed like enough, but I can actually get them to eat more vegetables overall if they have a choice.."
Allison from Confessions of a 20 Something discovered that while wine presented a big temptation in her very social life she was able to offset these calories with a few tricks she learned. "I do super at following my Jenny Craig menu, that is not the issue. It’s those darn glasses of wine, ha. I know that in life, it is all about moderation, so Kerstin and I talked about how I could offset these indulgences with increased activity. She is so smart ;) . Also, I realized that for me, sometimes it is just about having something in your hand, so I started alternating a glass of wine with a glass of water, or just club soda. You would be surprised how much this helped me to keep it under control! (I also feel a lot better the next day) funny how that works right? ;)"
Pamela from pyjammy found that eating six small meals a day was a great way to keep away hunger. "So here I am, a little more than halfway through my Jenny Craig experience. So far, so good. I’m down a few pounds, and I really do feel like I’m learning something. When I’m not eating the Jenny Craig meals, I find that I am eating smaller portions. And the six small meals means I’m never really starving. It’s kind of amazing. It’s just so hard to move out of the mindset of MEAL-snack-MEAL-snack-MEAL-snack-snack-um-snack. But this works better: meal-meal-meal-meal-meal-meal."
Fiddledeedee was able to conquer her afternoon cravings with the help of her counselor "The most difficult time of day has been about 3 or 4:00 each afternoon. After a discussion with my weekly consultant, Barbara, we determined that I could save my cup of milk from breakfast, and substitute a 6 ounce plain yogurt to eat later in the afternoon when my blood sugar was low. It worked like a charm. I even added in a cup of green tea at that time of day to help curb my appetite."
Lakeitha from Home To Three Duncan Boys considered giving up when she realized that she needed to commit fully in order to see results. "You know, what I know for sure is that it really don’t matter what program you’re on (if on one) because if you don’t at least TRY to give it your all, you will fail. I almost gave up my second week in because I felt like I shouldn’t have needed all of this to jump start my weight loss journey. But then I realized, sometimes it doesn’t matter what got you to the point, but more so what you’re willing to do once you get there. After accepting that I didn’t necessarily bring myself to this point, I wanted to make sure that I gave it my all."Updated 10/10 - Post 1: First Impressions of Jenny Craig
Meg from whatever loved the convenience and flexibility that Jenny Craig offered. "The people at Jenny Craig call you for your appointments. There is no office or class or group you attend which works SO WELL for me and my schedule! I couldn't imagine adding in one more place to be in my week. They call you and you pick out the foods you would want off their menu, or you can pick a completely automated package of food choices and a meal plan."
Lorie from Be Different, Act Normal admitted that she was skeptical at first but decided to give Jenny Craig a shot since dieting on her own was not working. "I have never ever EVER tried a structured diet plan before. Never taken diet pills or gotten shots or gone to meetings or counted points. I believe that eating right and exercising is the only way to lose weight and keep it off and I figured if I could do it at all then I would be able to do it by myself. Control freak much? When it comes to dieting I am all or nothing. I get all gung-ho about exercising and watching what I eat, and when it starts to fall apart in a couple of weeks I just sort of give up and figure I have to start over."
Allison from Confessions of a 20 Something was impressed by how delicious Jenny Craig's food offerings were. "The first week I was SO surprised. I am use to diet food, Lean Cuisines and I go way back. Ohmaword y’all… I am not kidding when I tell you these Jenny meals are phenom. I had no idea they were so good! My favorites were the breakfasts. I am eating French toast and omelets and breakfast scrambles for breakfast every day. Amazing! Totally beat my yogurt I used to eat."
Pamela from pyjammy was glad that the Jenny Craig program focused on a change to lifestyle and not just diet. "So when I was offered the chance to try Jenny Craig for a month, I jumped at it. I did a little reading up on the Jenny Craig program before we got started, and I was pleased to see that even though they were going to be sending me a ton of food, the program focused on Food, Body, and Mind. So it wasn’t going to be “eat this food and you will lose weight.” That wouldn’t be very sustainable anyway. Like any successful weight loss program, it’s a lifestyle change, not a diet."
Fiddledeedee was inspired to try the program by the success story of a favorite actress she could identify with. "When I was approached to review the Jenny Craig program, I was thrilled. Mostly because I remember well seeing Valerie Bertinelli's weight loss journey, and how incredibly wonderful and healthy she now looks. We're the same age, and I figured that if she could do it, I could as well."
Lakeitha from Home To Three Duncan Boys was happy that her Jenny Craig consultant knew where she was coming from because she's been there herself. "Sheri was my personal consultant who was there to weigh me and discuss my week. What I love about her is that she too had a battle with weight. She shared her pictures with me of what she looked like before she started Jenny Craig and how she is keeping the weight off. And since she is already on the program herself, she was able to suggest some of her favorite meals like the three cheese ziti!"
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