Jenny Craig – The Beginning

I’ve been struggling with my weight since I was 18 years old. That means I’ve spent more than a few years watching my weight go up and down and up…. its no wonder people call it the diet rollercoaster! I’ve been following the success of friend and fellow blogger Becky from Baby Budgeting who to date has lost 33lb (and looks amazing).  She’s done this via Jenny Craig and has opened my eyes to this new way of losing weight and keeping it off! 

I’ve been asked to trial the plan for a while and report my findings and (hopefully) my successes back to you. Having seen the positive effects for myself I certainly wasn’t going to turn this opportunity down. There are lots of diet fads and ‘weight loss shortcuts’ out there on the web. I wanted to avoid all of this and do something that actually works. Of course, there are some supplements that can help with weight loss, but it all starts with a good diet.

My initial thoughts on Jenny Craig was that you replaced all of your meals with their diet food and in doing so you lost weight. Sounds sensible yet there is a lot more to the plan than I originally realised including weekly phone calls from a dedicated consultant (Mine is called Miranda and is lovely! She is helpful, understanding and really listens), who talks you through your week, your concerns and your plans for the next week.

Personalised menu plans help you achieve your goals, ensure your nutritional needs are met and that you enjoy a varied, tasty and filling diet.

As you can see, along with your food you receive a menu plan which tells you which food to have but also allows you the freedom to add your own fruits, veggies, proteins, fats and starches as appropriate to ensure that all of your nutritional boxes are being ticked. Obviously today’s post is a whistle-stop tour of Jenny Craig, a brief introduction and you’ll hear a lot from me about the food and how I’m getting on (the food is spectacular by the way which I found surprising to be honest seeing as it comes from packets and tubs and what not).

I see this and think “Hmm, ok – I can manage this”
Then, using the menu I have been given, the free food allowances and what not that are available I make this and think “I can definitely cope with this! Can’t wait to see what is for tea”. (Click to enlarge).

 

So…. tomorrow is my first weigh-in after a week.

I started this journey with a weight of…….

14 Stone

And by tomorrow morning I’ll be able to see how I’ve fared after my first week weight-loss wise.
I’m quietly confident, here’s hoping I’m right!

 

How Do I Get Off The Weight Rollercoaster?

I have dieted on and off since I was 18 years old. I struggle with my weight as many women with PCOS do yet have managed to lose weight successfully in the past. This summer I have put on 8lb and feel awful! I don’t drink, don’t eat chocolate and sweets, I don’t go for a lot of puddings either. This can make “cutting back” a bind. When I am on a plan I can do well for a period of time but I really struggle maintaining any loss .

I am resigned to the fact that I am going to have to watch what I eat for the rest of my life, I put weight back on at an alarming rate and find it difficult to shift it again (hands up if you suffer with the same problem!). Roy said something recently about completely changing the way I eat and look at food (rather perceptive of him!) and I think he may be right. This conversation came at the same time I was contacted about a competition from Jenny Craig where bloggers are invited to ask a JC expert about anything related to healthy eating, nutrition and maintaining a healthy weight loss.

So my question for Jenny Craig, and my readers is this:

How can I change the way I eat / think about food in order to lose weight in a healthy way and maintain the loss?

Any personal experiences or advice from any source would be appreciated, I certainly can’t be the only one is this situation, wondering which way is the way forward, and fed up of the unhealthy loss/gain/loss/gain rollercoaster.

My current relationship with food is that it is a necessary evil that plots against me regularly to make me need to wear bigger knickers. Clearly this is not great as 1) I have previously vowed to rid myself of granny pants and do not want to see them creeping back into my undies drawer and 2) I have always quite enjoyed food, cooking and experimenting and want to recapture this.

I really need to find my way off the weight rollercoaster and onto the road that leads to a healthier weight that I can maintain long term. I need to ward off the big knickers!

photo by Christi Nielsen via PhotoRee