starting jenny craig tmrw...

[ann09]

I only have about 10-15 lbs to lose but when you have that little to lose it's hard. my life is so stressful these days that I don't have the energy to cook for myself - just the kids. I find myself not eating anything and then filling up on something way too "carb like".

So.....I decided to join Jenny (I did it before about 7 yrs ago and lost a ton of weight....needed to lose more then). I'm hoping that by being "forced" to eat and having the meals prepared for me I will lose this weight in a healthier way and it will keep me in control. Kind of anxious because it's such a commitment - it's not cheap and you get weighed in once a week so you really can't cheat.

[Lauriebell82]

I think that Jenny Craig is a waste of money..as are Weight Watchers, Curves, Nutrasystem, ect. Also those types of diets work best for people who have tons of weight to lose (50-100 lbs).

 

I'm not saying they don't work, they do. BUT you have to keep doing it, keep spending the money on food. You can't go off without gaining it back.

 

IMO the best way to lose weight is the old fashioned way..healthy diet/portion control and exercise. I lost 45 pounds the old fashioned way and have kept it off. It's about changing your lifestyle, not spending money on expensive and fancy food.

[SummerLady]

I only have about 10-15 lbs to lose but when you have that little to lose it's hard. my life is so stressful these days that I don't have the energy to cook for myself - just the kids. I find myself not eating anything and then filling up on something way too "carb like".

So.....I decided to join Jenny (I did it before about 7 yrs ago and lost a ton of weight....needed to lose more then). I'm hoping that by being "forced" to eat and having the meals prepared for me I will lose this weight in a healthier way and it will keep me in control. Kind of anxious because it's such a commitment - it's not cheap and you get weighed in once a week so you really can't cheat.

 

Here is the deal. You have to learn how to eat real food. I do not think JC is bad but unless you learn what foods to eat, portion control and have some will power, you will not succeed in the long run. You can't live on JC food. For me its willpower, its like a muscle the more you work it the stronger it gets. I say no to myself I don't need junk and crap in my diet. It makes me feel bad and I gain weight. Its hard I know but you can do it. If you need JC use them as a stepping stone, lose some weight and then go at it yourself, you can do it and save the money. If I can do it you can too, believe me. Like you I did not have much weight to lose but the last 10-20 always are hard. This is not luck, this is effort. Be relentless!!!

[ann09]

You're both so right. I know what to eat - and I also know you have to burn more than you consume in order to lose weight. It's just that right now in my life I am under such stress and going through such a difficult time I have put my health last on my list of priorities. I am also aware that once you get off this kind of program, the weight can be put on so fast. I am hoping by the time I am done with it, I will be in a better place in my life to take care of myself the way I usually do.

[Lauriebell82]

You're both so right. I know what to eat - and I also know you have to burn more than you consume in order to lose weight. It's just that right now in my life I am under such stress and going through such a difficult time I have put my health last on my list of priorities. I am also aware that once you get off this kind of program, the weight can be put on so fast. I am hoping by the time I am done with it, I will be in a better place in my life to take care of myself the way I usually do.

 

Well, even in JC I think you still have to take care of yourself. Sorry, I'm not trying to be mean but stress is not an excuse to not take care of yourself. You are going to get stressed out even on JC. It won't magically make you lose weight. You have to put in the work also, like exercise and all. And you can't be DONE with JC, you have to keep buying the food in order to avoid gaining the weight back.

 

Actually, you may see a decrease in stress once you start exercising and eating healthier. Junk food can sometimes add to stress as it makes you feel weighed down and can give you gas.

 

JC will not magically take your stress away and make you lose weight. You are going to have to do that on your own.

[IfWishesWereHorses]

IMO, the key to successfully taking up a new way of eating is planning and preparedness. The great thing about JC is that they take care of it for you! While going through the natural adjustments when you change your way of eating, its nice to have something preplanned and prepared to decreases the chances of falling off the wagon.

 

I think its a fine way to get started if you have the money to spend. It will help you to get a grip on your lifestyle so that you can focus on planning and preparing food for yourself. I believe they also teach to to have a plan for difficult times, such as vacations, holidays, ect... And then there's the accountability. There is also the investment which motivates a lot of people.

 

Years ago I did one of the popular shake diets with one meal I prepared a day. I easily added the other two meals and continued my weightloss successfully. I also believe that the money I had invested was a major motivation until the weight loss itself became the motivation.

 

Its a fine way to start and learn to take control over your diet, especially for a busy mom who would be fixing two meals each night.

 

I'm a big fan of the SouthBeach woe. Its a lot of natural foods so there's cooking involved daily but nothing fancy. I add an easy kid friendly side, but they eat the healthy food that we are eating as well. As you get started you might want to investigate it.

 

Good luck with your goal!

[torranceshipman]

Personally I am not a fan of this because a) you abdicate responsibility completely to someone else, meaning you are likely to put back 100% of the weight after you finish, and b) it is expensive.

 

You need to eat every 3 hrs , small amounts. This is best to make your metabolism quicker, stops you starving yourself/obsessing over food/getting hungry and bingeing, and healthy and enjoyable if you eat the right foods. Do you know, for example, that you can eat a huge plate of green veg and it has almost no calories...that you can have a chocolate protein bar that takes great and is really good for you...your small meals should have carbs AND protein and fibre in each meal...if you want snacks grab an oat cake or one of many other lo cal snacks - or better still big glass of diet pepsi as it fills your stomach for a bit and is calorie free...you can do it on your own - you don't need Jenny Craig to do it for you. You need to make a lifestyle choice not a quick fix diet on the instructions of other people to lose weight forever.

[xpaperxcutx]

JC, Nutrisystem, etc... They all only have one consistency- they count your calories for you and help you to eat right. They target the one thing that most Americans aren't able to do- eat healthy.

 

 

I mean if you can afford it, yes, they're helpful because it all comes down to portion and calorie control.

[2sunny]

just eat half as much as you normally would. you will lose it without having to deprive yourself of what you really want to eat and without that extra expense.

 

learn what it means to be a bit hungry - this is not a bad thing - you end up eating because you need to not because you want to.

[Hot Carl]

People in the US are remarkably fat and sloppy. As a culture, we should be ashamed of ourselves.

[2sunny]

People in the US are remarkably fat and sloppy. As a culture, we should be ashamed of ourselves.

 

speak for yourself Carl. i am tall, slim and in shape. for a gal that's pushing 50 - that isn't such a bad thing.

[Hot Carl]

speak for yourself Carl. i am tall, slim and in shape. for a gal that's pushing 50 - that isn't such a bad thing.

 

I was only posting about the culture in general, not you specifically.

[cuppa]

I was only posting about the culture in general, not you specifically.

 

well the way I see it, US is a culture of both extreme. Yes, you have a lot of people who don't know how to eat healthy & refuse to exercise (and try to change the standard on what healthy body image is).

 

BUT, you also have a lot of 50 - 60 year olds, joining triathlon, in the best shape of their lives, probably better than the typical 25 y.o. I'm 33 y.o asian female and in my asian group, I'm definitely the fittest by far (yes, majority of them are skinny and counting calories, but they don't exercise and they don't eat the right food either).

 

I think in some cultures, yes, they are mostly skinny but it doesn't meant that they eat healthy either, they just eat less and I'm not sure if it's a good thing because after all, the life expectancy is the US still surpass than some countries that are not known for obesity problems. It could be better though...

Edited February 27, 2010 by cuppa

[ann09]

Well, regardless of opinions, I started the program today. I don't think I have eaten this much in one day in my life. After buying the food I had to make a trip to the grocery store to get more veggies and fruits than I have ever bought. The hardest part is not getting that glass of wine with dinner I usually have on a Sat night. But - I feel better because of it.

 

I don't have much to lose and once I get to my halfway mark I stop buying a lot of the JC meals and start incorporating my own. The great thing is you start to realize what a real portion is supposed to be instead of the mounds of food we typically consume.

 

I agree with you all in that this is taking the easy way out - but it's disciplining me and making me feel more in control. I met a woman today that did this program, lost a TON of weight, and has kept it off for a year. She still goes to JC once a month for maintenance and buys their snacks to have in between the meals she makes for herself.

 

I know once I get down to where I want to be I will keep it off. This is too much of a committment to blow it. And the fact that I am eating right and feeling healthier is a big plus for me.

[cuppa]

Well, regardless of opinions, I started the program today. I don't think I have eaten this much in one day in my life. After buying the food I had to make a trip to the grocery store to get more veggies and fruits than I have ever bought. The hardest part is not getting that glass of wine with dinner I usually have on a Sat night. But - I feel better because of it.

 

I don't have much to lose and once I get to my halfway mark I stop buying a lot of the JC meals and start incorporating my own. The great thing is you start to realize what a real portion is supposed to be instead of the mounds of food we typically consume.

 

I agree with you all in that this is taking the easy way out - but it's disciplining me and making me feel more in control. I met a woman today that did this program, lost a TON of weight, and has kept it off for a year. She still goes to JC once a month for maintenance and buys their snacks to have in between the meals she makes for herself.

 

I know once I get down to where I want to be I will keep it off. This is too much of a committment to blow it. And the fact that I am eating right and feeling healthier is a big plus for me.

 

Amen sister! What matters is that you take an initiative to be healthy and that's more than some people (who whine about their weight/health but refuse to do anything about it).

[anne1707]

I think that Jenny Craig is a waste of money..as are Weight Watchers, Curves, Nutrasystem, ect. Also those types of diets work best for people who have tons of weight to lose (50-100 lbs).

 

I'm not saying they don't work, they do. BUT you have to keep doing it, keep spending the money on food. You can't go off without gaining it back.

 

IMO the best way to lose weight is the old fashioned way..healthy diet/portion control and exercise. I lost 45 pounds the old fashioned way and have kept it off. It's about changing your lifestyle, not spending money on expensive and fancy food.

 

 

Weightwatchers DOES work if you have less than 50lbs to lose. It has worked for me and I saw quite a few other people it worked for who had similar amounts of weight to lose. It is also nothing to do with spending money on expensive branded/fancy food. I ate "normal" food but just in a more healthy and balanced manner - i.e. a change of lifestyle.

[Enema]

No mention of exercise.

 

Are you only modifying your diet?

[lovefitness]

How is your progress comming? Well be an additional support system!