Kick Starting 2017 with Jenny Craig

Thank you Jenny Craig for sponsoring this post. — Get serious about losing weight with Jenny Craig!
Hey, everyone! How are those New Year’s Resolutions going so far? This is about the time when people start to admit that they’re not doing so great, especially in the health and fitness area. People start to fall back into old habits and give up because healthy eating is too hard, too expensive, or too stressful. I get it, trust me. I love food but I don’t like it when deciding what I’m going to eat and if it healthy or not consumes my life. That’s why I was so eager to say yes when the Jenny Craig team approached me. I’m so excited to share with you guys how I’m kick starting 2017 with Jenny Craig.

Weight loss has always been a struggle for me. I was diagnosed with Thyroid Disease (Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism) in high school which is a condition that, among many other things, slows down your metabolism and makes it very difficult to lose weight. I’ve tried all of the shortcuts in the book: pills, cleanses, fad diets, etc. You name it, I’ve probably tried it. Having been a pageant girl, my weight was always a huge issue for me. I would drop 15 lbs to wear a swimsuit on stage and gain it back almost immediately after. I could never find something that worked for me in the long term.

After meeting and marrying Keith (whose PhD is in Exercise Psychology), he challenged me to develop a healthy exercise plan so I began running. I dropped a few pounds but was disappointed when the weight wasn’t melting off. That’s when he imparted his very depressing, but very true wisdom on me.

“Weight Loss/Health is 20% what happens in the gym

and 80% what happens in the kitchen!”

UGH! That hit me where it hurt! I’m not a crazed unhealthy eater, but I eat like a 5 year old. I don’t like to cook meals with more than one or two ingredients on a daily basis and I want to get hungry and eat within 10 minutes! I could eat chicken nuggets, eggs and bacon, pizza, and tacos EVERY SINGLE DAY.

So I started calorie counting. It was the only thing that I could make myself do. I wasn’t willing to eat grilled chicken and broccoli everyday and I wasn’t about to bring kale into my diet. So I ate what I liked and counted the calories. This totally works for me. I can lose weight pretty effectively this way. However, my body doesn’t really get all of the nutrients it needs and so I’m stuck drinking protein shakes, and taking vitamins. I need a better way to monitor my calorie intake, enjoy the food I’m eating, and get more nutrients.

Enter Jenny Craig.

I’ve decided that to kickstart my healthy eating for 2017 by skipping the fads and gimmicky diets and experiencing real results with Jenny Craig (JC). I’m going to do a 2 week program where all of my meals and snacks are predetermined by my JC consultant, Teresa!. I want to learn what foods I can and can’t eat and how much of it I should be eating. My ENORMOUS box of Jenny Craig food arrived in the mail last week. I was giddy with excitement going through all of the options they gave me to try. I’m a super picky eater but I’m so excited to try the pizza bits, fish and chips, chocolate lava cakes, and cookie dough bars! There are over 100 menu items and they all look fantastic.

I’ve chatted with my consultant, Teresa, twice now and she has been so helpful in answering any questions that I’ve had about the program. She explained exactly how it works and how to read and follow the menu provided for me. She helps me keep track of my likes, dislikes, weight, and measurements. We’ve set goals for me even discussed what happens if I can’t stick to the plan for one meal or so! She’s pretty terrific! I really feel like she’s invested in my results and honestly excited to hear me talk about my days. She lets me give honest feedback and she does the same.

I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me!

I’m on day 4 now and I can’t wait to share with you all my final results a a couple weeks. I can tell you with certainty that so far, the JC food has completely blown me away! I was not expecting it to be so great, but it really is. Plus, I’ve already lost a little weight, but I’ll give you guys a total next time we check in.

If you’re interested in trying Jenny Craig or even just learning more about the program, head to JennyCraig.com. You can get started chatting with a consultant about what plans they think are best for you. I’m so excited to chronicle this journey with you guys! Maybe you can join in the fun and we can all do Jenny Craig together!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.