Thank you Jenny Craig for sponsoring this post. — Get serious about losing weight with Jenny Craig!
You might remember last month me sharing with you that I was trying out Jenny Craig for a few weeks to jump start my healthy lifestyle changes. Today, I thought I would share with you 3 things I learned about myself during this process.
For me, getting healthy has been the easy part. Eating what I am supposed to eat — again, the easy part. BUT — learning to be okay with whatever changes have happened to me — not so much. I struggle with a lot emotionally and being able to understand it all with the help of my consultant was wonderful.
In January, I spoke with my consultant about my fears and the rough emotional side of wanting to get healthy. I explained my frustrations to her about how before, no matter how much I exercised and ate right, I didn’t lose anything.
However, she encouraged me to not give up. She encouraged me to just keep going because it’s not about what is happening on the outside, it is the emotional changes happening on the inside that will eventually reflect on the outside.
We talked about things like my snacking problems and my emotional eating issues and she gave me some very positive goals for a healthier start to the new year.
3 Things I Learned About Myself from Doing Jenny Craig
#1 It Doesn’t Happen Overnight
Something I learned is this –making real changes in your daily habits and routines can be hard, and a real, lasting change doesn’t happen over night.
Real change does not happen immediately and that was part of my problem. I was expecting immediate results and that is just not natural and true for some people.
**Jenny Craig members can expect to lose an average of 1-2 pounds per week, which is a healthy range of weight loss.
**Results not typical. Members following the Jenny Craig program, on average, lose 1-2 lbs. per week. I received promotional consideration.
#2 Emotional Eaters Eat ALL the Time
I figured out while on the Jenny Craig program that I eat when I feel emotional. Food is a huge part of my life. I am a food blogger for goodness sake — so celebrations — I am surrounded by food. When I am stressed, I reach for potato chips or chips and salsa.
Note: ALL of the foods pictured in this post are Jenny Craig meals, with “on-plan” veggies and fruits added by me.
I learned during this whole process to give myself a moment to be satisfied when I eat. Since I spend SO much time around food, I have to learn so slow down and enjoy it while I eat.
She told me to try my hand at a delicious salad and veggies first before I dive into the main course — and to pay attention to how I am feeling when I eat. If I am feeling full — stop and don’t eat until I am OVER FULL.
When you’re able to recognize WHY you’re eating (or over-eating, or eating the wrong sorts of things) then it’s so much easier to change other habits that allow you to better control those bad eating habits.
#3 Portion Sizes are KEY
I learned also that my portion sizes, even though I thought I was eating the right sizes, were way out of control. I was not eating enough at breakfast, which caused me to get hungry by mid morning.
And of course when it came to dinner, I was eating more than I needed to. And don’t get me started with lunch. My portion sizes were out of control.
Then, with my desserts — I just went completely overboard.
With Jenny Craig, I got pre-portioned, prepared meals and snacks that spread my eating out perfectly throughout the day.
I was encouraged to eat snacks in between meals (Jenny Craig approved) as well as allowed “unlimited free foods” from a list on the back of each weekly menu.
My favorite so far has been the molten lava chocolate cake. Who would have thought that on a program like Jenny Craig you get molten lava cake.
Once I finish all my food and the program with Jenny Craig, I know I will be able to still do great. I can apply all the principles I have learned and make plans to eat smaller portions of meats, grains, starchy vegetables, etc, and increase my intake of the good vegetables, which is what I have not ever done before.
With Jenny Craig, members develop a healthy relationship with food, build an active lifestyle and create a more balanced approach to living. They understand and overcome the internal/external challenges to healthy eating, identify enjoyable ways to move more, learn positive coping strategies and reframe their beliefs and attitudes to better support their weight management goals.
Have you tried Jenny Craig to lose weight? If so, what was your favorite part? If not, what appeals to you about the program?
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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