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Jenny Craig Week 1 results

I’ve been distracted and haven’t been posting my Jenny Craig food and results. I thought I’d share my results after week 1. I lost 4.8 pounds during the first week. I would have lost more if I had stuck with the menu on Saturday and Sunday.

My thoughts on the Max Up program after one week and one coach call:

1. If I am going to spend $180 a week for a program, I expect all foods on the menu to be included. I shouldn’t have to purchase your shakes separately OR go to the grocery store to purchase “snacks”. Everything should be included. This is part of why I cancelled my Max Up program.

2. If all of your advertising and marketing states that coaching is included -it should be included! During my one and only coach call, my “coach” informed me that at I am not eligible for coaching because I have chosen to have my food auto shipped. WHAT???? She said that the coaching sessions are meant to help you choose your foods and if I’m just getting what is on the weekly menu, I don’t need a coach. Basically if I can choose my own food I am on my own. Um….no. That means I would need the coaching MORE! This was the #1 reason why I discontinued the Max Up program.

3. I decided to switch to a breakfast and lunch only program. Of course, since I was downgrading my program , the website wouldn’t let me. I had to set up a whole new account using a different email. Not user friendly.

So my final thought are – the food program works. The upselling and poor experience during my coaching call were a big turn off. I will post more once my new breakfast/lunch order arrives.

Thanks for reading.

Jenny Craig Day 3 dinner and Day 4 breakfast

Last night I just was not in the mood for The Jenny Craig food that was assigned for dinner, so I thought it was a good time to experiment. I ordered 3 chicken tacos in hard shells – No CHEESE and extra salsa from Chipotle. I also had a watermelon mint mojito. How would this affect the scale in the morning??? Up .2 pounds. Totally worth it.

Back on track this morning. I didn’t get a photo because I overslept (darned mojito). breakfast was egg, cheese, and turkey sausage burrito. It was ok.

Smell/taste: C/C. Serving size:B. Ease: A

See you at lunch!

Jenny Craig Day 3 Lunch

I had a 1/4 C of mixed nuts at 11am. They were delicious

Today’s lunch is the Chicken Ranch Melt. It is quite tasty. The chicken chunks are good. I’m very picky about my frozen food chicken. I can’t stand rubbery chicken, which is usually in frozen meals. This does not have that. The cheddar ranch spread is nice. All in all, I am happy with today’s food.

Smell/taste: A/A, Serving size: B+, Ease: A+

I’m looking forward to lasagna for dinner tonight.

Thanks for reading.

Blame in on the…

In July 2019, I bared my soul and admitted, not only my weight but that the doctor told me I had to do something about it.

I did. Joined Weight Watchers online, right after I got home from the doctors appointment. I was actually doing very well. Blood pressure down. Lost 18 pounds. I was moving more and eating healthier.

Then came Covid-19.

I am not putting all the blame on Covid though. I am fully accepting my contributions to my backslide. However, I lay about 49% of the blame on this stupid “new normal”.

Since I don’t have the best immune system, I asked put in for a work from home assignment – but only if someone with more of a reason to stay home (small children, elderly parents living with them, immune compromised themself or a family member at home.). I was given the work at home assignment to help another department handle calls from people who needed financial assistance or were looking for information. While I am grateful for the chance to stay home and healthy, I was now tethered to a computer answering calls 8 hours a day. The ringer on the laptop didn’t work, so I actually had to sit, with headphones on, waiting for a call to come in. So, what did I do – I snacked because I was bored. On top of snacking, I literally sat for 8 hours. Sitting and snacking for 8 hours. In my regular job, I would be on my feet most of the day attending to the needs of the patrons at the library. So….you got it…the weight piled on.

On top of all of the snacking and sitting, I was also an emotional wreck. My visit to my elderly (sorry Mom and Dad – I don’t think of you as elderly. When I close my eyes I see you in your 40s still.) parents was cancelled due to the pandemic. Our other mini vacation to the Flower and Garden show at Epcot in Orlando was also a victim of the pandemic. To make matters worse during this terrible 2020 shit show, we had two relatives die without us being able to celebrate their lives at a funeral or memorial service.

Then, we discovered Door Dash. Now I didn’t have to shop, prep, or cook everyday. We just ordered our food – already cooked – to be delivered. Bad find. That food is NOT healthy. Chilis, Chik-fil-A, Outback Steakhouse, Carrabbas, Metro Diner, Wendy’s, Plaza de Mexico, Buffalo Wings and Rings…all so delicious and so NOT healthy. While it helped to deal with the changing situation of food shortages and also put funneled some money into our local eateries, more pounds packed on.

About two months into working from home, I decided that, in order to stop snacking constantly, I needed to find something to keep my hands occupied. CRAFTS to the rescue.

I painted, I drew, I colored, I sewed, I taught myself to crochet. I spent my time looking for something new to learn. I started to learn Spanish. Being distracted from stress eating, I stopped gaining but didn’t lose any weight. In order to do that, I would have to start moving more.

Fast forward to July 8, 2020. My “triumphant” return to my regular job at the library. After sitting every day for three months, I could barely keep up. Between the extra weight, the lack of exercise while working from home, and the stress of being back out in the germs – I thought I was going to have to quit my job because I couldn’t keep up. I would go home and cry because I was in so much pain. It took me almost two months before I was able to keep up with my job again.

Well, I had my four month follow up with my doctor this past Friday. While it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, it was not good news. After ballooning up to 321 lbs (oh I have a hard time admitting to that in writing but I’m doing it.) I made the commitment to restart Weight Watchers and get to feeling better. At my doctors appointment, I weighed in at 317.6. By some miracle, I was only up a pound from my previous appointment.

After a long discussion about next steps, the doctor agreed to give me 3 months to make progress in my weight loss. I feel terrible, which is a great motivator. Healthy eating and food prep starts today. I did well enough on Saturday and Sunday to actually lose a pound, so the journey has begun….again.

Please, say prayers, think good thoughts, send encouragement, share helpful tips/recipes and exercises you have tried. I need all the help I can get. Each Monday morning, I weigh in. To keep my honest, the doctor asked me to email him my Monday weight.

So on with my journey….

My Zen Zone

If you know me, You know that I am not svelt and lanky. I am fat. I can say that and smile because all of my other health parameters are excellent (cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.). I am also one of the least flexible people I know. In an attempt to lose some weight and gain some flexibility, I began taking a chair yoga class at North Port Yoga and Wellness in the beginning of May. I love it and have seen a change in my body. I have lost 5 pounds and, so far, kept it off.

Last week I was sad to find out that the chair yoga class was being changed to a gentle and restorative yoga class. After emailing back and forth with my yoga instructor and the studio owner and reading a Yoga Journal article about this practice, decided to give it a try.

When I arrived at the studio yesterday morning, my instructor, Martha, explained a little about what we would be doing. She immediately put my mind at ease and assisted me with the worst part of the practice, getting on the floor. After some stretches, we entered rest and digest and began the gentle postures. Propped up with bolsters, bricks, and blankets, Martha put me into 5 poses that I remained in for 5 to 10 minutes each. I could feel the stress and tension completely leave my body. It was blissful.

I’m looking forward to next weeks class. Speaking of classes, how did I find this yoga class? My employer signed up with a company called Peerfit. Each month employees get 16 credits to use towards different physical fitness opportunities. Gyms and studios who participate have classes you can sign up for using your credits. That is how I found North Port Yoga and Wellness and I’m so glad I did.

Namaste.