195 replies to this topic

[GailfromSacramento]

Starting the process today to lose 70 lbs. My motivation is a huge family reunion in the spring. I know I won't lose it all by then, but I hope to have a noticeable weight loss by that time. I am having a very tough day today. Although I joined Jenny back in the summer of 2010 and lost 36 lbs, I quit and gained it back, plus more, and now I'm starting over to do it again. But this time around I'm having a very difficult time adjusting. I am in misery and feel like I'm eating next to nothing. I need that extra push both in person and online to get me to stay on track and knowing I'm doing the right thing, and helping me through the stomach growlings. I am hoping joining the Jenny forums this will help me.

[HoneyBFly]

Wow, I feel like you just read my mind! I first joined Jenny back in 2006 and lost about 30lbs. My consultant was awesome and so motivating! But we moved and I couldn't find the right consultant or get my motivation back and I gained the weight back plus another 20 more pounds : ( Since then I've rejoined JC so many times and I keep falling off the wagon. I SO want that motivation back so here I go again...my first appt. will be this Friday. Which brings me here to the forms just like you!

My husband is on a work out kick right now and now I'm feeling competitive because I don't want to be the only one without results...lol

We can do this!! I found if I eat all the foods & snacks for the day I'm pretty satisfied and sometimes I can't even eat them all. I can't wait to get back on the program this weekend. Good luck with your weight loss and hope to see you back on with your updates cause you're not alone!

[GailfromSacramento]

I did eat everything for the day and I'm not full. But my husband says my body is adjusting. It was tough when I first joined back in 2010, but I didn't think it'd be this tough knowing that I did this before with success. It's just been a really tough day. I broke down in tears after dinner because I was still hungry. I had the JC Chicken Pasta Parm with a side of peas and fresh baby carrots. I'm on a very low caloric intake to where it feels I'm eating next to nothing even though I'm eating something like every two hours. Ugh! I hope the week flies by so I can see my weight loss at my meeting Monday.

Good luck to you as well!!! I know we can do it, I just need that extra push. : )

[I Called Jenny]

Hi Gail and Honey! Welcome back to Jenny and the boards!

The good news is that you both know that JC works and that is a MAJOR hurdle because newbies (as opposed to us returnees) aren't sure if it will work and you already know that it will.

As for the hunger, yes, your body needs to adjust but you also can help by using the volumizing tricks.

Here's a couple of other things that will help - ALOT.

Since you have to drink a MINIMUM of 64 oz. of water a day (remember, no diet soda), have a glass of water BEFORE you eat your meal and make sure you drink another during your meal. Or, you can have low sodium vegetable juice. It's kind of like an appetizer.

Take your JC food out of the plastic container and put it on a regular-sized dinner plate. That helps in a couple of ways. You won't feel as if you're eating a frozen dinner and it will also help you to mentally adjust to how much protein and carbs you're supposed to be eating.

Then fill up the rest of your plate with non-starchy veggies (peas, by the way, are starchy, so try to limit those).

Try all sorts of veggies. You'll be surprised at how tasty they can be and how much you're going to enjoy them.

Make up packets of veggies (carrots, celery, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, etc.) so that whenever you're hungry, they're already cleaned and ready to eat. Plus, since they don't need refrigeration you'll be able to stick a packet in your purse or desk to munch on whenever you want. I also kept a supply of the cans of veggie juice around and that was surprisingly filling and took the edge off.

There's also all sorts of yummy flavored teas out there. They'll fix your sweet tooth and they also will help fill you up as well.So start checking out some you like. I know some companies even have variety packs so you can try a bunch of flavors and figure out which ones you want to stock up on.

Don't forget to get some exercise. If you're not used to doing that, start by walking for 30 minutes a day and then work your way up to other exercises. Even if you can only do three 10-minute walks, that will help.

I didn't have one but I know that lots of folks LOVE the Bodymedia. You can buy it online or at Jenny (but I think the online versions are less expensive). It helps you keep track of everything you're eating and how many calories you're burning and lots of folks have said it was well worth the investment because it constantly keeps them motivated since they can actually see how many calories they're taking and how many they're burning. If you can afford to do it, check it out. At the least, pick up an odometer which will measure your steps. Jenny sells them but so do stores like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, sporting goods stores, etc. and strive to reach at least 10,000 steps a day.

We're all here cheering you on and I know that if you follow the plan, you WILL lose the weight. And if you actually pay attention to the plan, you'll learn how to not only lose but keep it off for the rest of your life! And, IF, IF, IF, you find that you've gained five pounds once you hit maintenance, run right back to JC and take it off.

But please come to the boards often. We're a crazy group (in a good way) and you'll find support, tips, cheerleaders, and listeners whenever you're having a problem.

We're glad you're here!!! You're not alone.

[RiKirky]

I love these boards !!! I get so many suggestions and inspiration. Thanks to everyone who writes on them, they are a lifesaver!! We can do this together.

[nancy5012]

Gail and Honey - welcome back! You've taken the first step this year to get healthy - and you already know what you need to do!

Phyllis gave some great advice - she speaks from experience. I really found water flavored with MIO (you can find MIO in the grocery store) wonderful for not only getting all my water in, but really keeps my hunger in check. And eating every 2-3 hours really helps your metabolism.

If you don't want to get the bodymedia thing, you may want to check out www.myfitnesspal.com . Its a site (as well as a phone app) where you recored your food and workouts and relly helps keep you on track.

Best of luck to you - come back here often for inspiration and encouragement!

[I Called Jenny]

Oops - made a mistake. Get a Pedometer, NOT an Odometer. The pedometer is the one that counts your steps. The odometer is what's in your car and tracks your mileage. My bad.

[KatD]

I'm in a similar boat too but I never officially quit the program. I joined JC back in May of last year. I lost 25lbs when I had the target of my wedding in September. The week before my wedding I decided I was going to enjoy myself and all of the wedding related activities. After missing 3 weeks of weighins for the wedding I came back for my weekly weigh ins but I was not eatting the Jenny food or following plan. I stopped going to the gym. I went in for my post-holiday weigh in, up another 6lbs. I've put on 20lbs since September! It took me months to lose and and weeks to put it back on. After my 6lb jump I've decided enough is enough. I am back on plan but I hadn't realized how OFF plan I really was until I started again! I am hungry ALL the time and am craving lots of sweet stuff. I know I need to increase my water but I'm not good at getting my water in, I dont like the staste of water.

We can all get through this together! We know the program works. We just need to remind ourselves how good it feels to see some good losses

[nycgirlkat]

I hear you, ladies. I lost a bunch of weight back in 2007 on Jenny and gained it all back and then some. I was on Weight Watchers for a while, but I still couldn't get the portion control right and was just not losing weight. So I returned to Jenny because I know the portion control and adding the fruits and veggies would get me back onto the proper nutrition track.

I'm usually fine all day long and then I get the "commuter ravenous time". It never fails, I sit down and get settled in for my 1 hour train right home and my stomach starts growling like crazy!!!! No matter what I do....Drink extra water, eat extra veggies, drink my V8, space out my meals differently. So I feel your (hunger) pain....

But don't give up....I've got a long way to go (about 95 pounds) and I just can't give in just yet! Hungry belly or not!

[I Called Jenny]

KatD, on 06 January 2012 - 12:20 PM, said:

I'm in a similar boat too but I never officially quit the program. I joined JC back in May of last year. I lost 25lbs when I had the target of my wedding in September. The week before my wedding I decided I was going to enjoy myself and all of the wedding related activities. After missing 3 weeks of weighins for the wedding I came back for my weekly weigh ins but I was not eatting the Jenny food or following plan. I stopped going to the gym. I went in for my post-holiday weigh in, up another 6lbs. I've put on 20lbs since September! It took me months to lose and and weeks to put it back on. After my 6lb jump I've decided enough is enough. I am back on plan but I hadn't realized how OFF plan I really was until I started again! I am hungry ALL the time and am craving lots of sweet stuff. I know I need to increase my water but I'm not good at getting my water in, I dont like the staste of water.

We can all get through this together! We know the program works. We just need to remind ourselves how good it feels to see some good losses

Kat, first congrats on the marriage! I'm sure you were a beautiful bride!

As for the water, buy flavored water or get Crystal Light or Mio to sweeten/flavor your water. But you MUST drink, drink, drink. It helps your skin, helps keep you full, helps in soooo many ways.

OK, as for the weight gain, THIS time you need to look at JC a different way. Not that you're going to lose the weight for a specific purpose (like you did for the wedding) but also for your overall long-term health. You want to develop a new relationship with food for the rest of your life. And seriously, that's something that's hard to wrap your head around but unless you want to keep bouncing up and down (as most of us have done on diets for most of our lives), then you have to commit to developing that new relationship with food.

You said that you decided to stop Jenny because you wanted to join in on the fun of the wedding. Well, that's where most of us run into problems. We equate food with fun and really, food is simply a necessity. People are fun and you can enjoy being with them and having a good time without the food.

I know, I know, that's soooooo not how most of us have thought about it for most of our lives but if you really think about it and stop to think about the fact that your "fun" caused you to gain back all of the weight you worked so hard to lose, how much fun is that?

This time, REALLY pay attention to what you're doing and eating.

My favorite "trick" (I'm on maintenance now eating virtually no JC food) was to put my JC meal on a regular-sized dinner plate. That way I could get visual cues as to what a proper JC portion looks like especially in relationship to protein to carb ratio. The other thing about it is that you feel less like you're eating a "frozen dinner" so that makes it more visually appealing too.

I'm sure there are lots of folks who can chime in with their tips. And we're all here to cheer you on!

As for the hunger, as was mentioned, load up on veggies and things like low-sodium veggie juice. Between that and the water, it REALLY helps and your hunger pangs also will start going away soon as your body adjusts once again to the portion sizes.

Hang in there. You did it before for a VERY SPECIAL OCCASION and now you're going to do it for a VERY HEALTHY (AND THINNER) LIFE!

[jjapcd54]

I know what you mean I haven't been for a weigh in for 3 weeks (going today). The holidays were rough and I think this will be my first "bad" weigh in. According to my scale up 2lbs. Have gone back to JC food this week and can feel the hungry feeling all the time. Trying very hard to be good and probably have had a little more than I should but were all JC snacks not cookies or candy so that's a plus. I will try to get back on track and reading the posts here really helps. We all have setbacks but I will prevail! Thanks everyone for the motivational thoughts!

Jackie
5' 6"
SW 231
GW 150
CW 208

[I Called Jenny]

Welcome, JJAPCD54! Don't worry too much about your slip. The important thing is that you're back and hopefully by coming to the boards more often you'll be able to find the inspiration and motivation not to "add" to your diet.

Remember there's "real" hunger and mental hunger. And if you volumize correctly by adding lots of extra veggies, drinking low-sodium veggie juice and filling up on water, you really shouldn't feel too much "real" hunger - at least not for long. Your body is will adjust well and fairly quickly.

Hang in there. You've done well so far and I know you can do this and reach your goal!

We're rooting for you!

[marree]

I found that the holidays were very rough as well and I gained. 4.6 pounds, disappointing after working to lose 54 pounds! I found that I could not maintain focus, that somehow I had mental fatigue and could not keep focused on making the right decisions and choosing the right foods.
I am hoping that January will offer less temptations and I will be able to go back to better eating routines and try to get back to more exercise.
I guess everyone has set-backs and I need to just reset my goals!
mare

[I Called Jenny]

marree, on 07 January 2012 - 09:55 PM, said:

I found that the holidays were very rough as well and I gained. 4.6 pounds, disappointing after working to lose 54 pounds! I found that I could not maintain focus, that somehow I had mental fatigue and could not keep focused on making the right decisions and choosing the right foods.
I am hoping that January will offer less temptations and I will be able to go back to better eating routines and try to get back to more exercise.
I guess everyone has set-backs and I need to just reset my goals!
mare

Mare, don't beat yourself up too much. You slipped. Many of us have. But now's the time to get back up and get on plan.

There are ALWAYS going to be food temptations but you need to determine what your TRUE GOALS are, what motivates you and remind yourself of what you want and don't want. You've made great progress so far. Congrats! Now, it's time to reinforce the lessons you've learned so that when holidays or other eating occasions come up, you have the motivation and knowledge to succeed.

Please come to the boards often. We've all been where you're at and we want to cheer you on, answer your questions, listen to your problems and probably give you more advice than you want.

We're glad you're back!

[GailfromSacramento]

After my first post, I can't believe how things changed throughout the week. I was in misery on day 1, was asking myself how on earth am I going to do this day after day. My stomach was growling, I was miserable staying at home to eat rather than going out and having fun. I was missing my favorite places, missing my old food, and that's why I came onto these forums for a little push to keep myself on track. It worked! I have to say, the next day and the days that followed I stuck to my plan, I went on walks, I did go out twice but didn't go completely off track, and I actually feel physically different. I already feel a weight loss.

Tomorrow is my first weigh in. I will keep you posted. Thanks so much for all the helpful tips, suggestions, and most of all the support to get me through this to reach my goal. I can't wait til I can clothes shop for smaller sizes, and feel great about how I look!

[CMECRZN]

Good for you Gail! Keep it up. That is why we are here.

[nancy5012]

Gail - we're looking forward to hearing how your weigh in went. The first week can be a shocker for some, but if you think about it, you are in this for the long haul - to eat healthy for the rest of your life - and there will be changes that have to be made.

If you don't change anything, then nothing will change!

You will find over time to look at food differently (took me 5 months on the program to get this mindset - I hope it takes you less!). You mentioned missing your old food and favorite places - oh my I understand completely!! But restaurants, bars and food are not your "friends". Food is meant to fuel your body - so you want to eat to live, not live to eat.
Going out to dinner should not be the "activity" - I was so guilty of this. Get together with friends and family and enjoy time with them - and don't make the food the main event.

It does not happen overnight and is difficult at times but I hope you will stick with it. It is so rewarding to see the result and know that food does not have control over you.

This weekend was all about football. My husband had chips, dip, nuts, etc. Chips are one of my weaknesses and normally are forbidden at my house - but the hubs wanted some with the game and I knew it would be a test for me.
And I survived. While he was sitting just a few feet from me chipping out I could actually smell the salt from the tortilla chps. I had my JC snack, water and I was just fine. While I would have LOVED to snack with those chips, after the games were over and we were getting ready for bed I felt so good that I had stayed away from them. It was that mindless snacking that did me in before and I realized my mindset had changed.

Best of luck to you and I hope you come here often for support.

[GailfromSacramento]

Last night we had friends over to play games and they brought over cookies. My husband had one, I did not. And it went fine! But then afterwards I was like oh my God why did I not have just one? It's not like I'd ruin my entire week. But I was still proud of myself. And about making food NOT the main activity, definitely agree with that. We normally would've had dinner with our friends first, and then invited them over to play games. But instead we invited them over AFTER DINNER. So that way I could eat my Jenny Craig Ravioli. And at the beginning of the week, back on Day 1, I probably would've been in tears, because I would've been so depressed about not going out to a fun dinner, but my outlook changed, like a miracle it changed! I didn't think I'd get through the week but I did. And I can't wait for tonight for my weigh in. 6pm pacific time. I will keep you posted later tonight!

Thanks again so much for your support, suggestions, everything to help me through this. I got through week 1, I can continue! : )

Question though-- Do any of you weigh yourselves at home on your own bathroom scale, or just rely on the Jenny Craig scale for your weekly weigh ins? Reason I ask is I have a scale here at home that SUCKS. It's never accurate. Never showed the same as at Jenny, the one at home is 7-10 lbs higher than Jenny's. I went scale shopping yesterday, tried some out, and they all showed DIFFERENT results. UGH!!!! So I wound up not getting one at all. It was ridiculous.

[lbsamuels]

Hi all-

This is my first time doing Jenny. I want to lose about 80lbs. I've tried nutrisystem in the past and lost 35lbs. and gained about 25 of those pounds back. I have been on Jenny for about 3 weeks now and have also been struggling. I can't seem to kick my old habits and stick to he diet consistently!! Snacking is my absolute biggest problem- i just snack the day away lol. Any help or tips that anybody else uses or has used to get motivated? Thanks!!

-Lisa

[GailfromSacramento]

Lisa, we're in the same boat, except this is my second time on Jenny. I want to lose around 70-80 lbs too, and it's been a struggle as well. Day 1 was miserable. But like a miracle it went much better as the days went on. I miss going out to my favorite restaurants where the know me, some even know my regular order! (Is that embarrassing or what? lol I always thought it was awesome though that great customer service... but um, now I think it's embarrassing.) My motivation is a huge family reunion coming up at the end of spring. I want to snack away all day too, but what I do is NOT BUY ANY SNACKS THAT ARE OFF THE DIET!!! I have found some great snacks that fill me up--- Pita Chips, the garlic parmesan flavor. They are crunchy and have great taste to them. Also, beef jerky! It's actually healthy. Also, over by the Pita Chips at the store are Bagel Chips. Yummy as well. But the best snack of all, which has been tough for me to stick to, is vegetables and fruit. Slicing up an apple is actually filling. And eat it slowly. Eating slowly and drinking water while eating snacks or my meals has helped tremendously this week.

It's not bad to snack, just snack on food that is healthy. And again, for motivation, I have a family reunion coming up. But, besides that, my motivation is clothes shopping. I am sick and tired of wearing pants that are too tight or uncomfortable, and the worst thing, wearing a 3X shirt began being too tight. I want to wear smaller more stylish clothes that make me look good. I don't want to get winded just walking through a parking lot. I want to go on bike rides, hikes, walk around major cities and not get so freakin tired I want to lie down or throw up. I went to NYC last summer, out of shape, and I threw up at Grand Central Station, not kidding. It was in the bathroom but it was from being overweight in the humidity. Another motivation is I want to prove it to my family and friends that I can do it and not give up. I have overweight friends too who are not doing anything about it, and I want to show off my new body! I also want to look good in a swimsuit. Fortunately my husband is attracted to me no matter what I weigh, but that too is a motivation. I want to look super hot for him, with a flat tummy and toned legs!

You can email me at gailmullen1979@gmail.com or find me on Facebook! : )