18 replies to this topic

[Trontastic]

I felt like I wasn't losing as much weight as I wanted so my counselor suggested I do the planned menu. I really hate it because I can't choose what I want and I feel like all the food on it kind of sucks. Plus, the breakfasts are too small and I feel like I really need the boost of a satisfying breakfast in the AM. Have you noticed any difference in weight loss between doing a planned menu or just choosing your own meals?

[Blessed4Life2]

I did the personalized menus since my first week, and I didnt notice a slow down.....but with that said, I have read here where some will say the opposite. So I say just try it and see for yourself. I am a picky eater and I refuse to buy food I dont like.....plus, I feel if I am looking forward to what I am going to eat I have a better chance at staying on program and succeeding......and I did! I lost 62 lbs and now on maintenance....yay me!!!

[manthony72]

I started on the planned menu and after 3 weeks have lost 8#.......It was hard at first, but now I'm not having the hunger cravings quite as bad. I thought just the opposite, lol....the breakfast was big for me and supper too small. I haven't tried planning my own yet b/c I am doing well. Give it 2 weeks and see if makes a difference and you might have your answer! Just a suggestion!

[happineff]

I followed the planned menus week 1-4 and started personalizing them because, yes, there are some Jenny foods that I just don't like to choke down. I also like to have a filling breakfast, so I order the Breakfast Scrambler a LOT! It is my favorite! I also like the Cinnamon French Toast, and Sunshine Sandwich.

Maybe you can go back to your own personalized menu, but you'll need to pay closer attention to your ratios of meats/carbs/fats etc... The planned menus are all nutritionally balanced, so if you're choosing personalized menus that are off-balance it could be affecting your weight-loss. Ask your JCC to help you with exchanges to make sure you can choose your own days and make sure they're balanced!

[sweetj]

I followed the planned menus for the first six months. I started running quite a bit and found out that I needed a bit more protein, so I recently made up my own high protein menu. I did notice that the high protein meals (breakfast items with egg or sausage, lunch sandwiches, dinner with a hunk o' meat) are more filling but also tend to have higher calories.

[Jen.M]

I've always followed the planned menus, but only as a guide. I modify them a lot - more and more as I go - to the point that my JCC doesn't even put the planned menu in anymore, she just asks me to make my substitutions and then just tell her what it is I want when I'm all done. There are some foods I avoid because they just don't fill me up, others I avoid because I'm a picky eater, and sometimes I just get in the mood for something and I'll buy more than one of that meal for a particular week to avoid some of the things I'm sick of eating. I haven't really seen too much difference on the scale, except when I get too heavy handed with my MOMOs.

[mojoamy]

I am on the planned menu, but when my JCC and I go over it each week, she asks me what changes I want to make. After a month on program, I now know there are some meals I just don't like, and some things (like chili) that I have never liked and would not even try. I guess I am on a planned/personalized menu. I like the no brainer aspect to it.

You mentioned the breakfast not being satisfying, I found the same thing when I have a pastry tyrpe breakfast (blueberry mini loaf, oatmeal square). What I have started doing is crumbling those breakfasts up into a bowl and mixing in a container of yogurt as my milk serving and for some reason I find that much more filling than eating them individually. Go figure. When I have the cereal, I use almond milk instead of regular milk, and I think the protein of the almonds also helps me feel more satiated. And I volumize my egg based breakfasts with extra veggies. Sometimes I wait an hour after breakfast to do either my milk seving or fruit to keep the hunger at bay. Just a few of the things I found help me stay feeling full after breakfast

[anticipating2011]

My first go at Jenny Craig over a year ago, I was started on a planned menu. I wasn't happy with it at all. There were foods on it I just couldn't tolerate. I tried to tell my counselor that, but she always insisted I had to stick with a planned menu to see the best results. Needless to say, I had to quit the program secondary to financial reasons. I recently rejoined and my counselor told me that I did not have to do a planned menu, I could pick what I wanted. I am much happier and satisfied! And I am seeing better results this time around. Likely because I'm able to stick to a program I am happy with and enjoy. I don't feel the urge to eat off plan as much since I'm the one picking the items. Plus I can choose the meals, specifically at dinner time that most closely match what the rest of my family is eating. Makes me feel better.

[nicoii]

Have you tried buying and using the Jenny deck of cards? I think it was only a couple dollars. It really made a difference for me, and makes choosing the meals more fun. Also whenever there's a meal in the deck of cards that I don't like, I have my counselor find a swap for it that I DO like that's similar in calories and nutrients, so I still get a balanced day.

[claudia12]

Your weight loss is right on target for normal weight loss for the time you have been on the program.

The planned meals reduce my stress levels because I don't have to cook as often. I met with my doctor today and she told me that stress raises cortisol levels, contributing to weight gain! BUT she added that diets can work, even when stressed....and that has been true for me.

I am now focusing on ways to reduce stress. Exercising really helps calm me down. Try to keep in mind that everyone loses weight at a different rate.

[Trontastic]

Thanks for the input. I realized that I only got one fruit with my menu for today? Is that right. Also, I had a yogurt instead of the nonfat 1 cup of milk...is that ok? I don't want to mess up the week because I would like to get an accurate result. I sound pretty nerdy, but whatevs.

[Jen.M]

I have a yogurt for my milk/fruit serving most mornings with my breakfast - eat that on my way to work and then cook up my Jenny meal when I get in to the office. Spreads out my breakfast to keep me feeling satisfied longer, so I'm sure you will be fine with the yogurt. Was it fat free? I usually go for the Yoplait fat free yogurt myself, they have some awesome flavors. I believe your snacks should be one fruit snack, one anytime bar (unless you're substituting) and one Jenny snack. So it sounds like you're doing just fine.

[CMECRZN]

I ALWAYS sub a Yogurt for the milk. I have never been able to swallow milk, so the yogurt goes down nicely. I get the Dannon Lite and Fit.... 80 calories for 6 oz. Cherry is my favorite flavor!

[decemberNEO]

I always sub yogurt as well. I usually freeze it and it makes me feel like I'm eating ice cream.

[Trontastic]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I had my weigh in today and I lost 2.6 lbs with the planned menu, which is the most amount of weight I've lost so far. So, I decided to stick to the planned menu another week to see if the weight loss is consistent. If it is I guess I'll have to change this topic title to...I LOVE the planned menu.

[nancy5012]

Lol!

[mojoamy]

CMECRZN, on 03 February 2012 - 07:43 PM, said:

I ALWAYS sub a Yogurt for the milk. I have never been able to swallow milk, so the yogurt goes down nicely. I get the Dannon Lite and Fit.... 80 calories for 6 oz. Cherry is my favorite flavor!

I love the Dannon light and fit yogurts!

[Blessed4Life2]

Trontastic, on 04 February 2012 - 12:10 PM, said:

Thanks for all the suggestions. I had my weigh in today and I lost 2.6 lbs with the planned menu, which is the most amount of weight I've lost so far. So, I decided to stick to the planned menu another week to see if the weight loss is consistent. If it is I guess I'll have to change this topic title to...I LOVE the planned menu.

HAHA....Hey, whatever works for you! Congrats on the 2.6 lbs lost...YAYYYYYY!!!!

[manthony72]

oh, congrats on the loss! Keep it up and yeah, wait it out a little while. Great job!!