Thank you Jenny Craig for sponsoring this post. — Get serious about losing weight with Jenny Craig!
It’s been over a month since I started my Jenny Craig experience and I couldn’t be more happy with my progress. I am well on my way to my goal weight and have learned ways to help me eat in a more conscious and enjoyable way. For me the first step was connecting with my awesome consultant and figuring out my eating style. The weekly meetings helped hold me accountable for my food choices and each appointment we further discussed how to help alleviate external cues. Although I’ve lost and gained 40 pounds multiple times over the past 10 years, I always found a reason to blame my poor food choices on a busy schedule. The on the go wellness plan and support from my Jenny Craig consultant has helped me start the year off right. After you find your eating style, you’ve already tackled the most hardest part of changing your lifestyle.
Everyday of my first month I shared my meals and progress on Snapchat. My weekly meetings with my consultant and documenting my food journal held me accountable and before the end of the first week, I was already noticing the emotional impact eating better had on me. I felt more confident. I had more energy. I felt proud of myself. I just felt good knowing that I had taken the first step – actually getting out of the car and walking into a Jenny Craig office.
The next step to my success was truly understanding the program – and my own eating habits. At the suggestion of my consultant, I read all the materials she provided before beginning my Jenny Craig meal plan the next day.
Find your eating style
With the help of my consultant and the Jenny Craig Getting Started Guide, I learned about each of the eating styles.
Uniformed Eater
Jenny Craig Goal: Learn about making the best food choices, and focus on a healthy, non-diet approach.
Emotional Eater
Jenny Craig Goal: Learn new ways to cope with your emotions, and focus on breaking the cycle.
Unconscious Eater
Jenny Craig Goal: Develop awareness of what you eat, and focus on noticing your feelings of hunger and satisfaction.
Social Eater
Jenny Craig Goal: Balance the pleasure of eating with healthy choices, and focus on planning for social situations.
I am, without a doubt, an unconscious eater. I miss meals frequently and graze throughout the day simply because food is there, regardless if I’m hungry or not. I graze on snacks while I’m working in my home office and don’t realize how many unplanned calories I’ve consumed.
My consultant helped me find ways to change not just what, but how I eat. Initially it felt challenging but as I made it through the first month, I had made small changes that turned into part of my normal routine. Instead of drinking a big cup of coffee full of creamer and sugar, I was drinking hot tea each morning. I found easy ways to help me change the way I was enjoying food. I wrote down everything I ate as well as logged it on a calorie counting app. I also made sure to plan intentional activities each day to stay active. An hour at the zoo with my one year old daughter was very different than our usual stroll because I intentionally walked paths that would require a big uphill stroller push. These little changes added up to great progress and steps to a new lifestyle.
With Jenny Craig, members develop a healthy relationship with food, build an active lifestyle and create a more balanced approach to living. My Jenny Craig experience helped me understand and overcome the challenges to healthy eating, identify enjoyable ways to move more, learn positive coping strategies and reframe my beliefs and attitudes to better support my weight management goals. My consultant suggested I plan my meals around my grazing behavior. With over 100 menu items created by 40 professional chefs, it was easy to select menu items that fit into my on the go schedule and “snacking” throughout the day.
Jenny Craig Iced Oatmeal Cookie, Chicken Cranberry Salad Kit, Classic Hummus & Wheat Crackers, S’mores Bar, White Cheddar Popcorn, Anytime Bars Cookie Dough Bar
Snacks like Jenny Craig White Cheddar Popcorn helped me actually enjoy the food I was eating – and when the portion was gone, I didn’t continue grazing.
Learning to pair the snacks with healthy additions also helped me. The Jenny Craig Classic Hummus & Wheat Crackers pair great with fresh vegetables!
I also found better ways to snack with grocery items like my better for you caramel apples. Every week I met with my consultant to discuss my successes, challenges, and a plan for the week ahead.
After four full weeks and being fully committed to the Jenny Craig experience, I truly changed the way I think about food. Jenny Craig members can expect to lose an average of 1-2 pounds per week, which is a healthy range of weight loss. In 28 days I lost 11.4 pounds!*
*Results not typical. Members following the Jenny Craig program, on average, lose 1-2 lbs. per week.
Let Jenny Craig help you find your eating style and always have someone there to cheer you on, motivate you and keep you on track. What do you think your eating style is? You might be surprised when you work through your habits and learn how to make healthy changes!
Learn more about Jenny Craig by connecting with them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
That’s awesome, Heather!!!! Congrats!
Thank you!
I have heard SO Many great things about this program. The one thing I have heard time and time again is that it WORKS!
Me too! I love how easy it was to actually follow the meal plan and I loved seeing it work!
I never really thought about eating styles, but that makes sense. I tend to eat when I’m mad (or stop eating all together if I feel like I need control of something.)
I absolutely eat when I’m mad but not because it makes me feel better, just because I like to stay busy (sadly food is my go-to for pretty much every emotion!).
I have never really thought about eating styles, but it makes sense. I have always been one to snack all day as opposed to eating large meals.
I’m the exact same way. But of course I’m also not paying attention to just how much I’m snacking on throughout the day.
Good for you for taking control of your life and eating habits. I didn’t know Jenny Craig was still in business.
Thank you!
Diets like this from Jenny Craig are more reliable because you get to choose what works for you and you don’t have to limit yourself as well. Good to know that it’s been working well for you!
Agreed. It hasn’t felt challenging at all because I have really enjoyed the food.
I’ve started a new eating plan with my husband and we’ve included a nutritionist with us. We met with him two weeks ago. I am going gluten, dairy and sugar free for 30 days. It’s been a week and it is so hard.
Congrats on starting a new plan. Sugar free would be very hard for me – great job for getting through the first week!
Ugh, I’m definitely all of the above when it comes to eating. I eat what I want, when I want, whether it’s by my self or out socially. I’ve been getting better at it but coming from the South food is really a big comfort thing there. We cook big meals for social gatherings, deliver food during emotional times and we really love butter, ha!
I’m actually the same way. It’s so easy to eat what you want when you’re not making a conscious effort to count what you’re consuming. I was amazed the first few days counting how many calories I was actually consuming. I love butter too!!!
I have really been interested in Jenny Craig and it looks like the program was really great for you! Thank you for your honest opinion!
Definitely go for it! I gave it 100% because I really wanted to see real results. It wasn’t hard and I love the results!
This is a really cool idea to look into the reasoning behind eating! I am an all the time kind of eater haha!
Sadly me too.
I have always heard great things about Jenny Craig and often wonder how I’d do on it. I think it looks like a great program! Food looks great!
The food is awesome, you should try it!
Jenny Craig is a great diet solution because it allows you to change your habits while also curbing your cravings!
Absolutely! And it doesn’t feel like a fast change – one day at a time with awesome support!
I’ve seen so many great results from Jenny Craig! It seems like a great diet/meal plan
Thank you, I think it’s wonderful!
My problem is just my snacking. I would say I am probably an unconscious eater! Thanks for the Jenny Craig recommendation.
The snacking is okay, it’s just what you’re snacking on that might make a difference. That’s where it was for me!
I wish you luck on your journey, the Jenny Craig food lucks really good and there are so much to choose. I am so impressed that they have a consultant helping you.
Thanks so much! My consultant was a rockstar!
I’ve never thought about my eating style. I bet I’m an unconscious eater. I need to pay attention to that more!
It’s hard if you’re not really looking. I definitely didn’t like the feeling of being accountable in the beginning.
I am so glad to hear that Jenny Craig is working out for you! I remember last time we talked you were expressing concern about your health and wanting to do something like this–so happy for you!
Thanks so much Cathy. Making a lifestyle change is definitely hard but this is a great first step for me.
Im for sure a social eater. I’m good watching what I eat on my own. But in a group not so much.