Maria's New Jenny Craig Campaign Is Disappointing

I've lost 65lbs. I started on my own and then went on Jenny Craig after the first 20 because I was worried I'd start gaining it back like I always do when I drop a few pounds. I have had success with Jenny and told friends to join and they have.



I love my Jenny but this new Mariah Carey campaign is a bummer. I'm not trying to be negative but I don't believe it. It seems fake. I don't think she really eats Jenny Craig and goes to a center to weigh in and talk to a rep about what she ate that week and is she getting enough water. In interviews she says generic things like "I love the snacks" as if someone told her to say that. She doesn't talk about any specifics of the program or the food as if she has any personal understanding of it at all. I don't relate to this campaign at all and those huge posters all over my center when I go to weigh in are just insulting.

I'd rather see regular women who are honestly working the program and losing weight. Jenny's Facebook page is full of real women who would make amazing spokespeople for the program. Why not use one of them?

I'm disappointed in Jenny and Mariah.

Plateau

I am a horrible person for not writing in this blog more. I'm always writing. I blog for a living and I have many blogs so sometimes it's hard to keep up with them all but here I am again.

I've lost over 60lbs and I'm stuck at a plateau. I'm working out 40 minutes a day - I do the Jenny Craig intermediate/advanced Walk It Off with weights on my ankles and wrists but my Jenny Craig consultant thinks I need to do more. I hate working out. I feel like I'm doing enough. I've started jogging for little 2-minute sprints during the workout. I feel like I need to eat less. I'm not doing bad but I'm not sticking strictly to it. I need snacks with no calories in them. I want to snack at night and everything has calories. I can over eat vegetables. Trust me. I do it all the time.



I look great. I have lost a bunch of weight and I need to get this thing going down again. Does anybody read this blog? Do you have any suggestions? What can I do at night when I get home from work and I want to snack? I eat tons of carrot fries and lettuce and things but I need to just stop eating at some point in the evening. You can't snack all night long. Even on vegetables.

I really love eating. I love food and I love eating. I wish I was eating right now instead of writing in my blog. Why can't my blog be a cheeseburger and French Fries? Why can't it be extra crispy with a side of ranch dressing. Why can't my blog be a funnel cake covered in strawberry jelly and whip cream and powdered sugar?

I should write a book called "Blog Your Way Thin" and just suggest to people that every time they want to eat, they write a blog instead.

BodyMedia FIT Armband System Review

Okay, so I've been wearing my BodyMedia FIT Armband and weight loss system for a few months now and feel I can write an honest, fair and practical review of this product. The BodyMedia FIT Armband is a pretty cool advice but it's also got room for improvement.



BodyMedia's armband is a great source of information. It really helps me to get my activity in and I'm amazed that it can tell if I'm laying down awake or actually sleeping. Thanks to the BodyMedia FIT Armband I realized I wasn't getting enough actual sleep at night, I was laying down but I wasn't asleep.

Also I can plug it into my computer at 8pm and see if I've burned enough calories to lose weight for that day, and if I haven't I just pop in a workout DVD or go for an evening walk and get the physical activity I need to stay healthy and lose weight. It takes the uncertainty out of weight loss. If you're considering getting one I totally recommend it.

I do have ideas for improving the band and the site in general. If you're going to get one of these armbands you need to continue reading BEFORE you purchase the BodyMedia FIT Armband and Weight Loss System.

1. Arm Band - They do sell accessories and backup bands which you're going to need. You need to wash the armband a lot and you'll need a back up band to wear while one is drying. They sell fashion skins for the device and colored frames for the device but the band itself just comes in gray. I'm supposed to wear this all the time - so why not sell the armbands in colors to go with different outfits. They'd make a ton of money if they came in fun fashion colors and maybe even patterns and the arm band needs to come in flesh tones. Sometimes you want to wear a dress with short or no sleeves and you want the arm band to be as inconspicuous as possible. Also get use to talking to strangers because at least once or twice a week someone will come up to me in public and say, "Is that one of them arm band weight loss thingies, how do you like it?" One guy asked me if I was diabetic and if it was some kind of medical device. I laughed and said, "Nope, I'm not diabetic, just fat."

Also, what about a thigh band so that you could wear it under a skirt, or a waist band to wear it under your shirt? Somewhere that everyone and their mother can't see as you're walking around? I wonder if I could just tuck it into my bra? Would it work?

2. Sleeping - The first few nights were fine but since then I almost always take my armband off in my sleep. I don't even remember doing it. I wake up and it's on the night stand next to me. It's a little constrictive and sweaty. I wish they sold a softer band for sleeping. One that was more plush, breathed better and was less constrictive, perhaps even wider. I would buy it in a heartbeat.

3. Swimming & other water sports - You cannot wear the armband in water. It is not waterproof which means that if you like to swim as a workout you have to take the armband off. I contacted them via their website to ask about swimming and water sports and the representative basically told me that the device doesn't do that and not to hold my breath for a waterproof one. Okay, so it's not waterproof, no biggie right? Well, the problem is that even when you log into your account you can't go in and add extra activity. You can't go on your computer and mark a box that says that you swam for 45 minutes and then have the calories added to your total for the day. Your band is simply blank and those calories NEVER get counted into your total for the day. This would also come in handy for people like me, who take the band off in their sleep. I'm still burning calories in my sleep and I should be able to log into my online account and punch into the computer that I have been sleeping and add those calories into my total for the day. Again, if this feature is available I couldn't find it and it should be easy for the average user to find. I actually work on websites and couldn't find this anywhere.

4. Weight Loss - I have lost 60 lbs before I got my BodyMedia Armband. When it asked me my weight I punched it in at the time. As I lose weight it says ,"I have lost 7.8lbs" So I went in to try to punch in my actual starting weight, not just the weight I was when I got the armband. I want to see the big numbers, and my TOTAL weight loss, not just what I've lost since I got the band and there is no way to do it. At least not that I can find and again, I'm pretty savvy. It always makes me sad to see the small number at the bottom of the page, I should be able to see my total weight loss, not just the weight I've lost on the band.

5. Sounds & Beeps - I wish there was a way to turn the sound off. It only makes a few beeps when you put it on, and a few peeps when you take it off which is fine. It lets you know it's working but I was at a play once and the theater was very cold and my arm was so cold that the arm band thought I had taken it off and started peeping in the middle of a play. Very embarrassing for me and distracting for the actors. I never wear my armband to the theater or movies anymore, just in case. If you're going to a funeral or something, take the band off. You never know.

6. There is not one photo of a single overweight person on their website that I could find...





This tells me that the people at BodyMedia find the people that actually need the band, and could benefit the most are too unattractive to help them sell their product. As someone who has struggled with her weight, her entire life, this is insulting, offensive, and hurts my feelings to be honest. It makes me feel like this band is not for me. The people in the images on their site clearly do not need to lose any weight. They are all perfectly at goal or a healthy weight. Think of all of the overweight people who come to the site and look around and decide that this product must just be for skinny/pretty people and leave. People want to see people that look like themselves using the product.



I was able to find this image on another website that also sells the BodyMedia Armband but there is nothing like this on the actual BodyMedia site.

You can find a few overweight people if you click on the testimonials page but they are strategically placed BELOW THE FOLD - which for you regular people out there means that you have to scroll down to see them. They aren't at the top of the page. No, at the top of the page are two hot women.



Okay, so it's a cool device and it's definitely helping me and I got it through Jenny Craig and let me say it's worth every penny. This armband combined with the Jenny Craig program has made weight loss very easy, but you have to do it. Nobody can get up and exercise for your or rip the food from your hands. Losing weight is hard work and an adventure, but it's a lot of fun and I love the smile on my boyfriend's face (who loves me no matter what size I am) when I tell him that I lost 2 pounds this week or tell him my grand total so far. I'd do it just to see him smile proudly at me.

After a while the novelty wears off and you do get sick of wearing the armband. That's the honest truth. It's a little constrictive, and you're always aware that it's on your arm. When it's loose enough to be really comfortable, it slides down your arm, so the only way to really secure it is to make it snug but for all of you who think this might be uncomfortable... get over it, you've been hauling around pounds of extra weight that I assure you are far more uncomfortable than this little armband.

If you have anything to add to this review for the BodyMedia Fit System or FIT Armband please do so in the comments below and feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

Carrot Fries - Jenny Craig

Okay I got distracted writing that last blog entry and burned my first batch... Which is actually fine because I loved burned things.


















I just put them on a plate with some ketchup and they were REALLY crunchy and good.



















They were so good that I decided to eat this first batch while I waited for the next batch to cook.



















The recipe is very simple. You get some carrots and peel them and then cover them with cooking spray and baked them at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes - check on them and turn them or mix them around half way through if you want to make sure they are cooked evenly. I just used those baby carrots from Trader Joe's because they are already peeled and all I had to do was cut them in half. You want to lay spread them out on the pan so that they aren't on top of each other or anything. If they smell like they might be burning... they're burning, get in there and check on them!

This is the second batch and a perfect example of why you want to check on them which I did not do. If you don't check then some are more burned than others. But once again I have to say I like the black ones better. They're crunchier. The orange ones are just like baked carrots and that's fine but I like the ones with a little black on them.




















This last batch turned out to be muy yummy but for me I'd say cook them well done and just keep checking on them every 10 minutes or so and mixing them around and turning them to make them more even.



















Another way to lose weight while eating stuff that tastes naughty. Now there are a lot of recipes for all sorts of carrot fries online... one person writes "Lately I've been adding maple flavored extract to them along with the cinnamon and vanilla extract." So you can see there are a variety of seasonings you can use. I've found some cool recipes online and you'll want to adjust them to your diet and use cooking spray instead of oil and stuff if you're on a specific diet. So go to town and let me know what you like to put on your carrot fries?

If you don't have an oil sprayer - get one right now on Amazon - HERE'S THE LINK TO THE ONE I HAVE it will save you tons of calories and time and you'll never run out of cooking spray ever.

For More recipes for carrot fries try these links

Jenny Craig Gourmet - Blog w/Recipe
http://jennycraiggourmet.blogspot.com/2008/09/carrot-fries.html

Food.com Carrot Fries Recipe
http://www.food.com/recipe/oven-baked-carrot-fries-413832

101 Cookbooks Carrot Fries Recipe
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001529.html

Elana's Pantry Carrot Fries Recipe
http://www.elanaspantry.com/carrot-french-fries/

VegWeb Carrot Fries Recipe
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=15346.0

Spiced Carrot Fries
http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2004/03/spiced_carrot_fries.php

Spicy Carrot Fries
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/spicy-carrot-fries-with-tzaziki-sauce/

Martha Stewart's Carrot Fries
http://www.marthastewart.com/265517/carrot-fries

Crispy Carrot Fries
http://www.easy-appetizer-recipes.com/crispy-carrot-fries.html

Orange Zested Roasted Carrot Fries
http://realsustenance.com/recipe/orange-zested-roasted-carrot-fries/

Cumin Carrot Fries
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cumin-carrot-fries-10000000524278/

Tehilla's Spicy Carrot Fries
http://www.sunshinecenterblog.com/2010/02/tehillas-spicy-carrot-fries.html

Baked Carrot Fries
http://www.food52.com/recipes/9922_baked_carrot_fries

Kitchy Carrot Fries
http://www.kitchycooking.com/?p=506

And don't forget to try Green Bean Fries!



















Goodluck~!

30.8 lbs on Jenny Craig

Okay so I have lost 30.8 lbs... I like to go online and look up things that weight whatever weight I have lost... so this woman posted this before and after photos - the one on the right is after losing 30.8 lbs. (This is not me. She is much braver than I to post a pic like that on the internet.)





















In another blog a mother is bragging that her son weighs 30.8 lbs. His mother writes "Roman is 30.8lbs and 36.75" and Isaak is 31.9lbs and 36.5". OVER 3 FEET TALL.....thats crazy!!!!" - so I have lost as much as this entire child here on the right. (I'm just guessing he's the one on the right since he looks smaller than the other one.) I have lost a small twin.






















I wish I had some great advice. I'm just doing it. I'm better some days than others. I haven't eaten any bad food in a long time.

I lost some weight before I started Jenny Craig so if you want to go back to my fattest point last year I have lost 53 lbs. total.

















That's one big ass fish.

I am still a fatass but I'm working at it. Jenny Craig makes it pretty damn easy. I mean who can't stick to a diet where they lose 30.8 lbs eating fish & chips, Egg McMuffins, pancakes and sausage, fried chicken/mashed potato/cheezy gravy bowls and Oreo cookie cheesecake? It's so easy even a food lovin', exercise hating, lazy, vegetable hating, cranky, 41-year-old woman in the middle of a mid-life crisis can do it.

Today I am going to try to make those carrot fries that all the Jenny Craig people are talking about.

I'll let you know how they are and give you the recipe after I'm done.

I Have Lost 25 lbs On Jenny Craig

As of today I have officially lost 25lbs on Jenny Craig.

My trial offer, which was FANTASTIC, just ended and I wanted to continue losing weight so I forked out the dough and purchased the premium membership. It's actually a great deal, at Weight Watchers I was paying $10 a week which comes to $520 for the year - I got a YEAR of Jenny Craig, plus a week of food, plus weights, dvd's, videos, wine glasses with a handy measuring line so I know EXACTLY how much 100 calories of wine is all for $511. Way cheaper than Weight Watchers and I got the most expensive program at Jenny Craig so that's telling you something. Also, when I reach my goal... I get back half of what I paid to join the program so I'll be getting about $200 bucks back when I get to within 10 lbs of my goal. That's a pretty darn good deal if you ask me.

I've also made a few changes to my Jenny Craig menu... rather than buying Jenny Craig snacks and desserts I just eat fruit and fudgcicles which are cheaper and less calories...

Also I am getting two 1/2 off coupons that I can give to friends who might want to join Jenny Craig. Do you or someone you know want to try out Jenny Craig? Let me know! It's working for me.

I've already lost about 1/3 of what I need to lose... so I'm 1/3 of the way to my goal. Not bad for 3 short months. The time flies and it feels so much better to be 25lbs lighter at the end of 3 months than to be 10 lbs fatter or whatever. Going down is a good thing... am I right boys? ;)

Plateau

Alright, so I'm clearly at a plateau... brought on for a few reasons... some are within my control and some are not.

I reached a point in Jenny Craig where they lowered my calories down to 1200 a day from 1500 a day. It's just a few pieces of fruit but Jesus, I miss those pieces of fruit. I just feel like I need more food so I find myself taking bites of things that don't belong in my program. I want to eat! My weight actually went up 1/2 a lb. this week and I will tell you that THERE IS NO WAY I ATE ENOUGH TO GAIN WEIGHT. I'm guessing it's water or something from too much salt and soda so I'm at this place where I need to step it up a notch. I mean, if I plan on losing more weight I simply have to eat less than I'm eating now and what I'm eating now doesn't feel like a lot.

I'm working out more... trying to do my 30 minute Walk It Off mp3 every day and then going to aerobics twice a week. Tonight I am going to try to not eat any snacks after I'm done with my final snack. Not one bite. Not an extra fruit or hand full of cereal. I need to kick this plateau in the balls and that's not gonna happen if I get tired and shove a hand full of cereal in my mouth... and then maybe another.

It's frustrating. I hate paying money to not lose weight. I hate eating veggies, I'm not a fan. The veggies I like are technically starches and I love them covered in butter. That's just the truth. I have to deal with it. I'm hoping that if I write about this plateau I can move beyond it. I've lost weight before. I know that I can either give up and put back on the 22lbs I've lost, or I can get mad and suck it up and push through. I'm going to suck it up and push through.

Good News! Good News! 22 lbs & Man Up

I really didn't think I was going to lose any weight this week. That scale refused to move all week long so yesterday I drank a TON of water and at today's weigh in I had lost 2.5 lbs for a grand total of 22.5 lbs. I was kinda shocked that I had dropped 2.5 lbs. I didn't know why the scale wasn't moving but it just wasn't moving... thank God it finally moved.



I saw on the Today show last week that Consumer Reports rated Jenny Craig as the best weight loss plan out there right now. I think they were saying that it's the most effective. I think that any plan is effective if you stick to it, and that just means that for whatever reason, people seem to find Jenny Craig easier to stick to. Right now, for me, that would be true.

9 Weeks and 16.4 lbs

So after 9 weeks on Jenny Craig I have lost a little over 16 lbs... Not bad.

The food is really good I just wish everything was double the portion. That's the fatty in me who wants twice as much fish & chips and pasta and whatever it is that I'm eating. Except vegetables, I never wish that I had more vegetables. That is not a wish I have ever had.


This week I'm going to try the Jenny Craig Let's Walk It Off CD and DVD. I've been working out two to three times a week. Nothing crazy.

Look, I absolutely hate working out and vegetables and those are two things that I need to get use to if I want to lose the weight. I've been doing an outdoor aerobics class twice a week and hiking once a week... The Let's Walk It Off CD has three workouts on it 10 minutes, 20 minutes and 30 minutes. So maybe I can try to start each day with the 10 minute work out. I figure if I start low, then when I reach plateaus I have things I can do to break through them. If I go all crazy in the beginning I will have nowhere to go when I reach a plateau.

They got some new Menu's this week at Jenny Craig too... and some new foods - cheeseburger sliders! Can't wait to try that! And a Chix Fajita salad kit... My favorite is the Sunshine breakfast sandwich which is basically just an Egg McMuffin, I could eat one every day... I could eat 2 for that matter! I put the english muffin in the toaster and put some I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray on it and some salt and holy shit is that good.

Regardless I can feel my body hitting a plateau and I will need to do things to bump it up to the next level. In a few more pounds my Jenny Craig program drops by 300 calories a DAY so that's going to suck but it must be done if I want to lose weight so I'm going to have to deal.

I will let you know what I think of the Let's Walk It Off cd after I give it a try!

7 Weeks In Jenny Craig

So after 7 weeks I've lost 14 lbs. Almost... 13.something, I forget. But it's going well. I am sticking to it pretty well, sometimes an extra fruit or something. I've started exercising. Nothing crazy like Biggest Loser or anything but an aerobics class that I love, 2 - 3 days a week. I try to hike on weekends. Just finding things to do that involve being outside and away from the computer. It's so good for us to get away from our sofas... our TV's and our computers. It's too much. Too much sitting goes on in the world. It's so good for us to get up and move around.

My sister loves this video...



This is why I hate gyms. This is how the classes feel to me. Gross!

My boyfriend comes home tomorrow... he's been in New York for a month or so. I'm very excited. Can't wait to see him. For the first time in a long time, he's coming home from a trip and I actually weigh less than I did when he left... instead of more.

Making A Comeback

So my last weight in didn't go that well. Not even a pound, not even half a pound... more like a quarter of a pound. I didn't do bad with my diet, and I exercised twice this week, which isn't bad. I didn't let it get me down. Some weeks are going to be better than others.

It did motivate me to stick to my program even stronger this week. No guesstimating amounts of things anymore. No more "not finishing my vegetables." I mean I've been so sick of veggies lately that sometimes I wouldn't eat the full portion. I'd give it to the dogs, or throw it away. I mean I'd rather eat nothing, than eat vegetables, but now I'm choking them down. Also I had been drinking 2 - 3 cans of soda a day. I went out to eat and would have a bite of this and a bite of that. It all adds up.

So this week I'm weighing and measuring everything. I've already worked out twice and it's only Tuesday. This next weight in is going to be a good one. I'm going to break the 10lb mark no matter what it takes. I am determined. I will not stay fat. I am going to continue to lose the weight and get back down to a healthy and happy weight.

I watch every TV show about fat people that I can. OWN has a new show starting tonight called 'I'm Addicted To Food' and I have put it in the DVR. It looks good. I watch that show 'Ruby' because her shitty attitude is exactly why she keeps gaining weight, and I can see by watching her complaining about exercise what I personally need to change about myself and my weight loss program.

Saturday is my next weight in and it's gonna be a good one. I mean truth be told, I have lost about 30 lbs from my fattest but I have quite a bit to go. I still need to lose about 80lbs... that's a lot of fat but I did it to myself and I'm going to take it off myself. People can actually tell that I've lost weight. When I was working out last night my friends all said that they could tell so I'm going to stick to it.



Who is reading this blog? Come workout with me.

I Hope Ruby Stays Fat

How come, ever time I watch that show Ruby, I start secretly hoping Ruby Gettinger stays fat?

I mean, she really bugs me. I think I see some things in her that I just hate because they are the same things that hold me back and make me fat.

If you don’t know Ruby, she’s lazy, she complains about EVERYTHING, and she NEVER wants to do ANYTHING. Also, she’s friggin’ huge, like ginormous, like the size of one of those smart cars.

The Style Channel is paying this woman money, to film her life and weight loss adventure… they pay for the trainers, they probably pay for all sorts of things and she has the audacity to complain when they ask her to exercise.

I don’t think she wants to lose weight to be honest with you. I think that she wants to be famous, and the weight loss thing is just the easiest way for her to achieve that goal. Yes she’s lost something like 400 lbs but I don’t think she’s going to lose the weight and keep it off in the long term… The minute they stop paying her and filming her, she’s going to put it all back on. She already proved it.

She gained 60lbs in the two months that the show was on hiatus. She revealed in the first show of the new season that she had put on 60 friggin’ pounds in 8 weeks! Are you kidding me? She’s NOT even TRYING… They asked her why she gained the weight over the break and she had no idea. She gained it because she’s a selfish, lazy, fame seeker. Turn the cameras off and stop sending checks, and there goes her motivation to do ANYTHING.

So does she just want to be fat? I mean I’m fat, and I don’t want to be fat. I don’t think anybody WANTS to be fat… but maybe she likes the attention that being fat has gotten her… maybe she doesn’t want to give it up. I mean, as long as she’s fat she’s got a show and people around her who will act like they care about her. She feels like she matters. She’s finally the star of the show.

I’m not taking the show out of my DVR because I kind of like hating on her. She motivates me to NOT do what she’s doing. She makes me feel better about myself… one of those, “At least I’m not THAT bad” sort of things I think.

I know it’s not nice to say, but I feel like I have to just admit to the world that I hope Ruby stays fat.

I Lost 8.2 Lbs In My First Month On Jenny Craig

So yes, in the first month on Jenny Craig I lost 8.2 lbs. It's not a ton of weight but that's 8.2 lbs less than this time a month ago... It's very exciting to me. I think it's exciting because it was so easy. I mean, it didn't hurt at all. I find the Jenny Craig diet pretty easy to stick to and I enjoy the food. I've tried everything on the menu at this point so I know what I like and don't like and I love my weight loss coach, or Jenny Craig rep, or whatever you call her. I like all the girls at the Jenny Craig office to be honest. I work from home so it's nice to get out and talk to some other people once a week. :)

I'm also even starting to enjoy working out again.

Here's me working out at my favorite new exercise class... Monday, Wednesday & Friday in North Hollywood... If you want more info CLICK HERE



Now I'm even more motivated to make that number higher for this month... I'm gonna exercise 3 days a week, every week! Join me!

Who Makes The Jenny Craig Menu?

Sometimes I wonder who makes up the weekly menu for us at Jenny Craig.

There was one day when I had a Banana Nut Mini Loaf for breakfast and then a Strawberry Cake as a snack later that same day. I thought that it was odd that whoever made the schedule put what was basically two cakes in one day so close together.
























The fattie in me ain't complainin' about eating cake twice in one day. It was delicious. I took that Banana Nut Mini Loaf and I butterflied it and put it in the toaster with a light cooking spray and cooked it till it was crisp and then cut up a banana and put it on top... With a little bit of milk... heaven. I just wonder if there's a reason for having two cakes in one day.

Also that same week there was Chicken Carbonara for dinner on Thursday and then Traditional Lasagna for dinner on Friday - It's strange to have two pasta meals for dinner on back to back days.



















Both were good but I wonder if there is a reason? Did they not realize that they were doing that? Is it on purpose?

I told my Jenny Craig rep that I thought it was odd but she just laughed and I don't blame her... I am rather entertaining. I guess that I am the first person to have brought that up?

3 Weeks On Jenny Craig

So I have completed 3 weeks on Jenny Craig and I've lost 6 lbs. Week one, I lost about 1 lb, week two, about 2 lbs and week three about 3 lbs. I'll tell you what's really helping is finding this exercise class that I actually enjoy. Activity is really important. Not just to lose weight, but if you want to live a happy, healthy life. You need to get up off the sofa, or in my case out of that chair and away from the computer, and move around... get out, be with other people for a little bit. I totally credit the exercise class for my increased numbers this week.















This is my little sister - she came to the workout class I found in North Hollywood with me last week. She's very fit and motivates me.

I find Jenny Craig really easy to stick to. You have all your meals and snacks and the shopping is really simple. I also really like going into the center and talking with my Jenny Craig rep once a week. The one-on-one attention makes a big difference for me.

I've lost a total of 30 lbs from my fattest, so at least the scale is going in the right direction... I don't know though. I've lost the weight before and gained it back and THEN SOME. I know that losing weight requires that you change on the inside. But I happen to know for a fact that you can change inside, and then change back. I was a different person when I was at a healthy weight. I looked beautiful. I felt great. Everyone said, "You're a different person." After a few years it all came back on though. I was scared. I could see it happening but it's like I had no control over it. Like it was something happening to me rather than something that I was doing to myself.

Now I'm back where I was 10 years ago, but it's not the same. It's a different kind of fat. I've realized there are a lot of ways to be fat, and many kinds of fat that you can be.

The $1 Workout - My New Favorite Exercise

Come and do aerobics outside with me!






















This is my sister Julia posing with one of the class instructors Julio.

Every Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 7 - 8pm at the park next to the Target store on Victory at Vineland in North Hollywood. Cost $1



Here's me and my friend Jimmy gettin' our groove on.

Exact address: Victory Vineland Park 11100 Victory Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 91505.

On the tennis courts behind the Rec Center!

If it looks like rain, you can call the recreation center and ask if the class is happening or not: (818) 985-9516 you can also email them at: VictoryVineland.RecreationCenter@lacity.org













This is truly an amazing exercise class. I don't know how to describe it properly... it's just kind of magical. It's a great low impact (though you can do the moves to make it more high impact if you like) workout. This isn't like your average Los Angeles aerobics class, it's not full of skinny actresses trying to stay thin for pilot season. These are regular people who are just trying to get fit and lose weight. The vibe is very loose and fun. I don't know, I'm having such a ball that I just want everyone I know and love to come down and check it out. So far every friend who has come down to check it out has become a regular. It's THAT good. They play lots of gay anthems and fun sassy Latin music. I can't do it justice with my description, but TRUST ME, you have to check it out. It's very special and cool and fun and you won't be sorry. I promise.

Bring water!




Hopefully I'll see you there!

Also it's next door to Target... and who doesn't like a good excuse to go to Target?

DISASTER ON DAY 10 - DO NOT PANIC! REMAIN CALM!

Something horrible happened today! A disaster!
















Okay, it wasn't a disaster but it did leave me in a little bit of a panic. I thought about it and figured that it must happen to other people as well... it's something we're all going to have to face on our Jenny Craig journey... and how are YOU gonna handle it?

















Tonight my schedule said Cashew Chicken for dinner. I've been kinda not looking forward to it because I'm not a huge fan of chicken but figured, why not give it a try. It could be good.

So I go to the freezer to get it and it's not there! I asked my boyfriend if he ate it, and he said that he did not. Nobody has been over this week. It's not there. I went over the list with my JC rep at the center, maybe she made a mistake? The freezer bag was sealed all the way home, there's no way it fell out. Could be some kind of interdimensional Cashew Chicken sucking vortex... but we'll never be able to prove THAT...

I realized that regardless of the cause of this situation, it's a great opportunity.

I had a few options... Jenny Craig is closed so I can't run to the center for another meal right now (which I would do if it were open)... I could eat tomorrow nights dinner tonight and go to the center tomorrow to get one more meal... but I wasn't really that excited about Cashew Chicken to begin with... and I then I realized that I could just get creative. Someday I'm going to have to make grown-up decisions about what I eat without Jenny Craig holding my hand and this is a great opportunity to use the tools I've learned in the past 10 days to make a good decision about what I was going to eat.

I looked at my other Jenny Craig meals and read the fat, calories, fiber, and protein on them... I realized I needed to find something to eat that was roughly 250 calories (or less), with about 8 grams of fat (or less), at least 2 grams of fiber (or more), and under 30 carbohydrates. So I look in the freezer... pork chops, steak... I could look up the calories and eat a small portion... but then all I'm getting is protein and fat... then I saw the Dr. Praeger's burgers from Trader Joes.

There were two of them.. For two patties it's 220 calories, 5 grams of fat BUT zero saturated fat and 0 trans fats, 26 carbs, 8 grams of fiber... full of really good healthy things - so I decided to cook those up, covered them with veggies and mustard (also ate a bunch bok choy for my veggie but I didn't take a pic of it.)






















I thought it was a good drill. There are going to be times when our meal just isn't there. Weather it's an accident, or a hungry boyfriend or teenager if you have kids... maybe it'll be a malfunctioning freezer, a vortex... even a Jenny Craig rep can make a simple mistake now and then... they are human beings after all... The important thing is that your meal might not be there one day, and what are you gonna do? You're going to need to figure out something to eat and it's good to know how many calories, fat, fiber, carbs etc. you're shooting for with your substitute meal.


















Now it's time for my favorite... toffee cookies and a glass of milk. I have been looking forward to this for days! They are my favorite.

Then it's water till bed time.

Blueberry Pancakes With Sausage

Do I really need to say more? I can't believe I'm losing weight and I get to eat things like this. Sooooooooo good.

My Favorite Jenny Craig Foods

Okay, first of all I have to say that when I opened my first meal I was shocked at how small they were. I called my friend who laughed and said, "Yeah dummy, that's what a normal portion of food looks like, you're just use to eating giant portions and that's how you got fat." We laughed. I have such a distorted view of what a portion of food actually is.

I love the White Cheddar Cheese Popcorn - YUMMY and also it's a larger portion so you feel like you're eating more.

Today I had the Cheesy Mashed Potatoes & Fried Chicken - holy YUM Batman!

The other day I had a S'mores snack bar that so delicious I was transported me to another realm - one of those meditative food comas where you can't hear anything or anyone.

Loved the Turkey Burger I had on the first day too, covered it in veggies to make it bigger and even more delicious.

The Toffee Cookies with a glass of milk was insanely good. I love cookies and milk and it's so good to know that I can have them and still lose weight!

The Fajitas were good too but they came with a lot of bell peppers (which I loathe) so I picked out the green bell peppers and replaced them with some fresh red pepper that I had in the fridge and added some fresh onion to it - cooked it up - put the tortillas in the toaster oven for a minute and my boyfriend came over to me saying, "What's that? It smells really good." And I said, "It is."

The little frozen cakes are so good. Love them to death. If you heat them up in the microwave they melt in your mouth.

Had a great baked potato covered in cheese and broccoli.

The Sunshine Breakfast Sandwich - could eat that EVERY DAY of my life.

It's fun to have foods that you love so much that you look at your weekly schedule and you think... man I can't wait till Wednesday when I get my toffee cookies and milk after dinner!

What are your favorite Jenny Craig foods? I haven't tried them all so I need to hear what I have to look forward to!

Jenny Craig - Week 1

Well, I've finished my first week with Jenny Craig and I find it pretty easy to follow the program. I like having a schedule of what I'm going to eat and I love the variety. I am one of those people who eats the same thing every day, so this is a lot more variety than I usually get in my life.

The people at Jenny Craig are really nice and call to check up on me and see how I'm doing and if I have any questions. That really motivates me.

I stuck to the program pretty strictly this week. Though, I did go out to dinner twice.

On Tuesday we (my boyfriend and I) went to Mexican food with friends. I ate my regular JennyCraig dinner at home without the vegetables. At the restaurant I ordered an all veggie salad with salsa and lemon wedges as dressing and drank hot tea instead of tequila.:)

On Thursday my brother cooked dinner so I didn't eat my Jenny meal. I was nervous but I told him that I was doing Jenny Craig so he made poached cod and steamed veggies. Hopefully that's okay. I also had 3 bites of his delicious mashed potatoes and half a glass of white wine. I will talk with my Jenny rep when I weigh in to see if I handled it well and what I can do to handle those kinds of situations better in the future. I think I did a pretty good job.

I love my Jenny Craig rep. It feels good to have someone to talk to about this stuff. When I did WW nobody checked up on me and sometimes they didn't have time to answer all the questions in meetings, not to mention I just sometimes didn't feel like asking a question in front of a large group of people. The one on one counseling makes a big difference to me.

I lost 1 pound my first week. I was a little disappointed... did I do something wrong? I followed the plan pretty strictly but then my counselor reminded me that I'm adjusting to a new way of eating and that I stuck to the plan and did a great job. Her support made all the difference and gave me courage to face the new week. Also I am reminding myself that for a long time the scale has been going up and up and up... so the mere fact that it's going down is change enough for me. If I can weigh less this Christmas than I did last Christmas I'll be happy.

I don't know why I look at Christmas... I guess it's because everyone takes pictures and you can see yourself getting fatter and fatter and fatter each holiday... I'm really looking forward to looking better this year than I did last year.

I'm going to work on increasing my activity too, not a lot but if I can just walk the dogs a little further each week, I think that's a good goal. I didn't work out at all this week and I work at the computer... I actually make a living as a blogger so I sit on my rump all day long writing articles and watching TV. Not much of a calorie burner.

Also I got an awesome Jenny Craig sippy cup with it's own little filtration device inside. My boyfriend thinks it's very silly, but I love it!

Vegetables

It's hard sometimes. I really, truly love all the wrong foods. I don't get a lot of joy from eating vegetables... I mean I love corn with butter and potatoes with butter... but the rest are just not that exciting to me. With Jenny Craig I need to eat a lot more vegetables so I need to try to find ways to make them delicious without adding calories.

Garlic Powder helps... salt.

I like putting salsa on my salads, it adds flavor without adding calories... not the cheap salsa, the good fresh stuff.

I like cooking veggies in the oven so they get kinda crispy... a little light cooking spray and a few minutes in the broiler usually does the trick. Nothing is worse than a soggy boiled vegetable. Yuck.

I got some "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray and have been using that for a little buttery flavor. It's like the ghost of butter...



I think that part of it is that I've just been eating junk food for so long that I have to adjust my pallet to healthy foods. Also it's just the first week so it must be difficult to adjust. It's not that hard, but it is a change and I'd be lying if I didn't say it's a challenge at times.

I will say that I don't feel hungry. I haven't felt hungry once. It's more like that urge to just eat... the sport of eating. You wanna just lay on the sofa and eat a bag of salty chips until your lips pucker... the problem is how you look when you're the type of person who lays on the sofa and eats bags of chips till your lips pucker. You look fat.

Worst Fears Realized

I ran into an old friend today. A guy who use to flirt with me when I was hot and skinny, we even made out once... but the look on his face said it all. He was shocked and didn't even recognize me. That's how much weight I've gained, the guy didn't even recognize me.

I said, "I know I'm sorry, I gained a lot of weight."

He said, "I thought you were in program. Why aren't you going to meetings."

I use to go to Overeaters Anonymous and he knew about it.

I just smiled and said, "I don't know. I just don't."

He replied, "Well, you need to go back."

He looked disgusted with me... horrified. It was so embarrassing. It kinda pissed me off too... I mean who the hell is he to treat me that way? It's not like he's some Greek God or anything... he's actually not very attractive at all... but he's not fat.

Seems like you can be anything in life... a drug addict, an alcoholic, a gambler, a compulsive shopper... you can drive like a jerk, flip people off on the road, be a bad tipper... whatever... and people will love you... as long as you're not fat.

It motivates me to stick to my eating program even more.

Starting Jenny Craig Today

I am a blogger and I write about a lot of things... I do product reviews and pretty much write about everything under the sun. I got signed up in this blogger program that Jenny Craig is starting this week where I get a deal on the food and program to give it a try and write about it. I figured why not? I mean I could easily lose 80 - 100 lbs... well not "easily" but you know what I mean.

I have been fat since my early 20's and I'm 41 now - there was a period when I lost a lot of weight - I got down to my goal weight, I was super hot!

















Look at me, I look great! I look happy! I'm a healthy weight here.

But it all crept back on. A few pounds here and a few pounds there.

Then my mom got sick with cancer and I let myself eat anything I wanted. Then I went to take care of her and ate everything in her house. Then she died and I ate. Then we buried her and I ate. Then I continued to eat. I put on the 100 lbs that I had originally lost. I was (am) mortified. I don't go out much. I stay in. I don't want to see old friends who haven't seen me in a while because I don't want them to see that I have gained all my weight back. I live like a hermit. I work from home so I sit in my apartment all day dreading going out because I might run into someone that I know but that's insane!


















Here I am now. I'm smiling, but I'm not that happy... at least not with how I look.

It's time to take action. It's time to do something and this Jenny Craig opportunity might be exactly what I need to get things going. I've lost about 20 lbs on my own in the last year or so... it's just a fraction of what I need to lose but it's something.

I'm really excited to go in and see what this program is all about.