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.