Jenny Craig: Week 1

I consider week 1 on Jenny Craig to be a success. I lost 3.6 pounds and that includes the Thanksgiving weekend since my initial weigh in was the day before turkey day. I met with my counselor and she asked how things went and what challenges I have for the upcoming week. I have not experienced any of the negative things about JC that I read online. I have not been pushed to buy things and they are very accommodating about changes to the meal plans for things I do not like or things I want to add.

As for the food, it's not gourmet, but I like it. Some things better than others, but overall I would say it is a little better than the Lean Cuisine or Smart Ones from the grocery store. I like the convenience of not having to think about what I eat. I just look at the menu and eat what it says. I know this will eventually get boring, but JC is not forever.

Perspective

We need to do a CT scan on your head to make sure there isn't bleeding in the brain.

Uh oh. Hearing words like this makes you put everything in perspective. My head was still feeling weird today after hitting it in the car accident and I couldn't concentrate or focus on anything. I called Kaiser to get an appointment to see my Dr. I just wanted to go in and have them tell me there is nothing to worry about and I'll be fine in a couple days. Instead they told me I had to go to the emergency room. Really? I felt silly going to the ER and I didn't want to take time away from people who were really having a medical emergency. So I went and my husband went with me. Turns out my pupils were different sizes so that combined with my symptoms made them worry so I had a CT scan on my head. They said if there was any bleeding they would get me in a room ASAP...then it hit me that I may not be going home today. I went back out to the waiting room and told my husband and all of sudden the severity of the situation sank in. It all turned out to be ok though. I just have a concussion. That doesn't seem so bad now and everything else I have been worrying about lately doesn't seem so important. I am thankful to have my health and friends and family who care about me. Nothing else really matters.

Crash!

I was in a car accident last night. I got rear ended and didn't even see it coming so I hit my head and now my neck hurts. I am home today taking it easy and Minky is loving it since he has spent the day on my lap to stay warm.

It's Official

We are in a recession and have been for a year. Duh. This really can't be a surprise to anyone.

Southerners Taking Care of Southerners

The drive to the resort we went to for Thanksgiving was a little under a 4 hour drive away. Most of the drive was in Virginia and then we crossed over into West Virginia for the last 10 miles or so. Here in Virginia the police do not drive around in traffic looking for people driving in an unsafe manor. They hide....often in unmarked cars. If you get pulled over, you get a ticket, not warning to just slow down. We were driving anywhere from 75 to 84 MPH and the speed limit was 65. On the drive there we passed a couple cops hiding, but felt like we slowed down enough in time to not get a ticket. Phew! On the drive back, I got really nervous because we passed a couple cops while going well over 80 and still did not get pulled over. I finally figured it out...they were only pulling over people with out of state license plates! It became comical at how fast we would pass them and then see cars from other states pulled over. Every time we passed a car that was pulled over, I would look to see the plates and then laugh that none of them were from Virginia. I do believe this is one of the first perks I have found from living here. Unfortunately this rule doesn't seem apply during the morning or evening rush hour.

Jenny Craig: Day 1

I went to my Jenny Craig consultation last Wednesday. I really liked the woman I met with and she was not pushy at all about buying things or signing up for their most expensive programs. I told her I wanted to try the program for a week to see if I like the food before signing up for a membership. She completely understood so I paid $6 for the week, plus the cost of the food. I asked if she could be my consultant, but she was the centre director and only meets with people on their first day so she assigned me to someone she thought I would like. My plan was to get all the food and understand the program so I could start eating the food and following the plan on Sunday after coming back from being out of town for Thanksgiving. I chose a pre-planned menu, except I substituted out the macaroni & cheese since I cannot stand it, because it seemed too overwhelming my first week to choose food. So here is it Sunday and I was excited, but a little apprehensive, about trying the food. I wasn't sure if I was going to be hungry or not like the food or what. After one day I am quite pleased with the food.

Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast: French toast with berries
This was really good and surprisingly filling. I would eat this even if I wasn't on a diet.

Lunch: Beef chow mein
This was pretty good. The beef texture wasn't great, but it wasn't bad, and the noodles were good. The veggies were surprisingly fresh and crisp.

Dinner: Chicken carbonara
I was skeptical of this one because it's in a creamy sauce, which I normally do not like, but I gave it a try. It was fine, but I wasn't crazy about it since I'm not a cream sauce fan.

Dessert: S'mores bar
This was tasty, but mostly I just tasted marshmallow. I was told it was their version of a Snickers bar, which is my favorite candy bar. This is nothing like a Snickers so I was a bit disappointed only because I expected something else. This is also the first thing where I felt the cost ($1.99) was excessive for what I got.

I used my "milk" serving for a latte from Starbucks and I ate one of the Jenny Craig Anytime Bars as a snack. I was also supposed to also eat a salad, a piece of fruit and some veggies, but I didn't have any in the house since I cleaned out the fridge before leaving town for Thanksgiving.

Monday may be a little more challenging because I will work out in the morning and then be at work all day...both of which seem to increase my appetite.

Note: Pictures are from the Jenny Craig web site, not from my actual food

What Happened to My Cat???

My husband and I went away for a couple days for Thanksgiving. Our usual cat sitter, who we have nicknamed "Chicken Nugget Lady" since we usually come home to our cats having bad food habits and not wanting to eat their cat food, came by two times a day to take care of the kitties. We were only gone about 49 hours and I came home to one of my cats looking visibly fatter! He has been overweight since he was about 1 year old and has been looking quite a bit trimmer lately...but it was all undone somehow in a matter of 2 days. I really don't get it...poor Manny Bear seems to have put on a few pounds in 2 days!

Thursday Thirteen - Favorite Holiday Foods

Today begins the official holiday eating season. Here are my favorite foods for the holidays.

1. Pumpkin pie with whipped cream (cool whip is not acceptable)

2. Stuffing - made from white bread, not corn bread

3. Fudge

4. Jello cubes

5. Mashed potatoes with gravy - probably the only time of the year I eat them

6. Corn bread with butter and honey

7. Green beans with onions and bacon

8. Apple desserts - crumble, pie, turnover, etc...and always with vanilla ice cream

9. See's candy

10. Au gratin potatoes

11. Cranberry sauce

12. Champagne

13. Extra pie dough sprinked with cinnamon and sugar, then baked

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Wordless Wednesday - Happy Thanksgiving!

I Called Jenny

No, not 867-5309...Jenny Craig. I'm going to give it a try since one of my friends is doing really well on the plan. She is as picky as I am about food and she likes it. What I'm really looking for is some accountability so I hope I like the counselor I get. Tomorrow is my initial consultation.