Ok, this blog post and subsequent posts relating to this, are going to be a little bit different from my usual topics. (Which will still be running along side!)
Today a parcel arrived from Jenny Craig, i'm sure you've all seen the adverts on TV with Mel B, but in case you haven't, Jenny Craig is a series of dietitian designed menus, delivered to your door, to help you lose weight through healthy eating and a calorie controlled diet.
I first saw a blog post by Sparkly Vodka at the start of this year, where she was blogging about her 2 week trial of Jenny Craig and I really wanted to try it out for myself. Since I quit smoking (Over 3 years ago) i've been meaning to lose the stone I put on and, along with my mum, we tried The Paleo Diet, (very strict on what you can and can't eat, requires military food planning) and Weight Watchers (usually ending up with us going 'how many points in fish & chips?). Both of these were successful in some weight loss, but were hard to stick and just a bit confusing to say the least.
I was approached by Jenny Craig, who offered me a free 14 day trial and jumped at the chance to actually try something out that I was a) genuinely wanting to get myself and b) offered amazingly at the right time because i've been intending on finally shifting some of the flab and, as most people know, if your hearts not in it, that's basically mission impossible.
I want to start by saying this, I think about food 24/7, I talk about food 24/7, I look at photos of food 24/7 and the word DIET can make my palms sweat and give me heart palpitations. I love eating and have a serious dislike for the gym. The next 2 weeks are going to be a challenge!
The first step was a call from my consultant Claire, who explained everything from the menus to the best way to achieve the best results on the programme. She answered any questions I had and let me know that she was always on hand if I needed advice. I'll receive another call from her a week today to see how i'm getting on. Claire was friendly, helpful and really made you come off the phone raring to go! A* for customer service!
Now the fun bit! Here's the first look inside the box!
The first thing I clearly noticed was the measuring spoon. Portion control is key so this is going to be amazingly handy and useful for after the trial to keep a check on how much you should actually be eating. If you're anything like me, mashed potato only comes in mount everest sized portions!
The blue ring binder is full of information about getting started. Your free foods are explained, food myths are addressed and dispelled and it's pretty much a compact little bible on every question you might have or be thinking. There's also a personal menu plan, a la carte menu, lifestyle graph to record your weight and measurements and the list of everything that's included in your box.
Once I started unpacking, it was like Christmas! Before the delivery, I was telling anyone that would listen about how I was going to starve for the next 2 weeks (I know, drama queen!) but this was the box that kept on giving! The more that came out, I was thinking, HOW am I going to eat all of this!
I am a huge sucker for Crisps so plus points for having these included! (I love the sound of people eating crisps... weird?) You'll notice that everything is also labeled with breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner. Super simple!
I am also BIG into cereal! I could (and have been known to) eat it 3 times a day! I love it! Here's where portion control comes in, I eat WAY more than the allocation for one serving! More than likely contributing to my large bum! Whoops! Haha!
The next layer of the box had lunch and dinners! I know it shouldn't really matter, but how GOOD does everything look! Just looking at it makes me want to eat it!
There's a huge selection of meals! When you speak to your advisor, you can discuss with them any dietary requirements you have so that the meals you receive will be right for you. I'm a human bin, I eat anything... minus garden peas *shudder*.
Some of the meals i've received for example are chicken chasseur with potatoes, chicken tikka masala with rice to winter vegetable soup and pasta bolognaise. Mmmmm. Your daily intake of calories add up to 1200. On top of that, you are also encouraged to add vegetables from you free foods list, salad and you can even have a little bit of cheese! Praise the lord! Again, all these things are clearly started on your menu and you have your measuring scoop to portion things out!
Here's the completed, unpacked stash! Hungry?
Over the next 2 weeks, i'll blog my progress and let you know how things taste! Based on the cost of using Jenny Craig, it will be interesting to add up how much I would spend on food in a normal day compared to using this plan. I also think having everything you need at home, plus a menu to tell you what you'll be eating, really should eliminate the downfalls of other diets. I'm a lazy girl at heart, I can't lie, 2 weeks without having to stand in the supermarket deciding what to have for dinner is going to feel so good!! I also can't stop eating macaroni cheese, this is going to break the cycle!
I'm excited to get started! Have you tried Jenny Craig before? I'd be very interested to know what you thought about it! You can also find out lots more from the Jenny Craig website http://www.jennycraig.co.uk
L x
Ps. I know that some people really dislike the idea of blog posts relating to an item(s) that haven't been paid for, so I just want to address it. I had already been seriously looking into the Jenny Craig programme and my take on this 'review', purely as complete food obsessive, is to a) see what it tastes like and b) see if it actually works. I would only accept, and agree to religiously stick to something if I was totally happy that I thought it would be useful for MYSELF. In this instance, it is as I have weight I want to lose. I am not obligated to give you any information other than my take on it, which I hope someone might find useful!
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