This post is sponsored by Jenny Craig
A few weeks ago I shared with you how I haven’t been feeling like my normal happy self lately, in a nutshell I’ve been feeling very tired and have put on weight. I had gastric sleeve surgery in June 2013, I lost 40kg, I felt great, fit and healthy. Sadly I have slowly been putting weight on over the past year. Let’s be truthful, I’m embarrassed, I chose such a drastic way to lose weight and now I’ve put on about 15kg, I don’t feel energetic and perhaps the weight is contributing to me being so tired lately? You can see it in my eyes below. You know I like to keep it real so I am sharing how I have been feeling and the changes I’m going to be making to look after me.
Why do I think I have put on weight?
There is a variety of different reasons, they could be all or any of the following:
- I feel I do eat healthy foods, however, I eat the same foods too often. I eat the same breakfast daily, lunch is usually always the same, either a sandwich or mason jar salad. I have now learnt that my body needs variety.
- I don’t eat in between meals, mainly because I am not hungry. Instead, I would have a coffee. My body needs to be refueled.
- I forget to take my vitamins.
- 3 months after my surgery I started working with a personal trainer 3 times a week, I was looking after my diet and exercising (boxing, push ups, squats, weights etc). Early last year I was experiencing back problems and found the exercise painful, so I stopped my PT sessions. However, I did continue to exercise, walk for 50 minutes 2-3 times a week with a friend. We did talk a lot on our walks and perhaps didn’t push ourselves to walk faster. It was a dramatic adjustment, PT sessions with weights and high cardio to easy paced walking. My friend and I both became busy and stopped walking. It’s that busy getting in the way of health.
- I am impatient. After having gastric sleeve surgery they tell you to eat slowly. I don’t. I have found that I am eating more since this time last year. My surgeon did a swallow test on me and can see that my stomach has enlarged since the surgery, hence being able to eat more food. He couldn’t explain why, I am the first of his patients for this to happen to, he’s unsure if it’s because I am eating too quickly?
- I have been to the Dr to get a full health check, thankfully there is nothing wrong although my cholesterol is still a little high. She says my fatigue could be connected with my weight and trying to be superwoman striving to accomplish too much.
I also didn’t talk about my weight gain with anybody, weight is such a taboo subject. My personal trainer could see that I was putting on weight, she was trying very hard to talk to me about it, but words could never come out of my mouth, I just nodded when she was talking to me, but deep down I was holding in tears as I was so disappointed.
Changes I have made
My new home resolution was to make my health a priority and find the happy energetic me again. I can see that happy me blooming through in this family pic taken last month, my girls were bridesmaids for their great aunties wedding and son walked her down the aisle.
I have made some changes:
- I have been exercising, riding a bike with the kids.
- I did see my dietician, but was disappointed that there was no follow up from them to hear how my diet was going and especially because I broke down crying in the appointment. This process felt very lonely.
- I have been eating healthy dinners, however some lunches over the school holidays were not the healthiest and now the kids are back at school I’m back to my same old sandwiches.
- I am drinking more water and less coffee, I’m down to only 1 cup of coffee a day!
- I have not put on any weight for the past 2 months, however, I haven’t lost any either.
So despite my best efforts my weight is at a plateau. I saw my surgeon a few months ago, his solution was to do gastric bypass surgery. There’s something in me that disagree’s with this being the answer and I was going to continue to push forward with my own healthy eating plan and light exercise.
However, recently I attended a function for Jenny Craig and have to admit, their program is ideal for how I am feeling right now…. lost, not sure what to do and just want somebody to talk to about my weight.
Jenny Craig Program
Jenny Craig is well known for it’s weightloss management program with convenient and nutritious pre-prepared foods. However, many don’t realise it’s so much more than just the food, you also get a one-on-one personal consultation each week.
THE FOOD
Each week with your consultant you will create a personalised menu, which give you the flexibility of a range of delicious food products to suit your taste, so you can enjoy the foods you’re eating. Jenny Craig provides you with 3 meals and a snack each day, along with your own fresh fruit, vegetables and other grocery items, depending on your kilojoule level.
It’s all about education and moderations, the menus will help you keep track of your food intake and over time will help you understand about portion sizes and eating well-balanced and nutritious meals.
They have a wonderful variety of foods and have just released their new summer menu with 15 new items. Pictured below is a spinach frittata, pumpkin feta & spinach pizza, beef teriyaki noodles and cheesy popcorn. Plus they include desserts, sticky date pudding pictured above. Yummo!!!
When your halfway to your goal weight you work together with your consultant who will show you how to plan some of your own menus using your own foods, which is important for long term success and helping to maintain your weight when not on the program.
Lara, who is one of Jenny Craig’s success stories (and pictured with me in the first photo of this post), lost 20kg in 8 months. She told me initially her loss was all about the food and she only started exercising 1 month before reaching her goal, impressive.
How this will help me: I think I’m eating balanced dinners, but forgetting to balance breakfast and lunch. I’m eating too much of the same food each day, I need variety.
THE SUPPORT
They say a Jenny Consultant is like having your own personal coach. It’s a private 20 minute one-on-one consultation where you can talk about your previous week, celebrate triumphs, talk about challenges you had and get you on the right path to make the following week a success. The consultant is there to motivate and guide you, and you can count on them for the extra support you need while making this lifestyle change, they want to see you succeed.
I met Nancy, who is a Jenny Craig Consultant, she shared with me how the consultants are there to support you through the journey, but mostly these words she said made me a little teary. Nancy said, “for most clients their busy lives are about their kids, work etc. This one-on-one consultation may be the only 20 minutes in this persons week that they get to talk about themselves. Consultants are there to listen and not judge.”
How this will help me: this sounds ideal, I do want to talk about my weight, have somebody to listen and help me through the process and follow up with me next week on the good and the bad.
THE FAMILY
It’s wonderful that Jenny Craig can supply me my meals, but I still need to feed my family. I asked Lara what was her top tip when it came to still having to cook for the family, she said “make them the same dinner you are eating or a simple alternative. Eat when they eat, don’t live separately.”
I’ve looked through the menu selection and thrilled at the choices of meals, dinners for example are what I would normally cook at home, but of course, more nutritious. Spaghetti and meatballs (pictured below), pizza, pasta, bangers and mash, butter chicken, which will make cooking similar dinners for the family really easy.
Book a consultation with Jenny Craig. You can visit your local Jenny Craig centre, or choose the at home program where you still get the one-on-one support you need via the phone and have your food home delivered.
To make an appointment or enquire call 13 19 92 or visit the Jenny Craig website.
What is the common reason you think you put on weight?
This post was coordinated by The Remarkables Group and run in accordance with my disclosure policy
