What Losing Weight Taught Me About Myself

I was provided a free trial program by Jenny Craig that included being compensated with enrollment in the program, consultations, as well as food for the duration of the program. However, the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Before I first started my Jenny Craig weight loss journey, I was frustrated.

I’d been trying to lose weight since my twins were born 2 years early and, despite my efforts I found myself at the exact same weight that I was at the end of my twin pregnancy, if not a few pounds heavier.

I had been trying to eat healthy and exercise but instead of losing weight I just kept gaining. Strangers were asking me when my baby was due every time I left my house. I was tired all the time and my health was beginning to suffer.

I was fed up.

Then Jenny Craig contacted me and asked me to try out their program for a few months. I was excited to give it a try but wasn’t sure if it would work or not since everything else I had tried had failed.

I am now 25 pounds* down and still losing an average of 2 pounds a week and I feel like a different person.

*Results not typical. Members following the Jenny Craig program, on average, lose 1-2 lbs. per week. I received promotional consideration.

I had tried for years to lose the weight and nothing worked but Jenny Craig was simple. They laid everything out for me and provided the support I needed. I wasn’t surprised to hear that since the US News & World Report Best Diets rankings launched in 2011, Jenny Craig has not only ranked in the top 3 (out of over 35 reviewed) for Best Weight-Loss Diets but has also been ranked at the top for Easiest Diets to Follow.

I learned a few things about myself as I lost weight:

My portion sizes were out of control.

They make a big deal out of weight gain when you are pregnant with multiples. I had hyperemesis while I was pregnant with my twins and wasn’t able to gain any weight at all until I was about halfway through my pregnancy. At that point, they told me my only job was to eat and instructed me to eat as much as I possibly could so my babies would gain weight. My babies were born healthy but I got into the habit of eating large portions. It got even worse when I nursed my twins for 14 months because I was constantly starving.

The problem was, one I stopped nursing, I just kept eating the same portions. I was used to large portion sizes by that point. I was eating healthy food but I was just eating way too much of it. Jenny Craig helped me to relearn what a healthy portion size looked like and retrain my body to feel satisfied with less.

I was eating when I wasn’t hungry.

Life with twins is interesting. For the first year we were in survival mode and the second year was chaos. I was chronically sleep deprived and stressed to the max. I started paying attention to why I was reaching for food and what I found was interesting.

Most of the time, I was just tired. I was reaching for food because I needed a quick energy boost. Once I realized that, I started making an effort to take a quick power nap whenever I was eating to relieve my exhaustion. A nap definitely isn’t always possible in a house with 6 kids but I found that when I could sneak one in, no matter how short, my food cravings would go away.

The rest of the time, I found I was usually stressed. Once I acknowledged that, sometimes I’d cut myself some slack and give myself a portion-controlled treat (Jenny Craig’s chocolate lava cake always did the trick). Sometimes I’d look for other ways to relieve my stress like getting out of the house and taking for a walk or spending a few minutes reading a favorite book.

I can do hard things.

Part of me knew this already. My family has been through some seriously hard things in recent years. Losing weight felt like a different kind of hard though. I felt like I simply didn’t have the willpower to give up my favorite foods (fortunately I found that with Jenny Craig, I didn’t have to). As I started seeing the numbers on the scale go down, I gained confidence in my ability to lose weight and make healthy changes in my life.

I am stronger than food cravings.

The best tip my Jenny Craig consultant gave me about food cravings (which was something I had really struggled with) was that food cravings go away quickly. She suggested that when they hit, just to wait ten minutes. She told me most of the time you’ll find that the cravings disappear after a few minutes. I’ve taken this a step further and will make myself drink a big glass of water while I’m waiting for the cravings to pass.

Sometimes, at the end of the ten minutes I do give in and have a small treat but I’m able to make it a much smaller splurge than it would have been at the start of those ten minutes.

Losing weight isn’t about the weight loss.

I think we all know this but when we have 20+ pounds to lose it can be hard to remember. Losing weight is a perk but the real goal is living a healthier life. I’ve made permanent lifestyle changes that I know I’ll be sticking with long-term, not just because they help me keep my weight under control, but also because I feel so much better when I stick to my healthy goals.

After 4 months with Jenny Craig, I’m now down over 25 pounds* and going strong. I see such a difference in myself now when I look back at pictures only a few months ago and I’m so excited to see the progress I can make in the coming months.

*Results not typical. Members following the Jenny Craig program, on average, lose 1-2 lbs. per week. I received promotional consideration.

The weight loss is only one piece of this journey though.

My twin pregnancy really took a toll on my health. I haven’t felt well for a long time. For the first time in over 3 years, I feel healthy again. I’m not worried about my future health and I’m confident I can keep up with my kids.

That change has been worth every moment of this journey and gives me the motivation I need to keep going.

To learn more about Jenny Craig for find a center near you, go here.

I was provided a free trial program by Jenny Craig that included being compensated with enrollment in the program, consultations, as well as food for the duration of the program. However, the opinions expressed are entirely my own.