After allowing myself one final all out food bender (which included a hot dog with cheese, relish and ketchup, a PB& J sandwich AND pancakes) I woke up slightly sick to my stomach and ready to begin the Jenny Craig diet. Being a single mother of a three year old and working 38 hours a week, I felt I needed a diet that works like an all inclusive vacation package. I wouldn’t have to think about what I ate and it was all prepared for me. In the last year I have fighting to resist toddler food. A fight, needless to say, I have been losing. I noticed that I was dragging around about 8 extra pounds, I was tired and listless most of the day and I hated the way I looked in clothes. At 5’7 and 148 pounds I have been feeling chubby and oddly swollen for a long time. I love to eat and in my neighborhood there is no shortage of great restaurants. I’m not sure what the catalyst was (I suspect the desire to begin dating again), but one day I reached my threshold and called Jenny Craig. I was tired of feeling bad about myself all day every day. Now, let me be honest and say that I have never been all that successful at dieting in the past. My typical pattern is to jump into a new routine with a great deal of enthusiasm, start cheating after a week or two and then abandon the diet all together. The appeal of the Jenny Craig diet is that all the food is packaged for you. There is no weighing or timing my food intake. You just eat what they tell you to and the weight comes off. At least this is what I hoped for.

When I arrived at the center I met my consultant and had my weight and measurements taken. I refused the photograph though. That didn’t go over too well. I just hated the idea of having a “before” and “after” shot of me up on the wall for everyone to see. After a brief discussion of my motivations and goals for weight loss, my consultant set me up with all my meals for the week. She asked if I wanted to arrange my own food choices for the week or if she should write down an exact meal program for each day for me. I chose for her to set it up. That is how little I trust myself! After years of diets I have become quite adept at cheating and this time I wanted to force myself to follow the plan precisely. Jenny Craig doesn’t leave much room for human error and that is great for me! My consultant planned all my breakfasts, lunches and dinners for the week in a food diary and handed it to me with the instructions to follow the plan to the letter. After that, she went into the back room, packed all my food into three bags and handed them to me. I am on my way!