My Fiancee and I Tried Jenny Craig for One Month

If you’ve been checking in regularly over here, then you know that 1) I’m getting married this year and 2) Both myself and Adam are trying to get healthy and fit to prepare for the big day.

We’ve gained back some/all of the weight we lost several years ago, and want to get our diet and bodies under our control again. While I had stayed relatively active, and continued cooking most of my own food, I know that my diet had slipped as I let myself have larger portions and paid less attention to nutritional facts.

To jumpstart the year, and instill new healthy habits, we turned to Jenny Craig for help. Jenny Craig is a weight loss program that combines personal consultations with pre-prepped food to help provide structure and support for members to lose and manage their weight in a healthy way. It’s designed with a holistic approach of mind and body so that you can keep off the weight in the long run with a new outlook. It’s not a fad diet or gimmick, it’s a lifestyle change that will make a difference.

On our first visit, we weighed in and also took our body measurements. We spoke about the types of foods we like, our activity levels, and our biggest weaknesses when it comes to food. Then, they determined our calorie intake goal and distributed corresponding weekly menus. The pre-planned menus made eating healthy super brainless, since it literally lays out everything you’re eating in a day. No counting calories, no measuring out portions. It’s all done for you. And I’ll say right now: I was so glad that Adam decided to do the program with me, because it’s always easier when you have someone else making big changes with you so there is less temptation around.

I was surprised with the amount of food they actually had us eating— six times a day! A typical day of food consisted of breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, dinner and dessert. This helps boost your metabolism and also keep you from getting super hungry, which will help with overeating. The Jenny Craig menu mostly consisted of their own food, but some meals were supplemented by fruit or veggies of your choice. I really liked this, since I could make my own favorite veggies like roasted brussels sprouts to give the meals a homemade feel.

The food itself was surprisingly good. Even though most of it was frozen, it was delicious! The main difference was the portions: they were a lot smaller than we were used to. However, because we were eating so much throughout the day, they were actually just enough to keep me satisfied. Plus, there was a list of “Unlimited Free Foods” that we could eat along with our planned meal if we were feeling hungry, like fruits and veggies. Another list of “Limited Free Foods” consisted of tiny portions of things like extra breads, condiments, chocolate, even wine so that we could curb our cravings without going overboard.

Every week, we went into our local Jenny Craig office to weigh in and talk about that week’s goals and strategies. The consultant not only gives you your new menu, but also talks about tricks to help stick to the program, or how to combat temptation when out and about throughout the day. I enjoyed the meetings, which kept us accountable and forced us to reflect on our choices. For members that don’t live near a center, they have a program called Jenny Craig Anywhere that involves consultations over the phone or video chat.

During the month I was on Jenny Craig, I also enrolled in a boot camp exercise class that met three times a week for total body workouts. I knew I had to step up my activity to really make the most of the experience.

I started at a weight of 146.8, and ended up losing 4.6 pounds.* While I was hoping for more, I did actually end up losing a total of 8 inches cumulatively, which in my book means more… especially because I’m trying to fit into a dress over here! I was very happy with the direction my body was going, and I am definitely feeling motivated to continue with the strategies of food control we spoke about during our consultations.

Adam, on the other hand, lost a whopping 14.4 pounds and 14.25 inches.* Like, I can’t even. Of course, men have an easier time losing weight and had much more to lose. But of course, in true man fashion, he didn’t even exercise during the month. Either way, I can’t help but be extremely happy for him. We joked at our last weigh-in that he should be on a Jenny Craig poster!

Bottom line is, we both saw positive results with Jenny. Because of all the food we were allowed to eat (and even sweet treats!), we didn’t feel deprived. The consultants let us know that straying from the menu was okay for special events, but not to miss more than three meals a week. So we had our cheat meals a few times when out with friends, but utilized techniques we learned during consultations to avoid overeating. We’ll continue to use their advice as we venture back into our own meal prep and make better choices this time around!

If you’re interested in learning more about Jenny Craig, check out their website to browse through the program foundations and see the delicious food they offer! They’ve got a ton of different specials going on throughout the year to get you started and kick off a healthier you.

Have you ever tried a weight loss program?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. *Results not typical. Members following the Jenny Craig program, on average, lose 1-2 lbs. per week. I received promotional consideration.