I don't mean for this to be pretensious but,

I encourage anyone to ask me anything. I've had up weeks and down weeks and no movement weeks. I have been exercising for well over 10 monthes solidly and understand what it takes to keep motivated with eating right

I am very understanding and try to keep others around me motivated about health, although not in that annoying guy at the office sort of way. I still have a lot to lose but 375 - 303 makes the world a different place.

If anyone has any questions or concerns please feel free to e-mail me or send me a message on these forums. No topic is taboo.

Thanks

Me, help me!

Over 4th of July weekend, I'll be out of town camping/boating. We are leaving early on Friday morning and returning Sunday afternoon. I've been able to be smart about doing a meal or 2 on my own, but never, ever a day. The thought of it is making me really stressed.

So any ideas on what to do? We aren't camping, but will be staying in a hotel w/o a microwave. It's also a family reunion type thing so probably about 20-30 people will be there. I will be getting in lots of activity from hiking, boating, swimming etc.

I figure I need help with 2 breakfast, 3 lunches and 2 dinners. Oh and I'll probably be drinking a little so I'm not counting any snacks in the plan.

Ok, Jenny Craig promotes tackling weightloss in the right way; through mind, body and food. The most important battle to be won first is definately the Mind battle. You've already made the first step by making this post. You recognize the potential problem and instead of admitting defeat to food you are reaching out for help to find a solution to the problem.

You have to pre-plan and anticipate the different hardships that you will face this weekend, (stave off that anxiety creeping up, it will do you no good), and fight your battles before you get there. Mentally prepare yourself to succeed and set yourself a goal that no matter what happens this weekend, you will do your best to stick with your plan. Whatever happens, don't get a case of the F It's. That's when you just say, screw it, whatever, I'll just binge. Even if you wind up messing up a little, the F It's are what does the damage.

So you know you will face relatives with large amounts of food on their plates, lot's of free food here and there, some of your favorites, cakes, candy, burgers!!!! Forget food, you're going out to see your family and celebrate the independence of our nation. You could try focusing on the great conversations, the fun activities that you never get a chance to do otherwise. How often do you get to go boating or swimming? You can overeat any day of the week, enjoy what you can.

Ok, so let's get down to it. The MOMO's. Meals on my own. There is lots of literature on how to do meals, 2 starches, 3 protein, so on and so forth. I find that if you're just doing it for one weekend focus more on your portion sizes than exact amounts. What you want to do is eat what you think a Jenny meal would be. Have a mix of protein, carb and vegetables at every meal, and if it looks bigger than a Jenny meal it's most likely more calories. This can be difficult because you are the on in control, but mentally prepare youself for this before hand.

One idea that I reccomend is buying some of the non-perishable Jenny items at a local center. You could get a few cereals or breakfast bars, a few of the chicken/tuna salad kits, and do the two dinners on your own. That would eliminate breakfast and lunch as a problem. But if you cannot do this, cereal or oatmeal is a good breakfast and lunches coud be half sandwiches or soup and salad. Make sure to snack on fruit and eat lots and lots of vegetables. Drink enough water too.

Most importantly enjoy yourself and have a good time. Enjoy the company of your family and the exercise you will be getting. Stay in the moment and anytime food creeps into your thoughts just do your best to ignore it. Prepare yourself for what you will be facing and monitor yourself honestly. Self honesty is very important.

Have a great 4th of July and I hope I was able to help.

Thank you. I know I need to let the anxiety part of it go and I think having someone else say it to me too, will really help. You gave some great advice and tips that I hadn't thought of.

I'm sure it will be a great time and yes, I'm there for a celebration, focusing too much on what I'm eating will just get in the way of that.

Ok, now I'm ready for the lake... thank you!

My turn for help!!! I am from SD just started Jenny Craig last week (9/2/08) and will be running into my first challenge soon. I will be at a conference in Anaheim, CA from 9/20-9/24. I will be going with my mom so that will be helpful. The conference times are 9-5 so I have no way to know what will be happening for lunch. In addition, there is no microwave in my room so I cannot bring meals with me. I can use your tip from earliers about bringing snacks and such. However, I still have not done a meal on my own (since I just started) and am really afraid of not knowing what to choose for meals. I do not eat fish or pork, so, when going out for supper, what can you suggest to order? And what do I do if I have to eat at a Burger King or something for lunch?

Thanks so much!!
Miranda

Hey,

One of the most important things is to commit to not quitting. No matter what happenes, whether you are unsure of what you've eaten or not, it can't last forever and the worst case scenario is you either don't lose or gain .5 - 1 lb. Try to keep tabs on the calories you are consuming and ask yourself, does this look like a Jenny meal or does it look like more?

If you are going to chain restaurants or even burger king, make friends with www.dwlz.com . It has lots of weight watcher points values but it also has calories and other nutrition facts listed. Think to yourself, most jenny meals are 250 - 360 calories, so keep it within that range. Jenny Meals are convenient and easy, but they are real food and you can try to make other meals similar.

One of the best things to do while dining out is to look for plain chicken meals and ask for extra vegetables instead of french fries or potatoes on the side. If you have to have a potatoe on the side ask for a baked potato, but try to avoid rice as they tend to put a lot of extra crap in it.

Bring your menus with you and try to cross things off as if you are still on the plan. If you have lunch, cross of your lunch and if you feel there are added fats in it, cross off your fats.

I can't stress enough that the most important thing is progress not perfection. So you may not be perfect but you don't have to be totally out of control. We are basically food addicts and we tend to think all or nothing. Unfortunately with food you can't do that so try your best to count the calories and try your hardest to push the food away when you are full. That's key.

Good luck and remember, food is not the most important thing in life, it's just something you have to do, so focus on family, friends, work and put food way down low on the priority list of things to enjoy.

Hope this helps.

Jeff

It's only 4 days!! DWLZ.com