TAKE THAT... AND, THAT!!

So since the last post I've had two Monday weigh-ins. The first showed a loss of 8.5 lbs, and the second showed another loss of 2.5. As of last Monday I have lost 33.0 lbs!! Still a long way (weigh?) to go...

OK. HERE'S THE BULLET. NOW, BITE IT!!!

Well, I skipped last Monday's weigh-in. Then spent the whole week basically pigging out because Brenda's folks decided to cook EVERY night while they were here and of course we didn't want to be rude...

Today I bite the bullet and go for the weigh-in. Then it's back onto the Jenny wagon with purpose!!

*Update* - I gained almost 10 lbs. in the two weeks since my last weigh-in! Bah!!

CAN ANYONE SAY, "CHRISTMAS BREAK"?

I've been a B-A-A-A-A-d boy!! I pretty much fell off the JC wagon over Christmas and am VERY slowly trying to crawl back on board! Earlier in the month we took a long weekend trip to Tampa/Orlando which meant I missed a Monday weigh-in, as we were returning that day. The following Monday I still posted a slight loss (WHOOPEE!!!). Yesterday, after three full days of chowing down, I ended up postponing my weigh-in again for a week. Still, I weighed myself at work, and the results were NOT pretty! Time to buckle down and try to get back to where I was by next Monday. I'll be happy with a "no change", if that's possible.

Gobble, Gobble, Gulp!!

OK. I'm REALLY not looking forward to Monday's weigh-in! As much as I tried to show restraint over the Thanksgiving holiday, the turkey and stuffing were just too much for me. Hopefully this will only be a minor set-back, and not a major one!

DO I HEAR AN "I TOLD YA SO"?

Monday's weigh-in went much as expected. The scale at JC showed a 3 lb gain. So either I lost 7, gained 3 for a total loss of 4, or I lost 2, then lost 2 more. (I prefer the latter) Anyway, this week will be a real challenge as we try to minimize the impact of Thanksgiving on the waistline.

KOWABUNGA!!

I don't know how, but I managed to lose 7 pounds this week, according to the scale at Jenny's. Unbelievable!! I'm almost 1/4 of the way to my goal!

Update: The scale at work, which usually reads the same as the one at Jenny's (both are digital) shows a two pound loss, which I think is more believable. Still it's two pounds in the right direction.

Next week I'll probably show a gain because they will have adusted their scale...

STEP BY STEP... INCH BY INCH...

Another two pounds gone (hopefully for good). It's getting harder to lose the pounds, and it's getting harder to stay on the straight and narrow and refrain from those awful temptations to cheat a little here and there.

Actually feeling the clothing getting looser helps a little.

Still the pains in the legs are killer. I hope that the loss of weight will eventually overcome or correct the problem. Although I can't say that I'm exercising, I am trying to walk more and ride less. Losing only two pounds, while still a success, calls for a concerted effort to exercise.

Pray for my tootsies!!

SUCCESS COMES IN INCHPEBBLES

Four more pounds gone!! I'm trying to get to a point where I can walk enough to call it exercise... Still having lots of leg (especially knee)pain making it difficult to walk. Thank heaven for prescription Motrin!!

SUCCESS!!

Down 6 pounds!! HOO-RAY!!

SH*T!!!

I GAINED FOUR POUNDS!!! And I didn't cheat! Dammit!

WEEK FOUR

Tomorrow marks the end of week four, and another weigh in. That's one whole month down, and only 11 to go. I'm feeling a bit of trepidation because I don't feel like of lost anymore weight, although I've tried to stick to the diet as closely as possible while still doing things with family. And, there's always the "plateau" that you have to watch out for. I hope I don't hit one too quickly.

I really need to drop a bunch of pounds fast so I can increase my physical activity. As it stands now I have a lot of trouble walking on hard surfaces like concrete and tile, and standing in one spot for extended periods really wipes me out quickly. The sooner I can start seriously exercising I think it will be better for me, health-wise.

Anyway, I guess I'll be checking in with Brandy tomorrow after work! Wish me luck!

GOING DOWN?

Yesterday was the 4th weigh-in, the end of week 3. It was a successful week, I think, having lost a few more pounds. This was even though we went to dinner Friday night, to a picnic Saturday noon, to a barbecue Saturday night, and to a formal dinner on Sunday!! I guess there's a LOT to be said for portion control!

I'm quickly learning what I like and what I don't like in Jenny cuisine. I've actually started getting choosy, and substituting preferred foods when ordering from the weekly menu. Two of my favorite things: bruschetta chips (which are awesome when using the cottage cheese as a dip) and the triple chocolate cheesecake. I highly recommend!!

Week 4 is supposed to be the least favorite menu because many of the entrees are dry (as in not frozen). Should be interesting. I just hope I can continue the downward trend. I am definitely NOT looking forward to my first episode of "plateau-ing".

LESSON LEARNED!

OK. I did OK. Lesson # 1: Don't weigh yourself in the middle of the week.

This week's meeting with my new best friend, Brandy, went pretty well. I lost some more weight... not a huge amount, but still progress.

I couldn't stick to this if it wasn't for Linda helping. She makes the salad each day that we eat at lunch. It's definitely a must have, in order to provide some "filler". The menu calls for garden salad and spinach salad alternating each day. I guess the spinach is to add iron to the diet. With all that spinach, I'm surprised my consultant's name isn't "Olive".

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE?

Today is the end of week 2. I'm not holding out a lot of hope. I don't think I lost much, if anything, although I did follow the diet faithfully. I knew it was going to be difficult when I started.

The menu for week 2 is not bad. Most of the food is very tasty, some quite spicy, as well. My consultant, Brandy, did mention that the menues for weeks 3 and 4 might not be quite so appetizing, as apparently they involve more "dry" food, and less frozen entrees. I guess we'll find out tonight when I go to weigh in (shudder!!) and order food for week 3.

WEEK 2 - DAY 1

Yesterday was an experience... Not only did I NOT talk Brandi out of weighing me, but she also took two pictures of me for my "before" self. A-a-r-r-g-g-g-h-h-h!! Then, Linda and I realized that we had forgotten to bring our nifty Jenny Craig food bags (one is a frozen foods bag). We're obviously not the first forgetful people that Jenny has encountered. They had plenty of plastic grocery bags on hand.

Anyway... my first week went pretty well. I enjoyed MOST of the JC food, and actually didn't eat everything I was permitted. Initial weight lost was pretty good, and I think I'm even feeling a little bit more energy. That is very good!

JENNY ON THE WEEKEND

It's harder to follow Jenny on the weekend. During the week when I'm held captive at work it's easy to eat according to a schedule, with snacks in between meals. On the weekend we slept in late so we were eating breakfast when we should have been having the first snack, and then we were away from home all afternoon, so we ended up skipping both snacks for the day, which did leave me a little hungrier than I had been during the week.

I met my "consultant", Brandy, on Thursday evening. She's very nice, a computer programmer during the day. Apparently I get to meet with her weekly, for about 15 minutes during which time I get weighed in (I couldn't talk her out of it) and pick up my JC food for the week. So, tomorrow is my first weigh in...

...more to follow!

TWO DOWN

Day 2. But who's counting? Really. Only 363 days to go. So far, so good. Aside from that horrible anytime bar, the rest of the Jenny Craig stuff wasn't too bad. The spaghetti and meatballs I had for dinner was actually quite tasty. The stuffed chicken sandwich (an extra I get 'cause I'm a fatty... that's right... reward the fat guy for being fat!!) was really good, too. It's going to take awhile to get into the routine of picking up the fresh fruits/vegetables and dairy products needed, but I guess it'll all come together eventually. Between meals and snacks I don't seem to be getting hungry, so that's a good thing.

Tomorrow I meet my "consultant", Brandy, for the first time. Brandy? Really??? The girl who signed me up for the program was Sabrina. Hello... what ever happened to Mary, or Jane, or Susan? I can't wait to meet Pepper and Muffin.

MAIDEN VOYAGE

I begin a new page in my life's journey today, so I thought it would be a good time to actually use this blog for something other than a placeholder for "Chia Pop".

Today is day 1 of my relationship with Jenny Craig! We'll see how it goes. Started off with the cranberry almond cereal. Not bad, but not much to it. Haven't had a chance to grocery shop for the fruits, vegetables, cottage cheese stuff as yet, so no cottage cheese with breakfast. I did have grapes. Probably enough for two servings, so that took care of breakfast and snack. I tried the peanut butter FLAVORED "anytime bar" and it was truly awful. I could not finish it, and unfortunately I bought a week's worth of them! Yuck!!