Review: The Jenny Craig Diet Plan

My two weeks spent testing out the Jenny Craig Meal Plan diet are over, and it's time for me to share my experiences with you, my fabulous readers :)

Although I was approached by a lovely Jenny Craig affiliate (via this blog- woo!) and asked to test out the program, I will aim to be unbiased and honest, but hopefully still informative and kind of useful to anyone considering trying it out too. Here goes!

I've already outlined the three main tenets of the program HERE, but in my experience I found that the 'Food' part of the program far outweighed the significance of the 'Body' or 'Mind' sections in my daily thoughts. For me, considering how much exercise I was doing, how my body shape was changing and how I was feeling at regular intervals in the day didn't feature in my thoughts as much as what my next meal would be (though those of you who know me and my foodie ways will not be surprised by this!)

I started the program on a Friday, just before I went to stay with friends for 10 days in Birmingham. The inconvenience of having half my suitcase filled with food was cancelled out by the incredible convenience of having all my meals practically ready to eat! As I was staying away from home, I was also away from the temptations usually found in my house (my biscuit barrel and I were all too closely acquainted) though my friend did tempt me into baking chocolate cake with her... twice. Having said that, the odd indulgences I had didn't totally throw me off track, because I was mindful of quantity, occasionally had my treat instead of the recommended Jenny Craig snack and also had the added pressure of feeling that I'd need to confess my sins to my consultant if I took it too far, so tried not to.

My consultant Alison was great (she even sent me a Xmas card); we'd arrange a convenient time for a quick chat, when she asked how I'd been getting on and we'd discuss any challenges I had faced or any problems I needed help to overcome. She would remind me to follow the plan as best as I could, to drink plenty of water and to get in the recommended exercise, but I think I found having a consultant most helpful because I felt it made me accountable to someone other than myself. I'm naturally quite a teacher's pet, so I just wanted to be a top student!

The pack you are sent with the plan is very thorough, easy to read and informative, plus it's filled with motivational advice like "Break The Cycle" and "Affirm Yourself". You can fill in certain sections and analyse your eating styles (I'm somewhere between a social eater and an emotional eater) and activity levels (I was in the 'Action' stage before my gym membership expired) and then follow the steps to progress to healthy levels of eating and activity, with the help of your consultant, and the support of the Jenny Craig online community.

You're supposed to take your measurements before and after starting the plan (I didn't- shoot me), but I did notice my waist seemed smaller after the two weeks, and the scales said I'd lost 3 whole pounds- result! I've even decided to keep this vintage pair of shorts I was selling because NOW I can zip them up! Wahooo!

If I hadn't have had at least one Big Night Out, and more than one episode with share pouches and the aforementioned cake, then I know I'd have lost more, because I do believe the plan definitely causes weight-loss if you stick to it. How can it not- calories are controlled, exercise is encouraged and you have a support network, it's the three-pronged attack that does it!

I found the whole program incredibly easy to follow, it was like paint-by-numbers, you cannot get it wrong, you can only not do it properly! Portion sizes are not a problem at all, as you can supplement meals with as much fresh salad and vegetables as you like (there's a handy list of 'Free Foods' you can peruse HERE along with a sample menu). I never went hungry, and even had a few meals out but tried to make healthy choices (not sure Pizza Express goats cheese and chicken salad is super healthy, but MY GOD is it tasty!)

I did end up occasionally switching the meal I was supposed to have with one I preferred from the menu (I'm not big on instant noodles) so didn't exactly follow it to the letter, but I'm still pleased with the results, and enjoyed pretty much all of the food I had! I did a little bit of exercise most days, which I only sometimes filled in on my trusty sheet, and I usually forgot to tick off each item of food I ate, but as it was just for my benefit I wasn't too fussed. Noting my huger level before and after eating made me more responsive to my body, and having a plan to follow where you can see what will be going into your body makes you less likely to add in 'baddies', because you would have to admit it on your lovely neat little chart, and I didn't want to mess it up with too many scribbles of 'vodka x lots' and 'cake'. I did find it hard to get in all the dairy and fruit snacks I was supposed to have, which surprised me as usually I have no problem with regular eating, but I think my tea addiction helped on the dairy front!

Tuna Ratatouille with Durum Wheat and salad

Some of the food on the plan was divine, like the roast chicken meal, the tuna ratatouille and the lasagne, but sometimes I found the texture of the chicken a little strange, and having to squeeze the food out of a packet both off-putting and a little tricky to get it all out! I gave my friend Anna the extra day's pack of food I was sent but her feedback was rather less positive. Anna thinks all muesli tastes like cardboard so she wasn't overjoyed with her breakfast, though I love cereal so I actually enjoyed the muesli when I had it during the two weeks (though the chocolate and yogurt coated flakes are definitely better!). She noted that she felt 'peckish' at around 10am, and so had her Jenny Craig chocolate biscuit (yes, chocolate biscuits, on a diet plan, wahoo!) which she loved, obviously :)

For lunch she said the rosemary potato pot was quick and tasty, but she was not keen on the added croutons (I'm a Team Crouton player myself). Anna supplemented her day's diet with fruit and veg, so she wasn't hungry again later in the day. Dinner was supposed to be a Thai vegetable curry which I had tried before and enjoyed, but my chum was so turned off by how it looked when she squeezed it out of the packet ("like grey dog food") that she didn't eat it! I must admit that some of the foodstuffs on the program are far from being aesthetically pleasing when you first see them, but the flavours are really tasty and with a little stir or fluff up and the addition of fresh and colourful salad and vegetables, they end up looking much better and tasting great!

As you can see from my experiences vs. Anna's, opinion on the program's menu is largely based on personal preferences. I'll try anything going, but for people who know what they like and like what they know, this diet plan might not be the one for them. A more flexible plan that requires you to make you own decisions about what you eat would be better for people who are confident in doing so, for example the Dukan diet or Weight Watchers, which allow more flexibility than meal plan diets. Having said that, the principles I have learnt from the program can be applied to your own diet, if you eat 6 times a day and ensure you get 5 portions of protein, 2 fats, 2 fruits, 3 dairy, 5 starches and minimum 3 portions of veg or salad. Though this sounds like math, once you are familiar with portion sizes, it might start to be part of your regular thought cycle so you can eat a healthy balanced diet without being on the meal plan. Myself? I'll be too busy worrying about bikinis and beaches for the next four months, but I'll try!

I think the plan is great for anyone who needs the extra guidance, enjoys the convenience and wants to kick-start a diet or re-educate themselves about having a healthy balanced diet. Personally, I wouldn't be able to do the plan for a long period of time, because for people who love cooking their own food and want to eat what they fancy, not what's on the menu, it's hard to follow a set menu. In the future, I'd be happy to try out other diets and meal plans, but as I'm going travelling in a couple of days, I think I'll be surviving on what I can get! I will try and remember what I've learnt from this experience though, namely about portion size, regular eating, balanced diet and of course, not eating half of a whole chocolate cake... twice...

HELLO to the Jenny Craig Meal Plan Diet!

Although it may be snowing outside and my thermal socks are seeing a lot of use, my thoughts are straying to my post-Xmas travels to New Zealand and Australia, where bikini season is in full swing! I am also well aware of how Christmas indugences usually cause us to put on a little bit of winter insulation, which I do NOT need after my summer going super-size in the US!

To both prevent any further weight gain and also in a bid to start losing a little of that which I've gained, I have embarked on the Jenny Craig weight loss program, which you can read all about right HERE.

The program is basically a three-pronged attack the help you either lose weight, maintain your current weight or re-educate yourself on what (and importantly; how much) to eat in order to have a healthy balanced diet.

Firstly (this is the main thing for me), you are provided with the right foods in the right amounts in the 'Food' part of the plan. I received a HUGE box of goodies containing all my meals and a few snacks to last two weeks, delivered direct to my door. It was strangely exciting to rifle through my planned diet, and it got me excited to try all the delicious-sounding meals (more on that later).

The contents of my stomach for the next two weeks!

Secondly, you are put in touch with a consultant who is like your go-to person if you have any problems, need to confess a slip-up or need advice on how to handle a potentially dangerous situation (I had a Big Night Out planned, but I tried to counter-act my many vodka/diet cokes by dancing for 5 hours, skipping my daily 'goodie' and drinking lots of water). My lovely consultant Alison is thus helping my tackle the 'Mind' part of the program, I've spoken to her twice already and feel like I'm doing pretty well!

Thirdly, there's little point in putting the right fuels in your body if you don't supplement that with exercise to help boost your weight loss and your mood, hence the 'Body' part of the program. The calorie content of the diet plan is according to your level of activity, mine is 1200 per day (not including 'free foods') but I've been walking loads and I danced until 4am on Fri night/Sat morning so I'm getting in some workouts, kind-of!

Now, the Food! Breakfasts are packets of flavoured porridge, tasty wheat flakes or muesli, and you add milk and fruit. Lunches are almost instant (soups, noodles, instant potato, salad pots etc) with salad, but often require you to be near a microwave or kettle. I've managed to fit the plan into my erratic schedule so far by eating my tuna pasta salad while shopping instead of my potato and croutons, and I chose soup during a lunch out because that's what I was supposed to have anyway. Dinners are very tasty so far, and include curries, lasagne and roast chicken- not typical diet foods by any means, but these are calorie controlled and you get the amount your body needs, but can supplement your portion with vegetables or salad. You also get a delicious snack like the white-chocolate and caramel cereal bar, which I LOVE, and eat fruit and yoghurt between meals too, though I've found it tricky to fit in so many food breaks (surprisingly!)

Chocolate Coated Wheat Flakes- YUM!

I have a couple of meals out to navigate whilst on the plan (which are allowed but you must try and be mindful of your choices) so we shall see how I deal with those! Watch this space for my grand review of the whole program and my experiences overall, but for brief updates check my Twitter and the Jenny Craig Facebook Page, where I will be posting regularly! Wish me luck!

Tried and Tested... Nail Varnish

Here's the link to a review of nail varnish I wrote for the University of Birmingham Redbrick Newspaper...

Enjoy!

Tried and Tested... Mascara

So as a new feature to Stay Seated and Look's already riveting content, I will be conducting tests and giving reviews of numerous beauty products (well, the ones that can be purchased on my meagre student budget).

First on the agenda: Mascara!

Every girl needs a wand of magic that will lift, lengthen and luscious-ify her lashes, but as there are so many on the market, which purse-friendly mascara gets the much-coveted Stacey Seal of Approval?

In the spotlight today are:

Maybelline Volume Express Waterproof Mascara in Black. £5.99 in Boots.

The 'anti-clump brush' and 'multi-level bristles' are actually far more standard than they sound, but this isn't a bad thing as it renders the mascara wand easy to use.

Application was swift and easy, and the mascara left my lashes looking thicker, longer and nicely separated. No hic-ups there.

The formula sets slightly when dry thus keeping curled eyelashes upright all night.

In swish monochrome packaging, with a compact length and only£5.99 for 10ml, I'd definately buy it again.



No. 7 Extreme Length Mascara in Black. £12 in Boots.














This modest little number has a very rigid application brush that's great for precision but again a little hard on the lash line.

The mascara itself is a good consistency and gives good lash separation though not a huge amount of volume. After a few hours my lashes looked a little dry, verging on spidery, but still looked long and dark.

As this comes in a 7ml tube, it's less value for money than the other two options, and to be honest I wouldn't spend the money on it again (I'd rather spend it on things for my limbs not my lashes to wear!)


Bourjois Liner Effect Mascara in Black. £8.99 in Boots.

The 'flexible new generation brush' has longer bristles on one side than the other which is great for giving either a smooth coat that separates the lashes or a closer, thicker coat that volumises them up a treat, and gets the jet-black colour close to the lash-line; hence the name.

Although the brush takes some getting used to (the longer bristles are quite sharp so if you misjudge how long they are you could give your eyelid a scratchy tickle!), with a little practice it's a fantasic tool (or Weapon of Mass Destruction).

This mascara made my lashes thick, long, and very evenly coated. With it's ergonomically designed casing it was easy to hold and use, and at 11ml for £8.99 I'd say it's the best of the bunch! Stacey's Seal of Approval to you Mr. Bourjois!