So I’m traveling again this week for work, as I am 99% of the time. I was able to drive for this business meeting, so no 3 ounce bottles of anything with me! I also packed all my JC food and called ahead about a refrigerator. So I get to the hotel and I only have a min-bar in my room. It’s empty but it is like a sauna on the inside. They replaced it but explained that the min-bar will not get as cold as a refrigerator. I called the front desk and asked about getting a refrigerator and they said they would call me back. Well as it approached 10pm, I decided to go get ice thinking I could at least keep my food cold for the night. I travel with the JC blue quilted bags but they don’t keep food cold for more than two hours.

So I go to get ice and in the room where the ice is supposed to be I see two mini-refrigerators stacked! The one on top is unplugged, but I open it and it is still cold so my mind is clicking - this could work. Beside the stacked mini-refrigerators is a dolly. So I go back to my room and ask about these and they tell me they are out of service. But you know that feeling you get when you just don’t believe what someone is telling you? I had that feeling. So I go back to the storage room load the mini-fridge on the dolly and proceed to set it up in my room.

Long story short, it’s working fine and my JC entrees, snacks, fruits, and cut up veggies that I brought are all ready to go and so am I! So my point for this hump day is, when it becomes non-negotiable to go off my plan there is ALWAYS a way to do this program. I’ll be working until 10pm for the next two days. So working from 7am to 10pm I DESERVE to fuel my body appropriately and to maintain a healthy mindset. And I do that when I FIRST take care of myself.

So JATTNE (Jenny All The Time No Excuses) for me on this hump day. How about for you?

‘til my weigh in this Saturday,

Hope

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It was early 2007 when I got news that made me happier than any news I’ve ever had before. My fertility nurse called to tell me that I couldn’t move forward with in-vitro because I was already pregnant! I had two previous miscarriages so I called this my miracle. And this happened when I wasn’t even trying to get pregnant! I went for several ultrasounds, like all women who are labeled “advanced maternal age” have to. Who would’ve thought that being over 35 years old was considered advanced? Not me. For a first time Mom there was so much to learn, but just when I thought I couldn’t feel happier, my doctor let me hear my baby’s heart beat. I couldn’t stop crying. This was really happening. I was a Mom. There was another life inside of me. Then he printed a beautiful picture of my little peanut that included the graph of his heart beating. He said that now that I’d made it to this point there was a 90% chance that my baby would make it. After all, there was a strong heart beat. I honestly had never before experienced joy on that level and I still struggle to find words to adequately explain it.

So I had one more ultrasound to go before I “graduated” to my second trimester and it was scheduled for the day after Mother’s Day. I was so excited to see my baby again and to finally graduate to the “safe” trimester. But, there was only silence as my doctor did the ultrasound. I looked at my husband and he just looked blank. After what seemed like forever my doctor told me that there was no heartbeat. I couldn’t take all of that in. How could that be? I had been given a 90% chance. My miracle had turned tragic. My baby had died unexpectedly and because of his size they couldn’t remove him. I would have to carry him while taking a chemotherapy drug for another five months. It was tortuous.

To make it worse I had to weigh in for them to adjust the drug dosage, and when the nurse moved the scale to 246 pounds, I lost it. How and when did I put on this much weight? I was so consumed with getting pregnant that I completely lost track of my weight. Later that year I had been released to go back to work and I flew to Louisville, Kentucky for a team meeting and during that trip they took pictures. When I saw myself I was in shock. At my baby’s funeral I made a promise that I would live a better life as a result of his life - and I wasn’t doing that. I looked sad, bloated, and unhappy, because that’s how I felt. After my plane landed, I stopped by Boston Market restaurant and got enough food for a family. I had ordered a dozen pieces of cornbread, half a chicken, and family sized sides all in attempt to eat myself out of my misery. I got home and I sat there and just cried as I continued to eat. Then, I don’t know what came over me, but I just knew I had to change.

With tears and a lot of pain I called Jenny Craig. Wanda the Centre Director answered and said that they were closing but if I could hurry she would wait for me. I put the food in a bag and drove as quickly as I could to the center. I felt so defeated. Not just with my weight, but as a woman. I couldn’t do what seemingly was the most basic thing any woman should be able to do - have a healthy baby. I felt like a complete failure. Somewhere in all of my pain I decided on that ride to the Jenny Craig center that if I wasn’t going to give birth right now to a baby, I would give birth to a new me.

Wanda read my weight and she told me something I’ve never forgotten. She said that there is always a way to do the program. For some reason I believed her. It was like I had to believe what she said versus believing in me at that time. The verdict was in. I was 245 pounds, wearing size 22 pants. The black capri pants are a size 22. I couldn’t deny that I was obese. You can see from the picture that I was still getting blood work from my left arm. Clinically I still tested positive as being pregnant, but I was carrying a dead baby. It was a very dark time for me.

Fast forward from September 28, 2007 and I lost 23lbs! The compliments were flying in and I was feeling so good. I was feeling a little too good because I got complacent and maintained that weight for a while, even though I clearly had more weight to lose. So on May 23, 2009 I restarted Jenny Craig without quitting. Since that day in September 2007 I can count on one hand the number of consultations I’ve missed. I made a commitment and I’m determined to keep it this time.

So now my goal is to reach 195 pounds by my 39^th birthday, which is on August 28, 2009. So here I am, wanting to show that everyday people like me with regular lives can in fact have celebrity-like results. This program works. I know because when I follow it as written I have great results. I have come up with this acronym to help anchor my commitment called JATTNE. It stands for Jenny All The Time No Excuses. That is my motto. That is my goal. Follow the program by the book to get the results I really want.

So that’s a little about me for now. More as the pounds drop and life goes on. Be sure to check out my progress pics in the Photo Tab!

‘til next time…..Hope

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As time goes on people seem to walk less and less, when did we become so sedentary? Especially with the age of the Internet, now we can shop, work, and even socialize online! Sometimes you need to break away from your routine and step outside for a good old-fashioned walk.

JC recommends walking 10,000 steps a day to keep you healthy and to help with weight loss. I came across a post on Garden of Egan that mentions her husband’s successful use of a pedometer.

He signed up for Jenny Craig, and so far he’s lost 30 pounds!!! (I’ve been on JC for 13 months and only lost 15, but that is all my fault.) He wears a pedometer every day, and does his best to get his 10,000 steps in.

I was reading One size DOES NOT fit all and came across an issue that I think might happen more than we’d like. Patrice has been on the program for a few months and is really close to her goal. She had a bad week though and decided to cancel her weigh in.

Bad, really bad. So bad that I canceled my appointment and didn’t weigh in. I seem to have lost all motivation and just want to eat. I have a lot of things stressing me out right now which makes me eat and not care if I gain weight.

There are lots of reasons why I might cancel my appointment; if I had a bad week, too much stress, feeling ashamed of my mistakes, or just wanting to hide from the scale. Have you ever skipped a weigh in after a challenging week? How did you feel about it?

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