We were provided a free Jenny Craig Weight Loss Starter Kit. However, the opinions expressed are entirely our own.
Wendy and I have spent much of this year in search of healthier eating and weight loss. If you’re looking back on our channel’s content and noting the many, many taste tests we’ve done this year, we hope you know that represents a tiny portion of our actual eating. Our biggest struggle with making different food choices has been exactly that – all of the choices. I spend a lot of time saying that if someone would just tell me what to eat I would be far more successful. You can add to that the fact that we will absolutely fail on a diet that is super restrictive in regards to any sort of fun stuff. Yes, we realize that an entire sleeve of Thin Mints is a poor choice. No, we are not willing to forgo carbs and cookies altogether.
We had the opportunity to try out the Jenny Craig 5 day weight loss starter kit which can be found exclusively at Walmart and we loved the idea of receiving a menu plan and twenty meal items prepackaged and ready to go. The kit calls for some supplementation of fresh fruits and veggies along with some dairy and other lean protein items, but it contains a shopping list for the week to keep you on track. In addition the kit includes one totally free consultation with Jenny Craig that you can complete in person or online plus $50 in free food when you join a Jenny Craig center.
Even though much of the food is included for you, there is some availability to customize what you’re eating. The plan encourages a lot of veggies, which I love. Each day of the week encourages a salad with lunch, and this was the best opportunity for me to get creative with my food. I love a salad with a lot of flavor and texture, so I made sure to add several elements to each salad to keep my palate interested.
After our week on the plan, we have a few thoughts about how to be successful.
Prep, prep and then prep some more.
Take a look at the weekly menu, do your grocery shopping, wash and cut up fruit, prepare the elements for your salad for the week ahead. When I’m left faced with a lot of work at lunchtime that’s when things tend to fall apart. Planning ahead made mealtime a totally brainless exercise and kept me on track.
Treat yourself
Perhaps our favorite thing about this particular plan were the treats. I loved the cranberry almond biscotti bar and Wendy liked the s’mores bar. (There are two of each in the package, so we suspect these are favorites across the board.) This plan gives you an easy way to recalibrate your brain around what a healthy serving size looks like, but still allows for some fun to keep you motivated.
Get the family involved
I had no interest in sitting around the table and eating something entirely different from what the family was eating, so I made meals for the family that were similar to what I was eating. Again, portion size here was very eye-opening and a big lesson for me for future family meals.
I’m already pretty good about planning out our family meals for the week, but with summer coming I would love to take it a step further and plan out lunches and breakfast for myself. A friend shared yesterday that over the summer she preps her kids lunches in the morning while she’s making breakfast so it is ready to go when they are. I thought this was such a great idea and want to do this for myself too, so that we can be free to be on the go at lunchtime, while not falling prey to the drive thru.
If you have any tips for changing your eating habits, we would love to hear them in the comments below. Be sure to check out the Jenny Craig Five Day Starter Kit available exclusively at Walmart!
