Jenny Craig Update

Currently in the sixth week on Jenny Craig.  So far, I am down a little over ten pounds, and I have lost a total of six inches on the main places these things are usually measured.  I have lost half of the weight that I had put on in the last year, but then I would also like to lose about ten to fifteen pounds beyond that.

Overall, I am happy, and I feel healthy, though I did kind of fall off the wagon at a party this past weekend, and I think that made me miss all the tasty foods I miss, like real mashed potatoes and cake.  Manfrengensen and I are going out for dinner on Friday.  I would like to find a 4-oz. fillet somewhere.

I don’t know if I mentioned this earlier, but the type of Jenny Craig plan I am doing is the one where I can choose my own food for the week.  They also offer a pre-set plan, but I like having the choice.

Lately I have been “into” the Jenny Craig lunch pizzas, which are actually quite tasty.  There are two kinds, pesto and personal.  Both feature wheat crusts and chopped tomatoes, along with a fair amount of cheese.

I have given up on the chicken and tuna salads. Too little return for the investment, and I just don’t like the canned feeling of it.

I like the Chicken Stuffed Sandwich, another hot-pocket kind of deal filled with cheese, chicken and broccoli.  A good amount of chicken too.  It’s not like the McDonald’s apple pie, where you are down to the last bite and realize you have yet to see any real fruit.  It’s actually what it says: chicken stuffed.  It’s good, but as is the case with all things, even better with taco sauce.

About two weeks ago, I was kind of craving french-fries, so I got the Fish and Chips dinner entree, which was surprisingly good, and didn’t even need taco sauce.  You get a few potato wedges in that entree, and it bakes up nicely in the toaster oven.  Overall very satisfying.

I find I am eating a lot of pastas, Spinach and Cheese Tortellini, Rotini with Meat Sauce, Chicken Pasta Parmesan, etc.  I don’t really mind though, as the Italian blood in me could eat that for every meal.

Mmmmm....Snickers

In terms of snacks, I am still preferring the salty snacks to the chocolate ones.  The Bruschetta Veggie Chips are pretty good, and I am still into the Cheese Curls.  I tried the Chocolate Caramel Peanut Bar, which is kind of like a Snickers, but not packed with peanuts and offers only a thin layer of nuget.  Needless to say, Snickers is better, but this isn’t too bad a substitute, though I don’t feel I need to get it every week.

I’m also completely off of the cookies and cream Anytime Bar.  It’s all peanut butter flavor for me.  I don’t know what happened, but one day the cookies and cream one made me gag, and I haven’t gone back.  Again though, I’m not that fond of cookies and cream to begin with, so don’t go by me.

This week, I have two challenge-entrees, or the things I am trying for the first time.  Last night I had the “Cookout Style Chicken” which has barbecue sauce and a side of baked beans.   The chicken was a little stringy, and fell apart when I cut it.  It was about the size of my palm, no surprises there.  But the beans!  My god, the beans.  There were lots and lots of beans.  Maybe a whole cup of beans.  I don’t know about you, but that’s a lot of beans for me.

This Sunday I’m also planning to try the “special” entree of the month, Spaghetti and Meatballs, which is only available in October.  I will let you know how that goes.