Taking time for me: my New Years resolution

By Leanne, editor and founderIt’s resolution time!

Do you make New Years resolutions? Every year I make a resolution that helps the family – whether it’s getting a big household project done, making room for growing kids, or taking more family trips. But, this year I’m doing something different. I’m doing something for myself.  You know how on airplanes they always tell you that in the event of an emergency you should take care of your life jacket or air mask first so you can then help others? As a mom, that has never resonated with me, and I’ve always wondered how I would feel in that situation actually putting on my mask or jacket before my kiddos. I think we can all agree that we would just prefer to not ever be in a situation that required an emergency supply of air or floating in an ocean waiting for rescue, right?

But, what if you use the same line of reasoning to survive the day-to-day tasks with three kiddos in tow? Maybe doing for yourself makes sense because it gives you more that you can then give to others. These days I need to give a lot, and I’m realizing I can’t care for the kids the way I would like if I’m not taking care of myself.

To give you some backstory, I went through a phase at the end of 2014 to the middle of 2015 where I just felt like the end of pain, doctors’ visits, and health issues was never going to come. In the midst of all of this, I also gained a lot of weight… Let’s call this “pregnancy #3, gestational diabetes, and its aftermath”.

Even though I had a wonderful {and adorable} reason for all of it, I just felt really bad about myself and the fact that my health seemed to be spiraling out of control. We all know that it’s hard to be upbeat when you’re feeling negative about yourself, but what I really worried about was that these bad feelings were going to be apparent to my children. I never wanted to be the mom who wouldn’t swim with her kids or who never wanted to be in the picture with them, but that’s where things were headed.

So, as you may know, I made a huge change in the fall of this year and I started on Jenny Craig. I will be honest when I tell you that I never, ever thought I would be the person on Jenny Craig. But, I didn’t factor in gaining almost 150 pounds during my three pregnancies combined and then only losing about 110 of those pounds. When I got home from the hospital after having my third baby, I had about 40 pounds to go to reach the weight I truly feel comfortable at. I lost some of that, but my weight loss seemed to stall with each medical setback.

So, I got help. And, you know what? It wasn’t bad at all, and I learned a ton that will help me actually keep it off in the years to come. The hardest part was getting help in the first place, and since that time it’s been success after success.

Here’s the before and after you’ve been waiting for: This is us, down almost 70 lbs on the program, combined {29 for me, 40 for him}. Pretty big difference, isn't it? I should mention that these results are not typical. Members following the Jenny Craig program, on average, lose 1-2 lbs. per week. I received promotional consideration.

A few things to note about these pictures: 1) Both of these pictures are taken by our 7 year old daughter. This is as close to the same shot and same angle as we're going to get. 2) No, we didn't plan to wear matching outfits in our "after" shot. I didn't even notice we were matchy-matchy until I was editing the pictures and my first thought was that we needed to put a disclaimer on this post so you knew we weren't "that couple".

Here are just a few of my biggest successes on the program:

I lost weight each and every week in the 4 months I visited with a Jenny Craig consultant. While the average weight loss is 1-2lbs a week on Jenny Craig, some weeks I lost twice that and some weeks I lost less. But, you know what? I was always losing, and that’s really what matters. But, beyond the weight lost, I am really happy about the 15 inches that I have shed. Good riddance.

This is the lightest {and the smallest} I've been since I had kids. Even though I'm not to my goal yet and plan on continuing the plan until I fully meet my goal, I'm well on my way, am at a good BMI, and I am very happy with my progress.

The tools to make it on my own. After I transitioned from Jenny Craig foods to making our own meals, I still lost weight at the same rate I was during the full program. This is mostly thanks to what I learned with my consultant, Debie, and after the weeks of following the program my thinking about foods is different, and my attitude about eating has changed so much. I can still eat out, go to parties {so many parties!}, and cook at home while still following the plan, more or less, and I’m still losing.

I have never felt like I’m dieting on the program. Every once in a while someone will say, “Oh, you probably don’t want ___ because you’re on a diet,” and it will take me a minute to realize they are talking to me. I’ve never really felt like this was a “diet” in the traditional sense, and this isn’t a short-term diet I’m looking forward to stopping anytime soon. The foods we ate while on the Jenny Craig program never felt like “diet foods”, they just tasted like real foods in the right portion sizes, and the foods I’m eating now are the same ones I fixed for years, but I’m just eating less of them and still feeling full.

I have more energy. I have always been active and we're always on the go as a family, so I honestly didn't think my energy levels would improve all that much, but I have so much more energy and drive than I had when I started. The days that I find myself sitting for work, I'm dying to get out and get active in the evenings.

I didn’t gain weight over the holidays or while on vacation. Did you know that most people gain more than 1lb during the December holidays? That doesn’t even include Thanksgiving or parties that extend into early January. If you’re already overweight, you might gain over 5lbs during the holiday season. Vacations have a similar effect, and I have always gained a pound or two during vacations, even with all the added activity. This might not sound like a ton, but if you never work off the holiday or vacation pounds they will continue to add up through the years. As for me, I’d rather not gain them in the first place and not have extra pounds to work off. The Jenny Craig program has made that possible, showing me that even in this season of splurging and socially eating, I can still succeed, just like I did on our almost two week long vacation in October.

Success loves company, too. Losing weight with my husband was one of the best things I could have done for me. It wasn’t so much the competition of losing that helped {he totally won, BTW} as much as it was feeling like a team that made the process so amazing. It has been pretty awesome being able to talk together about our goals, our progress, and to feel like we’re really in this together and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. This is why I love their Pay It Forward Referral Promotion where you can introduce a friend to the program and get $25 off your Jenny Craig food for each referral. The “Pay It Forward” referral program only runs through the end of the year {December 31, 2015}, so talk to your consultant now to get more information. I look at all these successes and all of a sudden it doesn’t feel selfish to be taking so much time for myself and my health. I am happier now, more confident {which has been helpful in literally every aspect of my life}, and I have more energy to be the mom I want to be. Getting healthier may be for me, technically, but it’s really for my family as well.

Are you still reeling from the holidays and need a little self-care? *Waves hand* Check out these self-care tips from Jenny Craig for dealing with holiday parties, sugar overload, and taking care of yourself throughout the holidays… or anytime, really. I think I need to print out these tips for healthy holidays for when I need a little refresher before holidays, social events, and more.

Are you ready to make your New Years resolution to better care for yourself? Check out this awesome Jenny Craig Holiday Offer. You have just 3 more days to get started on your weight loss goals and get a weight loss guarantee of losing 10 lbs in 8 weeks. If you don't, you get your first two month’s membership fees back!** 

Disclaimer: I was provided a free trial of the Jenny Craig program and meals. However, the opinions expressed are entirely my own. *Pay It Forward: Offer requires minimum food purchase of $90 US/ $95 CAN. Referring member discount available on visit after referral enrolls on Jenny Craig program. Membership required at time of redemption. Valid at participating centers and Jenny Craig Anywhere only. Not valid at jennycraig.com. No cash value. Not valid for shipping costs. Not valid with any other offer or discount. One offer per person. Not transferable. Guest Code: NGE. Referring Client Code: GRD. Restrictions apply. ** Jenny Craig Holiday offer: Lose 10 lbs in 8 weeks or your first two month’s membership fees back. Member must follow program guidelines including but not limited to a minimum food purchase of $90 US/ $95 CAN per week for 8 consecutive weeks and 1 weekly consultation for all 8 weeks required. New members only. Enrollment fees and shipping costs may apply. At participating centers and Jenny Craig Anywhere only. Member must enroll by 1/1/2016. Guarantee based on the average weight loss of in-center and Jenny Craig Anywhere members who attended 6 consultations over an 8 week period in November and December 2012 and 2013. Members following our program lose, on average, 1-2 lbs per week.