Who said dieting doesn’t work?

One reads an awful lot about obesity in the news, and grim statistics are trotted out saying that dieting is ineffective because 90% plus of dieters gain the weight back. Well, we’ve all been that route, but most people who try to quit smoking don’t succeed on the first try either.

As my readers know, my husband, two of my daughters, and I have all been following the Jenny Craig diet. I’m the first one to reach goal weight (135 lbs for me at 5’9″ brings me to a 20 BMI; down 73 lbs). I’m a bit embarassed about posting my start weight–too much sitting in front of the computer, I fear. But if this saga helps others out there (if obesity is “catching,” maybe losing weight is, too), that would be great! Here is my progress since I started on Jenny last November:

I can’t say this is the fastest weight loss I’ve ever experienced. It’s more typical to lose 1-2 lbs per week on Jenny than the much faster loss on Atkins et al., but it’s the healthiest diet I’ve ever been on. What is weird is that when I previously weighed in the 130s (which was most of my life until the past few years), I was never smaller than a size 8. Right now, I’m sitting in my size 4 DKNY jeans, and I actually fit into a size 2 the other day by mistake–it was in the wrong rack. So somehow, Jenny does a pretty good job of finding those fat cells.

My doctor was pleased/alarmed at my weight loss at my annual physical. She immediately started asking me all the right questions about body image, etc., to rule out anorexia. As a psychologist, I found it strange to be on this end of the questions, but it was the right thing for her to do. She also ordered a bone scan (typically, I wouldn’t be due for one for another 10 years), and I scored a +0.6. My doctor said my bone density is better than the average 30 year old. Considering my caffeine habit (about 15 cups of coffee a day–okay, that’s down from 20+ in grad school), that was a relief. Thanks, Mom, for teaching me to love milk!

So, what’s next? Maintenance is the big downfall for most of us battling the bulge, but I’m confident that Jenny will find a way. First of all, Roger still has 7 pounds to lose (he’s lost nearly 90), my daughters still want to lose some more, and the buddy system is a great way to watch weight. Second, the Jenny maintenance plan is very systematic. They don’t just turn you loose to go back to the old habits that made you chubby in the first place.

I get to go from 1200 to 1700 calories for starters. If I gain weight, well, we know what to do now. I plan to weigh every morning until I know things have stabilized. We’re still using Jenny food–tastes good and it’s very convenient, but I miss having fish and might actually cook a couple of times a week.

What do I get for the extra 500 calories? I get two more fruits (I’m thinking of adding strawberries to the banana on my morning cereal–after all, I live on the central coast of California, Strawberry Central). Then I add a snack consisting of a meat, fat, and starch. The meat is definitely going to be cheese–for a Swede, cheese is one of the major food groups. The fat shares are less appealing to me–I’m not a butter/mayo person. However, I’ve settled on nuts. One fat share is four large nuts or ten small ones. My sweet hubby, who has a wicked sense of humor, shopped Costco and brought home the “single serving” size jar of cashews in the picture below:

At the rate of 4 nuts per day, I think that jar may just last the rest of my life. Anyhow, I hope talking diet isn’t too boring, but I’ll let you know how the maintenance thing works out. And yes, my planter really IS a football–a gift from Karen for last year’s Super Bowl party!