I'm nearing @ my 5 month mark and lately it's been challenging eating and loosing weight - So... I went to Jenny Craig <JC> on Saturday and got started once again on Jenny and I certainly have mixed emotions about it and very curious (voice inside - "be careful what you wish for") what the LapBand community thinks, especially to those who have joined JC or Nutri-system post band.

I'll start with this - YES - I discussed with doc at my last visit and fill, he was concerned that it would be too many calories but other than that he didn't say "absolutely NOT". My issue right now is knowing what to put in my mouth and, more importantly, having it on hand so that when I'm ready to eat I have something available. I've been successful on JC in the past - twice I lost 30+lbs - but twice I put it back on because I AM an OVER-EATER! This time I have the band which is really helping with the overeating side of things - I firmly believe that it will help me for the remainder of my life - hence the reason I let a surgeon cut my abdomen - right - right .

What I really like about JC, (besides I was fortunate to originally join when they were offering a lifetime enrollment so my food is discounted by 30% making it very reasonably priced to eat weekly) is the no brain involvement - it's good food portioned to the right size and if I follow the program it has lead me to lose about 2lbs a week. Plus, the food consists of all things, carbs, Protein, sugar, sodium, fat - everything - so I won't be eliminating anything to have to reintroduce it into my diet down the road. And I can eat off plan occasionally and still be safe.

What I hate about JC is eating out of a box. plus the additives that go into the box to keep it shelfable...

So here is my mindset and what I'm hoping for; I stay on the JC course, loose the next 50lbs over the next X amount of months and with the aid of the band be able to maintain my 150- self for the rest of my life.

Another thing that I believe, is this... if I didn't do JC now - that the weight WOULD come off, I just don't think it would come off as quickly. So, the two reasons I'm embarking yet again on the JC road is for the no thought involvement of my daily bread & for the proven results - I've hit a plateau right now and I need something to kick me over - I'm choosing JC and praying that it works...

I go in tomorrow to see my doc again for fill #4 - let's see what he says too. so what do YOU think?

I helped another bander with this several months ago. She needed a PLAN. So this is a suggestion.... BRAINSTORM everything for Breakfast: Eggs (boiled, scrambled, fried, omelette) :2 eggs Bacon (turkey, pork): 2 pieces Sausage (links, patties, crumbled) pork, turkey: 2 pieces Oatmeal: w/ or w/out fruit: 1 cup Cream of Wheat: 1 cup Protein Shake Protein Bar Sweet Potato Pancakes 1 Large or 2 small Yogurt 1 cup w/out fruit or 1/2 cup w/ fruit Cheese and ham : 2 oz each Whole wheat toast: 1 slice w/butter Whole wheat waffle w/sugar free syrup Kellogg's whole wheat egg, sausage, bagel Bare Naked Cereal 1/2 c w/ skim milk ETC. Then do the same thing for lunch:::: BRAINSTORM all that you could eat: Tuna Salad 1 cup Chicken Salad 1 cup Egg salad: 1 cup Ground beef patty Cheese and deli meat slices Chili 1cup Soup Peanut Butter/Banana on whole wheat Hummus and vegi tray Grilled chicken salad Grilled shrimp salad Red Beans, White Beans, refried beans, ETC. Then take a blank calendar and start mixing and matching. You can take the calendar with you to the grocery store. If you need a visual plan, this might help. I once did this when I was on a budget. I sat and wrote down every dish I could make with chicken and every dish I could make with ground beef. Then, I used a blank cendar and wrote a month's menu. I also cooked a lot of dishes over the weekend and bought lots of individual plastic containers and froze individual servings of many recipes.... 10 containers of chilli, 10 containers of red beans, 10 containers of soup, etc. BEST WISHES.... Hope this helps!

This ROCKS! Thank U.

Ccjl. The one thing I have learned from these forums, it's ALL a learning process! If you want to try JC, try it. Give it 8 weeks and then review. What parts of this program are helpful? What is there that I would change? If I choose to stay with this or discontinue what result do I think I can achieve? We judge our future based strongly on past results, but rarely do we get the same results twice. So consider it a learn process and take lots of notes. Keep checking in and share what you are learning. You may find some people had good advice some not so good. It's YOUR journey

Preach!

@ccjll your post was a bit harsh to people who are trying to support you in your question on this board.

If you like facts, and only facts. Ask your doctor because the fact is that he/she is the only person who's advice you should be taking on your band and your health.

The silver lining here is that you've got a lapband and if you find the JC is tiresome or ineffective, you can fall back to the original lapband healthy food diet plan. No harm, no foul. Circumstances change in our lives and you may find yourself with more time to work at a solution. Till then, JC is the solution and we all wish you the best.

Let us know how it goes one way or the other?

tmf

Seriously I do not think Cheryl was trying to scold you. I know we all have been there and done that with JC, WW, Nutrisystem, and HCG every program known to man has been tried. I got the band so I could get a different approach and maintain my weight loss. So far, so good. I do once in awhile eat lean cuisine but frankly mashed potatoes, Pasta and all that other stuff in those meals including JC are not particularly healthy. Most of the pre-packaged meals are very high in sodium.. But, the person you should consult would be the Nutritionist if they have one on Staff where you had surgery. I think JC and Nutrisystem are really expensive but if you are willing to pay for the convenience that is up to you. We all try to guide people in the right direction and sorry we did not give you the answer you were expecting but we are an opinionated bunch and that is what I like about this group.. Cheryl and TMF have had great success and I guess I would say I have too, I have Iost 60 lbs this year and maintained it.. Through the holidays, special occasions and every family dinner I never vary . Good Luck in your future journey to better health and keep us posted. Don't get mad at us if we are trying to help you.

Thanks everyone - and yes I do know that you all are trying to help - I should have stated a different title to the post - something like "calling all those who have done a diet plan POST OP" - because by the looks of my statement "to do or not to do..." it looks like I am seeking advice as to whether or not I should do JC... I've chose to do this and as TMF said - no harm no foul and I WILL get tired of being on her program - but if I can drop 10 lbs in a month knowing what I'm eating each and everyday to give myself a break from trying to figure it out - well that's what I'm choosing to do - plus I'm going to doc in a few hours for a fill - both of which will do the trick.

I appreciate each and everyone of you

peace

I was not in any way trying to scold anyone but I can eat very healthy for as little as 50 a week. I get plenty of Protein and boxed and prepackaged meals are not healthy. Do you know how much crap is put in to that stuff to make it taste even a little good. I have yet to find any kind of prepackaged meal that taste good. What you do is entirely up to you but I did not get my band to have to use another weight loss program to get the weight off. It's just simply ridiculous to me that I would have to depend on something that failed me. It takes less then five minutes to make tuna fish salad, less then five minutes to pack a salad, less then five minutes to hard boil some eggs, less then a minute to microwave a veggie burger. I don't see any reasoning here of why you wouldn't have time to prepare or cook enough food for the week on a day that you are off. But whatever works for you. I just enjoy fresh food and I am not going to give up my fresh food for something in a box that taste utterly awful.

I am actually a new bandster with just being banded January 23. I too was needing something that I could use to help me stay within the limits that I needed as far as carbs, fats ect. I have been doing my fitness Pal which is actually a free app you can get. You plug all your info in as to how much you want to lose and all that good info and it tells you everyday what you need to lose. It is all based on any food you can think of. This has helped me and it does not have the prepackaged food. But you can use the prepackaged food cause it is in the app also. Just thought I would throw that out there. May not be as convenient as with the prepackaged food but you can eat what you want just keep track of it. I guess it is like weight watchers just not with the points if you think about it. Good luck and let us know how it works.

i have yet to be able to boil eggs to an edible state in less than 5 minutes...woe is me

Thanks everyone - and yes I do know that you all are trying to help - I should have stated a different title to the post - something like "calling all those who have done a diet plan POST OP" - because by the looks of my statement "to do or not to do..." it looks like I am seeking advice as to whether or not I should do JC... I've chose to do this and as TMF said - no harm no foul and I WILL get tired of being on her program - but if I can drop 10 lbs in a month knowing what I'm eating each and everyday to give myself a break from trying to figure it out - well that's what I'm choosing to do - plus I'm going to doc in a few hours for a fill - both of which will do the trick.

I appreciate each and everyone of you

peace

Hi cc. Just wanted to let you know that I have done a basic WW type of plan since I got banded basically. I don't do points or go to meetings, but I follow the 3 oz protein/half cup veggies/quarter cup carbs plan that is the basis for WW. I buy premade Protein and veggies (here in NYC, so many people don't cook that any high end market has plenty of choices for grilled fish and chicken. Same with veggies. Lot's to choose from and no butter or cheese sauce in anything) carbs is easy. I buy potatoes or cook up some Pasta or rice or quinoa.

So...I buy these premade foods, portion them out and freeze them. Then every day, I pull something from the freezer and it's sort of like having frozen or boxed meals all the time. I also plugged in everything in myfitnesspal so I could track my calories which I kept at our around 1,000 daily. Now that I've been doing this for a while, I'm pretty good at eyeballing portions when I'm out to dinner. When I'm home though, I go right back to the pre-portioned meals I've made. Per my ticker, you can see this worked for me so good luck on JC.

If you let the water boil first and put the eggs in it takes 3 minutes to have a hard boiled egg.

i have yet to be able to boil eggs to an edible state in less than 5 minutes...woe is me

Hey CC...I have tried weight watchers, but only because I was abusing my band & wanted to get back on track. I went the prepackaged meal route & found I couldn't eat the whole meal most of the time, so as far as keeping you from eating too much, it might. I enjoy cooking too much to give it up. Just the process of making something fresh & healthy for my family makes me feel good. For now, it's prepackaged at work...sometimes....& fresh at home. I need that connection with my family. Good luck!

Just curious if you can get the recommended amount of protein per day using these meals...?

so how is it going. What you said made sense to me. The portions are smaller, convenient and there are no left overs. In my prebanded life (only 1 week ago) it would not be unusual to eat several of those dinners over an evening if they were available. I am hoping that the band will stop me from being able to do this. If it works - go for it! So - the question is - is it working for you?

I just ran across this topic, thinking I want to go back to Jenny Craig too. I love Jenny Craig because of the structure, with variety. I'm finding that I'm eating the same things over and over, I get bored and end up eating too much of what I shouldn't. How are you doing with Jenny now?