My Motivation for Getting Healthy

Thank you Jenny Craig for sponsoring this post. — Get serious about losing weight with Jenny Craig!

I’ve talked several times in the past few months about being a healthier me. We all have our reasons for wanting to lose weight, but I wanted to share mine with you.

For me, losing weight is not about looking great or fitting into size X pants. I’ve come to accept what I look like and I believe that any woman, no matter her size, can look great in clothes that properly fit.

My motivation for getting healthy is my boys. I could say the typical thing of “I want to be here for them” and “I want to watch them grow up”. And that’s true, but that’s not all. I want to experience it with them.

I joined Jenny Craig this month and I am so happy with my experience already! Jenny Craig is a clinically proven and recommended weight-loss program designed to provide structure and support to help members lose weight and learn how to keep it off. The program takes a holistic approach to weight loss and weight management, focusing on food, body and mind. When I sat down for my first  one-on-one appointment with my consultant, Joyce, she asked me what my motivation is. I said I want to be able to run around and play with my boys. Guys, I cried. I cried in this woman’s office after having met her for less than five minutes.

I started crying while I was telling her about how we love going to amusement parks (see our adventures at Kings Dominion, HersheyPark, and Dutch Wonderland). Even though I love riding rides, I miss out on that experience a lot with the boys. I’m always reading the signs and adding weights to see if it’s okay for me to ride. Even on rides that I meet the weight requirement, I don’t always fit in the seats. And let’s not even talk about the lap bars that you’re supposed to share with your child.

After I was done crying, we got into the good stuff – the food! Each week, your Consultant will work with you on your menu (I’m able to swap out up to three items), discuss any challenges from the previous week and determine a plan for the week ahead.  Plus, your consultant will keep track of your success with weekly weigh-ins and teach you how to self-monitor. I love having a cheerleader (other than my family)!

Being serious about losing weight does not mean I’m giving up my favorite foods! Jenny Craig has more than 100 premium menu items to love in flavors you can’t resist, created by 40 professional chefs!

If you don’t know by now, I love pasta! Honestly, I could eat it three times a day, seven days a week. Of course, on Jenny Craig, I’m not eating it that much, but I am still enjoying it! I’m learning that just a little of my favorite dishes go a long way when paired with Fresh & Free Additions, which are rich in water and fiber to keep me feeling full longer with fewer calories.

After my first week on Jenny Craig, I was a little nervous going in and weighing-in. Sure enough, the plan works. I lost 6.2 lbs the first week. (Results not typical. Members following the Jenny Craig program, on average, lose 1-2 lbs. per week. I received promotional consideration.) Of course, you always lose the most the first week, but I was so happy to see that that number went down.

I wanted to share my story and my motivation because it’s something I think many of us overweight moms can relate to. The experience. I feel like I have missed out on so many things because I don’t have the energy or I simply don’t fit. No matter your size, you always want to be smaller to fix this thing or that area. But fitting in a roller coaster seat with your kid? That’s something that most people don’t actually talk about, but that’s what is real.

So, here’s to more rides with the kids this summer, more running around without feeling like I’m dying, and more play time while the kids are still young and want to play with Mom! Stay tuned for more updates and to follow me on this journey.

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.