There are numerous programs designed to lose weight fast, but few programs are designed to help dieters better understand their eating habits, avoid eating pitfalls, and sustain a healthy body weight for life. Jenny Craig is a weight loss program that offers determined clients an opportunity to keep the weight off long after the program is over. By using their patented program support tools such as Volumetrics, online e-tools, and the Jenny Craig Pedometer, clients can be on their way to a fitter, healthier body and lifestyle.
What is the Volumetrics Program?
Volumetrics is a program designed by Barbara Rolls, PhD, and is simply a term that describes adding non-fat, low-carb foods to supplement meals and make a person feel more full without consuming excess calories. This way, dieters can eat more without gaining more weight, therefore enhancing meal satisfaction and dispelling common diet myths that weight loss is about deprivation. Jenny Craig offers a list of "free foods" that clients can eat in unlimited quantities and add as side dishes to round out any meal. "Free foods" contain fewer than 25 calories and can include diet sodas and some condiments. The list of "free foods" includes:
- beets
- Brussels Sprouts
- broccoli
- carrots
- cucumber
- eggplant
- garlic
- peppers (green, red, yellow)
- spinach
- greens (collards, kale)
- salsa
- spaghetti squash
- summer squash
- tomatoes (sauce, stewed, fresh)
- zuchinni
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp soya sauce (low sodium)
Online E-Tools for Weight Loss Support
Upon signing up for the program, clients may also register for a free eTools account which include a progress tracker, an online journal, an activity planner, recipes, and a menu planner. This is a handy tool that allows Jenny Craig clients to easily input information and track their food and exercise habits on a consistent basis. Tracking unhealthy habits is a vital part of any weight loss process, whether done through a program or alone as it helps the dieter better understand their food choices and helps them to avoid pitfalls or known temptations.
Online Community and Weight Loss Tickers
The Jenny Craig online community is also a wonderful tool to allow men and women to find further support to achieve weight loss goals. The forums are open to international clients and allow clients to celebrate their achievements or air their frustrations.
There's also the option to include a weight loss ticker in a member's forum posts. A weight loss ticker is a ruler that measures how far along a dieter is on the weight loss journey. Including tickers in a forum post is a public declaration of a dieter's goals, allowing the dieter to show the community what their starting weight is, what their goal is, and how many more pounds they have to shed to meet their goal.
Weight Loss diet tickers can be found at tickerfactory.com. A member can choose a design to best reflect their personality, from floral patterns, to a Hawaiian holiday design, or even a football field.
Benefits of Purchasing a Pedometer
Jenny Craig sports their own brand of CalorieWalk® pedometers. A pedometer is a great way to help a dieter be mindful of daily activity levels and can serve as an inspiration to be active more often.
The Jenny Craig CalorieWalk® pedometer is encased in a small, lightweight plastic box and comes in pink and in blue (it looks a little like a pager). Clients need only to set their current weight and clip the pedometer to their hip. The pedometer tracks how many steps the dieter takes and also counts how many calories the dieter burns throughout the day.
The base goal is to achieve 10,000 steps in a day (four to five miles) but it is suggested that clients exceed this if they really want to see results. 2,000 steps should burn approximately 100 calories but make sure to check the results on the pedometer for a more accurate assessment.
Just as in food, dieters should remember to track how many steps they've taken and how many calories they've burned in a day. Tracking activity habits is as important as tracking food habits as they go hand in hand in ensuring weight loss.
Here are some tips to increase daily activity levels:
- Use the stairs instead of elevators.
- Walk up escalators, don't just stand on them.
- Use public transit more often and walk to stops that are a little further.
- If working in a sedentary job, take a 30 minute afternoon walk.
- Walk in place when waiting for a pedestrian light to change.
- Vacuum and clean more often rather than sit on the couch and watch TV.
Dieters should remember to reset their weight on the pedometer to reflect their most current results.
Diet may count for a large proportion of weight-loss success, but Jenny Craig ensures that their clients have the full support they need to meet their target and build necessary skills to keep the weight off thereafter.
Melanie Hupert - Melanie Hupert began her career in freelance writing as a means to support herself throughout university. Since graduation, Hupert has ...
