 "I learned that if I want to successfully lose weight, I had to do it first and foremost for myself. As my weight ballooned, I felt worse than ever about myself." - Annie G. I am a professional vocalist and it was during an audition that I realized my life needed a drastic change. I’ve struggled with my weight for most of my life, but when my grandmother passed away, my eating habits became completely out of control. Her passing was the most significant loss that I'd ever experienced and I felt completely overwhelmed by grief. For the next six months, I coped by eating whenever and whatever I wanted. As my weight ballooned, I felt worse than ever about myself. I was making bad choices and eating fast food late at night, which caused me to sleep poorly. I had so little energy and was dragging myself through the day, rather than taking the time to enjoy anything or to focus on my work. The extra weight caused the arthritis in my knees to worsen and it was very painful walking longer distances, even standing in heels. My orthopedic doctor strongly urged me to lose weight. At this point, none of my clothes were fitting very well; I only had one audition dress that I could still wear and it barely fit. When I arrived at the audition, I changed into that dress. It was so tight that I could hardly zip it up. I was incredibly uncomfortable because I couldn't breathe very well (which is terrible for singing!), and I knew that my complete lack of confidence was very apparent. I was so distracted with feeling horrible about myself for gaining so much weight that I couldn't focus on my performance. "Jenny Craig fit well with my lifestyle. I could stay on the program, no matter how unpredictable my schedule was." I had tried many different diets on my own, but nothing worked for me. I don't have a lot of time to prepare and cook meals, so I needed a structured program that was easy to follow and did not require a lot of cooking on my part. Jenny Craig fit well with my lifestyle. I could stay on the program, no matter how unpredictable my schedule was. I also really liked having a weekly weigh-in and consultation. It held me accountable, so that I could face my fears and challenges about losing weight and get personalized advice and guidance. In the past, I would avoid the scale and lie to myself about my weight. Meeting with a compassionate, understanding and knowledgeable consultant proved to be a great asset in achieving my weight loss success.* The Jenny Craig foods are delicious and gentle on my stomach. I often eat dinner late at night after returning from a rehearsal or performance. The Jenny Craig food fills me up without feeling uncomfortable so that I can sleep well. I am most hungry in the mornings. I always start the day with one of the shakes, an anytime bar, which supplies vitamins and a breakfast entrée. Starting my day with a good breakfast sets me up for a successful day. "Life is better in absolutely every way since losing weight!" Life is better in absolutely every way since losing weight! I feel better, look better and have so much more energy. When I was overweight, insecurity about how I looked constantly occupied my thoughts. When I eliminated that constant concern, I just felt more positive about everything. I enjoy shopping for clothes much more and I don't have to buy them with the purpose of hiding the way I look. I am much healthier than I used to be and my knees feel so much better as well! I learned that if I want to successfully lose weight, I have to do it first and foremost for myself. I was ready to make the commitment, and even if I had setbacks, I stayed motivated, focused and kept trying. It wasn't easy by any means, but with determination, will power and sticking to the Jenny Craig plan, I lost 40 pounds!* *Results not typical. Members following our program, on average, lose 1-2 lbs. per week. Member received promotional consideration. |
More From SparkPeople
|
.jpg)
