Today is a special day for me– it has been exactly ONE year since I stepped into the Jenny Craig center in San Luis Obispo to sign up for their program.  After I finished my track career at USC, I knew that I had to lose my throwing weight and change my lifestyle (no more 20 oz plus steaks for me!).  I thought, hey!  I can do this– I can lose weight on my own!  I told myself that if I didn’t lose the weight by November– I would then go on Jenny Craig.  Roll around Halloween, and I get on the scale– and I knew immediately that I was going to have to go on JC.  I remember calling Mom and Dad and saying– sign me up for JC! 🙂

A before picture of me the summer in Hawaii before I went on JC
So, this time last year– I went with Mom to the center in San Luis Obispo, and we both signed up.  The first week was REALLY tough!!  I lost 15 lbs that first week because I was absolutely hungry all of the time!  I remember looking at some of the food and I was like– this is TINY!!  Especially the JC pancakes– they were so small! 🙂 A few weeks after Mom and I joined, Dad jumped on board and they have done SO well!  I looked at their latest picture and was like– WOW!!!  Congrats Mom and Dad!  Then Kristin started the program as well and has done fabulously!  As a family, we have lost over 250lbs.  Yikes!

During Jenny Craig, I have learned some valuable lessons and benefits from being on the program that I would like to share with you.  Here are some of them:

If you eat with football players and they have three plates and you have one– you are still eating too much!:  I had to learn this the hard way when I was at USC.  I would eat with some of my friends and they would have a ton of food with them at dinner, and I was like– hey!  They have three plates and I am being good and having just one– go me! 🙂  But my portions were still WAY too big and Jenny Craig helped me out with that! 🙂

You know when you are dieting when you talk about food 24/7:  I am already a foodie, but I feel like since I have been on Jenny Craig– it is one of the main things that I talk about!  People have said that about me and I am like– I can’t help it!  I am a complete and total foodie! 🙂

When you have lost a lot of weight, people might want to do an intervention:  This happened to me when I was at USC and came back from Christmas vacation.  At that point, I lost about 40 lbs- and everyone was like, Karen– are you okay?  Are you eating enough??!!  For someone to say that to a former thrower and to be concerned that I’m not eating enough is pretty funny. 🙂

From last year, I went from a size 22 to now a size 10-12:  For a shotputter, we have to be strong and be able to throw that little 9 lb ball far!  And to do that, you have to weight lift and eat a lot of protein.  When I started the program this time last year, I was getting into a size 22 pair of jeans, and now– I can wear a 12 in some designer jeans and a 10 in others.  If you would have told me that last year, I would have been like– a size 12??!! That would be like wearing Barbie clothes! 🙂

It’s fun to see people’s faces when they haven’t seen you in a while and they see the new you!:  I had a bit of fun about two months ago when I ran into a coach that recruited me in high school.  He said that I looked “skinny” and that I have to be careful not to turn into a “twig.”  Hmm– well, I think that I went from a tree trunk to a branch- but I don’t think that I will ever be a twig, but it was fun to see his reaction! 🙂

Overall, I am SO happy that I have done the JC program– I have a lot more energy, I feel great, and I get to wear fabulous clothes! 🙂  It has really been great and I recommend it to everyone that I know!!  Even though I have been on the program for a year, I just re-uped my contract to be one it for another year! 🙂

Thanks again Jenny Craig! 🙂

Best Wishes,

Karen 🙂 

Vote for Mom!


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