This week I have really noticed the dark mornings. When I say dark I don’t just mean dark, I mean really dark. Usually when I go running there is a little bit of light from the stars, the moonlight or the sun trying to rise. This makes it safe enough to see the path and still run safely. This week it has been pitch black with early morning fog. Needless to say this has had an effect on my runs, I have just run on the paths close to the houses where the street lights shine a bit of light. I didn’t want to risk twisting my ankle or worse. This has meant I have not been able to go nearly as far as usual. I have been managing a mile a day but on Saturday I went a bit later and did 1.74 miles. I need to find a new route, but I quite like running in the park as I can let the dog off his lead. I am hoping once the clocks go back things will be better.

This week I also started my Jenny Craig diet. I was lucky enough to win a 28 day trial of Jenny Craig from an earlier blog post and I actually got round to phoning up and getting it sorted out.  The Jenny Craig weight loss plan aims to give you the tools you need to lose weight by looking at the whole you. They do not just provide the food, they aim to give you the tools to change yourself in the long term by helping you eat well, move more and live life.

Two large boxes arrived in the office, which were full of food. The Jenny Craig diet provides all your breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options but you need to supplement that with other items. There is a grocery list included. I have a large number of free food which includes salad items, most vegetables, sugar free jelly and drinks.  Then there are the other groups, fats, starches, fruit and proteins. Some of the meals also allow you to chose an item from these groups, so for example a protein could be two slices of ham. It took me a little while to get my head round all of the options, for instance at first I didn’t realise sweetcorn was actually considered a starch!

As part of the Jenny Craig plan you also get to talk to a consultant who will help you with your weight loss goals and explain the plan to you. I was a bit worried about talking to them at first but they are really nice. You feel that the plan will really help you and they make sure you understand it all. After my first consultation I was given some homework, to take my measurements. I look forward to seeing how they change.

I have been put on 1200 calories a day, which does not sound much. To be honest the first day was the hardest, I was starving. It got easier as the week went on and I started to understand the options more.

The food comes in pre-packed tubs and packets which mainly can be warmed in the microwave or on a hob. The diet comes with a list of days, once you start a day you have to finish it, you can’t chop and change. These are the breakfast options:

There is porridge, which either comes with apple or raspberry and is made with hot water. The other options are toasted flakes with either chocolate or yoghurt and muesli. I really like the porridge, it is nice and warming and fruity. The toasted flakes are nice as well, although I prefer the yoghurt type. I have not had a muesli day yet. With breakfast you usually get the option of some fruit and some milk. I tend to save my fruit and eat it a bit later in the day when I am more hungry.

Lunches are a mix of pot noodle type things, either noodles or potatoes. There are also soups and pre-packed salads. In my first week I tried lots of the soups and also the noodles. The soups are gorgeous and just what you need on a cold day. I have them at work so I just pour them into my mug and microwave them. Usually you can also have a salad and a couple of other things off your grocery list at lunch time.

You are allowed several snacks during the day. Usually it is fruit or a low fat yoghurt but you are also allowed one Jenny Craig snack. These are a mixture of crisps, cereal bars or milk chocolate digestive bars. The crisps and cereal bars are lovely and I am happy to much on these.

Finally the dinners, which again are either sachets or tubs which you warm in the mircowave or on the hob. These have been mostly very nice, but I have to admit I was not keen on the vegetable and lentil dahl. I am not a great curry lover anyway so this is probably why. The pasta bolognese was lovely as were the chicken dishes. The dinners are again served with loads of vegetables and salad which help to fill you up.

Surprisingly I have managed to stick to the diet quite well so far. It is teaching me a lot about portion control and healthy options to choose to eat. My only complaint is that a lot of the meals contain beans with their resulting effect on the digestive system! If you want to take part in the Jenny Craig plan it costs around £9 per day, which would work out at £252 for 28 days. For this, as well as the food you also get the access to a weight loss consultant, although you have to buy the fresh food yourself.

I was hoping that I would have a good result this week on my weigh-in and that my wii would behave. I was really pleased when it had forgotten last weeks strange results and told me that I had lost 2 lb. That is over two weeks, so I reckon this week I have lost 1 lb. The scales backed that up as well. I am really pleased and hope I will be nearer by target weight by the end of this trial.

Do pop over and see how my weight loss buddies are getting on: