Ice Cream Comes In A Package You Know...

I love being with Jenny Craig. Unlike my time with Nutrisystem, I enjoy the foods so much more and can still enjoy carbs in moderation. But after two years of frozen and/or pre-packaged foods, I think my body is screaming for me to take a little hiatus.

That, and it's summer! Who wants to eat hot meals and dig into mac and cheese or lasagne? Not me! It's the time of year that I actually CRAVE fruits and veggies. My wonderful JC consultant told me to go for it! Let's give it a go, see what happens. Write everything down and we'll assess next consult.

So the plan was this: no pre-packaged foods. Nothing Jenny Craig, nor any other diet/frozen/pre-packaged variety. Proteins in moderation (she knows I have a weakness for overdoing my meats! What can I say, I am truly a steak and mash girl at heart!) and assured me that I can graze on vegetables all day long if I want. Immediately, I was both excited and scared by this plan. Excited for something different; scared cause I felt so clueless! I know this was my suggestions, but wait, does this means I have to actually... gulp!.... cook?? I have to THINK and PREPARE meals now?? omg, what the hell was I thinking??.... AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

She assured me I'd be fine. Our next appointment was less than a week away, and of course to contact her if I have any questions. Considering the possibilities, I mentioned now I actually get to peruse the grocery store again instead of just being on auto-pilot and picking up stock items. She told me to go wild, have fun with it, "Food is supposed to be fun", just to remember nothing packaged. I paused and thought about that for a second. Then she added "No ice cream. That comes in a package, you know..." HA!

Oh, I love her! She totally gets me and is completely there for me, as well as constantly offering sage advice AND making me laugh (wise words and lots of laughing? Score! She rocks! The only way she could score any higher with me is if she was a good-looking guy who was interested in me) [SIDENOTE: I should mention that the reason my next consult with her is less than a week in between consults is because she is leaving! Booo! She has a new job, and I will be so sad to see her go! I am not sure what I will do without her weekly inspiration but I will leave that potential problem for another post] So straight after my appointment I headed to the grocery store and came home with bags and bags of fresh food feeling armed with nutrition and a fresh perspective!

Only problem is, that was 3 days ago and I still haven't really learned how to cook anything! I seem to be just having a mish-mash of snack type foods, and not actually planning any "meals".

Or is that a problem? Maybe it's not. Maybe nibbling away on veggies, fruit, yogurt, and the occasional crispbread with avocado or tuna salad wrap is how it's supposed to be done? I don't know. For the first time in a long time I am feeling very clueless about my diet. And all because I don't have a daily menu planner written out for me! How silly is that??

Time will tell. My next appointment is on Tuesday evening. And the scale never lies...