Day 5: My Diet BFFs

Whenever I am having trouble losing weight, I turn to my trusty old friend Jenny Craig.  Back on New Year's Eve 1998, I went to the mall in a quest to buy the new Boot Cut style jeans everyone had been wearing (yes, I'm usually the last to catch on to fashion trends).  I went to Lerner's (now NY&Co), and tried on a size 12 jean... it didn't fit.  Then I tried on the biggest size they carried, which was a 14, but it still didn't fit! I went to another one of my favorite stores - The Limited... nothing fit.  It was the wake up call I needed and I called Jenny Craig as soon as the office opened on January 2, 1999.  I weighed 173lbs and I had no idea!  The last time I stepped on the scale, I was 135lbs (about a year earlier). 

I followed Jenny Craigs plan and never ever slipped up.  By June 1st I was 131lbs!

Over the years I managed to keep most of the weight off.  Twice I gained back 20lbs, but Jenny Craig helped me take it back off, and now the most I've gained is 10lbs.

I can't always afford to go to Jenny Craig.  Thankfully I found SparkPeople.  SP is the best dieting/healthy lifestyle website on the internet.  It is free, and it is better than all of the paid sites I've used.  SparkPeople will even generate a nutrition plan for you to match your specific needs.  I use SparkPeople to keep track of personal goals, log nutrition, log exercise, try new recipes, and much MUCH more.  It even has Spark "communities" for any interest you can imagine.  I have been am member of teams for triathlon, Ironman, Jenny Craig, Illlinois, Women in their 30's, Marathon runners... and I've seen teams for gardeners, knitters, 100+ lbs to lose, etc.  It really is an amazing site!

I started my 365 Day Challenge Blog here, and then realized that I should be using the SparkPeople blog feature to get more exposure and support.  So I have been copying and pasting my blogs each day and posting them on SP.  Seems a little bit redundant, but I don't want to feel like I "quit" my blog, so I will continue to post in both places for now :)

Here's my SparkPeople link: http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=MAURA9900

Today I went swimming for the first time since I was in Hawaii.  It wasn't quite the same experience, but it felt great to be back in the water.  My arms were sore right away! 

Day 5 Summary:
136.8 lbs
30 minute swim/1400 yards