Jason Alexander for Jenny Craig

It was the early summer of 2005 and I was thinking back about the incident, almost a year before, when my doctor told my mother that If I didn't lose weight there was a great chance I would only live for about 5 more years. At the time I was only 17 years old and I remember thinking, "Man, if the doctor is right, I may only live for 3 more years!" Then I started thinking about all the things I could do if I lost weight and how wonderful that would be and how good I would feel. That was the day I made the decision to go into a Jenny Craig Centre and sign up. I almost fell over when I found out how much I weighed. I had gained almost 40 pounds in the last year. I weighed 361 pounds and I had 43% body fat! I was wearing a 4XL shirt and a size 50 pants. My passion has always been playing hockey and riding bikes and when I was big; I was really restricted to these things. I ran out of breath very quickly and I was way too slow. Now I am back playing hockey and riding bikes and I love it! I feel so good about myself, especially when people see me now and give me huge compliments. I know now, that I can live a long, happy and healthy life. My confidence level has really improved. I now think positively about starting a family and moving into a great career. My life has changed so much. I now run 4-5 miles a night, which I could never do before, and I have lost over 160 pounds!!! I now wear a large shirt and a size 38 pant. My body fat has now dropped down to 18.2%! My mom and dad used to be so worried about me, now they are so proud of me and that really makes me feel good. Jenny Craig is the best thing that ever happened to me! Everyone who works at my Centre has been so helpful and really made it a pleasant experience. I feel like I am on top of the world and I can do anything! Thank you Jenny!

-- Russel R. - lost 162 lbs*

My name is Patti and before Jenny Craig, I had been on famous diets, lost weight, but always seemed to lose interest. Not too long ago, my daughter saw the Jenny Craig "20 lbs for $20" offer on TV and called me and said, "Mom lets do it." I was a little apprehensive, but for her, I decided to try it. We signed up, picked out our food, met our consultants, and we were on our way. To me, Jenny is not a diet, for me it is my new way of life. No class to sit in and hear a story about how to do this and that and no carbs to count. I go into my appointment, I am met by my beautiful consultant Linda, taken to her little office, we talk, weigh in, she asks how I did for the week, she gives me her great little pep talk about how great I am doing, I pick out my food - which by the way is delicious - and I am on my way to lose another pound. Some days I fix my own low calorie meals and some days I eat Jenny. I have lost 20 lbs* and I am back in my size one’s and two’s! My daughter has lost 25 lbs* on Jenny Craig and went from a size 10 to a 4. I love Jenny - this will be my way of life for a long time. Thank you Holli, my beautiful daughter for getting me started and keeping me going and Linda my consultant, you are my friend and inspiration. I feel good, look good, and by the way I am 70 years young!! Thanks to my handsome husband who encourages and compliments me every day.

-- Patti S. lost 21 lbs*

In October 1998, I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus, a disease that causes my immune system to overreact and attack healthy cells and organs when not in check. My doctor told me to change my stressful lifestyle and quit my job in order to avoid organ complications. In doing so, everything changed for me; my activity went way down and my need to comfort myself with food went way up. Entering my 30's made it harder to lose those extra pounds. For me, the 20 extra pounds turned into 30 extra pounds by the time I became pregnant with my daughter. After she was born, I was anxious to start nursing so that I would lose the "baby weight." However, because I am a comfort-eater and having a newborn is one of the most stressful events in a new mother's life, I gained another 25 lbs. during her first year. Here I was, a new mom so very proud of my new family, but so very disgusted with what I had turned into. I walked into a Jenny Craig Centre while walking my daughter in her stroller, shortly after enjoying a Rite Aid ice cream. The manager greeted me with a friendly personality, very non-judgmental attitude and with an understanding of where I was in my life. Watching the video seemed to provide a ray of hope for me, that I could actually gain control of my self-esteem and my self-image again even though everything else seemed so out of control. I joined Jenny Craig that day, and although money was tight for me while working part-time, I knew that this was the only way I could become healthy and happy with my body again. I had tried other diet programs including low-carb. I knew that I needed one-on-one consultations, someone who would hold me accountable and not allow me to cheat the process and myself. My consultant proved to be a superb mentor for me, providing a "kick in the pants" when needed and being my biggest fan. I also knew that being a new mom, I needed something easy. I needed a program where I did not have to count calories, cook complicated meals, or measure food. Jenny Craig's plan was the very best for me...and the food tasted really good! Eventually, I realized that I needed to incorporate activity in order to become as healthy as I could be. I began running because it was something I could do with my daughter in our jogger stroller and it was the quickest and most effective way to shape my body. Now, I run consistently 2-3 days a week for 45 minutes - whether I am on vacation or not! I have now lost 50 lbs* and am enjoying the compliments I get from my husband, family, and friends. I also enjoy the "feel good" I get when I think about how far I have come in my journey to gain control of my life and my health. While losing the weight, my horizons have certainly expanded...all the while shrinking from a size 14 to a size 4*! One of my biggest rewards has been realizing that all my business suits from the late 90's are now too big! And I thought I was fit and fab back then!!!

-- Lark C. - lost 50 lbs*

"It's not just about the bikini!" said my Jenny Craig consultant. I had seen the TV ad, showing the women in the bikinis. I am 71 years old. I have been a Jenny Craig client since 2005. I have lost over 60 pounds*, but you will never see me in a swimsuit! I started Jenny Craig for my own reasons -arthritis in my knees, my high cholesterol, and general health concerns. The rewards are fantastic, from a size 1X to a size 12*! On a trip in November to see family, I was the center of attention. I received comments like,"Where is the rest of you?" The weight loss has been a joy! I walk every night, and go to the gym. Let everyone know that we senior citizens love Jenny too!!

-- Lois G. - lost 62 lbs*

Last summer, while vacationing with a group of friends, I noticed that I was having trouble keeping up when walking even moderate distances. My friends would be talking and enjoying the exercise, while I had trouble catching my breath. When I returned home, I went to my doctor, who ordered a series of tests. A technician who administered some breathing tests told me part of my problem was that my large stomach was pushing against my diaphragm, and reducing my lung capacity. My doctor said I was also suffering from high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and if I did not do something about my weight, he would need to put me on medications to control my cholesterol and blood pressure. He also said I had become borderline diabetic. I weighed over 260 pounds. I had been a Jenny Craig member some 15 or more years ago, and had success on the program, but had ultimately gained back my weight loss, and more. In the intervening years, I had tried other weight loss programs, including Weight Watchers and the Atkins Diet and joined gyms, only to lose a limited amount of weight before those efforts stopped working for me. I decided to give Jenny Craig another try. When I joined Jenny Craig, on July 6, 2005, I weighed 260 pounds. My Centre manager and all of the Jenny Craig consultants I've met while on the program have been wonderfully supportive and encouraging. The program food has greatly improved since my original experience with Jenny Craig, and I thoroughly enjoy the meals and snacks. My consultant is just a delight. I'd adopt her if I could! After consistently losing 1-2 lbs per week over about four months*, I hit a plateau that lasted four weeks. After the second week with, little or no weight loss*, my consultant suggested increasing my activity level, so I took up bicycling. My weight loss has been steady since that period. I am now on "maintenance," having reached my goal weight by losing over 68 lbs* and I feel great! I bicycle 15 - 16 miles on my lunch hour three or four days a week and try to get in longer rides of 35 - 45 miles most weekends. In May, I began participating in organized bicycling events, and have since ridden in three metric centuries, and have additional metric and full centuries planned every month for the rest of this year. My doctor has monitored my progress, and has been amazed with my results. He recently told me, "Almost every day I tell patients that if they would only change their lifestyle everything would get better, but so few ever listen to me. You're proof that it works." My cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar are all back to normal*. My friends tell me I look ten to twenty years younger, and at age 62, that's a big deal! This picture was taken at a conference I attended shortly before joining Jenny Craig last year, and another was taken at the same conference this year. As you can see, in the earlier photo I looked like a heart attack waiting to happen. A number of people at the conference this year didn't even recognize me. At the beginning of a banquet the opening day of the conference, the organization's president announced, "First, I want to know what happened to the other half of Bob Stevens." Since this was a health care-related conference, many of the attendees, mostly health care professionals, were very interested in how I had achieved such remarkable success. I was quick to tell them I owe it all to Jenny Craig.

-- Bob S. - lost 69 lbs*

*Clients following our program, on average, lose 1-2 lbs per week.