Copyright 1992 by Genevieve Craig
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
Published in the United States by Villard Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
Villard Books is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.
The Height and Weight Tables are reprinted courtesy of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Craig, Jenny.
Jenny Craigs what have you got to lose?: a weight-management program/Jenny Craig with Brenda L. Wolfe.
p. cm.
Includes index.
eBook ISBN: 978-0-307-82842-2
Hardcover ISBN: 9780679405276
ISBN 0-679-40527-5
1. Reducing. I. Wolfe, Brenda L. II. Title.
RM222.2.C72 1992
613.25dc20 91-20232
v3.1
TO SID, MY HUSBAND,
who helped me discover how wonderful true love
and lifelong partnership can be.
TO MY MOTHER,
for teaching me to care.
TO MY GRANDCHILDREN,
who are a boundless source of joy in my life.
My hope is that by the time they reach adulthood ,
obesity will no longer be a disease of prevalence.
Preface
My name is Jenny Craig and I help people lose weight. More important, during the process of helping them lose weight, I help them begin healthier, more enjoyable, and more productive life-styles.
My career in the weight-loss industry began thirty-one years ago, when, while pregnant with my youngest daughter, Michelle, I gained forty-five pounds. Faced suddenly with a weight problem and the prospect of an expanding figure, I resolved to prove that childbirth need not lead to permanent added girth. I didnt have a clue then about how I would go about losing the weight I needed to lose, but I was determined to prove to myself and my family that I could get back into my pre-pregnancy shape. Motivation was easy, because none of my clothes fit even months after Michelle was born. I knew I had a problem to solve, in much the same way that many of you have a problem to solve now. I was in the same boat, facing the same dilemma that you face. At that time, however, before our society was as conscious as it now is about health and fitness, my options for solving my problem were much more limited. To put it mildly, there were very few facilities one could turn to for help. So, I turned to the only available facility, a local health club with a gym-type regimen.
During my visits to the gym, I talked freely with other womenand listened to them. They told me of their fears and incentives, and of their past attempts and failures at losing weight. Knowing very little then about the dangers of obesity, I considered excess fat to be only superfluous and benign. Sure, I needed to lose some excess pounds, but I knew that inside I was the same old me. Even after realizing I was overweight and taking the steps I needed to take in order to lose my extra weight, I dont think I fully understood how severely a weight problem can affect the very nature of an individuals personality. But it did. Being overweight was destroying these womens self-esteem, and causing them extreme mental anguish. I witnessed a definite and distinctive change in behavior among those who lost weight, and I noticed a marked elevation in their self-esteem. They began acting more extroverted, more friendly. They moved with more vitality and energy. They were more confident . I became fascinated with the entire concept and process of weight loss and I vowed that I would learn all I could about it and how it affects our health. I knew then that an industry that could impact a persons life in such a positive and rewarding way was an industry I wanted to be part of.
The more I probed, the more it became obvious that there was no dark and special secret to losing weight in a healthy manner. The principles of sound nutrition, exercise, and moderation have always worked in much the same way. It was the process that fascinated me: how to most effectively integrate these principles into a persons life-style so that his or her behavior will be changed for the better.
Frankly, I became enthralled with this process, and its results. I didnt quite understand then what my role would be in helping people become happier with themselves, but I genuinely felt I could make a significant impact. I felt so strongly that I could make a difference that I decided to make it my career. The more I learned, and the longer I was involved, the stronger my commitment became. The owner of the health club I attended was impressed by my enthusiasm and interest. He offered me my first weight-loss-oriented job, and I excitedly accepted the position as manager of the facility. I began to devote all of my working time to helping people improve their bodies, their self-image, and their health. I knew then I was doing something important. I studied peoples changing behaviors and the improvements that come with a successful weight-loss program. The process became my passion. I read everything I could find about weight loss and exercise. In contrast to what we know today, there was very little information available on nutrition, obesity, and disease prevention. My best information came from the clients who helped me understand the emotional changes associated with losing weight.
I was on my way to what has become a most gratifying career. It wasnt long before I decided that working for someone else was not enough. I felt that if I was going to have a significant impact on the weight-loss industry, I had to have more freedom and control. So with a partner, I opened my own health club. We named it Healthletic. Through our marketing research we learned very quickly that the public viewed weight loss as purely cosmetic. Though people would not spend money on their health, anything that could make them look better was easy to sell. We had to adjust our advertising to express the cosmetic benefits of proper diet and exercise. Today there is a whole new focus on health and the serious health ramifications of obesity. The jury is in and the evidence is overwhelming that a diet high in fats, salt, and sugars creates a much greater risk of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. Perhaps escalated health-care costs have made us all realize that prevention is easier and less expensive than treatment or surgery. Today, few people can afford a long bout with illness. That reality has generated a whole new sense of responsibility for our own health, our own bodies, our own lives. One of the reasons I decided to write this book is to make it easier for people to take care of their health and their bodies, and in so doing, help to prevent illness and disease.
This book is the result of my thirty-one years in the weight-loss industry. I gained my experience while working in the trenches. Ive had the benefit of working with and observing the weight-loss results of millions of people. I have learned over the years what works and what doesnt work. This is not an esoteric or academic text, but a practical approach to adopting a healthy life-stylea hands-on method for getting your body trim and healthy, and keeping it that way.
I would like to address at this point what this book is not .
It is not a quick-fix, hurry-and-get-it-over-with program. Experience has taught me that there simply are no quick fixes that produce long-term results. Those of us with business lives seem to easily understand that rewards and/or results are directly proportionate to investment. That is, what we hope to achieve depends on how much we are willing to invest, whether it is time, money, or effort. Often, with regard to overall wellness, however, we tend to believe that a short-term investment will produce long-term benefits or results. That is simply a misconception. In all my years in the weight-loss industry, I have never seen that formula work, not one time!