How to Learn Portion Size With Jenny Craig

Jenny Craig offers a great program that can help you learn portion control in two ways: by eating their carefully portioned meals and by teaching you how to combine and serve meals yourself.

Things You'll Need

• Jenny Craig membership
• Jenny Craig foods
• Food diary

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Instructions

• 1

  Eat the meals that they provide almost exclusively. You'll be asked to supplement the program with your own vegetables and dairy, soy or rice milk products. However, they give you the option of otherwise getting all your food from them. This is highly advised when starting out on the program.

• 2

  Read the backs of the foods that they provide. Observe the calories, along with how many ounces are in the package.

• 3

  Place the meals that they provide in a regular glass plate. Although most of them come in convenient microwave containers, you should place them on a plate when they are cooked. Looking at your food in this way feels less like a diet and it offers the great perk of showing you exactly how an appropriately portioned meal looks sitting on your plate.

• 4

  Eat at the appropriate times allotted on the food calendar. If you have 1200 calories available for you during the day, they should be spread out through the entire day. Eating smaller meals during the day can show you what a true portion is.

• 5

  Look at the snacks they provide. They are not huge. The miniature popcorn bag is adorable, but it is what an actual portion of microwave popcorn is supposed to be. That's the accurate portion, instead of the huge bags most often sold in stores.

• 6

  Watch your portions on the food that they allow you to eat on your own. If they offer one serving a yogurt, be sure that your brand of choice doesn't actually put two servings in that one container.

• 7

  Ask your Jenny Craig nutrition adviser for help with portion control hints as well. As a member, you're entitled to sessions with them. Tell them what you need to know, and you'll be making the most of your experience (and most of your money) Finding out how they've mastered portion control will help a great deal.