Jenny Craig is a weight-loss program providing its clients with prepackaged meals and snacks. When eating only the meals and snacks provided by Jenny Craig, clients can expect to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week, according to "Jenny Craig's What Have You Got to Lose?: A Personalized Weight-Management Program." Jenny Craig is not a medically supervised weight-loss program. Therefore, no additional dietary supplements are prescribed or recommended by Jenny Craig.
Consult your physician prior to starting Jenny Craig or any other weight-loss program.
Step 1
Visit your physician and discuss your desire to partake in the Jenny Craig weight-loss program. Also discuss your nutritional concerns and desire to take supplements while adhering to the Jenny Craig program. Supplements your physician may recommend are fiber, calcium and vitamin D, since some Jenny Craig meals lack these nutrients.
Step 2
Purchase a fiber supplements to meet your needs. For example, if you have difficulty swallowing pills, try a chewable fiber supplement, fiber wafer or powdered fiber. Read the nutrition labels on the fiber supplements to ensure that added sugar and calories are not hidden in the supplement, which could derail your weight loss. "Contemporary Nutrition" suggests using supplements for no more than 10 percent to 20 percent of your daily needs. The recommended daily allowance of fiber is 20g, therefore, choose a supplement with 2g to 4g of fiber.
Step 3
Increase your fiber gradually if you have not used a fiber supplement previously. Rapidly increasing your fiber consumption could lead to gastrointestinal upset and diarrhea. Therefore, "Foundations of Nursing" suggests increasing your fiber supplementation by 1 or 2 grams each week. For example, you may wish to use a 2 g fiber supplement for one week and then increase to 4 g of fiber supplementation. Return to your previous fiber supplementation level if you experience any gastrointestinal upset. For example, if you experience diarrhea when supplementing your diet with 4 g of fiber, return to supplementing with 2 g for one week. Gradually reintroduce more fiber by adding only 1 g of fiber supplementation per week until adequate supplementation is obtained.
Step 4
Use a calcium supplement that meets your needs. According to "Contemporary Nutrition," most adults should supplement their diets with 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily. Post-menopausal women, however, should supplement their diets with 1,500 mg of calcium daily due to their increased risk of osteoporosis. Calcium supplements are available in pills and chewable tablets.
Step 5
Take a daily vitamin D supplement. Vitamin D increases the absorption of calcium. According to "Contemporary Nutrition," most people should supplement their diets with 400 international units, or IU, of vitamin D for optimum health and maximum calcium absorption.
References
- "Jenny Craig's What Have You Got to Lose?: A Personalized Weight-Management Program"; Jenny Craig; 1996
- "Contemporary Nutrition"; Gordon M. Wardlaw and Anne M Smith; 2007
- "Foundations of Nursing"; Lois White, Gena Duncan and Wendy Baumle; 2010
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