Jenny Craig Diet
"What many dieters find themselves asking in the long run is why they’re paying
several hundred dollars in fees just to be weighed, told a few nutritional tips,
then instructed on which overpriced frozen meals they should buy."
Read the Jenny Craig Diet Review
It's hard not to know about Jenny Craig, especially with all its celebrity
spokespeople -- including Kirstie Alley and now Valerie Bertinelli. But what
exactly is it? Boiled down to its essence, Jenny Craig is basically a commercial
diet company that sells a line of nutritional meals, products and one-on-one
consultation to dieters.
You can join Jenny Craig in one of two ways -- either by signing up with one of
their Jenny Craig Centers, or by signing up for their Jenny Direct at-home
program. Dieters who opt to visit a center in the neighborhood are asked to
visit once a week, where they are weighed privately, given a 20-minute
consultation on how to prepare a weekly menu, then allowed to buy from about 75+
"Jenny Cuisine" meals and products. Dieters without a Jenny Craig center close
to home can use the Jenny Direct program, where they call in each week for a
15-minute consultation, and then are given menu suggestions for ordering their
"Jenny Cuisine" (which they do on a bi-weekly basis.) Jenny Craig offers a
variety of programs, each with a little more to offer the dieter -- and a little
bit more expensive -- than the last: The Jenny Tune-Up, the Jenny OnTrack
program, the Jenny Rewards program, the Gold program and the Platinum program.
• The Jenny Tune-Up is a trial membership that let dieters experience some of
the program's menus, one-on-one consultations and other aspects of the program
for 30-60 days.
• The Jenny OnTrack program is a six-month membership that provides the same
services as the Jenny Tune-Up, only dieters are given more weight-loss tools,
such as weight loss manuals and a personalized "YourStyle" profile meant to
focus on your individual weight-loss goal.
• The Jenny Rewards program is a one-year membership that offers everything in
the Jenny Tune-Up program, as well as discounts on products and extending your
membership.
• The Gold program is also a one-year program that offers all of the above, plus
a few other additions such as an audio walking program.
• Finally, the Platinum program is a lifetime deal, offering everything that the
Gold program does, along with even more benefits, such as a cookbook, discounts
off of their meals, etc.
After a certain amount of time, dieters move from eating their pre-packaged
meals to making healthy meals on their own, utilizing the lessons they’ve
learned from the program. As they continue, dieters are still instructed to
write down everything they eat -- as well as any physical activity -- and stick
with meeting with a counselor. The entire Jenny Craig program claims it is
designed to help dieters lose an average of one to two pounds per week. Dieters
have access to a hotline 24/7 if they need support or any other information.
Checklist
Cost: Very pricey. It's difficult to place a finger on an exact cost on
any plan. That's because their website doesn't divulge many pricing details
(They don't get into specifics until you're on the phone or at one of their
centers.) The membership fees can be as high as $300+, depending on which plan
you choose. After that, you still have to pay for each and every meal, which
averages between $10-15 per day (and that's not including the fruits, veggies,
whole grains, low-fat dairy and supplements they advise you to eat to balance
out your diet.) You also have to buy a 28-day supply of food as soon as you
join, no matter which program you choose.
Meals Provided: Yes (for a price). They specialize in their own line of
ready-made frozen meals -- known as Jenny Cuisine -- ranging from a variety of
breakfasts, lunches, dinners and desserts.
Diet Duration: Indefinitely. The program claims that dieters lose between
one to two pounds per week. Even if you reach your target weight, you're still
encouraged to stick with paying to see a counselor.
Fitness Requirements: Although they now encourage dieters to exercise --
they don't stress it as much in the past -- they also tend to encourage buying
from their selection of walking, fitness and exercise tapes and DVDs.
Time Commitment: Minimal. Because you're basically told exactly what to
eat and everything is pre-packaged, you just pull a meal out of the fridge or
freezer and cook it.
Eating Out: Difficult. Until you're weened off their Jenny Cuisine --
pre-packaged foods -- the only way to really eat out would be to bring your own
pre-packaged meal and ask the chef to cook it for you (and we all know how well
that will go over!)
Alcohol: It's not encouraged, but dieters are allowed to have one to two
drinks per week. Asking your counselor to adjust your diet can also allow
dieters to possibly have more than one to two, when necessary.
Vegetarian-Friendly: Yes. They do have a certain selection of foods that
vegetarians can eat. Their meatless menu, however, isn't vegetarian (Jenny Craig
states on their site that some meals may contain animal byproducts, including
cheese and dairy.)
Strict/Flexible Eating Plan: Strict. Although you can pick from a
selection of meals, many dieters simply eat whatever meals are recommended by
their counselors. Because the program doesn't stray very far from these
pre-packaged meals, many dieters feel limited in their eating regime.
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