The Jenny Craig diet plan is well known for helping celebrities lose weight. Just turn on TV to see Valerie Bertinelli in her tiny blue bikini. The Jenny Craig diet resembles the Nutrisystem plan, and is heavily advertised both on television and in magazines. But is Jenny Craig the right diet for you?
How does the Jenny Craig Diet Work?
The Jenny Craig weight loss program works by controlling the amount of calories and fat-grams you consume. It features pre-prepared meals and snacks known as “Jenny’s Cuisine” purchased by Jenny Craig diet plan followers. These are calorie-counted and fat-gram controlled. A Jenny Craig diet consultant is available to plan-followers for weekly check-ins, either in person or by phone.
What can you eat on a Jenny Craig Diet?
Almost the only foods you can eat while on a Jenny Craig diet are the ready-prepared “Jenny’s Cuisine” meals and snacks.
Pros and cons of the Jenny Craig Diet
The Good:
Jenny Craig is an easy diet to follow, since the foods are already prepared. It’s also a healthy diet – Jenny Craig meals and snacks are well balanced, including all food groups, with calories and fat grams already controlled. This means that although the diet works through calorie and fat-gram control, you don’t have the headache of counting them yourself. It’s all done for you. The ready-made foods in this diet will also work well for busy people who don’t always have time to make sure they are eating the right amount of the right thing. Support provided by Jenny Craig consultants can be valuable if you typically have trouble staying motivated and on track.
The Bad:
The Jenny Craig diet can be very costly in the long term since nearly everything you eat is pre-packaged food. Also, because you are using only ready-prepared snacks and meals, the Jenny Craig diet does not work towards helping dieters learn how to prepare healthy, low-calorie food for themselves. Unlike Weight Watchers where dieters can cook their own meals, it is not a diet that will help you easily make a permanent change to healthy eating and weight control. It is also not suitable as a diet plan that can be easily shared by the rest of the family – the Jenny Craig dieter will be buying and eating different foods from everyone else.
What is the cost of the Jenny Craig Diet?
Jenny Craig meals and snacks are purchased on a weekly basis, with a week’s worth costing around $125 to $140. Jenny Craig say that on average, plan followers spend $1 a day more than they already do on food but if you’re a canny shopper, this “extra” will be higher for you. There is also a membership fee, currently $6 a week using a coupon available at the Jenny Craig website.
Find out what doctors say – is Jenny Craig good or bad for you?
For more diet plan options, return to the List of Weight Loss Programs
