Jenny Craig - Diet Plan Outline

"Jenny Craig" is a commercial diet center in the mold of Weight Watchers and Diet Workshop. The fundamentals of the program have not really changed over the years, but they have offered different plans and continue to refresh their marketing. The most recent plans are called "Jenny TuneUp", "Jenny OnTrack", and "Jenny Rewards". "Jenny TuneU" is a trial membership that runs from 30-60 days and includes one-on-one consultations, planned and personalized Jenny Craig menus, personalized activity and motivational plans, and other weight loss tools. "Jenny OnTrack" is a 6-month plan that includes all the above, plus a personalized profile and weight loss success manuals. "Jenny Rewards" offers up to a year of weight loss and maintenance, including everything provided with "Jenny OnTrack" plus product discounts, weight maintenance support, and increasing discounts for ongoing participation in the program.

All membership options are offered at Jenny Craig Centres or over the phone through their at home "Jenny Direct Program", and require the purchase of Jenny's Cuisine, which averages $11-$15 per day in the US and slightly higher outside the US. Basic program fees start at $6/week.

Review: Jenny Craig is a reduced calorie diet that focuses on balanced nutrition (60 % carbs-20% fat-20% protein) which follows the Food Guide Pyramid. This basic strategy is where your focus should be and is much better than other programs and of course diet pills. Jenny Craig's approach does focus on the consumption of pre-packaged meals, which can be convenient and helpful in dealing with controlling your portion size, but it often fails to prepare the dieter for food preparation and life once the diet ends. Learning the proper habits, which are essential for long-term success, takes a back seat to short-term weight loss goals.

Another problem with pre-packaged meals is their considerable expense, especially when they are "Jenny Craig" products, which are often more expensive than pre-packaged meals in the grocery store. During the first phase of the program you are required to purchase a set number of meals.

The key to the success of this diet is the transitional period where the client goes from pre-packaged to regular, prepared meals. You are assisted by a weekly journal and one-on-one sessions with a counselor, who is not a registered dietition, but a person hired and trained by Jenny Craig. The primary focus of these sessions is teaching a healthy relationship with food and behaviour modification, which includes living a more active lifestyle. This is the best part of the program and more than helpful.

The diet consists of 1200 calories/day, give or take a few hundred calories based on weight and age, which is a bit aggressive for the long-term. Exercise is not a primary focus, which makes it similar to most commercial diets, mostly to avoid frightening away prospective clients/customers. But regular exercise is the most prominent trait in those who lose weight and keep it off (5 years and beyond). Specifically, those who have learned to make exercise fun and a part of their daily lives.

Jenny Craig is more expensive with the food compared to other programs, but it does focus on the things that are important. They are clearly one of the good guys in this industry of pill pushers and scam artists. Similar programs like eDiets are offered online that are less expensive, avoid pre-packaged foods and are more convenient.