Jenny Craig Diet Review

Summary:
Will Jenny Craig work for you? As with any diet, it works if you stick with it.

Jenny Craig is a diet plan where you have to do very little - which can be nice, especially if you have a hectic schedule. When you join the Jenny Craig program either online or at one of their "centres," you will visit with a Jenny Craig counselor once a week who will help you craft a menu plan tailored to your personal tastes.

Jenny Craig has recently had a list of "celebrity clients" including Queen Latifah, Valerie Bertinelli and Kirstie Alley. Each of them deciding to lose weight the different reasons - which is perfect inspiration for why you're looking to lose weight! (Okay, minus the celebrity paycheck.)

You'll buy your food from your local center which ranges anywhere between $85 to $120 a week. (Frozen food items tend to cost more, but taste better.) You can tailor your menu to fit your budget, but keep in mind, the food is how you lose the weight - so don't short change your success. The kicker is they'll try to up sell you on items like daily vitamins which you should skip. They're not much better than a standard one-a-day and much more costly.

How much does Jenny Craig cost? Many complain that Jenny Craig is expensive - and it is - but make sure you factor in what you spend now on food/meals - the cost of your weekly grocery shopping, snacks, lunch out, your daily Starbucks etc. With all that mixed together, the cost of Jenny Craig isn't unreasonable.

There are alternatives to consider as well. If you're looking for a cheaper Jenny Craig-style diet program, you can participate in the eDiets version of Jenny Craig which takes advantage of cheap frozen food items you can locate at your local grocery store. This version of Jenny Craig is available at lower cost than the real thing and pretty much just as effective. You won't benefit from the personalized one-on-one counseling that the traditional Jenny Craig plan offers, but then you won't have to do any of the dreaded weigh-ins.

Another alternative is a meal delivery plan also offered through eDiets, called "Deliciously Yours." You can read our review of Deliciously Yours here. (I've tried this myself and the food is quite tasty.)

Hunger:
3 (on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 being not hungry at all; 5 being starving)
Give it a week or so to get used to smaller portions.

Pros:
Everything is pre-packaged so it's really easy to keep on your program. (It's the concept of portion control.)

Jenny Craig rotates in new foods every now and then. They even have brownies!

Jenny Craig food is actually pretty good. If your budget can swing it, go for the frozen food as it's better tasting. If you go for the eDiets alternative to Jenny Craig, the meals are equally as tasty (but have fewer breakfast selections).

Cons:
The consultants really want you to stick to the plan (to the point of suggesting you bring your food with you if you go on vacation) because they receive a commission based upon your purchases.

I'm not such a big fan of getting weighed in front of other people, but the consultants are professional and helpful.

Many centers tend to have high turn over of their staff - just when you get used to a consultant, they leave the company.

Their web site doesn't tie in to the local center, so when you do online meal plans, you'll need to print it out and take it with you on your weekly meetings.

Cost:
Lose 20 pounds for $20, plus the cost of food (which is about $85-100 per week). Membership costs change every few months, so check with their web site for the latest price.


Try the Jenny Craig Alternative

If you're always on the go, another option similar to Jenny Craig is Nutrisystem.