Jenny Craig Review - 2011

The Jenny Craig diet program centers around low calorie pre-packaged cuisine. The food may be picked up at Jenny Craig locations, or you may choose to have it delivered to your door. 

Click to Read Heidi's Jenny Craig Experience

Jenny Craig also includes in-person, phone, or online counseling. In addition to the basic program, there’s also Jenny Craig for Men, Jenny Craig Silver (seniors), Jenny Craig for Teens, and Jenny Craig Type 2 (diabetes). 

The Jenny Craig Plans

After you sign up for the program a nutrition counselor will assess your unique calorie needs. Plans start at 1,200 calories, and Jenny Craig counselors show members how to hit their assigned calorie level using a combination of Jenny’s Cuisine and supermarket items. Occasional splurges are allowed, making the diet more sustainable than programs that banish all treats.

Dieters dine almost exclusively on Jenny Craig pre-packaged cuisine, and like most frozen foods available at supermarkets, Jenny’s entrees are highly processed and packed with salt and preservatives. Fast food and packaged grocery-store items are off the table.

The good news? You’ll be eating foods like BBQ chicken pizza, spaghetti with meatballs, and turkey club panini. Jenny members rave about the cookies n’ cream cheesecake (only 150 calories per slice). Most clients say Jenny meals are similar in taste to Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice frozen entrées, so you might want to pick up a couple diet frozen dinners at the grocery store to test-drive the yummy factor before paying for weeks of Jenny food in advance.

Meals are supplemented with fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lowfat dairy, reflecting the federal guidelines and USDA food pyramid. And because the program doesn’t banish any food groups, sugar junkies can satisfy their sweet tooth with desserts like toffee cookies and cinnamon twists. As clients become more familiar with recognizing appropriate portion sizes, counselors wean them off of frozen meals and teach them how to cook and dine out.

Does Jenny Craig work?

Dieters loyal to Jenny’s guidelines can expect to lose between one and two pounds per week.

JENNY IS GREAT, BUT WHAT IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD IT?

The 2011 Consumer Reports Diet Study

In May 2011, Consumer Reports rated Jenny Craig the best of the six diet plans in their two year, 332 person study, published by the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, which examined six commercial diets--Atkins, Ornish, Slim Fast, Weight Watchers, the Zone Diet and Jenny Craig showed the Jenny Craig dieters in the study had the highest success rate in sticking with the diet plan, and weighed 8% less than when they had begun dieting two years earlier.

It’s important to note, however, that Jenny Craig dieters in the Consumer Reports study were not required to incur the approximately $500 per month Jenny Craig meal cost, so this naturally skewed the results in Jenny Craig's favor. After all, getting free food is a great incentive for staying on the program, but it's an incentive that the rest of us won't be getting if we try Jenny Craig!

Jenny Craig is a good program for dieters that want support. One of the company’s most notable features is its 24/7 phone line, allowing members to get information and support when they need it. To really reap long-term results, members should take advantage of the counseling support the program offers as they begin to wean themselves off of Jenny Cuisine and start to plan their own menus and home-cooked meals. Clients that already have a strong mental commitment to the lifestyle changes Jenny Craig requires are most likely to get the biggest bang for their dieting buck.    

Jenny Craig Costs

One factor prospective Jenny Craig clients will want to consider before signing on is the cost. Members can expect to shell out between $14 and $19 a day on average. In addition to meals, clients are responsible for buying their own snacks to supplement meals. There are several different membership packages (like the Silver program for seniors) to choose from, varying in price.

The way Jenny Craig makes its most of its money is by the relatively high cost of the food that its members must constantly buy for as long as they are on the program. Jenny Craig meals vary in price, depending on the meal.

Click here to see the price list of Jenny Craig food.

Drawbacks to Jenny Craig

Although there are plenty of Jenny devotees that adore their counselor, prospective clients should know that Jenny Craig counselors are not trained nutritionists. Jenny Craig counselors are chosen for their sales skills, as their income depends on how many products and upgraded memberships they can sway clients into purchasing. Some Jenny clients have also complained that their counseling sessions are irritatingly short. Dieters that have struggled with lifelong weight issues may need more than the brief weekly (7-15 minutes on average) Jenny Craig check-ins to stick with their diet long term.

Another Jenny Craig disadvantage? Dining exclusively on pre-packaged meals can be difficult. If you’re a social butterfly or just love dining out, eating nothing but Jenny Cuisine can feel like a prison sentence. And because spending months eating frozen dinners doesn’t teach portion control that transfers to home-cooked or restaurant meals, this can make eating in the real world challenging.

The Bottom Line

The Jenny Craig program is based on proven weight loss principles—not hype. The food is appealing and the nutritional approach is sound. There are no points, carb counting, or banned foods. But the high cost and minimal support should be considered before committing to the diet.

At a glance: Is Jenny Craig right for you?

Yes, if:

• You crave guidance and support
• You’re busy or just hate to cook
• You don’t mind being weighed in front of others
• You’re single or don’t have a family to cook for
• You need daily treats like cookies or pretzels to keep from falling off the dieting bandwagon

No, if:

• You’re on a tight budget
• You want to dine out frequently
• You have high blood pressure/need to watch your sodium intake
• You get bored easily eating the same foods over and over