Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig??

carreen

Hi I'd like advice from anyone who is currently using or has recently tried Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig. I am thinking about ordering meals from them just to make meal planning more simple. I do not cook (hardy ever). I eat out most of the time and keep my calories around 1400 per day. I am able to lose weight eating out, but it would be nice to have some ready made meals and snacks already on hand too for days I think I might be tempted to order the bacon cheeseburger instead of the grilled chicken on wheat...lol. What do you think of the food...taste and portion size? I know in the past it was pretty gross, but I hear it has gotten better. I'm not a huge fan of frozen dinners (e.g. Lean Cuisine, etc.), so how does it stack up against that? Thanks!!

DaneanP

I've never tried Nutrisystem but I was on JC for a period of time. What I heard repeatedly was the food on JC was much better. I thought the food was pretty decent. There are a few things I wouldn't eat but most of the frozen entrees were good but very expensive. I did lose weight on the program but being someone who enjoys cooking, I found that once I went off the program, the weight crept back on.

So I learned to cook healthy foods for my family and have found that not only does CICO work. It is much less expensive and much more sustainable than any program.

Good luck!

carreen

Thanks!!

LadyFencer

I'm not entirely sure how these systems work in terms of commitment but if you just want to try the food, people quit the program and sell the food they have left on eBay.

maineapple

I've done both programs. I am currently doing the NS program and I have been very pleased with the food. I did NS about 25 years ago and the food has greatly improved since then. I did like the JC food also, but I just found it difficult to get to the meetings. The NS program is all done online and it is working very well for me. Probably either program would work for you. Good luck.

maineapple

I also like the NS program particularly because I can order the food online and it is shipped to me. They even ship the frozen food with dry ice and it keeps very well frozen, no issues with thawing so far. With JC I had to go to the store, check-in, and get the food there. With NS, I don't have to do that. I still call in a couple of times per week and speak with counselors to keep them updated on my progress. It is the best plan for me with my crazy schedule right now.

Docbanana2002

You can buy a one week Nutrisystem starter kit at Walmart if you want a no commitment way to try it. NS is cheaper than JC. But I have heard the food isn't as good. I thought it was okay.

I started my weight loss on Nutrisystem and it was helpful to get me started, but in the long run you need to think about how to maintain your weight. I slowly phased off while learning to cook healthier and keeping track of intake on MFP. If you follow the plan you'll lose weight but if you then drop it and return to old habits then you'll just return to the old weight. So if you do these plans, make sure you are really learning a new way to eat along the way and that you transition off by learning how to cook or shop for healthy meals.

Some people on MFP will tell you to just skip the NS/JC plans and learn new habits now. But for me the structured and precooked eating plan was a useful phase of basically getting used to doing the right things (portion control, healthier diet) and starting an exercise plan without having to think or plan too much. I just did what I was told...the food showed up at my door...and I started walking more for exercise. That was very simple but challenging enough for me at the time. Once I had some success and got used to the diet I began learning how to make some of the decisions myself in a slow way that wasn't overwhelming. Subbing out NS for a restaurant meal or new recipe or product from the store that was a nutritional equivalent. At first occasionally to break the boredom, but eventually on everyday basis. Now I am still on NS but just eat it occasionally for convenience food...I am actually cooking my own food and following my own plan. I'm going to cancel NS after this month because I'm just a few pounds from my goal.

jaqcan

If you chose to do NS, upgrade to get at least some of the frozen foods. They are all better than the shelf stable stuff.
It's good if you don't go out to eat and want a program you don't really have to think about. You eat their meals, add your own "power fuels" and "smart carbs" and vegetables.
I lost 30lbs in about 6 months, and I'd still be on it if I hadn't moved and had a drastic change in our finances. I actually looked forward to some of the foods, the Double Chocolate Chip muffin for breakfast and the Southwest Chicken hot pocket type lunches were my favorite.

I re-read your post. If you don't like frozen foods from the grocery store, I doubt you will like anything from Nutrisystem.

maineapple

For me the convenience of having the food delivered is a big plus because I work long hours and have a long daily commute to and from work. If I have to prepare every meal, I just don't have the time to do that so it automatically sets me up for failure as soon as I try to lose weight.

I am noticing by looking at the NS size meals that the food portion sizes I have been eating have clearly been too large. I have been eating too much for a while and that is why I haven't been able to lose. This part of NS has been very helpful to me. NS said they do assist clients in learning how to maintain their loss, so we will see how that goes when I get to that point.

barryplumber

My wife was buying jc food for about 6 months then I went into coop one day and seen the same foods for a half the price just saying

robinmarkz

I don't know much about it in recent years, but my mom used Nutri-System in the 1980s and lost 50 lbs. within a relatively short period of time and enjoyed the community aspect that they had then. It was the first time she'd ever lost weight without a "diet doctor." (She didn't really start out overweight but felt like she was, as do many women. A "diet doctor" gave her "diet pills," and sent her into a weight spiral from which she never emerged.) Nutri-System made her feel better to be in an organized program. Some people need that degree of organization. BUT, then something happened. She was in a minor car wreck and she was in the hospital for a few days with slight seatbelt bruises on her stomach; she went off the diet in the hospital and just stayed off it. It's so controlled that any interruption disrupts a person's need for the tight structure.

Over the years, she gained back way more than she lost. She tried a few other similar plans, but nothing worked again. In 2008, after several surgeries for gall bladder and other problems, she had a brain stem stroke and passed away. Her weight, very sedentary lifestyle, and poor eating habits contributed to it, without a doubt.

I think you should do whatever works for you and stick with it, just as long as you're not using diet pills or anything like that. Your life depends on it, as well as your quality of life. And the people who love you depend on your health and happiness. So, I'd say try both if you wish, and if one works for you, go all in, and don't give up on it. The only kick about it is that you have to use their food, and when you reach the goal, maintenance might be difficult. Make sure there's a plan for that.

Also, log all their foods with MFP, to check on your nutritional needs and your exercise needs. It will also be a big help with maintenance.

Happy Mother's Day to everyone, and I mean that!

rjm

DaneanP

Jenny Craig must operate differently now (or differently in other geographical locations) because I never had to go to any group meetings. They did recommend meeting with a nutrition counselor 1:1 but I stopped doing that after a month or so because I had more education in nutrition than they did.

memacindy57

I was on Nutrisystem in 2008 and lost 80lbs. Unfortunately when I stopped I didn't know how to maintain and gained it back...I'm back on the plan and paying attention to portion control, etc. Does anyone know if we will still be able to track our food on the NS site?

Lizrobin3108

I know you said you don't like frozen dinners but I would like to recommend Healthy Choice Cafr Steamers. I don't like any other frozen meal options. I love throwing the whole meal on top of salad. Easy and under 450 calories with any of the meals.

maineapple

I don't know about the NS site, but I was able to track food on the NuMi site but found it very limited so prefer the MFP site better.

I agree with jacqan that upgrading to have access to the frozen foods for NS is definitely worth doing. I know that I benefit from this because I need to have variety with food. I can easily get sick of foods if I have them too much. I prefer to have the frozen foods when at home but take the other ones to work because I don't have a freezer in my frig in my office.

maineapple

When I said earlier that with JC I found it hard to make the meetings, I meant to say the appointments with the counselors. I do wish we had the option to edit posts on here.

carreen

lizholloway1003 wrote: »

I know you said you don't like frozen dinners but I would like to recommend Healthy Choice Cafr Steamers. I don't like any other frozen meal options. I love throwing the whole meal on top of salad. Easy and under 450 calories with any of the meals.

I never thought about throwing it over a salad. That's a great idea! Most of those meals are so tiny Thanks!

carreen

Thanks everyone for your input!!!!

susansmoaks

I lost over 100 pounds with Nutrisystem and I am keeping it off. I think they have the best program and it's by far much cheaper than any of the other programs. Message me if you want to discuss my success.