Jenny Craig?

Rhia55
Rhia55 Posts: 247
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm wondering if it would be worth it. I don't want to join Weight Watchers, I have heard bad things about that organization. I have no problem with exercise with my job delivering newspapers, but my food.. that's a problem. I don't have the time nor the inclination to cook, and I'm eating too many processed foods that are easy to prepare. I'm wondering if using the Jenny Craig systems with their meals would help. Any thoughts?

Replies

  • lkplibra
    lkplibra Posts: 147 Member
    I used JC about 8-9 years ago and it worked really well. At that time you lost half your goal weight eating their packaged food (except for fruits, veggies, & dairy) and then slowly transitioned to lose the last half of your weight using real food. The food was a little expensive, but since you no longer bought fast food (which was my major down fall) or any other main groceries it balanced out at the time.

    I have less money now and a spouse and kids so having one meal for me and trying to make a meal for the rest of my family doesn't really work any more but back when I was single it was great. MFP has been working really well for me this time around and its free so you can't knock it! But what ever you decide to do I wish you the best of luck! :wink:
  • FitMom4Life22
    FitMom4Life22 Posts: 48 Member
    The problem with Jenny Craig is that the weight can slip back on really easily. Its happened to me.

    However, it really does work! Its very expensive though. This past week I started my own version incoorperating Weight Watchers meals in place of the Jenny Craig meals but adding in the other items on their program. Here's one of my sample days:

    Breakfast - Jimmy Dean D-Light
    Mid AM Snack - Yoplait 100 calorie greek yogurt
    Lunch - Smart Ones (I aim for the meals that are marked as 5 to 7 points as those usually have the least amount of calories, and I also try to grab the ones with the highest amount of protein - Jenny Craig really pushes protein and fiber)
    Mid Afternoon Snack - South Beach Diet Snack Bar (can be found by the protein bars in your grocery store - these have 6 grams of fiber!)
    Dinner - Either a Smart Ones or big salad with a protein like fish or chicken
    Dessert - (yes I said dessert) sugar free pudding with whipped topping

    This is basically the same concept and nutritional quality as the Jenny Craig program without breaking the bank.

    Good luck to you!!!
  • FitMom4Life22
    FitMom4Life22 Posts: 48 Member
    OH! And I've lost 4.5 lbs since I started on Monday. :)
  • anoellef
    anoellef Posts: 3 Member
    I am doing Jenny Craig and I've lost 7 lbs in 4 weeks. That included having the flu and my eating was really wacky during that time. The start up costs for a premium plan can get pretty costly. See if you can qualify for a discount ... I qualified for a 25% discount through my medical insurance plan.

    Here's a hint - initially they will tell you "you get all these great motivational books". They are spiral books to help with losing and maintaining. They don't word it to tell you you have to buy them. I thought they were part of the premium plan. After I got home and was looking at my receipt, I realized I had just paid for them. You don't have to buy them! I do find the "Dining Out Guide" useful, but otherwise, space out buying the books as you need them and that can save you some money.

    The cost for a week of food ranges between $130-160 per week. They have a LOT of flexibility now compared to long ago. If you don't like a certain food, you can swap it with something else (something less expensive). The menu has you eating a soup with each dinner. By the evening, I'm so tired that I eat my regular dinner and usually skip the soup. I keep a few soups on hand and maybe have 2 per week. Each soup costs $2.99, so I save a little bit by not buying 7 soups each week. And they also promote "My Days" which is where you can do a few days on your own and they will help you prepare the day's menu plan. You have to buy fresh fruit, vegetables, and milk on your own. We stay so incredibly busy so we were eating fast food probably 4x per week. Even tho the food can be a bit pricey, I think in the long run it is saving us not only the expensive fast food, but also the horrible effects of fast food. I prepare my kids a regular dinner and then eat my Jenny Craig food. If you go in and say "My budget is $x per week of your food", I know they will help you customize a menu to stay within that range.

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