Jenny Craig vs. Weight Watchers

I did WW in my mid twenties and had success with it. If you go to the meetings and listen to what they have to say about how life can throw roadblocks at you, you could have great success... I never bought any of their meals. Alas, me being in my 20s and thinking I knew EVERYTHING dropped the plan not long after I got to my goal weight and in less than 5 years had put the weight back on plus about 25lbs.

I think WW is the lesser of the two evils as they don't require you to purchase their food to attend a support meeting.

I'm currently on Jenny Craig. I started November 1st. So far I've lost a little over 51 lbs on the program. 90% of the food is really good and is better than Nutrisystem. I recommend the program, however it is pricey. I usually spend $100 per week on food. I'm starting to find that Lean Cuisine are starting to offer more options and their lunches/dinners are cheaper than Jenny Craig. Downside to Lean Cuisine is that it has more sodium than JC.

I've been doing WW since January....lost 20 lbs (it's a slow process) but I wasn't doing any exercise at all. Several relatives have left WW and joined MFP and encouraged me to try it. I've been on it two days and it's a little confusing to get started with but I'm really liking it. I enjoyed the WW (I did not attend the meetings) and ate the Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine (the points value for WW is on the side of the Lean Cuisine boxes). I don't eat meat (hardly any at all) so I basically eat the rice, beans and pasta meals and pizzas by Smart Ones. In nine months, I have NOT had one bad meal....I like them so much that when I cook for my husband, I don't even want any of what I have cooked. I am just so geared to those meals. I couldn't afford Jenny Craig or Nutri-System....and to me WW was very user friendly. I've also tried SouthBeach...I think I've tried most all of them (that was affordable). Good luck in your choice. Have you thought about MFP???

Great advice from lee112780....it is definitely a lifestyle change and you have to have your mind set that this is what you want, it's worth it and you're gonna do it. Stay focused, eat the right things, exercise and either count points, calories or something...have a goal and stick to it. Good luck!

I did Nutrisystem about a year ago. While I lost nearly 10 lbs in just two weeks, I thought the food was terrible and I couldn't make myself eat half of the meals I had ordered! Granted i'm a picky eater, but like others have said, I don't have a problem with Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones. To me that means the Nutrisystem meals were actually pretty bad. I'm not sure if Jenny Craig meals are better, but something about having all of that food from Nutrisystem and have not a single thing require a fridge kind of freaked me out.

Good luck in your decision making!

I did Jenny Craig - and one week I asked them "When do I learn how to do this myself? I cant buy your meals forever." And they were like, "wull... uhhh... ummm..." So that was when I stopped. I even had purchased their LIFETIME membership. DOH. I'm sort of sick when I remember that little detail. I joined with a bunch of girls from work and we all dropped out, one by one, and gained weight back when we didn't have their meals to rely on.

I vote for w.w. if you want to do a program.

I don't do either I exercise to P90X program and eat healthy cutting out fats and basically anything white. I also eat the Smart Ones meals for lunch as it is more convienent and they are by WW and are very good, in my opinion most are better then Lean Cuisine and the same price even cheaper in some stores. You can buy them in Wal-Mart ....I have learned that eatting all processed foods for every meal will only make you gain it all back after you go off the program, and 2 yrs ago I lost 65 lbs on just WW meals, went off and gained every bit back!. The real key is to learn to eat healthy at home and not buy all the foods they tell you to...I eat oatmeal or an egg sand for break on wheat toast, lunch is usually a smart one or tossed salad and dinner is either fish or chicken or a pasta that is whole wheat. I have lost 14 lbs and 7 inches doing this combined with P90X which is an awesome fitness program! Good Luck!

Interesting topic and great feedback. Sorry to hear some people feel JC doesn't teach them to maintain. Without being rude, did they make it to their goal and go on the maintenance programme? I've seen many woman complete their year long maintenance and be within their goal range. I was a consultant, so I guess I'm happy to report that I've helped/seen a few ladies reach their goals.

As for the difference? It's personal and believe me, all diets work, its what you do on a daily basis that will determine if you put the weight back on. I'm perfect at maintaining (except unfortunately that's not my goal). I support people regardless of what diet plan they choose, as what's most important is being happy whilst on a plan, moving, finding motivation/support, and getting healthy. And I feel MFP is right up there in terms of support, and info.

Good luck!

I did both and all I have to say about weigh loss programs = $$$$

You're better off investing in a few nutrition classes, buying the book Calorie King and educating yourself on what to do for the rest of your life.

I've done both.....and I wouldn't recommend either but if I had to choose WW all the way!!!

Jenny craig is expensive.....as in I can feed a family of 4 for a month for the same price as JC for a month for just me plus I still need to buy all the fruits and veggies etc. You are basically living off frozen, prepackaged meals and I found it didn't really teach me how to eat. I did lose 86 lbs on the program though but once I went back to having to make my own meals I gained 160+ back.

WW I'd done off and on for 10 years. It's inexpensive especially if you choose to do it all online. Easy to follow and understand, you eat all your own food, nothing is off limits, the flex points are awesome for helping with cheat days or whatever you call them. I just don't like having to convert all my meals to points before I know the value of the food. I did however lose 40 lbs in 4 months on the program the last time I did it.

and then I found this site................

and now just following the guidelines of MFP and exercizing I've lost another 41 lbs in 3 months and know that I will continue to lose. MFP has taught my how to eat and watch sodium, fat, carbs etc . Calories are pretty much univeral, no conversion needed, there are no off limit foods here either and it's easy to follow, so honestly at this time it's the only program I have or will recommend.