Jenny Craig

tam8374
tam8374 Posts: 270 Member
edited September 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Hi All...

I know one of the managers of a local Jenny Craig, and she gave me some really awesome coupons to get started for 6 mo.

My question is, does anyone follow that program and is it working for you. Is the food good? I have done nutrisystem about 4-5 yrs ago and some of the food was ok.

So I am looking for feedback on Jenny Craig.

Thanks.

Replies

  • lucasdany
    lucasdany Posts: 63 Member
    Hi,

    I did the Jenny Craig program a couple of years ago and I initially lost over 20 pounds in two months! I loved the food and found the program to be quite easy to follow. HOWEVER!!!!!! As soon as I started eating regular food the weight slowly came back. After about a year off the program I gained that 20 lbs back and never really understood why until I started here on MFP. I have lots as much weight here as I did on Jenny Craig and the best part is that it has cost me NOTHING!!!! This program gives you the tools you need to accomplish your goal. As long as you are honest with yourself and realistic with your goals, MFP can give you everything Jenny Craig would but with more of an understanding about your own body. Through MFP I have learnt what my body needs to loose weight, when I can indulge a little without the guilt and how to get back on track when I have had a bad day. The best part is that I am using foods we all use on a daily basis, so its my reality not for only a couple of months but for life.

    Save your money, follow this plan and you will have as much success! Good luck
  • Dencrossgirl
    Dencrossgirl Posts: 501 Member
    My daughter did JC, the food is alright, I had some of the meals and I thought they would good. Overall the program is overpriced and I could have done a better job is the support part but this would vary in the different personnel.
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
    If it is going to help you learn portion control, then i say go for it . . . however, I am NOT a fan of any of these systems. They are essentially processed/prepared food, which is not healthy.
    MFP already does this for you if you remain faithful to it.
    I plan every meal and snack weekly, input it into an Excel chart, print and hang it right on the fridge. This makes grabbing items for meals quick and easy, and remembering to take the meat out of the freezer for dinner. I also build my grocery list from this plan so we now waste nothing.
    Learning to be healthy is partly learning to view food differently. It takes planning and effort to do it right, Jenny Craig does not teach you this by effortlessly putting the food on your doorstep.
    Anything "good" in life involves some hard work and your health is no exception. These programs seem like an easy way out instead of tackling your food issues head on.
    Truthfully, I have learned SO MUCH about myself on this journey, mostly from my bad days or bad choices. This is part of the journey that is necessary to come out much wiser on the other side.
  • Christie422
    Christie422 Posts: 120 Member
    I have never tried JC, but did a similar program DECADES ago and had good results, but it was expensive and all the weight came back when I went to eating regular food. Personally I think it's better to lose the weight by learning how to eat healthy and exercising. You can still obtain your goal and the best part is you're not going to be making Jenny Craig a ton of money...you can keep that money and buy yourself a new wardrobe!
  • Daisy_May
    Daisy_May Posts: 505 Member
    I did Jenny Criag last year, I lost about 35 - 40 lbs, the food was ok but as soon as I started eating regular food I gained it all back
  • JulieF11
    JulieF11 Posts: 387 Member
    Nothing wrong with Jenny Craig or NutriSystem. I've been successful on both, but I (I did Nutri System, not Jenny Craig) gained the weight back when I went back to my "old" lifestyle including my old staple foods. Now I am learning how much of my "old" favorite foods I can eat and still lose weight. I still eat my dark chocolate with orange, and my Pringles, etc... But I have learned to count out how much I can have and save it for a treat instead of just whenever. I think I enjoy those foods even better now since I can finally eat them guilt free. Never experienced that feeling before MFP. I personally think that MFP is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have no doubt I'll be able to keep off what I lost because I'm aware of how much I'm eating as I go through this process. It's similar to WW, but I'm saving money, and I've been more successful on MFP, maybe because of the "community" like this to lean on. I can ask for ideas and they stream in within seconds... I don't wait to a weekly meeting and I'm not limited to the knowledge of the folks in the room. Someone reading my post has been right where I am. Anyway, I do wish you well in whatever you chose to be right for you. If you do chose another program, please consider coming back here for to at least maintain the loss. It would be a shame to gain it back after all that effort and investment.
  • BamBam1113
    BamBam1113 Posts: 542 Member
    I think that all these systems that they push on TV are a waste. Nothing out there is going to do anything more for you than hard work, diet, and exercise. And that costs NOTHING! Get mad, get ready, and get it done. No one needs the workout machines they sell all over the place, the diet food systems that cost an arm and a leg, or any of the other crap. You just have to be ready to make the change and you will do it through self-motivation and self-discipline. I have used nothing but that and I'm almost 10 pounds down in less than 2 weeks. You can do it!
  • Aileen46
    Aileen46 Posts: 176 Member
    My sister did JC and lost 30 pounds. I didn't find the food that she was eating to look all that appetizing or filling but she was happy with it. I also found that the cost was WAY out of my league.

    And as far as I can recall, I believe she gained back a good portion of the weight once she switched to eating regular food.

    It's not the way that I would do it but that's just my opinion.
  • tam8374
    tam8374 Posts: 270 Member
    Well those of you who posted seem to have the same ideas/ experiences.

    So, I think I will stick to MFP and I am getting a handle on exercise because I joined a gym a couple weeks ago, even though I was aprehensive about the exercise because I suffer from a permananet case of shin splints because my feet are so flat. I just found a low impact aerobics class to be the best, it's Water Aerobics, and I LOVE IT!!! It doesn't really bother my shin splints at all.

    So now if I can get my diet/ portions under control, I should start shedding the weight all on my own.

    Thanks for your input!!
  • JulieF11
    JulieF11 Posts: 387 Member
    One more thing... If you like the "ease" of always having the food in the house ready within minutes, and you're not concerned about the processed ingredients... consider just using one of the frozen lean meals. I found Michelina's Lean Gourmet meals at WalMart Superstore for only $1 each and they are pretty good. There are lots of other Lean Cuisine's and WW meals that are tasty too. Google your frozen meal name (ie: SmartOnes) for coupons you can print out. Just go to the grocery, pick out a weeks worth of breakfasts, lunches and dinners, add a few fruits and veggies (and low fat cheese sticks), etc.. for snacks and voila! You just made yourself a more economical version of your own PREPACKAGED MEAL PLAN. Then, you can buy the items you like over and over without paying a monthly fee.
    ****Now don't anyone get all angry thinking I'm promoting frozen meals... I know they are high in sodium (at least the tasty ones are) but if she's gonna pay to do it... Its a more economical alternative.****
    Just a thought. :-)
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
    Hi,

    I did the Jenny Craig program a couple of years ago and I initially lost over 20 pounds in two months! I loved the food and found the program to be quite easy to follow. HOWEVER!!!!!! As soon as I started eating regular food the weight slowly came back. After about a year off the program I gained that 20 lbs back and never really understood why until I started here on MFP. I have lots as much weight here as I did on Jenny Craig and the best part is that it has cost me NOTHING!!!! This program gives you the tools you need to accomplish your goal. As long as you are honest with yourself and realistic with your goals, MFP can give you everything Jenny Craig would but with more of an understanding about your own body. Through MFP I have learnt what my body needs to loose weight, when I can indulge a little without the guilt and how to get back on track when I have had a bad day. The best part is that I am using foods we all use on a daily basis, so its my reality not for only a couple of months but for life.

    Save your money, follow this plan and you will have as much success! Good luck

    This sounds like good advice to me.
  • lunamare
    lunamare Posts: 569 Member
    I worked for JC after college and used to get in trouble for teaching my clients how to eat healthy without buying the food ;) I was in a low-income area and I felt bad for the women who really wanted to make it work but the food even back then (15 years ago) was $80 per week and that didn't include fruits, veggies, dairy or crackers/bread. Part of the program was after a certain point to introduce 2 days "on your own". I had clients doing 4 days on their own that were losing more than clients claiming to be 5 days on program. The food wasn't bad. It wasn't great either. Alot like Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones. Some things were better than others. I think you're better off learning about nutrition and trying to focus on changing your lifestyle instead of a quick fix. What you learn from a program like that depends on you and the person teaching you. I've got a degree in a health related field and an active interest in nutrition, so I was able to share more information with my clients than the girl in the room next to me that was cute and bubbly but had no nutritional education except HS health and what JC taught her (which wasn't much) I'd invest in a good book on nutrition and save the $$. Good luck!
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