How Jenny Craig Diet Works

There are so many options available to Americans looking to lose weight. Jenny Craig is one of those options, and it has its advantages and drawbacks. Before you look into joining a program, decide on your personal weight loss goals and what lifestyle modifications you are willing to make to make your weight loss dreams a reality. While I was looking to lose a few pounds I have struggled to keep off during my adult years, I looked a little more closely into the program to see if it was for me. Here is what I found about how the Jenny Craig program actually works.

Jenny Craig was founded in the mid-1980s by, you guessed it, Jenny Craig. Simply put, the program relies upon a system of pre-packaged meals and snacks and one on one counseling. The counselors will help you decide on how much weight you want to lose, how much exercise you can work into your schedule to supplement your diet program, and how long you expect your weight loss to take.

Based on the decisions you make with your counselor, you will put together a menu and meal guide for your plan period. You will make choices from their list of pre-packaged, mostly frozen, food options. You will choose a breakfast, a lunch, a dinner, and a dessert for each day. You will be allowed to supplement your Jenny foods with fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

This program is designed for the person who is interested in a slow and steady approach to weight loss. That was for me, since my overall health is not in jeopardy due to my weight. If you have immediate health concerns due to your weight, talk to your doctor about the urgency of dropping weight versus the slow and steady pace you find at Jenny.

I found the meals to be decent. Some were really tasty, while others left something to be desired. But that is to be expected because we all have different tastes. I think they were all well prepared with a variety of flavors to appeal to a variety of people. I just didn’t care for some of the choices.

When I reached my half way point to weight loss, my counselor helped me to make the transition to preparing my own meals. Let’s face it, I could not afford to keep doing this the rest of my life! I cooked my own meals three or four times per week, and continued with Jenny meals for the rest. I learned about what ingredients to include to keep calorie and fat content low, and I learned not to cook too much because that led to overeating. The meals I learned to cook as I transitioned based on a predetermined menu my counselor helped me create.

From the first time I set foot in the door, I was assigned a counselor. She met with me every week. She helped me with weekly weigh-ins, and was available to talk to me and encourage me when I found myself struggling. While I met with my counselor face to face, there are also options to have phone and email sessions for those who can’t make it to a center regularly. The counselors are trained to help you develop healthy long-term eating habits, portion control, and a healthy exercise program.

Though many people find success, and you can see the results in celebrity spokeswomen who grace the TV screen, there is not a scientific test that points to Jenny’s effectiveness. There are a lot of factors that contribute to whether the program will work for you at all. Plus if you do have success, will the results be a long-term celebration, or will you fall back into your pre-Jenny weight?

Here are a few things to think about before you decide to go one way or the other. First, do you have the money to invest? It is not a cheap venture. You must decide if the financial investment is worth it. Having decided that, if you do join Jenny, once you are creating your own meals, will you allow your investment to go down the drain in favor of returning to old habits that created your weight problem in the first place?

Is Jenny Craig right for you? If you are not willing to change the way you think about food and exercise, this is not likely the best program for you.

Are you willing to participate in the whole Jenny Craig Diet program? If you aren’t willing to change your level of physical activity to assist the cutting of calories and change in diet, you are not likely to see results. Don’t expect to walk into the center and lose weight just by eating different food.