Jenny Craig Weight Loss

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"What many dieters find themselves asking in the long run is why they’re paying several hundred dollars in fees just to be weighed, told a few nutritional tips, then instructed on which overpriced frozen meals they should buy."

Read the Jenny Craig Weight Loss Review

At a Glance

By Myatt Murphy

It's hard not to know about Jenny Craig, especially with all its celebrity spokespeople (past and present) -- including Kirstie Alley and now Valerie Bertinelli, and Phylicia Rashad, the current Jenny Craig spokesperson. But what exactly is it? Boiled down to its essence, Jenny Craig is basically a commercial diet company that sells a line of nutritional meals, products and one-on-one consultation to dieters.

You can join Jenny Craig in one of two ways -- either by signing up with one of their Jenny Craig Centers, or by signing up for their Jenny Direct at-home program. Dieters who opt to visit a center in the neighborhood are asked to visit once a week, where they are weighed privately, given a 20-minute consultation on how to prepare a weekly menu, then allowed to buy from about 75+ "Jenny Cuisine" meals and products. Dieters without a Jenny Craig center close to home can use the Jenny Direct program, where they call in each week for a 15-minute consultation, and then are given menu suggestions for ordering their "Jenny Cuisine" (which they do on a bi-weekly basis.) Jenny Craig offers a variety of programs, each with a little more to offer the dieter -- and a little bit more expensive -- than the last: The Jenny Tune-Up, the Jenny OnTrack program, the Jenny Rewards program, the Gold program and the Platinum program.

• The Jenny Tune-Up is a trial membership that let dieters experience some of the program's menus, one-on-one consultations and other aspects of the program for 30-60 days.

• The Jenny OnTrack program is a six-month membership that provides the same services as the Jenny Tune-Up, only dieters are given more weight-loss tools, such as weight loss manuals and a personalized "YourStyle" profile meant to focus on your individual weight-loss goal.

• The Jenny Rewards program is a one-year membership that offers everything in the Jenny Tune-Up program, as well as discounts on products and extending your membership.

• The Gold program is also a one-year program that offers all of the above, plus a few other additions such as an audio walking program.

• Finally, the Platinum program is a lifetime deal, offering everything that the Gold program does, along with even more benefits, such as a cookbook, discounts off of their meals, etc.

After a certain amount of time, dieters move from eating their pre-packaged meals to making healthy meals on their own, utilizing the lessons they’ve learned from the program. As they continue, dieters are still instructed to write down everything they eat -- as well as any physical activity -- and stick with meeting with a counselor. The entire Jenny Craig program claims it is designed to help dieters lose an average of one to two pounds per week. Dieters have access to a hotline 24/7 if they need support or any other information.

Cost: Very pricey. It's difficult to place a finger on an exact cost on any plan. That's because their website doesn't divulge many pricing details (They don't get into specifics until you're on the phone or at one of their centers.) The membership fees can be as high as $300+, depending on which plan you choose. After that, you still have to pay for each and every meal, which averages between $10-15 per day (and that's not including the fruits, veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy and supplements they advise you to eat to balance out your diet.) You also have to buy a 28-day supply of food as soon as you join, no matter which program you choose.
Meals Provided: Yes (for a price). They specialize in their own line of ready-made frozen meals -- known as Jenny Cuisine -- ranging from a variety of breakfasts, lunches, dinners and desserts.
Diet Duration: Indefinitely. The program claims that dieters lose between one to two pounds per week. Even if you reach your target weight, you're still encouraged to stick with paying to see a counselor.
Fitness Requirements: Although they now encourage dieters to exercise -- they don't stress it as much in the past -- they also tend to encourage buying from their selection of walking, fitness and exercise tapes and DVDs.
Time Commitment: Minimal. Because you're basically told exactly what to eat and everything is pre-packaged, you just pull a meal out of the fridge or freezer and cook it.
Eating Out: Difficult. Until you're weened off their Jenny Cuisine -- pre-packaged foods -- the only way to really eat out would be to bring your own pre-packaged meal and ask the chef to cook it for you (and we all know how well that will go over!)
Alcohol: It's not encouraged, but dieters are allowed to have one to two drinks per week. Asking your counselor to adjust your diet can also allow dieters to possibly have more than one to two, when necessary.
Vegetarian-Friendly: Yes. They do have a certain selection of foods that vegetarians can eat. Their meatless menu, however, isn't vegetarian (Jenny Craig states on their site that some meals may contain animal byproducts, including cheese and dairy.)
Strict/Flexible Eating Plan: Strict. Although you can pick from a selection of meals, many dieters simply eat whatever meals are recommended by their counselors. Because the program doesn't stray very far from these pre-packaged meals, many dieters feel limited in their eating regime.