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Jenny Craig |
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Introduction & Overview |
Clearly, Jenny Craig has built a weight loss empire with both online plans and center-based weight loss plans. The advertisements featuring Kirstie Alley as a spokesmodel who underwent a dramatic weight loss process using the Jenny Craig plan have been ubiquitous. On the official website, Alley says, "Jenny's food is the yummiest!", as well as other interesting tidbits. Now, Valerie Bertinelli is on board with the plan. Clearly, there is no end in sight to this advertising campaign.
However, it is obvious to us that these actresses got some “tender loving care” from the nutritionists and fitness experts at Jenny Craig, which makes us wonder if these results are really transferable to an average dieter who likely leads a busy life. Let’s take a look at the concepts and design of this program to see what it may offer.
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| Pros |
• Structured diet plan
• Uses pre-package foods
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| Cons |
• Seems to lack an in-depth fitness component
• May not create results across the board
• Quite expensive
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| Concept |
Jenny Craig is a diet that uses the reduced calorie model, which basically means that it uses a ratio that consists of 60 % carbs-20% fat-20% protein. This plan is very much aligned with the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, with which we are well acquainted. This is not in any way a new concept, but it is one that is used in many diet plans. This is basically a concept that revolves around users learning to eat a well balance diet, which has a lot in common with Weight Watchers and other similar plans.
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| Design |
Jenny Craig is designed around 1200-calories per day diet, although the allotted calories vary depending upon an individual’s age and weight. Keeping the calories to a minimum is not that hard at first because this plan uses pre-made meals, which deliver the required calorie designations. Some individuals really like this aspect because it relieves them of the responsibility and burden of preparing meals that meet the plan’s criteria.
There is a transition period that moves from the prepackaged foods to regular meals, in which users are provided with recipes and meal plans to expedite this process. They also provide users with weekly journal and one-on-one counseling sessions that teach an individual how to eat “right”.
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| Cost |
The Jenny Craig website is currently running a special in which users may lose 20 pounds for 20 bucks. However, individuals should keep in mind that this plan requires the use of prepackaged food, which may be much more expensive than other prepackaged and frozen foods commonly found in the grocery store.
Also, this plan really does not focus on exercise, which we consider to be one of its main downsides, because fitness has been shown to enhance weight loss, muscle tone and overall health. This lack of fitness information may well drive individuals to go elsewhere for this information, such as a gym or a personal trainer, which may be rather expensive.
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| Conclusion |
Jenny Craig has become very popular, and we believe it may well allow some individuals to lose weight. However, the rub with most weight loss plans in general is that they usually can’t create weight loss in all individuals, because people are different in terms of body chemistry and genetics, as well as other factors. Also, the above mentioned lack of a good fitness plan may significantly impact user’s results. Even Kirstie Alley practiced a serious exercise program while she was on this plan, but she surely had access to personal trainers and other resources, which many of us don’t.
Some weight loss supplements however, have shown great results in generating fairly uniform results. For instance, Hoodia is an appetite suppressant that has been extensively studied in clinical trials. In these studies it was shown that users who took Hoodia consistently and drastically reduced their body fat ratio, and they reduced their calorie intake by 1000 calories per day. Hoodia may make a world of difference in terms of boosting weight loss. It is especially valuable when manufacturers provide free trial offers.
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