12 replies to this topic

[labornurse0924]

Hello. I have been thinking of using Jenny Craig, I have done Weight Watchers before and did have some success the first go round. But every time I have went back, I have not been able to stick with it. Is there anyone out there that has done Weight Watchers before and is now having success with Jenny?

[mindymdc]

I sadly have done both more than once. This is my 3rd time on JC (1996, 2006, now). I did WW in 2008 and 2010. Each time I was successful and lost the weight. But each time I looked at it as a diet rather than a life change, and each time I gained it back and then some. I think I'd finally reached my wits' end by 2010 when I went back to WW, and I accepted that I needed to make FOREVER changes not temporary ones, and a few months into it they went and changed everything to the Points Plus system. Not only did I have to learn a whole new system, but all the cookbooks and calculators I'd invested in were rendered useless. I got mad and I sure showed them! I gained another 10lbs!

This past October I went back to JC. After so many years of yo-yo-ing and being a stay-at-home-mom and forgetting how to take care of myself...I just needed to follow a program where I didn't have to do any thinking. I didn't want to have to do any calculating or making decisions, I just wanted to get some weight off and start feeling better about myself.

It has been slow and steady, which has been very good for me. I wish it was faster BUT in my 4+ months of doing jenny, I have started paying MUCH more attention to why and how it's working, and I'm laying the groundwork for the rest of my life. I am realizing that my old ways of starving myself and eating on the run only led to really poor food choices and a serious lack of portion control. Now I feed my body every few hours with something - GASP - healthy, and I'm not hungry anymore, yet I'm staying within my 1200 calories. I'm understanding how something like a greek yogurt mid-afternoon will keep me from picking and tasting all through dinner prep and then eating dinner on top of it! Six months ago a 140 calorie yogurt (packed with 14g of protein and no fat, mind you!) was an outrageous idea to me...yet hundreds of calories of "tastes" right before I ate my dinner was par for the course.

Both are great plans, and both work if you work them. Whatever you do, learn WHY it works and accept that you will be following that basis forever (unless you want to be having this conversation again in a year or two or five. WW is certainly cheaper and you can prepare whatever foods you want. You have to think harder at first (unless you buy their frozen meals but be careful with that, they are high in sodium, quite a bit higher than JC, and that darn sodium is just a weight-loss nemesis, not to mention scary terrible for your heart). I like the idea of being able to go as whole and fresh as possible with WW (you are stuck eating processed food with JC at least temporarily)...however, that requires planning and work, and it can be easy to make poor food choices but still stay in your points. Sort of like cheating without guilt. But the only one you're cheating is yourself because you are not feeding your body the proper nutrients it needs to feel good and be healthy. I have 4 kids, I am pushing 50, and I am finally finally FINALLY realizing this is about my HEALTH!!!

Jenny Craig, if you follow the plan strictly and pay attention to what you are eating, teaches you balanced eating, what you need to meet healthy daily requirements, and portion control. I automatically eat 2 nonfat dairies, 2 fresh fruits, and tons of fresh green veggies daily now, because all I had to do was follow the menu every day and check things off. Since my body is sated by healthy foods, I don't veer off the menu with bad choices because I'm hungry. JC factors in sweets and salty snacks on a staggered but regular basis, so you get an idea of what is "normal" for eating this type of thing (no, eating both types every day 2 or 3x/day is not normal). After following the program strictly for a while, paying attention to what you're doing, and talking with your JC consultant, you have just ingrained portion control and balanced eating into your way of life and changed your relationship with food.

Going to regular WW meetings is very helpful and it is nice to be with a group of people doing the same thing, and swapping recipes, etc. WW online tools are great (superior to JC's and they have iPhone and android apps). If you can find a WW leader you love who holds a meeting at a time and place that's convenient for you...that's invaluable!

Time with your JC consultant is also invaluable if you get a good one. She will teach you strategies for getting thru things like...um, say, a superbowl party??? Use your time with her! My first two times with jenny, I would go in, get weighed, get my food, and get out! This time I actually sit and talk about where/how/why I struggled during the week, and what I might have coming up. This is all part of my learning how and why the JC plan works...and how I will forever use its basis when I'm no longer eating jenny food. And a huge part of that is these forums - they are awesome awesome awesome!!! I will stay on these forums forever after reaching my goal because I know everyone here will help me stay on track this time. And any help I can give someone else also helps me stay on track.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[alissa018]

I have done both, multiple times like the poster above said. I've only had one successful WW run and that was years ago. I lost 10 lbs and that was it. Jenny craig is the only weight loss plan that works for me. The only other plan that comes close is nutrisystem and that food is nasty. I'm going to go through both plans and compare for you.

Jenny Craig:

Pros:[list]
[*]very structured - so, harder to cheat
[*]super easy - less measuring and calculating
[*]lots of support from one on one meetings
[*]accountability is built in and hard to avoid
[*]nutritionally balanced based on the structure of the diet
[*]metabolic max program aids in weight loss by calculating calories burned
[*]food tastes really good - i like jenny meals much more than lean cusine
[/list]
Cons:[list]
[*]expense. it's about 100-125 a week for the food and that pays for your weekly meetings as they aren't charged separately.
[/list]

Weight Watchers

Pros:[list]
[*]flexibility if that's what you need. you can eat all your points in M&M's if you wish and it's still on plan.
[*]cost - only about 20 dollars a month plus the food you buy at the grocery store
[*]weekly meetings allow you to meet other people
[*]new points plus plan discourages eating carb ridden foods
[/list]
Cons:[list]
[*]low accountability. you weigh in with a group and the person weighing you doesn't analyze gains/losses on an individual basis.
[*]flexibility - for me, this is a con. it was way to easy to cheat.
[*]you must measure, plan, etc... on a daily basis to stay on plan.
[*]support is in the form of a meeting leader that you may or may not have individual time with and the forums tend to be condescending.
[*]weight loss has always been very slow for me and others i know that are on the program.(less than 1 lb per week)
[*]meals can be very unbalanced nutritionally if you make poor choices (which is easy)
[/list]

So, as you can see, I'm kinda biased towards jenny because it works for me vs. WW which doesn't. I feel though, if you have a very slow metabolism like me, WW is extremely difficult and discouraging (due to very low weight loss on a weekly basis). I really need more structure, individual attention and accountability, as well as that balanced menu. Jenny does that for me. Honestly, the only con for Jenny IMO is the cost. It does cost more than other plans out there but for me it's worth every penny. You can always join WW first and see if it's a good fit for you. If WW doesnt work for you, then go meet with a jenny consultant and ask your questions and learn more about the program.

[Andrea1976]

hi

I too have done both weight watchers and Jenny Craig. I lost 50 lbs twice on WW but gained it back both times. When i was on weight watchers i still ate "bad foods" just added them into my points for the day. i didn't change my eating habits.

Since i have joined Jenny i have lost 70lbs. You never mentioned how much you need to lose.... but FOR ME i have to lose 100lbs. What i liked most about Jenny was they told me/gave me the exact amount of food i was to eat. if i felt hungry or wanted to eat either than that i had to work on why... emotional eating or stressed, boredom?

Which ever program you choose please embrace it 100% If you are not ready mentally to embrace it it will be a waste of money and discouraging to your long term goals.

[I Called Jenny]

I couldn't agree with Mindy more. Been there, done that with both WW and JC and JC wins overall. It's the ONLY time in my life that I've been able to maintain (about 4 years) and that is priceless to me.

[CMECRZN]

I've done both plus many many others. I think JC is a winner since it fits my lifestyle the best. I am a lifetime WW member, so it worked too, but I just don't have the time or want to right now to do all the measuring and counting. JC gives me solid nutrition and a healthy pace of losing while giving be the chance to learn what healthy really looks and tastes like.

[soon2bethin]

I am new to Jenny and have done WW in the past with and without sucess. I became very good at maintaing my weight with WW but could not seem to get the scale to move. I joined Jenny and so far like it because I wanted something easier because I felt like I was spending so much time thinking about food - planning, measuring, and figuring out the point values. The only thing no one here has discussed is maintaining on Jenny - do you ever get back to eating regular foods or will you always be eating Jenny foods. I know talking to my counsler they say you transition back to making your own foods but all the others posts here talk about the portion control of Jenny foods.

[I Called Jenny]

[quote name='soon2bethin' timestamp='1328622344' post='648971']
I am new to Jenny and have done WW in the past with and without sucess. I became very good at maintaing my weight with WW but could not seem to get the scale to move. I joined Jenny and so far like it because I wanted something easier because I felt like I was spending so much time thinking about food - planning, measuring, and figuring out the point values. The only thing no one here has discussed is maintaining on Jenny - do you ever get back to eating regular foods or will you always be eating Jenny foods. I know talking to my counsler they say you transition back to making your own foods but all the others posts here talk about the portion control of Jenny foods.
[/quote]

Yes, when you hit halfway to your goal, you start doing MOMO (meals on my own) and eventually transitioning to DOMO (days on my own).

Some people, when they hit maintenance, continue to do JC foods - because they like them, because it's convenient, for...whatever reason. Some of us don't (like me).

When you're on JC foods, however, use it as a learning opp to train your brain to recognize portion sizes. So one trick is to take your JC meal out of the container and put it on a regular dinner plate. That way you can get used to seeing what a portion is supposed to LOOK like so you're not actually "measuring." And then fill the rest of your plate with non-starchy veggies.

There are visual tips for when you're eating non-JC food but I found that just having my brain get used to how little protein and carbs are in the JC meals made it much easier for me to be able to visualize whenever I eat.

So, unless you want to, no, you don't have to eat JC food for the rest of your life. It's not like it's "magic" food. It's just that it's so well portion-controlled that it makes it easier to learn to eat correctly for life.

[AmyRJ]

I have done weight watchers before and it's a great plan that does work. For me however, it's all about convenience. I work full-time and I was struggling with what to eat and the time it takes to plan, etc. Jenny does all that for you and the food is fanstastic! I'm a touch critic too. I was pleasantly surprised at the taste and quality. I'm very pleased. Loosing weight is not fun or easy but I'm on my way to my goal. I've lost 16 and still have a little more than 50
to go. I can't believe that I have let myself get to this weight. It's crazy.

So, yes, Jenny is great. I highly recommend it. I'm never hungry and can have meals
and days on my own so I don't feel deprived.

Good luck!

[I Called Jenny]

Welcome, Amy!!!! We're glad you're here and congrats on doing so well do far!!Good for you!!!!!!

Please come to the boards and post more often. We're one great big fun and dysFUNctional group but we're all here to help one another. We'd like to be there for you too!

[cdgoldilocks]

[size=4][font=comic sans ms, cursive][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][color=#0000cd]JC is better by far in my personal opinion. It is very structured. You pretty much can eat every 3 hours throughout the day if you plan your food right. You get to eat food that tastes good, there is great variety. I also like that every week, you are accountable if you choose to use the center for your plan. [/color][/font][/font][/size]

[size=4][font=comic sans ms, cursive][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][color=#0000cd]I am a nurse, and I quite frankly do not have time to count out points, pre plan meals, etc. I KNOW what to eat. It is taking the time to plan it out that is the problem. JC does that for me. [/color][/font][/font][/size]

[size=4][font=comic sans ms, cursive][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][color=#0000cd]I think WW can work well for people who like lots of flexibility and have time to shop, plan, cook, and analyze points. [/color][/font][/font][/size]

[Kelly126]

Before I went on JC diet I was out of control with my weight I went to the doctor for physical he told me in Brit accent KELLYYYY you are on verge of diabetes you need control what you eating so that my wakeup call be honest

I have slimfat diet before I had dierhea and stomach pains I am serious man I think JC diet out there is best thing I could do in my life I been on other diet this one WORK I been on weight watcher too I felt that food taste like cardboard

[BelugaBabe]

Both diet plans work---after all, it's calories in, calories out, LOL.
JC is fantastic for those who want the convenience of pre-packaged, pre-figured foods. Your calories are added up for you and the nutrition is balanced. Follow the plan and you'll be on the right track. For people who dislike cooking or just don't want the PIA of measuring and weighing it's great. It works!
Cons? A few, of course, like any other plan. JC is undoubtedly expensive and getting more so---seems they raise the food prices several times per year now. And the weekly JC food expense is not the end of the food costs. You need to buy fruits, vegetables, dairy items, etc, to round out the food plan. Financially, it's out of the reach of many.
Some of the counsellors are fantastic---concerned, helpful, willing to work with you to reach your goals. Others? Not so much. I've had sessions that were nothing but thinly veiled sales pitches accompanied by weigh-ins. Oh well.
Some of the food is shockingly skimpy. Yes, they recommend "volumizing" but jeez---would it kill them to include more veggies in the meals themselves?? And quality control is sometimes lacking. I've had meals that have big chunks of chicken in them and had the same meal another time and found nothing but chicken threads. I gave up on the pizzas early on in the game---why was I spending a small fortune for a cracker disc with varying amounts of toppings that were half stuck to the bottom of the disc or stuck in a wad in the corner of the packaging? Hey, if Lean Cuisine can get their pizzas right for less than half the price of JC, why can't JC get a handle on this kind of stuff?
FInally, if you are sensitive to MSG (as MSG and as all it's many pseudonyms) or inulin JC might not be for you.
WW is great if you like to cook and don't mind counting points. Yes, it takes a lot more planning and thinking than JC does and there is always the danger that you will go nuts and use all your points for three huge pieces of cheesecake and be done for the day, LOL. With WW you can also use pre-packaged meals but can choose all-natural items from Amy's or Kashi, for example. And if you include WW, Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, etc, you have pretty much endless variety in pre-packaged foods. Many have the Points Plus values right on the boxes.
With WW you have the freedom to cook and satisfy your cravings (whether they be for that piece of real pizza or a nice steak or piece of grilled fish) but you have to be accountable to YOURSELF. It's your responsibility to account for your choices and decisions. You can't just check off foods from a sheet of paper and be okay.
Both plans work. Lots of things to consider---it's all about what's right for you and only you can decide that.