Weight Watchers vs Jenny Craig? HELP PLEASE!!

[TwingleMum]

If you need to loss @ 50 lbs which do you think would be the better choice?? Both are good companies but in your experience what are the pro/cons?? What about price? Is one better or as good and more economical?? Thanks soo much I appreciate your help.

 

[simpilotswife]

Just for myself, I've never been a fan of plans that include prepared food. WW teaches you how to eat and control your food intake which I happen to prefer.

If you decide to go the WW route let me offer you some advice that helped keep me on track with WW.

Write down what you eat. Writing it down does 2 things, it helps you to understand exactly how much you eat and also gives you a minute to decide if you really want to eat that snack (ie do I really want to waste those calories on that?).

Go to the meetings. Going to meetings can really help you stay focused because you are weighing in (and being accountable to the scale) and if you have a good leader they can motivate you for the coming week.

 

[TwingleMum]

Thanks I do understand about the prepared vs making your own food. But I work fulltime and do shifts with crazy hours and have 3 young kids, so I was thinking it might be helpful to lose the weight and then WW to learn to do it myself. Does that make sense?? Doesn't WW have a "Jenny" like program using prepared food and points??

 

[LoraJ]

I just started Jenny Craig and so far I love it. I did Nutrisystem a couple of times and I find the Jenny food to be 10x's better. I have a long commute and would tend to either grab a frozen dinner or take-out anyway, so it works well for me.

I tried WW after I lost weight on Nutrisystem and I just couldn't do it. 22 points would sometimes come out to less than 1000 calories and you can go into starvation mode that way and not lose weight.

So if I want to count calories instead of points, I use sparkpeople.com. It's free. And they help you figure out what calorie count you should be on to get to your goal weight.

But I am pretty sure I will be able to drop the pounds faster on Jenny since the menu is planned out for me, the portions are a decent size (bigger than Nutrisystem). I find it more satisfying than meals on my own on a 1200 calorie diet. I once did the Curves diet and my lunch would be a salad, a piece of bread and a slice of turkey. I was able to do the diet, but it was TOUGH and I was more likely to cheat because my meals weren't satisfying.

The only downside to Jenny Craig is the cost. But it will be worth it. If you have more than 20 pounds to lose, it is worth it to join the rewards program instead of a promotional program. One of my toughest diet battles is maintaining. I can do it pretty well for a couple of months but then slip. Especially if I have some sort of stress going on. With the rewards program I am committed to Jenny for a year, so hopefully they can keep me motivated.

With Jenny, do you have a Center you can go to, or do yo plan on doing Jenny Direct?

Good Luck with whatever program you choose.

 

[TwingleMum]

Can you tell me what kind of costs I'd be looking at with Jenny?? And what the difference between the rewards program and the promotional program are?? Thanks

 

[LoraJ]

The promotion that I have seen currently is 20 pounds lost for $20 plus the cost of food. This promotion has a max of 10 weeks. So, if youhave more than 20 pounds to lose, after you lose your 20 pounds, if you wanted to stick to JC, you would have to join one of their programs. I'm not sure what there is besides the rewards program. But the rewards program cost me $349 for the year. This will provide me with weekly consultations and weigh-ins. If I am reading my contract right, I can renew next year for $39. With the rewards program you get a discount on teh food you purchase. The first 10 weeks it's 10% off, after that you get 20% and 10 weeks or so after that you get 35% off. Although I think you need to get $50 worth of food to qualify for the discount.

As for the food, from what I hear can cost around $100 - $175 a week depending on what food you get. My first week cost me $154! But next week I am going to tell them to cut out the anytime bars (can get FF yogurt instead, much cheaper) and soupetizers. That will probably save me $30 at least. I am going to follow their menu plan for the first month. Then I will pick my own foods and try and get my food costs to $100 a week. Maybe even less because I will probably take a day off each week. While I was waiting to see someone on my first day, a lot of people were picking up their food and all their totals were $80 - $120.

My first weigh-in is tomorrow. I feel lighter, I hope the scale confirms this.

 

[TwingleMum]

Lora~ Congrats on your weightloss committment. I was thinking of doing the 20 lbs for $20 to see if JC is for me and then joining for the longer program.

 

[LoraJ]

Lora~ Congrats on your weightloss committment. I was thinking of doing the 20 lbs for $20 to see if JC is for me and then joining for the longer program.

Lot's of people do that, it's a good idea if you're not sure if the structure will work for you. Will you be going in person, or through Jenny Direct? From what I hear you get better food going to the centers.

 

[TwingleMum]

There is a center about 15 mins from my house so I'll probably go there. Thanks for the help.

 

[edwardscpfd]

My wife and I have been doing weight watchers for over a year now with both of us losing over 70 pounds. The beauty with weight watchers is that it is NOT a diet. It is a change in your lifestyle that you certainly can keep up with for the rest of your life. Additionally for those that need a quick easy meal you can pick up one of the "Smart One" frozen entrees in your grocery freezer, Lean Cusine has also started including flex points on the sides of their meals...

Good luck with your choice..

Rob

 

[DizneeMommy]

I'm like the OP--very busy and have no time for ANY more meetings! I had already lost 35 pounds in the last couple of years and was stuck. I joined WW Online on Jan. 5--and have lost 28 pounds since. I agree that it truly is not a diet--it's more a change in lifestyle. The online tools are really easy to use--I use the e-tools plan manager instead of journaling. I keep a chart of my weight loss, weigh in once a week and log it in, there's an online points calculator, and you can even type in your own recipe and it will calculate the points per serving for you! The cost is only $16.95 per month. I'm loving it!

And now, back to your regularly scheduled program. . .

(Sorry if I sounded like a commercial!!)

 

[wezee]

I'm like the OP--very busy and have no time for ANY more meetings! I had already lost 35 pounds in the last couple of years and was stuck. I joined WW Online on Jan. 5--and have lost 28 pounds since. I agree that it truly is not a diet--it's more a change in lifestyle. The online tools are really easy to use--I use the e-tools plan manager instead of journaling. I keep a chart of my weight loss, weigh in once a week and log it in, there's an online points calculator, and you can even type in your own recipe and it will calculate the points per serving for you! The cost is only $16.95 per month. I'm loving it!

And now, back to your regularly scheduled program. . .

(Sorry if I sounded like a commercial!!)

I found the same succcess with WW, and you are right...it is a life style change. I lost over 50 lbs, about 2 1/2 yrs ago and have maintained for 2 yrs. Even if I gain a few pounds, I always know exactly what to do to get back on the wagon. My concern about JC (tho I have never tried it) is, what happens when the money runs out and you have to cook for yourself again???
My DH was against me going to WW, but I signed up for a 4 wk program, just to learn the plan....then joined online! After he saw me go from a tight size 16 to a size 6......he is a hugh promoter of WW!

 

[LoraJ]

My concern about JC (tho I have never tried it) is, what happens when the money runs out and you have to cook for yourself again???

When you reach your goal weight, you go on the maintenance plan and they help you transition and learn how to do meals on your own. They don't leave you high an dry.

Then I'll track my calories on sparkpeople.com, which is free. sparkpeople does a great job tracking your sodium and vitamins etc as well as calories.