This is a review from a good friend of mine. It summarizes what I hear from most people about Jenny Craig. (Also, take a look at my video post, Jenny Craig vs. Nutrisystem, where an independent reporter investigates and compares both diets.)
My sister and I have struggled with our weight for our whole lives. Like everyone else, we had tried diet program after diet program. I clearly remember the day when we finally decided to do something about it and go to Jenny Craig. I’m not sure exactly why we chose Jenny Craig.
Maybe it was the Jenny Craig ads on TV with famous spokeswomen like Kirstie and Valerie (heard they just added Queen Latifah). Maybe it was the skinny people contrasted with pictures and videos of their former fat selves (”Results Not Typical” hmm). Or maybe it was just desperation because we had tried and failed at so many other diets: Weight Watchers, Atkins, and endless diet pills.
When we went to the center they put us through the drill. We watched a video, talked to the manager/sales rep, got weighed and got measurements taken. Very simple stuff which was all filled with sales pitches about how great the program is and how much weight we can lose. The whole initialization process didn’t fill me with a lot of confidence in the program, but I looked at it like it was a ritual that I had to perform to get to the nugget of the Jenny Craig program. The nugget that we believed would solve my sister’s and my problem. We were so excited about what we thought Jenny would help us do.
Jenny Craig supplies the following in exchange for your hard-earned dollars:
1) Counseling
Basically, the counselors were a joke. None of them had any insight or understanding of our struggle. Most had been thin all their lives. Some were 10 or 20 lbs. overweight and were far from masters of fitness and didn’t really understand us. On top of this the staff was untrained. They knew way less about weight loss than we did. If you want to know what the counseling was like imagine this:
Imagine your average decent woman from the street who has never really struggled with her weight. Imagine her sitting down with you and giving you advice on how to lose weight. Whatever pops into her head. Whatever skills she has come to the table with her and that’s it. Then she gives you an expensive menu that you must buy from and she whisks you off.
I guess there are a few good counselors peppered throughout the Jenny Craig organization, but, according to my experience, the counselors are generally less than useless. They’re counterproductive. It made me feel worse having some mega thin Barbie (who had always been thin) or some semi-pudgy “counselor” rush me through the session and ask me if I drank my water or ate an extra bar.
2) Classes
If you’ve ever read a book on basic nutrition and a basic diet book then you can skip these. I don’t know if they’ve changed them in the past few years, but they were entirely lame when I went. Nutrition and behavior modification courses taught by people who knew very little about either.
3) Expensive Food
Some food was delicious and some was unbearably disgusting. I loved the bars. The menu was repetitive. There was about a week or two’s worth of different food which is redistributed over the menus for as many weeks as you’re on the program. I was on the program for a long time (8 months).
Here’s the real meat of the deal for Jenny Craig. From my experience it quickly became obvious that Jenny Craig was just a diet food retailer. They’re not really about counseling or classes, because the quality is way too low. I think it’s just a front. So, to compensate for the added overhead costs of all those diet centers, counselors, and marketing, they overprice their food. Pretty slick huh.
The Bottom Line:
As with any diet, you can have success losing weight with Jenny Craig, but at what cost? Strip away all the fluff and at Jenny Craig’s core is a company selling overpriced diet food, twice as much as their competition. Save your money and stick with better choices like Nutrisystem or Medifast.
Hi, I'm a dietitian with experience in hundreds of weight loss programs and fad diets. When forming my list of the
I, too, am a former counselor for Jenny Craig and I agree that they are all about the money. I worked at Jenny Craig for 2 years and was fired for not selling enough of their extra products.
The “training” we went through was a joke…all about sales. We were told that if the clients did not buy all the products, they would not lose weight. That was the extent of our nutrition training. The pay was deplorable. Lots of emphasis on commission.
Don’t be fooled by the commercials. The VAST MAJORITY of clients drop off the program.
I have since gone on and become a nurse and feel much more knowledgeable and helpful toward my patients. I encourage other former counselors who really care about people not to give up seeking a job where you can help others.
One more experience: My best friend was also fired after 3 years of dedicated service to Jenny Craig. They fired her around the holidays because, obviously, they weren’t making as much money because people were not dieting as much.
Couldn’t this billion-dollar company keep their low-paid counselors for a couple of months to make it through a less-profitable time? Sure, they could, but they opted to fire people instead. My friend went into a deep depression and her life has never been the same.
In short, the Jenny Craig corporation does not care about its clients nor its employees. They don’t care whom they hurt as long as they get the money. BIG money.
LMAO to user review #138. Yup, that’s the counselor you want to help you along with your weight issues. Condenscending, pompous, angry, with a boat load of issues herself. She just radiates empathy and care. Has a complete understanding of addiction and the struggles:)
The truth is, Jenny Craig does not hire professional counselors, if they did, their program would be successful in truly helping people with the nature of the addiction. Being a Licensed therapist myself, I can tell you the counselor on review #138 is not qualified to be helping people, but is a perfect example of the Jenny Craig staff.
Speaking from experience, I used to work for Jenny Craig. I was employed for 3 years, and I have to tell you, they are all about the money.
I worked in a busy center and we were instructed to spend no more than 15 minutes per client. During that time we were to perform weigh ins, take measurements, try to sell exercise equipment, get a food order from client, invoice the food, pull food order, and finally schedule the appointment for next week! There was little time left to actually consult with the client about their week.
I was booked a client every 15 min from 8am to 1pm. If I was in the middle of helping the previous client, I was told to stop what I was doing no matter what. If it weren’t for my clients, I would have quit a long time ago. I really cared about my clients and would get upset with the other consultants who were just order takers.
It’s no wonder why Jenny Craig has such a huge employee turnover..