The weight-loss franchise business in the United States has plenty of raw material to work with. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2007-08 statistics, 34 percent of Americans fit the overweight category, while another 34 percent are obese. Both the Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem diet program franchises offer easy-to-follow, if not easy to pay for, weight-loss plans that center on pre-packaged meals supplied by the company. Both programs state an average weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week as long as you follow the diet.
Cost
One of the big differences between the two programs is the cost. Jenny Craig requires you to sign a contract for a certain number of weeks or months, while Nutrisystem allows you to go month-by-month just buying the food. With both programs, you must purchase three meals per day for the month. You buy your own fresh produce to supplement the diet foods. The 2010 price for Nutrisystem food with automatic monthly shipments adds up to $299.95, according to its website, but does not include selections from their frozen foods. If you choose the month-to-month plan with frozen foods, the cost is $360 per month. Jenny Craig makes it more difficult to evaluate costs, since its website doesn't list pricing; you must call a consultant, who is also a sales associate, to get the information.
Foods
Each program offers both frozen and packaged foods, with the frozen foods costing more. According to Diets in Review, Jenny Craig offers 80 meal choices, with Nutrisystem offering 120. Jenny Craig meals contain around 1,300 calories in three meals and a snack compared to 1,200 for women and 1,500 calories for men on Nutrisystem, which offers three meals and two snacks. Both also allow fresh fruits and vegetables. Opinions on the food's taste varies considerably for both brands.
Support
Nutrisystem offers only online support, so people without a computer or who aren't computer savvy may not benefit from chatting online with consultants or with other people on the diet. Jenny Craig offers freestanding centers in some areas as well as online forums and consultants. Unlike Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig doesn't offer live meetings, just a consultation with your weight-loss counselor. Counselors sell food from a list that doesn't show individual meal prices, a member warns on Top Diet Review.
Popularity
The Top Diet Review website, which rates diets according to reader votes, puts Nutrisystem as the most popular, with Jenny Craig 20th among 23 listed diets. The cost of joining along with problems with the counselors were the main reasons for dissatisfaction with the Jenny Craig program.
References
- All About Weight Loss and Diet Success: Comparing Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem
- Nutrisystem: Ordering
- Jenny Craig: Affordability and Effectivness
- Diets in Review: Comparing Curves, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and NutriSystem Read more: Comparing Curves, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and NutriSystem
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Obesity and Overweight
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