1. Diets of a Different Color
The NutriSystem and Jenny Craig diets share many characteristics, the main one being that both provide pre-packaged food with built-in portion control, which is a convenience for people with hectic lives and/or who hate to cook. Both diets lure customers with advertising featuring before-and-after shots. Jenny Craig doesn't portray men in their ads; instead, they focus on celebrity spokeswomen such as Kirstie Alley, Valerie Bertinelli and Queen Latifah to draw interest.
2. Taste the Difference
Both programs boast a variety of meals. Jenny Craig offers 75 menu items, while NutriSystem offers slightly more with 100 meals. All meals are supposed to be delicious, however, taste lies in the mouth of the beholder. Some people love the macaroni and cheese and the blueberry lemon bars on the NutriSystem diet. Others find the food too salty. More people seem to dislike Jenny Craig foods; however, the diet provides users with the flexibility of mixing prepackaged foods with healthy eating choices at home or eating out. The manufacturers designed these low-calorie and low-fat meals to be nutritious and balanced. With a variety of plans to choose from, NutriSystem focuses on eating low-glycemic carbohydrates, while the Jenny Craig diet doesn't distinguish between carbs.
3. Talk Over Food Woes with Counselors
Counseling is part of both the NutriSystem and Jenny Craig weight-loss programs. NutriSystem provides the benefit of phone or Internet consultations for the truly busy dieters who can't make it into a NutriSystem office. The Jenny Craig diet offers additional tools that include classes and audiotapes. Neither spends much time on teaching dieters how to eat in the real world when the diet ends, which means some dieters experience weight gain as soon as they stop eating the pre-packaged meals. Sadly, neither program focuses on exercise much.
4. Lose Weight in Your Pocketbook
Compare NutriSystem versus Jenny Craig when it comes to costs, and you'll find that neither weight loss program benefits the budget-conscious dieter. With monthly costs beginning at $250, the final monthly tab depends on the foods you order. Weekly costs of $70 to $85 aren't unheard of. Consumers on diet review sites often report that the Jenny Craig diet is the more expensive option, plus it charges an initial membership fee with the contract. NutriSystem has no contract. If you still have to buy groceries for the rest of the family, participating in these weight loss programs might strain your grocery budget.
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