Go on, ask me anything

By Tyler, editor and reviewer

Now that I've been doing the Jenny Craig program for a while, I've reached a point where it's become obvious that I've made some changes in my lifestyle. People are asking questions about what I've done and when I say that change has been Jenny Craig, it just leads to even more questions.  So I thought I'd just put a bunch of the usual questions people want to know up along with my answers all in one place for everyone to see. So, here are the questions I get asked, starting with the most frequent.

FAQ about the Jenny Craig program

1) Is the food any good?
Yeah, it is. I was prepared to suffer through with just a few choices of hopefully bearable food, but was surprised to find I really liked the food. Not only are there tons of choices and variety, I found that I liked them for what they were, not for being "diet food" with an asterisk attached. 2) Is it expensive?
While the food is more expensive than a budget shopping trip, it’s much cheaper than eating out. You can help keep costs down by transitioning to home cooking sooner, and by ordering less expensive meals. Since you can customize as you go, you really have control to match up the program with your budget.

3) Do they just send you food?
No, you go in once a week to meet with your representative and pick out your food for the week. This also allows you to get any questions or concerns you have addressed, and get tips and pointers on other things you can do besides just changing your diet. I really liked checking in and feeling like I had a team of people rooting for me, and there to help. But, if by chance there isn’t a Jenny Craig office near you, then yes, they do just send you food. If that’s the case, you do your consultations remotely so you can still experience the one-on-one support which is an essential part of the Jenny Craig program.

4) What do you miss most?
Nothing is off limits, so there's not much room to miss foods. The main change in the Jenny Craig program was eating smaller portions more often. By using their foods it makes it a lot easier to stick to that philosophy, but you can still eat out or cook for yourself as you go along. They understand that you still have your normal life with parties or events to go to, and account for that as long as you can stick to the right portion size. 5) Where are you going to eat first when the program is over?
Since I'm not really craving anything, we'll just have whatever sounds good that day. This was more about a lifestyle change than a temporary diet. And since I don't feel like I'm having to miss out on anything now, I don't feel like I need to go crazy after the program like people I've heard of when they cut out certain types of foods.

6) How soon until you can eat "real food" again?
You’re having real food the whole time. Not only are the Jenny Craig meals real food, you’re also supplementing them with fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy, protein and healthy fats. Plus you can eat out as well if you’re smart about it.

7) How would it work for my busy life?
I found it actually made things a lot easier for me. By sticking to the weekly plans from Jenny Craig, I didn't need to spend time planning out each meal myself, or spend time figuring out what ingredients we had at home to use. Every night we just look at the sheet for the week and grab what it says for the next day. Then in the morning, I simply pop the foods into my lunchbox and have my whole day’s worth of food with me. 8) Does it work?
Absolutely. I started losing weight immediately, and felt better as well. I found that eating smaller portions more often works great for me, and I feel much more in touch with myself. But I think the numbers really speak for themselves.

Here's a picture of us before.
Starting weight:     too much
Week 1:                -3.8
Week 2:                -4.8
Week 3:                -1.8
Week 4:                -1.6
Week 5:                -3.0
Week 6:                -2.4
Week 7:                No Data
Week 8:                -3.0
Total                    -20.40 Overall I would have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the Jenny Craig program. I was surprised how easy it was to follow the program, and then how fun it was to stick with losing weight. Having never done any type of diet before, I was relieved to see that it was more of a change in attitude about food, rather than restricting types of food, or holding back on the foods I really wanted. 

And best of all, I feel I’ve learned how to keep healthy going forward. We’ve had many times where eating out was a necessity throughout the program for dinners out with friends, as well as vacations away on our own, and I feel like we’re already making really good choices on our own.Knowing that we can still eat out, go on luxury all-inclusive vacations, or be stuck eating fast food at airports and still lose weight gives me great confidence that we can continue the downward trend even after the program ends. See that guy in the picture above? Shall we call this my "during" picture? 20 pounds down and happily dining on vacation. 

With 600 company-owned and franchised centers in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico, there just might be an office near you so you can experience the one-on-one support. But, if you don’t have an office near you, you should read about the Jenny Craig Anywhere program where you can get the same support via video chat or over the phone from a dedicated consultant and have meals shipped right to your door. There are two plans to choose from: All Access or As You Go. Food costs vary but typically range between $15 – $23 per day, plus the cost of shipping.

You can find out more about the Jenny Craig program by visiting their site, or you can check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

*Results not typical. Members following our program can expect to lose, on average 1-2 lbs per week. I received promotional consideration. I was provided a free trial Jenny Craig program and meals. However, the opinions expressed are entirely my own.