As an overweight diet reviewer who has lived through both Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem in the past year, I'm uniquely qualified to answer that most frequent question: which diet is better? My personal situation? I'm 5'5'' and dancing around the 200 pound mark. Here are my conclusions, short and sweet.
Jenny's frozen entrees taste so much better than most of the Nutrisystem fare (which come in unappetizing unrefrigerated pouches). Remember, the better the food tastes, the easier it is to stick with the program. Advantage Jenny!
So why is Nutrisystem more popular? The price!
Basic Jenny Plan: approximately $550 per month
Basic Nutrisystem Plan: approximately $350 per month
Yes, Nutrisystem is substantially less expensive, and in these tough economic times, that can be a big issue. If you can't afford Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem can work for you if you go into it with the right attitude, which is this: Think of Nutrisystem as the food version of a marine boot camp. It will definitely whip the fat off you, as long as you can be tough enough to stick with it. But it is tough to stick with it for more than a month.
A compromise between Jenny and Nutrisystem is the Nutrisystem Select Plan at $390 per month with auto-delivery. Nutrisystem Select replaces one of the daily astronaut meals with a decent frozen meal, but for the rest of the day, you'll dine on the usual Nutrisystem "cuisine".
If live support is important to you, you may be better off with Jenny Craig. Jenny's memberships include weekly consultations with one-on-one meal planning and a toll free number available 24 hours a day. Nutrisystem membership provides basic online tools that include a food diary and weight log, and a toll free number to call for additional phone support.
My final verdict: If you have the bucks, go with Jenny Craig over Nutrisystem.
