Jeeny Craig, NutriSystem or Weight Watchers? Which is best?

Question

I gained about 30lbs when I quit smoking (everything tasted so good). I never had trouble taking weight off, but without the smokes, it seems like I am stuck at this weight. I have thought about trying the above mentioned programs and would like the pros and cons of each or any other suggestions. I do exercise moderately a few times a week, but most of the time I am stuck behind a desk.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

All three of these diet systems are good for helping people lose weight. The problem is keeping it off. Unless you want to buy your food from Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, or Weight Watchers for the rest of your life, you're going to gain back the weight you lost once you go off the program. If you start a weight loss program with the idea that you'll do it for a while (until you lose the weight you want to lose), you'll only lose weight for a while. Permanent changes to the way you eat and your exercise regimen are key. Want to lose the weight and keep it off with a program that's based in reality and doesn't require you to give up everything you love? I lost over 20 pounds in 4 weeks and have successfully kept it off on The Abs Diet. It's a common-sense approach to eating that doesn't require you to count calories or cook exotic meals with hard-to-find ingredients. Best of all, it's 100% nutritionally sound and IT WORKS!!! You can find the book in any major bookstore, and it's hard to miss -- the cover is bright orange. DEFINITELY worth checking out.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Bought it, liked it, using it! Fits my lifestyle perfectly! Thanks

Answer 2

You know I would go to http://wharris1.qhealthzone.com/ and look at the XS it is what I use for my energy and I have lost 33 lbs since this April and I have so much energy I don't want the day to end and I can really afford to stay with it. Where other things are sooo expensive you give up... It even taste wonderful I personally like Cran-Grape one it taste just like grape soda with no harmful things in it. The vit B-12 in it is 4900% which if you remember in the old days was how woman lost all their weight with a B-12 shot daily.... Ok I wish you luck and hope you do great alo use a free site called www.fitday.com

Answer 3

Weight watchers I have done it since I have been 14 it teaches you how to eat well. Healthy/portions

Unless you are Kirstie Alley and they will pay you big $ to speak on Jenny's behalf.. do weight watchers.

Source(s):

RN
skin care consultant.

Answer 4

Consumer Reports actually just ranked the diets, and they came in as follows:

1. Volumetrics
2. Weight Watchers
3. Jenny Craig
4. Slim Fast
5. eDiets
6. The Zone (for men)
7. Ornish Diet
8. Atkins

Answer 5

this site critiques all the current diets. you can decide which one you can stick with to lose weight. all you really have to do is eat right and exercise.

Source(s):

http://www.skinnyondiets.com/

Answer 6

Jenny Craig and Nurti-System are all portioned controlled meals that you MUST purchase and also a membership type agreement. Once you stop using their plans, YOU MUST stay on a portion controlled food plan.

NOW, Weight Watchers has a "point" system and you select the your normal household foods and use the portion control for regular food.

The key is portion control, and once you see how much YOU normally eat now in comparison to Weight Watchers point system ... you will be surprised.

Exercise in any weight loss is moving. You can even move while sitting at your desk. Just move your feet up and down while sitting. :)

Answer 7

I would honestly tell you to go with the tried and true - diet, cardio, and strength training. I know you mentioned you exercised moderately, which is great, but to really get results, you have to step that up. (I know, I've been there...) You should be doing about 30 minutes of strength training, 4 days a week (and no, you won't end up looking like a man unless you take steroids), and 45-60 mins of cardio from 4-6 days a week, at a moderate pace (in other words, you should not be able to carry on a conversation without some difficulty, but should not be huffing and puffing to catch breath). With the diet - fresh is best, not that low-fat/no-fat stuff since you end up eating worse things with that. Just portion control, good food that is full of fiber, fruits, veggies, nuts, meat. Basically, the key is eating decent portions that are not made for 5 people, and eating multiple times a day (6-8), not just 3 meals. Sounds boring, doesn't sound at all exciting, and yea, it takes time (safe weight loss with anything is 1-2 pounds a week at most) - but you're building up muscle first, which is what makes your metabolism move, and burning fat... so you can see easily why this method is going to give you the best chance at losing the fat and keeping it off. I went down 40 pounds in a year and have yet to put it back on - even after slowing down my routine significantly. Muscles are your friends - muscle = metabolism = fat burning even when you aren't working out.

If you aren't at all impressed with the above and absolutely must succumb to the billion dollar a year industry of things that don't work: Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem make you dependent upon their system - so far as I see, they teach you nothing but that to lose weight and keep it off, you need to continually buy their food. WeightWatchers is much the same, but they at least do the point system, so if you go to Applebee's and just can't control yourself if you get a plate of food, you can use their menu to order things based on points... seems a little better.

In any case, you have to realize these places ARE businesses - then ask yourself how exactly they're making their money. Then ask yourself if you really want to learn how your body works and be able to go anywhere in the world and eat what you feel like and know how to compensate, or if you wish to be dependent upon a system that is making the CEO rich by making you believe that the only way you can lose the weight is by buying their stuff.

Source(s):

194 to 153... did it the tried and true way and it still is off. Holy triad of loss: diet, cardio, strength training.

Answer 8

I've been on Weight Watchers for 3 weeks now and have lost 13 lbs so far. It's great because I can still pretty much eat what the rest of my family likes for dinner and snacking I just modified the portion using there very handy point tracker to figure out the right portion. Plus for exercising they award you with extra food points (Not that you will even need them as many things they allow you to have throught the day). I don't go to the meetings. I just use the website and track my food daily. Weight Watchers makes it super easy!!