Diet Comparison
Here is a side-by-side summary of Jenny Craig and The Zone to help you compare diets and choose a weight loss plan that will work for you.
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Diets |
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Best for...
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Great if you don't want to prepare meals, weigh portions, etc. Visits to Jenny Craig centers are encouraged.
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Anyone who prefers a higher protein diet but wants to eat more carbs than those allowed on the Atkins Diet.
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Risks
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No identified health risks. However, although the program advocates starting out on 100% Jenny Craig prepared meals and snacks and slowly migrating over to your own cooking, it is unclear how this is supposed to happen once you've gotten used to and lost weight on their food.
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The prescribed calorie consumption guidelines associated wth this diet may be too low for some, and this may result in feeling low in energy and/or weak. That said, calorie consumption can be increased while still following The Zone's guidelines for food distribution, thereby adressing this risk.
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Basic philosophy / approach
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Minimal effort, maximum choices. Program emphasizes counselor support (either in person or on-line) and use of prepared meals .
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Eat a balanced diet, BUT balanced is defined differently from the well-known Food Pyramid. Limit portions to a reasonable size.
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Foods that are / aren't allowed
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Diet is limited to Jenny Craig prepared meals. All restrictions are factored in to these meals.
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The basic idea is to increase protein, reduce simple carbs and processed sugar.
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How much work involved
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At first, almost none. Pre-packaged meals take care ofthe work for you at the outset. And although the idea is that you slowly transition to regular food once you've established better eating habits, you can choose to keep eating the prepared meals - no hassle, no time investment.
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Once you understand the basic approach, the diet is flexible and quite simple to follow.
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Cost
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According to the folks at J.C., average cost is approximately $65/week. However, there are different membership options which afford different benefits, and one can spend as much as $400 in the first month.
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While you can purchase some snacks from The Zone's web site, you can follow the diet without buying any prepared foods and/or special equipment.
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Speed to results
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Barring any initial dramatic loss due mostly to losing water weight, you can expect to lose between 1 and 2 lbs. per week on the Jenny Craig program - a nice, healthy, sustainable rate of weight loss.
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If you follow the basic plan (800-1,220 calories per day) you may lose weight at a rate significantly faster than the 1-2 lbs. per week average that is generally viewed as a healthy rate.
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Sign Up Online |
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Review
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Our review of Jenny Craig
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Our review of The Zone
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More Comparisons
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