At the first glance, the Jenny Craig diet does not seem any different from all the other diets. It also advocates a pre-formulated diet that must be accompanied with a healthy dose of exercise. However, the shock comes when you find that the meals chiefly constitute of frozen foods interspersed with fresh fruits and vegetables. In this diet, the packaged meal is the mainstay. The Jenny Craig Institute, which prepares this diet, also sells these frozen foods to the dieters. In addition, when you adopt a Jenny Craig diet from one of their centers, you will be assigned a personal counselor who will formulate a diet specific to your body type. The best thing is that no types of foods are rejected as ‘bad food’. You can even have chocolates and desserts, but you can’t gorge on them. Due to this, the Jenny Craig diet enjoyed huge success and now it operates around 600 centers. The institute to popularize this diet was founded by the ‘health-guru’ Jenny Craig in 1983, so that more people can use this diet to cut down on their weight. To know more, read the article below on what a Jenny Craig diet is.
Jenny Craig Diet Plan
- The Jenny Craig diet is a three level diet plan that helps to build a relationship with the food, mind, and body.
- This diet was created by Jenny Craig in the year 1983. The Jenny Craig Inc. founded by her, operates more than 600 weight loss centers in the U.S, Canada, Australia, Puerto Rico, and New Zealand.
- This diet is exclusively based on prepackaged meals, which the Jenny Craig Inc. sells, like frozen breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts. These meals contain 50% to 60% carbohydrates, 20% to 25% proteins, and 20% to 25 % fats. However, the frozen meals must be supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low fat dairy products.
- The foods that the dieters should consume the most are fruits, milk, yogurt, fish, and whole, sprouted, and malted wheat. Large quantities of non-starchy vegetables can be consumed since they are very low in calories. High fat meats, however, should be eaten in moderation.
- The focus of this diet is not on the type of foods but on a moderate and balanced diet. It also allows the dieters an occasional indulgence in the food.
- The diet also recommends exercise at least five times a week. Physical activity is given more importance. Exercising for about 30 minutes is a must.
- Every person who adopts a Jenny Craig diet has a different menu that is prepared by their ‘personal consultant’ assigned to them. The entire menu is calorie based depending on the height, weight, and goals of the individual.
- The psychological factors involved in the weight management are also given more emphasis.
The Three Levels Of The Diet
- In the first level, the dieters are taught to get adjusted to the diet by eating those foods that they like but in small portions. At this level, the focus is more on building a relationship with the food.
- At the second level, the dieters are taught how to increase their energy through simple activities.
- The third level focuses on building a balance into the lives of the dieters, and teaching them to maintain the weight lost through healthy diet.
- The main aim of this diet is to make the dieters undergo a smooth transition from the Jenny Craig diet to their own menu without gaining the weight lost.