Why Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem Work

Have you ever wondered why Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, and Medifast work, when they are expensive and for the most part have awful tasting food? Why are McDonald's and other fast food restaurants so successful, even in the midst of the current recession? Well in a word, convenience.

The crazy thing is all of these businesses have a lot in common and not all of it is good. We all know most fast food is unhealthy and laden with sodium and chemicals our body's don't need. Warnings abound in their literature such as french fries that contain dairy and wheat, and the list goes on. You ask, then what does Jenny Craig and McDonald's have in common? Chemicals, bad food, and convenience. While diet programs are thought to be healthy for the most part, the only departure from your local drive thru is quantity and calories and often even less quality then fast food. Given a choice between Nutrisystem and McDonald's, yes Nutrisystem is healthier as it has a lot less calories and does encourage weight loss. In all fairness, Nutrisystem has worked to cut the sodium from what it was in earlier products. But, just like McDonald's it's not something you should live on day after day and year after year, and who could anyway.

Like McDonald's, both Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem have enormous advertising budgets that have made them a household word. There are also many testimonials online to support the success of these plans in taking off the pounds. With spokeswomen like Marie Osmond and Janet Jackson, the subliminal message is I can look like that too with the help of Nutrisystem.

We have brought front and center some of the negatives, let's take a look at why these programs enjoy such great success.

In 2010 Jama published a study called, Effect of a Free Prepared Meal and Incentivized Weight Loss Program on Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance in Obese and Overweight Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The study basically wanted to find out if prepackaged meals promoted more weight loss than what is referred to as "standard care".

Participants were divided into three study groups. The first group received traditional advise from a nutritionist in a standard medical setting and sent home to prepare their own food. The second group received prepackaged meals and nutritional support and counseling in a diet center setting, and did not prepare their own meals. The third group received prepackaged meals and only telephone support.

At the end of the study it was concluded that those in the second and third groups who received prepackaged meals lost the most weight and tended to keep it off.

A second study reached similar conclusions. More information about these studies can be found in an online article entitled, Prepared meal replacements can help weight loss.

As I said before convenience seems to be a major component in the success of these diet plans. Let's face it, we are all often overworked, overstressed and unprepared to stay on plan. Diet home delivery services fulfill the need to be prepared and do it so well that we are willing to sacrifice taste, and a great deal of money to get this benefit.

The final piece to the puzzle is kind of a no brainer. Portion control. We as Americans have gotten used to gargantuan portions of food, and we wonder why we are fat? Diet plans such as Jenny Craig teach us what a real portion should look like. It also reinforces this with a "when it's gone it's gone" kind of mentality. Yes I guess you could open a second package, but maybe the expense, and the fact that the food isn't all that great will detour you.

So really it's all just common sense why these plans work. They provide convenience, portion control, and the ability to stay prepared no matter how crazy life gets. The trade off is they are expensive, don't really taste very well, are full of chemicals, and in my opinion not a sustainable way to eat.

For those on a tight budget, or those of us with food allergies and sensitivities, Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem are not an option. What is an option is replicating these diet programs with a combination of grocery store food, and a bit of freezer cooking. If you can't or don't cook, then you will still have the advantage of saving a lot of money.

Visit The Market Diva Diet Blog often and let us do the homework with product reviews and comparisons as well as food preparation tips and advise. Be well and enjoy the journey!