The Zone Diet vs. Jenny Craig Weight Loss

The Zone Diet is based on the theory of 40/30/30 -- which means that 40% of calories should be from carbs, 30% from protein, and 30% from fats. This program was created by Barry Sears......and a well known book was published about this diet called "Enter the Zone". So when a dieter eats a meal which is "40/30/30"  -- then it's referred to as a "Zone Favorable" meal.

The author of the Zone Program (Barry Sears) claims that if you make all meals "Zone Favorable" then your body will have reduced insulin levels, which will lead to weight loss and fat burning. However, we do not agree that eating a 40/30/30 meal (Zone Favorable meal) is the best way to reduce insulin levels.

Also, another thing to remember is that it can be difficult to follow the Zone Diet because everything must be calculated "precisely" at every meal (and most people will find such calculations very tedious, especially people with busy schedules).

We believe that average dieters may find this program too difficult to use for any serious length of time, and therefore we do not like the Zone Diet program.

The makers of this diet have even created their own line of Zone Favorable Food products (such as Zone bars, Zone Shakes, and other Zone products for dieters). But of course, such products cost much more than "average food" costs......so many average dieters may discover that buying such products is not economical for them. This is yet one more reason why we do not recommend using this program.

The Jenny Craig weight loss program is a bit more traditional and simple in our opinion, though it probably costs a bit too much for the average person (it's also a little too basic in its principles, in our opinion).

This entire diet seems to be based on eating fewer calories while exercising more, which is a very old concept. With Jenny Craig you get assigned your own weight loss expert (nutrition counselor) who will help to keep you motivated each week so that you'll remain on the diet.

This is possible because Jenny Craig has many weight loss centers throughout the world, and if dieters live close to a facility then they can choose to meet with a nutrition consultant "in person". Or, if dieters do not live near a facility then they can choose to meet with their nutrition counselor "via telephone" each week.

...But regardless of whether you meet with your nutrition consultant via telephone or in person -- you'll still have to buy Jenny Craig's expensive "pre-packaged" meals. That's the downside of this diet program in our opinion, since you have to continually buy Jenny's pre-packaged meals (which are fairly expensive when compared to normal meals).

From everything we've seen these pre-packaged meals seem to be lower calorie versions of normal meals, so they don't seem to be anything too earth shattering or special (from our perspective).

So with Jenny Craig you'll basically be eating fewer calories (smaller portioned meals) and exercising more while meeting weekly with a nutrition counselor (who will keep you motivated so that you don't quit the diet). Plus, don't forget that you'll be required to buy Jenny Craig's pre-packaged food every single week -- which can be expensive over time.

So overall we don't think that it's smart to use the Jenny Craig program, since any diet that requires you to continually spend money for "special meals" is not a good choice in our opinion. When we compare the Zone Diet to Jenny Craig we find that both programs have too many negative qualities to recommend -- though the Zone Program is probably just a tad better in our opinion.

But overall we strongly recommend against both of these weight loss programs.