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Jenny Craig was born in Berwick, Louisiana in 1932 under the name Genevieve Guidroz and was raised in New Orleans. Later she married an Australian Sidney H. Craig, and became known as Jenny Craig.
Although she never had any kind of formal training in either exercise or nutrition, Craig developed a weight loss regimen in which she had faith, prodding her husband to help her create the weight loss company in 1983. The business first began in Australia, and after phenomenal success, the couple expanded the business to headquarters in La Jolla, California in 1985. |
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Who is Jenny Craig and Why is She an Expert on Weight Loss?Today, the company has centers in Canada, New Zealand, and Puerto Rico as well. The couple sold most of their shares to a private firm out of New York and London in 2002 and signed an agreement in 2006 to sell the entire company to Nestle for approximately $600 million.
Jenny Craig, Inc. is one of the largest weight management service companies in the world, with over 550 branches in four countries that offer complete comprehensive management, including sound nutritional advice, meal planning, exercise planning and monitoring, and other aspects to balance weight loss with personal well being. While the founders themselves do not have any formal training in the industry, the company employs individual consultants who are health or nutritional professionals and counseling experts to sit down for one-on-one counseling with clients.
Jenny Craig offers several membership plans with varying degrees of service, all aimed at teaching individuals better eating and exercise habits that lead to a change in lifestyle and improved overall physical health. Upon starting the Jenny Craig plan, an individual is prescribed a specific diet plan, with Jenny Craig food (75 frozen and dry items) and a shopping list for specific dairy and vegetable items from the supermarket. A pre-planned menu is set up for a certain number of weeks (typically 4-6), after which the individual can customize menus using these foods for another period of time. When an individual meets the halfway point of their eventual goal, he or she is switched over to a meal plan in which the Jenny Craig food is only eaten 3-4 days a week and they are left responsible for their own meals.
In the past, several celebrities and infamous individuals have served as spokesmen for the Jenny Craig diet. In the year 2000, Monica Lewinsky of White House scandal fame, served as an advocate for the diet, and Kirstie Alley, became the spokeswoman in 2005. The latest addition to this line up is Valerie Bertinelli, who has slowly put on weight over the years and can now be seen in commercials along side Kirstie Alley, detailing how well the diet works.
As with all diets, the Jenny Craig plan is more about changing a lifestyle than taking off a few pounds. Upon completing the program, a person must continue to eat healthy foods within their calorie range and maintain a good, consistent exercise regimen that includes some strength training and aerobic activity.
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