Nutrition Coach Reacts to Jenny Craig Center Shutting Down

Jenny Craig is set to close its doors after 40 years in the weight-loss business. The company says it will shutter operations at 500 centers nationwide.

Jenny Craig’s weight-loss program featured meal plans designed by chefs and nutritionists, with physical check-ins at brick-and-mortar locations. The company initially planned to pivot toward an e-commerce model, per reports, but it now appears set to lay off its entire workforce and shut down after failing to find a buyer.

Carrie Lupoli, a certified health and nutrition coach, founder of Disruptive Nutrition and co-founder of PFC3, says centers like Jenny Craig are just “not what women want anymore.”

“Women don’t have the time or desire to go to a center, to be weighed in and have their ‘success’ or ‘failure’ in front of other people,” Lupoli said. “They are tired of the scale as the measure of success. It controls them.”

Lupoli explains women want to be “free from always thinking about their weight” and don’t want their frustrations with their bodies “being so front and center” in their lives.

“Going to a center that screams ‘I need to lose weight’ every week makes it very much front and center,” Lupoli adds.

But apps and other online support programs can also fall short, notes the entrepreneur.

“Solutions like Noom have popped up to give people convenience, time and support, but what we hear is that the support and mindset work feels like a bot and it’s not authentic,” Lupoli said.

“Women are looking for a solution that’s simple, that they can do forever without counting or tracking their food. They want to feel supported and satisfied,” shared Lupoli. “They want the education to learn about their bodies and why things ‘haven’t worked’.”

Lupoli went on to say that part of the allure of new weight-loss drugs like Ozempic isn’t about their results but about the freedom to stop thinking about it.

“They want to feel successful yet not have to think so much about all this anymore. It’s why the weight loss drugs are so popular now,” Lupoli said. “It’s not as much about the quick fix, it’s the attractive idea that they can stop thinking about food and move on with their lives.”