- Meal-delivery programs have been around for decades because they’re a convenient way to lose weight.
- Nutrisystem can help you lose weight with their selection of prepackaged and pre-portioned meals, which have a low glycemic index.
- The Jenny Craig program can help you lose weight by delivering frozen and shelf-stable prepackaged meals to your doorstep and incorporates intermittent fasting.
- Noom can help you lose weight—while still enjoying the foods you love—through psychology-based lessons, food tracking, and a three-color system.
There’s no getting around it:
Weight loss takes effort.
So if you’re going to invest in a weight-loss program, you want it to be sustainable and lead to long-term changes.
So how do you know which program is right for you?
Start with this question:
Would you rather eat from a selection of prepackaged and pre-portioned meals you don’t have to think about, or would you rather eat mindfully and without restrictions?
To help you decide, we’ll compare the most popular meal-delivery programs—Nutrisystem vs. Jenny Craig—to each other and to Noom Weight.
| Noom Weight | Nutrisystem | Jenny Craig | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What Can You Eat? | Nothing is off-limits. Use our three-color-system as a guide to eat a balanced blend of food that keeps you feeling satisfied while staying within your daily calorie range. | Nutrisystem’s prepackaged frozen and shelf-stable foods, plus fresh fruits and vegetables. | Jenny Craig’s prepackaged and pre-portioned foods and snacks, plus fresh fruits and vegetables |
| Lessons based on psychology | Yes | No | No |
| Food logging | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Coaching | 1:1 coaching at no extra cost | Coaches available but no 1:1 option | 1:1 coaching available with premium plan |
| Recipes and weekly meal planning | Database of thousands of recipes to choose from | Database of thousands of recipes to choose from | Database of thousands of recipes to choose from |
| Price | • Monthly: $60 • 2 months: $119 • 3 months: $149 • 4 months: $159 • 5 months: $149 • 6 months: $164 • 7 months: $174 • 8 months: $179 • 10 months: $195 • 11 months: $195 • Annual: $199 | • Basic plan starts at $219 monthly • Mid-range plan starts at $330 monthly • Premium plan starts at $379 monthly Men’s plan costs more | • Basic plan starts at $391 monthly • Mid-range plan starts at $615 monthly • Premium plan starts at $666 monthly |
Noom
At Noom Weight we don’t deliver prepackaged meals.
Instead, we take a holistic, psychology-based approach to weight loss that empowers you to make healthy choices.
We believe that the most sustainable way to lose weight is through awareness and action:
Real results with a personalized weight loss program
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Understanding why you eat what you eat, so you can reframe your mindset around food and take control of your habits.
Here’s how Noom works:
Lessons
Based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Noom’s daily lessons are a cornerstone of our program.
Every day, you’ll spend just 5-15 minutes with the Noom app (you’ve waited longer in line for coffee, admit it).
You’ll learn how to identify unhealthy habits and make behavioral changes that can help lead to long-term weight loss.
Our lessons teach you how to:
- Identify your triggers and comfort foods
- What to do instead of eating to soothe your feelings and stress
- Feel fuller on fewer calories
- Enjoy your favorite foods in the right portions
- Incorporate changes to your lifestyle (not just your diet)
Food
No food is off-limits with Noom. We just ask that you log everything you eat with our app’s food tracker.
Why?
Because food logging has been linked to increase the likelihood of weight-loss.
Noomers tell us that logging helps them become more aware of their food choices and understand what healthy portions look like.
As you log your meals in the Noom app each day, our three-color system will show you what types of foods fill you up with the fewest calories and which ones to eat in smaller portions.
Our traffic-light system designates all foods as green, yellow, or orange.
But no foods are inherently “good” or “bad.” Rather, each color corresponds to a food’s caloric density—meaning how full you’ll feel on the fewest calories.
- Green foods have the lowest caloric density, like veggies and whole grains.
- Yellow foods have a higher caloric density but also contain important nutrients—think lean meats and healthy fats.
- Orange foods have the highest caloric density, so they’re best enjoyed in smaller portions (like chocolate and wine).
Logging your food in Noom’s tracker gives you a lightbulb moment three times a day (or one or six times, however frequently you choose to eat).
You’ll see how much you can eat when you make healthy choices.
Because you get to choose the foods you eat, Noom works with any type of dietary restriction—whether you’re on a low-carb, gluten-free, or vegan diet or watching your blood sugar or sodium intake.
Coaching
All Noom Weight coaches and guides are trained in the best practices from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based approaches. This allows them to help users identify unhealthy patterns and make positive changes to their lifestyle and eating habits.
Had a bad day and finished off an entire bag of chips?
Your coach will be there to tell you slipups are okay (they’re practically inevitable) and help you keep things in perspective, so you can stay on track.
Your coach can give you meal prep tips or look at your food log and suggest healthy swaps to help get the needle moving again.
And when you’re this close to your desired weight, your coach will be there to give you the final push you need to reach your goal.
With Noom Weight, you’ll also be able to chat with people who are on the same journey as you—people who can help celebrate your successes and encourage you to keep going through the rough times.
Cost
Our current plans range from $70 per month (for month-to-month) to $209 for an annual plan (billed upfront as a 12-month auto-renewing plan that comes out to $17.40 per month).
Our most popular subscription is four months, which comes out to $42.25 per month (billed upfront as a four-month auto-renewing plan at $169).
Read our post How much does Noom cost (and what do you get?) for more details about our subscription plans.
What happens when you reach your goal weight?
The Noom program doesn’t just help you shed pounds.
It helps you recognize your triggers and change how you respond to them, so you have the tools to maintain sustainable weight loss.
Through your journey, you’ll learn how to choose nutritious foods that help you feel satisfied with fewer calories—but also enjoy a slice of cake now and then.
Our goal at Noom is to help you internalize these principles so you don’t need to depend on Noom to maintain your weight loss.
Nutrisystem
Nutrisystem is a meal delivery diet program that’s been around since 1972.
It helps users lose weight through portion control and a high-protein, low-glycemic diet.
Food
On Nutrisystem, you’ll eat the dietitian-designed prepackaged meals they send to you, supplemented with fresh produce that you buy on your own.
There’s no meal planning, prepping, or cooking with the seven-day-a-week Nutrisystem diet plan.
You just pre-select your meals and wait for them to arrive.
You can also opt to eat their prepackaged meals for five days a week and make your own meals for two days.
If you have a family, you may be eating something different from everyone else for many of your meals (unless they’re also on the program).
Food logging is optional on the Nutrisystem program, and membership includes a mobile app where you can track your meals if you choose to.
Lessons
The Nutrisystem blog, The Leaf, contains articles, guides, and recipes to support you in your weight loss.
It has sections for diet and nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle that are accessible to anyone and a section just for users with tips that are specific to your personalized plan.
Coaching
With Nutrisystem, coaches are available to chat seven days a week, but there’s no 1:1 option, which means you might not always end up with the same coach every time you see one.
Cost
Nutrisystem’s basic plan starts at $279 monthly.
Their mid-range Uniquely Yours plan starts at $330 monthly.
And their premium Uniquely Yours Max plan starts at $379 monthly
It‘s worth noting that for men, each plan costs more since there’s more food.
What happens when you reach your goal weight?
Nutrisystem offers transition and maintenance programs that are less structured than their weight-loss plans but still offer a selection of prepackaged and pre-portioned meals.
Jenny Craig
Jenny Craig, which was founded in 1983, is another home-delivery weight-loss program that provides chef- and nutritionist-designed meals.
Intermittent fasting is also a component of the program.
Jenny Craig also offers 1:1 coaching.
Lessons
The Jenny Craig website has a robust blog of articles on weight loss and healthy lifestyle tips that are accessible to anyone.
Food
On the Jenny Craig program, you’ll eat the prepared meals they send to you along with fresh produce that you buy on your own.
The popular diet plan has several tiers:
On the basic plan, you can opt to receive just breakfasts and lunches (and make your own dinners).
The premium plan includes dinners and snacks, along with personal coaching and an activity plan.
If you have a family, for many of your meals, you may be eating something different from everyone else—unless they’re also on the program.
Food logging is optional with Jenny Craig. You can track your meals in their mobile app if you choose to.
Coaching
On the highest-tier plan, you’ll be assigned a 1:1 weight-loss counselor for the duration of your program.
You can meet with them online or in person if there’s a Jenny Craig center near you.
Cost
Jenny Craig’s Simple Meal Plan, which includes breakfasts and lunches, costs $391 per month.
Their Essential Meal Plan, which also includes dinners, costs $615 per day.
Their Max Up Weight Loss plan costs $666 per day and adds in snacks and desserts, along with personal coaching and activity plans.
What happens when you reach your goal weight?
Jenny Craig offers a maintenance program that offers a new selection of prepackaged foods and coaching for building healthy habits like exercising and managing stress.
