Jenny Craig (born Genevieve Guidroz; August 7, 1932) is an American weight loss guru and founder of Jenny Craig, Inc. Craig was born in Berwick, Louisiana, was raised in New Orleans, and married Sidney Craig in 1979.

Jenny Craig will be revived for e-commerce by the owner of diet meal maker Nutrisystem. Wellful Inc. plans to relaunch the defunct weight-loss service this fall, with virtual rather than in-person coaching, after recently acquiring its brand assets out of bankruptcy.

Halford says she had a hunch that the company wouldn't last. "The cost of the food, the lack of client retention and not getting in new clients I knew it was a matter of time before the stores would be closing," she says.

In late April 2023, the company woke up to the reality of its unsustainable model and announced it was overhauling its business with plans to close its 600 centers across the U.S. and revamp itself as an e-commerce player. But it was too late.

The parent company of Nutrisystem has acquired Jenny Craig in a deal estimated to be worth up to $10 million. Wellful Inc., a direct-to-consumer, omnichannel health and wellness platform based in Charlotte, North Carolina, made the announcement on July 5.

Craig, a New Orleans native, and her husband launched their weight-loss empire in 1983 after the pair moved from the United States to Australia and saw a gap in the country's diet industry. She had worked in the weight-loss field for decades, including at a chain of women's “figure control” salons, she told CNN.

Jenny Craig is a structured diet plan based on prepackaged foods that manage calories, fat and portion sizes to promote healthy eating, an active lifestyle and behavior modification. Personal coaches guide members through their journeys from day one.

Jenny Craig has nearly 100 entrées, desserts and snacks to choose from. Though portions are small, you'll eat three meals and two snacks a day – one of which is your own food. Plus, there's no carb-cutting or elimination of entire food groups.

Jenny Craig is a weight-loss program that attributes its effectiveness to the simple restriction of calories, fat, and portion size. Clients enrolled in the plan are provided packaged foods that cover all meals and most snacks; they supplement these with fresh food from the grocery store.

Jenny Craig has been shown to help people lose weight and keep it off in the long term. That said, it may not be the best fit for everyone. For example, Jenny Craig isn't ideal if you have dietary restrictions or serious allergies, as the meals aren't designed to accommodate special diets.

Mandy Dowson Mandy Dowson became chief executive officer in December 2022. The future of the Jenny Craig weight-loss brand is getting bleaker.

During this time period, the brand grew to boast an enviable roster of celebrity spokespeople, including Jason Alexander, Kirstie Alley, Valerie Bertinelli, Queen Latifah - and even Monica Lewinsky.