I'm currently on an EDiets plan (www.ediets.com). They offer lots of different plans (there's one called the convenience/low-to-no cook plan) and options (including fast food, microwave meals, etc) and I feel like I'm eating more food volume-wise than I did before. They also have fitness plans, forums, a recipe bank and online help/mentoring. I like having the freedom to change my menu around (like "no thanks, I'll pass on the wheat-germ covered banana...") and I am admittedly anti-social so being able to handle my dieting at home with just my fiancee is comforting.
I originally got on Ediets a couple of years ago right before I ruptured a disk in my back and had to have surgery and I didn't stick with it long enough. I managed to lose about 30lbs in 2 1/2 months that go around. This time I have no choice...doctor's orders.
I'm a computer technician so I'm pretty much glued to my chair too. :)

okay i'll go for it.. It depends on what you mean by "work". Will you loose weight? Probably. Will you be able to keep it off.. Probably not. Personally i think people are better off learning to keep the proper kinds of food around.. healthy stuff.. fruits and vegies. Teach your husband to give you smaller servings and/or teach yourself that you don't have to clean your plate. Being healthy is a lifestyle. You have to learn the skills to eat a balanced diet and if Jennie is serving things up for you, its not likely you'll be learning the skills to maintain. I also prefer hearing the lines about being healthy rather than skinny. In my opinion, you have to learn the skills to eat healthy and take responsibility to do that. Diets don't work. Lifestyle changes do.

I was on Nutrisystem and a friend was on Jenny Craig at the same time. Did I lose weight, yup....did I keep it off, nope. I think that is a pretty typical story for the diets. What it did teach me, and I try to keep to even now, is portion sizes and how to make better choices. But I really believe that unless you have decided you are going to make changes that will become your way of life, nothing will work long term. You aren't hungry on the diets cause there is a lot of your own food you have to buy and prepare in addition to the prepackaged meals. So if you are going in thinking you only have to open one little box three times a day and you are done, that is not how the programs work. You have to add veggies and salads and breads etc to pretty much every meal.

If you need a kick start, either would work as well as maybe trying something from ediets. And as portion control is a thing for you, it might be helpful. I think though it is expensive over the long term and although maybe I was an odd one, I ended up having problems with some of the preservatives in the foods and after about 5 months found I couldn't stick with their pre-packaged food any longer.

I hope this info helps a bit and good luck with the route you choose. I would be happy to share more of my experiences if it might help.

Please accept my pre-apology for the rant that follows.......

I REALLY have an issue with the Jenny Craig, Nutri-System, etc. diets.

First of all, the food looks GROSS...I used to work with a girl who was on Jenny Craig...The food she ate looked and smelled disgusting...She opened a can of chili one time that looked like a small can of dog food and smelled like it too..I got that smell in my brain and that was all I could smell for days...I don't know about the Nutri-System or ediet thing but that TOTALLY turned me off of anything like that.

Second, and this is just an opinion having never personally been on one of the programs, what does the program actually teach you about eating, cooking, portion control, etc. when you reach your goal and don't need the program anymore? When I was in High School, my mom and I did the Weight Watchers thing, and personally I think if you are shooting for the "lifestyle change" program, that would be more of the way to go....And what about the cost? "Lose 20 pounds for $20 (plus the cost of food)"...WTF?...How do they figure that it should cost you $20 to lose 20 pounds...And that food is expensive!!!

How healthy is all of that prepackaged food anyway? Have you looked at the nutrional info on a Lean Cuisine or Weight Watchers Smart Ones box? That stuff is so full of salt (sodium) that you're better off just pouring the salt shaker down your gullet. I used to eat that stuff until my sister, who is a health and fitness FREAK, told me that the amount of salt in JUST ONE Lean Cuisine Pannini is more than you're supposed to have in your diet in an ENTIRE WEEK.

Like it has been mentioned before, it is about changing your lifestyle...Little changes add up over time...LEARN TO COOK...When you shop for food, stick to the outside perimeter of the store, that is where all of the good for you stuff is...If you go down the aisles, that is where all of the stuff that is not good for you is....This really is true if you take the time to think about the way most grocery stores are set up...If you must eat fast food (PMS, stress, time crunch, just don't give a shit day, etc.) get fruit instead of fries, don't super size, get a diet soda, water or unsweetened iced tea...Switch to low fat or no fat in the lattes, etc....Don't drive around in the Wal-Mart parking lot looking for the closest parking place...Park and walk if you are physically able...If you slip up, make up for it at the next meal or just the next day...Don't deprive yourself...If you want a piece of cake, eat a damn piece of cake...Just don't eat a piece the size of your kid's face...The list goes on.

And my husband says "If everyone went on Jenny Craig then there would be no Big Beautiful Bellydancers Tribe and you all would have to switch to the Skinny Bitch TrIbe!"...Gotta love that man of mine!!!