Weight Loss Market

The key to the success of commercial weight loss programs is that Americans crave quick results." According to one source, a quarter of all Americans are too fat, 13 million are seriously overweight, and nearly 20 percent of American adults (and more than half of all women) are perpetually dieting (Blodgett, 1991, p. 139). These figures compare with 1989 ones in which it was found that 100 million adult Americans are overweight and about half of those are dieting.

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 19.5 million women aged 20 to 74 are considered obese (Holland, 1989, p. 205). Another source cites that Americans spent more than $30 billion in 1989 on diet books, videotapes, appetite suppressants, "lite" foods, low-calorie beverages and commercial weight loss programs (Johnson, 1990, p. 74).

According to MarketData Enterprises, a consumer-research firm, as cited in September 1990, 48 million Americans spent $32 billion in 1989 on weight-loss products and programs, estimated 1990 sales at $35.8 billion and predicts the market will grow 10.6% annually through 1995 (Meyer, 1990, p. 57) and reach sales of $50 billion by 1995 (Stiansen, 1991, p. 50). And, accord

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nty years. However, today's liquid diets are more nutritionally balanced and monitored than those in the 1970's when several people died from their imbalanced composition. Specifically, the quality of protein is much better and the nutritional supplementation meets governmental dietary standards (Holland, 1989, p. 205). As of 1989, more than 1,000 hospitals offered either Optifast, HMR or Medifast diet programs. Typically, the programs involve three phases: a fasting period (participants drink only a lowcalorie nutritional powder); refeeding (participants eat lowcalorie meals along with the drink); and stabilization (participants accustom themselves to normal eating patterns) (Miller, et al., 1989, p. 60). Medically supervised diets, such as the Optifast Program or Medifast, are offered by doctors in private practice and/or in medical-center and hospital programs. A comprehensive physical examination precedes the program to ensure there are no health problems that would make an individual ineligible to do the program. An individual is given a daily diet of 400 to 800 calories in the form of a liquid (pre-mixed or to be mixed) drink. Average time of the diet is 12 to 16 weeks and weight-loss varies from 30 to 100 pounds.
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Approximate Word count = 9000
Approximate Pages = 36 (250 words per page)

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