As people keep growing in size, so does the weight loss market. There are enough different programs, food supplements and food replacements to fit any one's preference. And if one program does not work, there are plenty of others for an individual to try that will keep them busy for years.
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, according to U.S. News & World Report, approximately 34 million adults are overweight, but twice that many think they are (Miller, 1990, p. 2). In a study published in 1989 by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that increasing numbers of women are consuming lower-fat milks; lower-fat, higher-fiber breads; and lower-fat poultry" (Tompson, 1990, p. 2).
"Walk-in weight loss centers are b...