BlogHer - Will Weight Loss Companies Turn In A Skinny Bottom Line In 2009? - Comments

Congratulations on keeping it off

Elana Centor — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:52:16 -0600

What do you attribute the difference of this plan vs. the others you did - specifically why do you think you were able to continue losing weight on the last plan? The lats time I tried weight watchers I stayed on plan with a venegance and ended up losing 1 pound over three months. I know some skeptics would say that I couldn't possibly have been on plan and not lose weight -- I here to tell you that is exactly what happened. Anyway, I am happy for you and hope that I can lose and keep off some weight. That would make me very happy.

elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

All Diet Plans Work - Until They Don't

SocalMom — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:34:27 -0600

I tried the DIY approach for years with just spotty success: losing the weight then yo-yo-ing back beyond the original setpoint... until I found myself 60 pounds over what most people would consider a "normal" weight (which is still 20 pounds higher than I'd like to be).

Weight Watchers, South Beach, Atkins... all worked for a while until my body refused to cooperate. And like you, once I stopped losing weight I lost motivation for sticking to the program.

In the summer of 2007, a health scare spurred me to sign up at a weight loss clinic. I spent an exorbitant amount of money, because by this time I was convinced that NOTHING was going to work -- least of all, me trying to do it on my own.

I lost 56 pounds in seven months, and have kept it off now for nearly a year. In my case, every day counseling and being accountable was key. I also think that spending a small fortune on the program and food was also an incentive to stick to it (and is still a factor in keeping it off - I am not about to fail and conclude that I wasted money that could have been used for something the whole family could have enjoyed).

I am glad I made the decision to do this when I did; our family budget could not spare that cost NOW. And so I am not surprised that the diet companies are gearing up for a bad year.

Jenny worked for me

alexandra84 — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:25:44 -0600

For me, Jenny Craig did the trick, as I lost 10 pounds in only about six weeks on the program. I can understand the economic strain with pricier diets, but I find Jenny quite cost-efficient, as I'm a working woman who is constantly on the go. Instead of ordering take-in for lunch and dinner, I'm able to enjoy yummy, convenient meals for 1/4 (or maybe even less) of the calories.

I agree with everyone above on the importance of some form of diet reinforcement--be it a diet & exercise buddy or a support group. For me, the diet provides me with the one-on-one counseling I need, but for a fraction of the cost that regular nutritionist appointments would set me back.

~Alexandra

South Beach is the diet for me!

Kalyn Denny — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:41:50 -0600

I lost 42 pounds on South Beach and have kept it off for nearly five years now, with a few "diet tune-ups" like right now when I'm doing phase one for a few weeks. Not only did I lose weight, but I discovered how much better I felt and looked when I stopped eating empty carb foods like sugar and white flour. South Beach is based on the glycemic index, which is being recognized more and more as a healthy way to eat. I do think this way of eating might be hard for people who don't cook, but for me it's perfect!

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Great Information!

Elana Centor — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:18:17 -0600

Thanks Elisa and Denise for this additional information for dieting vegans. And Elisa, good luck with your resolve. I'm giving myself the same pep talk.

elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

The Junk Food Vegan

Denise — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:46:28 -0600

Heh.

When I worked at WebMD and ran their weight loss product, folks would come to the boards saying they were going to go Vegan because it was the only healthy lifestyle and I'd have to remind them that there are, in fact, junk food vegans. They rarely believed me until they found themselves getting excited about all of the junk food a vegan can eat. :-)

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

Support

Denise — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:43:31 -0600

I should head over to Queercents and tell Serena that WebMD does offer support. I know this for sure since I know the WebMD community moderator who offers support to members who use their diet tools. I know her very very well. :-)

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

Vegans and diet plans don't mesh, but I like dailyplate.com

Elisa Camahort — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:05:41 -0600

I'm a former Weight Watchers devotee (and a former meeting leader even!)

It was challenging but doable as a vegetarian, but now as a vegan I don't expect any proscribed plan to really take my needs and limitations into account. So I've been DIY for quite some time, and on a yo-yo because of it.

I did find a great site for tracking your food and exercise: ,a href="http://dailyplate.com">Daily Plate

. Not only do they have a site, but an iPhone app too, an you can synch between them!

Plus, unlike most online calorie databases, they have a ton of stuff I eat in there...because they seem to have recorded the entire Whole Foods and Trader Joe's inventory!

I'm hoping this tool, the Wii Fit and steely resolve may help me be the health nut vegan everyone already assumes I must be, rather than the junk food vegan I all too often am!

Elisa Camahort Page
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com

My BlogHer profile truly shows you everything I do online...Check it out!!

I'm on the DIY path

Colormepink — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:04:18 -0600

The lure of promises of weight loss by the companies you mentioned, is very tempting. However, if I'm going to do this right, this time, I'm going to have to learn to eat for myself. I certainly can't stay on Medifast for the rest of my life and I love food and cooking too much to give it up. I've cut processed food out of my life. No more bread, pasta, chips, candy, etc. I'm also laying off the red wine for a while too - although it does have health benefits, it lowers my resolve and I find myself snacking during Letterman. Not good. Big glass of wine + a bag of Ruffles= fat Christine. Best of luck to everyone on this very familiar journey.

Christine
It's My World. Welcome To It.
Blog: http://www.colormepink.com
Jewelry Blog: http://www.starbrightjewels.com/blog

Will Weight Loss Companies Turn In A Skinny Bottom Line In 2009?

Elana Centor — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 10:50:12 -0600

Some people decide by the number on the scale. For others, it’s the recognition that their thighs are rubbing together, their boobs feel like over-cooked matzo balls, and the reluctant realization that their fat jeans are well on the way to becoming their skinny jeans.

Monday December 29th, was my day of reckoning. I met three out of my four personal diet determinators,and that was it. No more pretending I could eat what I wanted without consequences. I was looking at the consequences.

Dieting is a path I have been on many a time before. It began at age 14 when to my horror I got on the scale and saw the big 140. Prior to that I weighed 123 pounds (I’m 5'7") -- oh and I thought I was too fat at that weight.

After six weeks of eating a Carnation Instant Breakfast, Metrical cookies and an apple for lunch, and a Greek salad and diet Jell-O for dinner --everyday (my mother was/is a diet enabler) ---I was back at 123. But not for long.

Did I mention I was starving the entire six weeks of this ordeal? Starving. Light-headed and cranky. Very Cranky. But I was thin.

And so it began. The irreconcilable differences between the weight my body wants to be and the weight I want my body to be. We have never come to terms. We have never lived in peaceful co-existence for very long.

At times I let well enough alone and repeat the mantra that I eat healthy, I work out, and there are worse things than being 30 pounds heavier than I want to be.

But that attitude is short-lived and then my War of The Roses begins again with a renewed vengeance.

Truth be told I believe I deserve to be thin. I work at it--most of the time. Except for the past month when I didn't work at it.

Now, I absolutely have to lose weight, just to get back to the weight my body likes, even though that weight is not anywhere an acceptable weight for my preferred image of myself.

My rebellion against my genetic predisposition to provide fat cells shelter from the storm is predictable and frequent. I have done many DIY diets, the Scarsdale Diet, the low-fat diet, the Atkins Diet, and Weight Watchers.

I actually enjoyed them all as long as I was losing weight. And that has always been the problem. Sooner or later, sooner than I want, my body just stops losing weight even though I am SOP-still on plan.

Without the enticement of lower numbers on the scale or actually more important to me, looser clothing, I become discouraged and defeated. Until I am ready to do battle again.

I am now armed and ready. While I may not have any real illusions that I will ultimately succeed - hope runs eternal and there is a part of me that says, "Maybe this time."

Whether you struggle with fat back, a muffin top, thunder thighs or a big booty, weight loss companies are focusing on you. The first quarter is to the weight loss business what November - December is to holiday shopping.

The question the weight loss companies are asking -- Will the economic downturn decimate sales the way it did retail sales?

According to Elaine Wong, writing in BrandWeek 2009 may be a disappointing diet season.

"In this economy, consumers are not going to indulge in delusions of sticking to diets that require extended financial commitments," said Denise Lee Yohn, who runs a brand consulting firm in San Diego. Instead, "We'll see people opting out of expensive programs and looking for more do-it-yourself options,"

Marion Nestle, a nutrition and food studies professor at New York University, agreed: "Everyone is facing bleaker sales. The only things that are doing well are comfort foods—huge portions for [less] money."

Surviving Fitness is definitely the target audience for weight loss companies.The blog is written by a 40-something woman who once ran marathons and now finds herself 50 pounds overweight.After five years of DIY dieting programs,she wants to do the Medifast program but is concerned about the cost. She posted a question on their forum asking people how they were personally paying for the food. She says the real answers came in private messages.

“Hi. I’m a single mother of five and I can’t afford to buy Medifast. I have research all their products and found similar cheaper products in the stores. I am still losing the weight just like the others, and I post here for the support, but please don’t tell anybody”

“I am a student so I can barely afford to buy one month worth, and then I only eat products every other day to make it last two months. The weight is coming off a lot slower, and I have had set-backs, but it’s all I can afford to do. I figure it is better than nothing”

Forbes.com recently did a cost comparison of the first week costs of various weight loss programs. NutriSystem won the cost comparison.That cost advantage is something NutriSystem is now promoting heavily in their advertising.

In a phone interview, Delphine Carroll, vice president of public relations for NutriSystem said, " NutriSystem has done a cost comparison study for the past four yeasts but we didn't use it proactively until this year." Carroll says the decision to highlight the cost benefits in this year's advertising is a result of consumers saying they were concerned about costs.

In addition to the Forbes comparison, Carroll says that the company is also promoting the fact that paying for NutriSystem food is less expensive than trying to duplicate the meals on your own."We did a cost comparison between our liberal plan and the USDA and we were less expensive."

Even so, Carroll says the company is spending less on advertising this year and expects sales to be down.

So far, NutriSystem's main competitors are not taking a cost-savings approach in their advertising. Weight Watchers is focusing on its new program- Momentum and offering a free trial week, and JennyCraig is also offering some financial incentives to get started on their plan.

Over at Queercents Serena is asking the question "Are Weight Loss Programs Worth The Money?"

None of these programs fits my budget, so I am sticking with the tried and true method of eating less and exercising more. I found a free diet journal online that lets me track how many calories I consume, and then it tells me how many calories I’ve burned with exercise. Web MD also has a free food and fitness planner to help you calculate how many calories you need to eliminate in order to loose weight according to your current lifestyle.

The one thing that these free websites don’t provide is peer support and accountability. That’s why a friend and I are taking the New Year’s challenge together.

Actually, there are quite a few weightloss support sites including 3 Fat Chicks,Traineo and Weight Loss Community. Plus many more.

There is already one casualty in the weight loss business that may or may not be related to the economy. LA Weight Loss Centers are closing all over the U.S. and Canada -- with some very unhappy customers. The note on the door of the closed franchises blames the closure on the economic downturn but these franchises have been closing since 2007 which may indicate other business issues. There is so muchanger about the closing that their is a blog devoted to LA Weight Loss Complaints. The blog highlights the latest franchise closings and lawsuits.

Have you started on a weight loss program and are you following a program like NutriSystem, Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig? Or are you going to try the DIY approach?

As for me, this is day seven of getting back to my undesirable weight. If the scale is to be believed, I'm down 2.5 pounds. Now if I could just do that every week.....

Elana blogs about business culture at FunnyBusiness