The U.S. Weight Loss & Diet Control Market (9th Edition)

Table of Contents

Introduction, Scope, Methodology

Executive Overview

• National cost of obesity, summary of major developments & trends of last 2 yrs., dieter demographics, reasons for increased obesity, most popular dieting methods, dollar size of market and its 10 segments (2002-2006, 2007 & 2010 forecasts, short/long-term outlooks)., sales of the leaders. Outlooks for: commercial chains (diet center operating ratios, sample income statement), major diet websites (traffic, WW.com, eDiets.com profiles), diet books & exercise videos mkt., diet soft drinks & artificial sweeteners mkt., diet food home delivery mkt., meal replacements & appetite suppressants mkt., medical weight loss programs (bariatricians, bariatric surgery, Rx diet drugs) - highlights of ALL study chapters .

Dieter Demographics

• Scope of the American obesity epidemic, major dieter trends
• Discussion: how many Americans diet, how often, why diets fail, methods used?
• Typical dieter profile, by age, sex, income (Intl. Demographics data)
• Dieter profile by: BMI, budget, preferred.. diet plan location, type food, % needing psychological support, % with special foods needs (BestDietForMe.com - 2006 data)
• Analysis of current & historical dieting trends, 10-year shifts in dieting methods
• State/regional obesity statistics: % of population, 1991-2000

Findings of Dieter Surveys/profiles by:

• BestDietForMe.com website visitors - 2006, 4 quarters, Consumer Reports, AC Nielsen, International Demographics
• Calorie Control Council (2004 vs. 2000), no. of U.S. dieters & low-cal food/beverage users, top dieting methods used, low-cal food/beverage usage by kind, diet attempts
• Tables (2006 data)
  • All adult dieters, % of population, by income, age, occupation, education, marital status
  • Female dieters, % of population, by income, age, occupation, education, marital status
  • Number of female/male dieters and % of population, for 85 major cities
  • All adult dieters, male dieters, female dieters - by city and household income
  • Chart: Why do we fail?-reasons why Americans not successful maintaining their weight.
  • Chart: Most popular low-cal products.

American Exercise Trends, Health Clubs & Weight Loss Programs

• Status Report of U.S. Health Clubs Industry - no. of facilities, type clubs, number of club members, recent trends, Industry receipts: 1993-2010F, characteristics of club members, drop-out rates, members by type club, estd. share of clubs with diet programs.
• 15 top participant sports -1995-2005, (NSGA), 2001-2005 % chg. In participation
• Most popular women' s sports: 2005, types of exercise equipment, home exercise trends
• How women keep fit, most popular types of exercise equip. used, general trends in exercise, home exercise and gyms.
• Health clubs' involvement with weight loss, % with programs, using clubs as weight loss method, samples/costs of typical weight loss programs offered by health clubs (Think Light plan).
  • Company Profiles: Bally' s, Curves, 24 Hour Fitness, their weight loss programs.

Commercial Weight Loss Chains

• Summary & nature of competitors, status report/major developments since 2005 (no. of centers left, avg. cost of major commercial plans vs. medical and self-help plans 2006 segment performance, 2007 outlook, estd. revenues of leaders, 2010 forecast

• 2002 & 1997 industry snapshot for commercial diet centers: no. of establishments, legal form of firms, top 50 firms mkt. share, ratios by firm' s receipts, top states
• Sample income statement for a typical commercial center: 2006
• Avg. revenues per co.-owned/franchised center for Jenny Craig & LA Weight Loss: 2006
• Avg. costs to acquire new customers
• What commercial centers have in common, expansion of 1980s/contraction of 1990s 1982-88 diet franchise avg. revenues per unit, no. of centers/ sites operated by top chains.
• Franchising: status of, use as growth strategy, investment costs, profiles of Wt. Watchers, Jenny Craig franchises, why franchising may be less viable, commercial chains survival actions.

Census Bureau Operating Ratios Tables: 1997 & 2002 (Commercial diet centers/services) (no. of estabs., firms, receipts, avg. receipts per estab., payroll as % sales, etc.)

• Employee sales/payroll productivity
• Establishments, by legal form (corporations, partnerships, sole proprietors)
• Market share for largest 4, 8, 20, 50 firms
• Ratios, by single vs. multi-unit firms
• Ratios, by receipts size of firms & establishments
• No. of diet centers, by state & region, avg. receipts per estab. By state
• No. of diet centers, by state, ranked by sales, ranked by avg. receipts per estab.

Other Tables:

• 1982-2010F commercial segment sales
• Number of commercial centers (1996, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2007 - top 8 chains)
• Sales of the top 8 chains (incl. eDiets, NutriSystem): 1999 - 2006

Company profiles: in-depth company history, how programs work, costs, franchise systems, 2004-2006 & historical revenues, new programs, strategies, address/website):

• * Weight Watchers International
• * Jenny Craig
• * NutriSystem
• * LA Weight Loss Centers

* Health Management Group (Diet Center, Physicians Wt. Loss, Form You 3)

Diet Websites - Status Report

• Discussion of diet websites and nutrition services, how they work, status report on costs and new challenges, new website by Glaxo for Alli, Medifast relaunch of its site, list of major diet websites, analysis of Alexa rankings/daily traffic for top 28 sites, effects on other weight loss companies/the industry,
• Profile of online dieter characteristics: Bestdietforme.com visitors by: sex, age, BMI, starting weight, medical conditions, budget, preferred program sites, interest in surgery and diet food home delivery, previous plans used, type food desired, readiness, exercise preferences, need for pysch support.
  • Profiles of some leading weight loss websites:
    • eDiets.com, WeightWatchers.com, Dietwatch.com, Lindora Online, WebMD.

The Diet Books, Cassettes & Exercise Videos Market

• Diet Books: Discussion of overall self-improvement books mkt., $ size, nature of diet books mkt. estd. $ value per year, list of recent diet book bestsellers, diet book buyer demographics, what qualities make a bestseller, etc.
• Exercise Videos & DVDs: top names/exercise experts, main categories of videos, estimated mkt. size, units/dollars, historical estimates/wholesale sales
• Marketdata estimates of 2006 mkt. size for diet books, videos, audiocassettes
• Historical sales: 1989 - 2010 forecast

The Diet Soft Drinks & Artificial Sweeteners, Diet Food Markets

The Diet Soft Drinks Market

• Status Report 2005-2006, new products (Celsius, Tava, Coke Zero), diet soft drinks as % total soft drinks, mkt. nature and historical growth, forecasts, demographics of consumers, diet' s share of all carbonated soft drinks (Beverage Industry, Beverage Digest),
• Total soft drink retail $ sales, diet share of gallons/retail sales: 1988-2007, 2010 forecast
• 1989-2010 F diet soft drink $ sales
• Demographics of diet soft drink consumers, historical nature of the market

• Status Report of the mkt., developments with Aspartame, Splenda/studies,
• Sweeteners by end use (% for soft drinks vs. tabletop sweeteners mkt.)
• Description of major types (Aspartame, Neotame, Saccharin, Sucralose, Stevia, Acesulfame)
• Market size & growth, historical sales 1991-2010 forecast.

Low-cal Diet Entrees & Low-carb Foods Market

• Mkt. Status Report, definition of "diet" foods, discussion of dinner entrees, the major brands
• Marketdata estimates for 1994 to 2006, 2010 F
• Low-cal "diet" entrees mkt. size: 2003-2005 (IRI) - Healthy Choice, Wt. Watchers, Lean Cuisine retail sales
• 2005 mkt. performance, 2006 estimates, 2010 forecasts

Low-carb Foods Market

• Reasons for huge growth, analysis of no. of people using Atkins as diet plan, why the trend has faded, effect on other weight loss industry segments.
• Low-cal user demographics: consumer use of low-cal foods/beverages: Calorie Control Council survey, most popular low-fat foods, top reasons people choose them

Company Profile: Atkins Nutritionals

The Diet Food Home Delivery Services Market

• Why the recent demand? How services operate, how services are formed/why some fail, no. of mkt. competitors, pricing, national vs. regional distribution, customer demographics
• Mkt. size/growth: potential no. of home delivery clients, rationale for estimates
• Marketdata 2006-2007 estimates, projection of NutriSystem revenues for 2007, estd. revenues for Jenny Direct, Medifast, others
• Marketing/advertising methods used, address list of 23 mkt. competitors (NutriSystm, Jenny Craig, Atkins At Home, Diet To Go, eDiets, Sunfare, HMR At Home, Dinewise, Zone Chefs, more)

Retail Meal Replacements & Appetite Suppressants Market

• Definition/nature of meal replacements vs. over-the-counter (OTC) diet pills, ingredients being used today, post-ephedra ban
• History/nature of mkt.- cyclical shifts from mid-1980s
• User demographics: no. and % of dieters using diet pills and meal replacements (Consumer Reports, Bestdietforme.com surveys).

Retail Meal Replacements & Diet Pills (continued)

• 2006 Status Report of the market: estd. Channel sales (diet pills, meal replace.), findings of Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ) research, top diet pill brands sales: 2004-2005, top meal replacements brands sales, nutrition bars brand sales
• Regulatory actions, FTC fines marketers of diet pills
• Marketdata discussion of traditional/nontraditional distribution channels
• Mkt. size/growth: true size of the mkt. - why estimates differ widely
• NBJ estimates of 2005 diet pill & meal replacements $ and % sales, by distribution channels, discussion of multilevel firms (Advacare, Shaklee, Herbalife, Quixtar, Nu-Skin, EAS, Atkins)

Tables:

• Marketdata estimates of OTC diet pills, meal replacements, combined sales - 1981-2005
• Revised estimates of above markets, based on new NBJ research: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010 F
• Discussion of 2005-2006 market performance, 2007 outlook, 2010 forecasts

Company profiles: Slim-Fast, Herbalife

Medically-Supervised Weight Loss Programs

Hospital-based Weight Loss Programs

• Types of plans offered (low-cost, moderate-cost plans, estd. no. of hospitals providing each, typical cost).
• Physician-based diet programs: diet drugs/other methods used, consumer attitudes, limitations, sample MD-based plan: Center for Medical Weight Loss
• Profiles of some hospital-based weight loss programs: Johns Hopkins, Palos Community Hospital
• Major Regional Chains: Lindora Medical Clinics , Medical Weight Loss of Michigan,

Bariatricians Programs

• 2007 status report of profession, ASBP survey results (MDs by: age, income, size practice), how they' re trained, number practicing, certification by ASBP, use of diet drugs, treatment methods used, effectiveness/cost.

The Weight Loss (bariatric) Surgery Market

• Bariatric surgeries soars - Discussion of gastric bypass & lapband procedures, why demand grew strongly then slowed, costs per surgery by type payor, pros/cons, who qualifies, no. of ASBS surgeon members/growth of
• Major insurers' decision to halt coverage, likely effect on the mkt., role of liaison firms (The Wish Centers, Barix Clinics, CORI Centers, Liv-Lite - addresses), avg. cost of surgery.
• No. of bariatric surgeries performed: 1992-2006
• $ value of the market: 1992-2010 F

Registered Dietitians & Nutritionists Diet Plans

• Estimate of number involved with weight loss counseling or programs, SCAN practice, fees, sample programs and methods used, avg. length/cost of plans, professional societies, etc.

The Diet Drugs Market

• Discussion of viewing obesity as a disease, major obesity medications used today, FDA position, role of MDs, commercial chains' involvement with diet drugs,
• Status Report: Low dosage Xenical approved for OTC sale, approval status for Acomplia (Rimonabant), other new obesity drugs in clinical trials, existing drugs (Xenical, Meridia, Phentermine)
• Market status report - prescriptions written and $ sales for: Meridia, Xenical, Phentermine, other anti-obesity drugs (2003-2006), historical sales 1995-2000
• Marketdata' s 2007 and 2010 outlooks for prescription diet drugs, likely effect on mkt. size.

VLCD/LCD Fasting Supplement Programs

• Status report of low-calorie modified fasting programs in 2006-2007, effect of bariatric surgeries, low-carb foods competition, outlooks by mgmt. at Robard, HMR, Optifast, trends characterizing the mkt. (price, programs, no. of sites, increased direct-to-customer sales)
• Historical nature of market - development from 1970s-1990s, enrollments, drop-out/completion rates, problem on insurance coverage, market indicators
• Marketdata estimates of VLCD enrollments for 1995-2006 (new vs. repeat patients, fasting vs. maintenance), $ value of mkt. for 1984-2010 F.
• Company Profiles: Detailed descriptions of companies/plans, program revenues: Health Management Resources, Medifast, Optifast (Novartis)

Children' s Weight Loss Camps & Adult Residential Facilities

• Discussion of increased childhhod obesity & re-emergence of camps for obese children and adolescents, profiles of major facilities (New Image, Camp Kingsmont, Camp Shane, Julian Krinsky, Academy of Sierras), 2006 attendance, fees, program descriptions
• Discussion & nature of mkt. for adult premium priced residential weight loss facilities, profiles for: Duke Univ., Hilton Head, Green Mountain at Fox Run, Structure House)

Reference Directory of Weight Loss Information Sources

• Industry trade associations, journals, newsletters, magazines, consultants, etc.