About Weight Loss: A Lucrative Industry

With economies all over the world in recession and job cuts hitting the headlines every day, you’d think that people would be tightening their belts. However, it seems that the opposite is happening, as one industry, in particular, is quite clearly in full expansion. The amount of money spent on weight loss products has been on the increase year after year. Estimates now put an annual value for the US weight loss industry alone, in the region of $100+ billion. How can you claim your piece of this big pie?

Already overweight and still growing

All over the world, it seems that people are packing on the weight. The WHO (World Health Organization) predicted there would be an increase from 1.6 billion to 2.3 billion in the number of adults who are overweight worldwide from 2005 to 2015, and 700 million of those will be classed as ‘obese’.

Obesity challenges smoking as killer disease

Smoking, as a preventable cause of death, has lost its top place to obesity which has now become the predominant cause of premature death in the US. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2000, cases of US states reporting a prevalence of obesity of more than 30% were nonexistent, however, by 2009 some 9 states were reporting obesity rates of 30% or greater, and by 2010 that number had increased to 12 states. Presently the government reports that 37%, in other words, more than a third, of US citizens are classified as obese.

Big waistlines - Big bills

The cost of obesity is growing along with the numbers of obese people. Spending on medical services related to obesity are now double that which was previously estimated and exceeds the figures related to medical spending on smoking related illnesses. Back in 2008, US medical spending was $147 million for treatments associated with obesity, which at that time represented around 10% of all medical spending. That figure has soared and is now around 20%. Estimates for future medical spending related to obesity don’t paint a pretty picture either, with figures of $344 billion being predicted by 2018 if people in the US continue to gain weight as they have been doing, nudging that figure to 21% of all medical spending.

Not just medical spending

The rapidly growing number of obese people has forced several organizations to take special measures in order to deal with this phenomenon. It’s been reported that some US hospitals are literally replacing their toilets, exchanging wall mounted models for floor mounted ones, in order to accommodate heavier patients. Buses operated by the Federal Transit Administration are being tested to see what the impact of heavier passengers has on the braking and handling abilities of their buses. Private cars are guzzling almost a billion extra gallons of gas a year in order to carry heavier drivers and passengers, compared to what they consumed to move people in 1960. It’s estimated that Americans now spend a total of $1 billion extra on gas annually moving their extra ‘baggage’ around the country.

Never too late to lose that weight

And it’s not just medical and transport bills that are affected. In Germany, it appears that even in death, extra weight carries an extra cost, as the German funeral industry is now offering larger sized coffins and introducing weight limits for furnaces in crematoriums. It may be true that it’s never too late to shed those pounds. As the phenomenon of obesity continues to become more prevalent all around the world, we can be sure of hearing more such stories in the future.

Making money from weight loss

Well known weight loss programs such as Weight Watchers, Medifast and Nutrisystem have been at it for years. Pushing their ever expanding range of weight loss meal replacements, drinks, products and DVD programs, they constantly generate impressive revenues year after year from sales of their products to people who are desperate to shed a few pounds, trim their waistline and become slimmer and healthier.

What you can do as a blogger

You can get yourself a share of this very lucrative weight loss market, without opening a chain of stores or studying for years to become a qualified and registered dietician or nutritionist. By simply affiliating yourself with these and other well-established weight loss market leaders, you can generate your own steady flow of revenue from this mega industry.

People are looking for help

Google handles millions of search requests on a daily basis for weight loss products, diet solutions, and health programs by people all over the world, all looking for something to help them lose that fat, trim those love handles and regain their figures. They are looking for answers to their questions, and this is where you come in. By creating useful information and weight loss resources online for these people you will be able to help them get the answers to such questions as “Which is the best weight loss program?”, “How can I lose weight fast?”, “How effective is Medifast?” “Does Bistro MD work?” and many other similar questions that are asked every day across the internet. These people are driven in their search for information and products to achieve their goals, and they’re willing to spend money in order to do it.

How you can help them

By creating your site, you’ll be providing these people with a valuable mine of information to help them in their weight loss goals. You’ll typically want to target these areas: ●Comparing and reviewing the leading weight loss programsrn●Answering readers’ questions about weight loss programs and productsrn●Giving advice on weight loss programs, how they work, advantages, disadvantagesrn●Helping people based on their personal circumstance and desired goals to choose the best weight loss solution for themrn●Provide motivation for readers through testimonials and reviews by real people who have tried the products, detailing their results, how many pounds they lost in the first week, months etc. ●Keep readers informed of latest clinical studies and reports about weight loss programs As an example, check this on my site where I offer useful information to people who are looking to lose weight with Nutrisystem—an established weight management program in the US. To further enrich the information of my Nutrisystempage, I have asked Marianne, a friend of mine, to try 4-weeks worth of meals (that’s around 80 meals) and write reviews for each meal which I will post on my site. Marianne started 2 weeks ago and she is half way through the project. A few months ago, Rachel tested the meals of Diet-to-Go meal delivery service, You can see her testimony and review articles here.

How you can help yourself

Your website will also recommend and endorse specific weight loss products, and when your site is responsible for sending a visitor to another site which sells a weight loss or dieting product or program, you will receive a commission on each successful sale transacted through the site. Having created your informative and resource loaded website, you’ll be able to feature specific weight loss and dieting products on it for your readers to take advantage of. Amazon.com offers a bewildering range of products, more than 13,000 presently, targeting people who are dieting, trying to lose weight or are fitness orientated. Becoming an Amazon.com affiliate allows you to tap into this huge market and can generate a steady stream of revenue for yourself, based only on their 5% referral commission payments. Other affiliate options to boost your income include Weight Watchers, which is one of the most established in the weight loss marketplace and pays a $10 fee for all referrals that lead to a sale. Medifast, the doctor approved meal replacement product, also operate a referral system and pay affiliates a healthy 20% fee for referrals leading to sales of their products. By creating and generating interesting and relevant content on your site you will attract a steady flow of highly interested visitors, keen to see what you have to say, and the products you’re featuring. This will lead to sales and commission payments for you. The weight loss and dieting industry have been around for a long time, and many people have already made a lot of money from it. As the figures show, there seems to be no let up in the increase of obesity, and safe to say, the increase in demand for weight loss and dieting products will not lag far behind. Now is a great time to get into this mega billion dollar industry and snap up your share! Beatrice of Bestiews.com is an avid blogger who studies the obesity trend and how it relates to an opportunity for bloggers to monetize their site.