Summer means sun and fun – and bathing suits.
“During the pre-summer months, we have about a 28 percent increase in sales,” said Teresa Kelly, spokeswoman for Jenny Craig.
The majority of participants usually stay in the program throughout the summer; then there is another increase during back-to-school time, Kelly said.
Jenny Craig, Inc., founded in 1983, is one of the largest weight management service companies in the world. The program includes one-on-one consultation at Jenny Craig Centers, as well as advising over the phone. The program also gives menu plans that are nutritionally balanced, according to recommendations of the USDA Food Guide Pyramid and Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
About 660 Jenny Craig Centers operate in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico. Five of those locations are located in central Ohio.
“Our three busiest times are right after New Year’s, pre-summer and when it is time to go back to school,” Kelly said.
“Year after year, attendance increases for us,” said Donna Stein, spokeswoman for Weight Watchers. “Our first quarter, which is Jan. 1 to March 31, showed an increase in enrollment.
“We see an increase in enrollment after New Year’s, but there is a big push right after Easter because people realize that summer is just a few months away,” Stein said.
Weight Watchers also has meeting places in central Ohio where customers pay and meet weekly with consultants.
According to a recent study by Marketdata Enterprises, Americans will spend almost $40 billion this year alone to lose weight. The study also predicts the weight loss industry in the U.S. will grow 5.6 percent annually to $48.8 billion in the year 2006.
In 2002, commercial weight-loss centers represented 1.2 billion of the $39 billion industry pie, according to Marketdata Enterprises.
Another growing trend is the popularity of Internet-based weight-loss programs. One company, eDiets.com, is the largest subscription-based online diet, fitness and counseling network. EDiets.com, based in Deerfield, Fla., offers online, subscription-based weight-loss programs using propriety software to generate customized diets based on the customers’ personal goals, food preferences and lifestyles.
Over 1.2 million customers have purchased memberships since 1997 and over 13 million opt-in subscribers receive the company’s bi-weekly health and wellness newsletter.
“In April of 2002, I realized that summer was just around the corner and I needed to do something,” said Julie Riffle, a member of Weight Watchers. “Since then, I have found it easier to stick to the point system in the warm months as opposed to the cold months. My other fellow members feel the same way.”
