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The $38 billion U.S. commercial weight loss market is 15% larger than in 2020, but has had to pivot to adjust to huge competition from the popular GLP-1 drugs. The large commercial chains have been hurt the most since 2022. Commercial weight loss firms lost $2 billion in sales to the GLP-1 drugs market. The business has gone virtual, and some competitors have added the GLP-1 drugs to their programs to position themselves for a new future.
However, some commercial markets have held up well. Diet soft drinks have shown surprising strength, and high protein meal replacements have been positioned as an adjunct to the weight loss drugs. The weight loss apps market is growing strongly. The ranks of commercial weight loss centers have been thinned, and franchising is all but dead as a growth model.
This Marketdata report is a completely updated analysis of the U.S. weight loss market, with a heavy focus on commercial weight loss centers/services - how they have been affected by and are responding to the popular GLP-1 drugs. This is the most comprehensive investigation of the U.S. commercial weight loss market published by anyone worldwide.
The report includes dollar value & growth rates of all major commercial weight loss market segments (early 1980s to 2024 and 2025 & 2028 forecasts), latest market trends and company developments and status reports for diet soft drinks, artificial sweeteners, commercial weight loss centers, multi-level marketing diet plans, retail and MLM meal replacements and weight loss supplements, and low-cal frozen entrees.
In addition the report includes an analysis of the medical weight loss programs market and competition from MDs, hospitals, medical clinic chains, and telehealth.
The report includes a 35-year revenue analysis of the market through past recessions and fad diet cycles, plus weight loss center franchising, and extensive national/state commercial centers’ operating ratios. Also included are rankings & revenues of top commercial chains, brand sales and a Reference Directory.
Competitor profiles are included for Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, Medifast, Herbalife, Noom, MyFitness Pal, Slim-Fast (Glanbia), Simply Good Foods (Atkins Nutritionals), Slimgenics, Profile by Sanford, BeachBody, Metabolic Research, Visalis Life Sciences, Isagenix, Shaklee, AMWAY (Quixtar), and Nu-Skin.
New for this edition:
- Effects of the soaring GLP-1 drugs market and medical weight loss programs
- 2023-2024 market performance, 2025 & 2028 Forecasts
- Rankings/revenues of the leading competitors
- The franchising slowdown - why retail centers are disappearing
FREE with purchase: A "done-for-you" PowerPoint presentation covering the market's characteristics, structure, $ size, growth drivers, forecasts, and key operating metrics.
Table of Contents
Introduction, Scope, Methodology
Executive Overview
- Market definition and segments
- Size/growth of the commercial programs & products market: 2020-2028 forecast
- Discussion of the shift by dieters to GLP-1 drugs and medical programs
- Discussion of the pivot to virtual programs, impact & closures of retail weight loss centers
- Analysis of the explosion of the GLP-1 drugs market since 2022: major developments in the medical weight loss market
- Size/growth of medical weight loss programs: market segments
- Market Segment Status Reports & Outlooks (2025 & 2028 forecasts)
- Commercial weight loss centers
- Weight loss apps, virtual programs
- Retail & multi-level marketing meal replacements & appetite suppressants
- Diet Soft Drinks Market
- Artificial sweeteners market
- The Low-Calorie ("diet") & Low-Carb Foods Market
Tables:
- Size of the U.S. Commercial Weight Loss Market: 2020 - 2028 forecast
- Size of the U.S. Commercial Weight Loss Market: 2012 - 2019
- Value of The U.S. Medical Weight Loss Market: 2018 - 2028 forecast
- Revenues of the commercial firm leaders: 2017- 2024
- Size of The Weight Loss Apps Market
- Meal replacement sales, by major companies: 2020-2024
- Estimated U.S. Dollar Sales of Diet Soft Drinks: 2005 - 2028 F
- Low-calorie frozen dinners brand sales:2020 - 2024
Highlights of ALL study chapters contained in the Overview
GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs & Medical Programs: The Competition’s Impact On Commercial Programs
- Summary & analysis of market share/revenues lost by commercial weight loss firms
- Major market developments & impacts on commercial programs since 2022
- Size & Structure of the medical weight Loss Market
- The GLP-1 weight loss drugs market: size, scope, possible headwinds, 2025 outlook, possibility of recession
- Medical Weight Loss Clinic Chains & Franchises: as competition for commercial programs
- Hospitals: type programs, as competition for commercial programs
- Independent physicians, as competition for commercial programs
Tables:
- Value of The U.S. Medical Weight Loss Market: 2018 - 2028 Forecast
- Number of medical clinic chain U.S. Locations, by company
Commercial Weight Loss Centers
- Summary & analysis: Effects of the GLP-1 drugs boom, center closures
- List & Discussion of all major developments of 2023-2024 (actions of Weight Watchers, Medifast, Profile Plan, increased competition, etc.)
- List of major market trends
- Weight Watchers status report
- Medifast status report
- 2025 & 2028 Marketdata forecast, positive/negative factors affecting growth to 2028
- Average Sales Per weight loss center
- Average Costs of weight loss Programs, by type
- The importance of good counselors, discussion
- Census survey data: major operating metrics of commercial weight loss services
- Historical growth/contraction cycles of commercial centers, discussion
- Commercial centers Franchising: why it’s more difficult, use as growth strategy, investment costs, profiles of Wt. Watchers, Jenny Craig franchises, why franchising is less viable today.
Tables:
- Number of commercial weight loss services nationwide: 1991-2025
- No. of center locations/meeting sites, by company: 2014-2024
- Revenues of the leading commercial chains: 2003-2024
- Historical table of segment revenues/growth from 1989-2028 F
- Census Bureau snapshot of the industry: 2007, 2012, 2017, 2022 key ratios, statistics
- Sample Income Statement of a typical commercial weight loss center
- Weight Control Services, by Sales Volume - 2025
Industry Structure & Key Ratios (Census Data)
- 2022, 2017, 2012, 2007 - industry snapshots for commercial diet centers: no. of establishments, legal form of firms, top 50 firms mkt. share, ratios by firm’s receipts, top states
- Avg. revenues per co.-owned/franchised center for Jenny Craig & LA Weight Loss
- Avg. costs to acquire new customers
Census Bureau Operating Ratios: 2022, 2017, 2012, 2007 (Commercial diet centers/services) (no. of estabs., firms, receipts, receipts per estab., payroll as % sales, etc.)
Tables:
- Industry snapshot: no. of establishments, receipts, avg. per estab. & employee, 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 commercial weight loss centers, estd. receipts, by state: 2022
- No. of commercial weight loss centers, by state & region: 2020
- Weight loss services, ranked by estd. receipts: 2022
Company profiles: in-depth company history, current status, how programs work, costs, franchise systems, 2019-2024 revenues, new programs, strategies, address/website):
- Weight Watchers International
- Jenny Craig
- NutriSystem
- Medifast
- Metabolic Research Centers
- Profile by Sanford (defunct)
- Slimgenics
- BODI (The Beachbody Co.)
Retail Meal Replacements & Appetite Suppressants Market
- Definition/nature of meal replacements vs. over-the-counter (retail) weight loss supplements
- History/nature of mkt.- cyclical shifts from mid-1980s
- Market trends and key drivers
- Current Trends: Effects of the GLP-1 drugs boom
- Key distribution channels (MLM, retail, internet, healthcare pros)
- Scrutiny of OTC appetite suppressants
- Analysis of the market by Nutrition Business Journal
- 2023-2024 market performance: revenues of leading retail & MLM firms (Atkins, Herbalife, Slim-Fast, Premier Protein)
- 2025 & 2028 forecasts
- User demographics: no. and % of dieters using diet pills and meal replacements
- Why long-term outlook is stronger for meal replacements, preferred by MDs, MLMs, commercial chains, why retail diet pills mkt. still struggles, possible FTC actions
- List of the major meal replacement competitors
- NBJ estimates of diet pill & meal replacements $ and % sales, by distribution channels, discussion of multilevel firms (Advocare, Shaklee, Herbalife, Quixtar, Nu-Skin)
- Marketdata estimates of growth for diet pills & meal replacements 2025-2028 F, demand factors.
Tables:
- Marketdata estimates of retail diet pills, meal replacements, combined sales - 1981-2028 F
- Meal Replacement Sales, by major companies: 2020-2024
- Top retail diet pill brand sales, 2011-2015
- U.S. Sports Nutrition & Weight-Loss $ Market Sales, by channel
- Top MLM & retail companies’ sales of meal replacements: 2022 & 2024
Company profiles: (estimated or actual 2024 revenues, strategies, product lines, marketing)
- Slim-Fast (Glanbia)
- Herbalife
- Visalis Life Sciences
- Isagenix
- Shaklee
- AMWAY (Quixtar)
- Nu-Skin
The Weight Loss Apps Market
- Discussion/analysis of weight loss apps market, major competitors, mkt. size
- Market Size & structure, key metrics (users, downloads, revenues)Company Profiles: Noom, My Fitness Pal
Tables:
- Size of The Weight Loss Apps Market: 2020-2028 F
The Diet Soft Drinks Market
- Status Report: why diet soda sales have rebounded lately, effect of the GLP-1s boom on consumption
- 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),
- Market trends: rise of zero sugar sodas, Dr. Pepper surpasses Pepsi
Tables:
- Demographics of diet soft drink consumers, historical nature of the market.
- 1989-2028 F diet soft drink $ sales
- Total soft drink retail $ sales, diet share of gallons/retail sales: 1989-2024, 2025 & 2028 forecast
The Artificial Sweeteners Market
- Status Report of the mkt., new high intensity sweeteners emerging, Stevia, Sucralose, Splenda, consumer trend to avoid artificial ingredients, data from Calorie Control Council regarding use by consumers
- Sweeteners by end use (% for soft drinks vs. tabletop sweeteners mkt.)
- Description of major types (Aspartame, Neotame, Saccharin, Sucralose, Stevia, Acesulfame)
- Market size & growth: 2022-2024, historical sales 1991-2024 performance, 2028 forecast
Tables:
- Estimated U.S. sales of artificial sweeteners:1991-2028 F
Low-cal Frozen Diet Entrees & Low-calorie Foods Market
- Mkt. Status Report, definition of “diet” foods, discussion of dinner entrees, the major brands, actions by food industry to spur sales
- Actions taken by producers to revitalize sales, packaging, new formulations, etc.
- Outlook and sales estim. for 2023-2024, $ volume for Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, Healthy Choice
- Low-carb foods - mkt. size estimates.
- Company Profile: Atkins Nutritionals (Simply Good Foods)
Tables:
- Market size estimates for 1994 to 2028 F
- Low-calorie frozen dinners sales, by brand: 2020, 2022, 2024
Reference Directory of Weight Loss Information Sources
- Industry & government trade associations, journals, newsletters, magazines, consultants
Companies Mentioned
- Weight Watchers
- Jenny Craig
- NutriSystem
- Medifast
- Herbalife
- Noom
- MyFitness Pal
- Slim-Fast (Glanbia)
- Simply Good Foods (Atkins Nutritionals)
- Slimgenics
- Profile by Sanford
- BeachBody
- Metabolic Research
- Visalis Life Sciences
- Isagenix
- Shaklee
- AMWAY (Quixtar)
- Nu-Skin
Methodology
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