1. Helping Consumers Choose a Safe and Effective Weight Management Program The Wacky World of Weight Loss

3. Partnership for Healthy Weight Management Costs of Overweight/Obesity $37.1 billion consumer costs to lose/maintain weight Growing at a rate of 6 to 7 percent a year

5. More than one in three Americans are trying to lose weight!

6. The Paradox 64 percent of Americans are overweight or obese (National Center for Health Statistics, NHANES, 1999-2000) Up nearly 10 percent from just a decade ago! (NHANES III, 1988-1994)

7. Keeping it off… For many, most weight regained within five years

8. Medical –Polycystic ovary disease –Gall bladder disease –Osteoarthritis –Cancer Pregnancy and postpartum depression Mortality Psychosocial Cardiovascular –Hyperlipidemia –Diabetes mellitus –Hypertension –Respiratory –Cardiac Consequences of Adult Obesity

9. Cost of Obesity Obesity-related health care costs = $117 billion in 2000

10. Why the increasing epidemic?

11. Voluntary Guidelines for Providers of Weight Loss Products or Services Developed by The Partnership for Healthy Weight Management