Commercial weight loss programs for Obesity

Overview
Commercial weight loss programs are a popular way to try to lose weight. Well-known brands include Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and Nutrisystem, but there are many other programs available.

Depending on your health conditions, some weight loss programs might provide too much or too little of the nutrients you need. Always check with your doctor before making significant changes to your diet.

What does it involve?
Commercial weight loss programs differ widely in their approaches. Some programs involve eating branded, prepackaged meals that must be purchased from the company, while others allow you to eat any food you like, but ask you to track points or calories.

Many commercial programs include an aspect of community support, counseling, or behavior change as part of their system. Depending on what works best for you, you can find a program that provides regularly scheduled group meetings, individual counseling, or online community forums.

Commercial programs may offer other benefits such as menu plans and progress tracking.

Intended Outcomes
The goal of commercial weight loss programs is to lose weight.

Results
Various commercial weight loss programs have differing rates of efficacy and cost-effectiveness. There are few studies that follow the long-term outcomes of using branded weight loss systems.

Constraints
A commercial weight loss program may not be geared toward your specific dietary needs. If you receive inadequate nutrition, you may develop new health problems, or existing conditions may worsen.

Many people find commercial weight loss programs difficult to stick to. Some have high rates of attrition as people drop out.

You may not enjoy the branded, prepackaged meals supplied by the company. You may find it frustrating to keep count of the points or calories associated with the food you eat.

Some commercial weight loss programs may have significant monthly costs. Depending on your healthcare insurance plan, some programs may be discounted.

To read more, visit
Efficacy of commercial weight-loss programs: an updated systematic review. – Annals of internal medicine
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25844997

Meta- and cost-effectiveness analysis of commercial weight loss strategies. – Obesity
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24962106