'The state of obesity in America should not be taken lightly,' says Jeff Zwiefel, vice president of Life Time Fitness's Nutrition Division. His is a view echoed by both Casey Conrad, CEO of Healthy Inspirations Weight Loss Centres, and Paul Toback, president and CEO at Bally Total Fitness.

All three industry figures predict a 'weight loss boom' is just around the corner in the US and have launched their own programmes to help tackle the ever-increasing problem.

Conrad founded the Healthy Inspirations Weight Loss programme almost three years ago and it now has almost 60 locations in five countries. The company is now expanding, with stand-alone locations offering the programme being opened by doctors to compliment their own practices. 'Medical professionals coming on board will help grow both the number of licensees to the program, and its credibility,' says Conrad.

Meanwhile, Bally Total Fitness has entered the weight-loss market with the introduction of a new weight management nutrition and exercise programme, customised to the individual's metabolism using HealthTech's BodyGem. Client's metabolic rate is measured to determine the number of calories they must consume to reach their goal and then they are given meal and exercise plans and one-to-one nutrition counselling.

'The Bally programme focuses on making long-term lifestyle changes through education and counselling combined with cutting-edge technology,' says Toback.

Finally, Life Time Fitness centres are set to enter the weight management arena with LeanSource - a new line of branded products and educational materials. The Minnesota-based operator has 29 fitness centres and has launched LeanSource in a bid to bolster consumer awareness of obesity issues.