Bulging boomers

NEW YORK

Despite his growing waistline, Douglas Cain never worried much about his daily diet of burritos, McDonald's breakfast sandwiches and soda. But after being diagnosed with diabetes a year ago, the 49-year-old knew he had to change.

"The doctor suggested that the number-one thing I could do was to lose weight and lower my blood pressure. That forced me to get off my duff and watch my weight," said Cain, of Seattle, who lost 65 pounds primarily by eating diet bars, prepackaged meals and exercising regularly.

The weight loss industry has seen a surge in business in recent years, fueled in part by baby boomers hoping to look and feel young. Many boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are starting to realize the dangers of obesity in their middle age, experts say.

In demand are services and products ranging from commercial diet programs to meal replacement bars and nutritional counseling. Many weight loss companies report that boomers represent about 40 percent of their customers.

Feeling younger

"Boomers have always felt younger than their bodies actually were," said Ron Geraci, a features editor who focuses on boomers for AARP The Magazine. "Boomers like to be active, but they're being swept into the same national (waistline) expansion seen at all levels.

"They're also facing difficult biological problems when they turn 40 or 45, when metabolism really slows. So not only are they bringing this mentality, but are also hitting the point where the cards are stacked against them," he said.

The industry's growth comes as the nation's obesity rate has risen to two-thirds of U.S. adults and studies increasingly link overweight people, particularly those in their 40s, to high blood pressure, diabetes and shorter life expectancies.

Currently, there are about 52 million U.S. dieters, creating a weight loss market worth $40 billion, according to Marketdata Enterprises, a Tampa, Fla.-based research group. It predicts continued annual growth of about 5.8 percent, with much of the business coming from boomers.

"What's happening today is that due to rising global obesity rates, virtually all kinds of diet programs are in demand," said John LaRosa, Marketdata's president.

Encouraging weight loss

Companies are responding. Weight Watchers International, which has relied on boomer Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, to pitch its products since 1997, saw attendance at its meetings surge from 23 million at that time to 55 million last year.

The Woodbury, N.Y.-based company also is funding the American Cancer Society's Great American Weigh In, a daylong drive on March 5 modeled after the Great American Smokeout to encourage people to lose weight.

"Boomers are going to be more experimentive than their parents were and more willing to ask for help and support," said Linda Carilli, a Weight Watchers spokeswoman. "They're asking, 'How am I going to do this and what kind of support will I get?'"

Slim-Fast Foods, which reports that 40 percent of its customers are boomers, is resorting to consumer education about obesity's health risks, a strategy that caters to the health-conscious generation's zeal for information.

And ZonePerfect Nutrition, known for its diet bars, supplements and prepackaged meals, reported sales growth of 81 percent to $50 million last year, and predicts 40 percent annual growth in the coming years, largely from sales to on-the-go boomers.

Paul Pruett, chief operating officer of the Boston-based company, said many boomers frequently bought junk food at convenience stores, but are now going to "reach for a nutrition bar instead of a candy bar."

Lauren Fix, of Buffalo, N.Y., is a 39-year-old automotive expert who frequently appears on television. She travels much of the year, which initially made it difficult to eat right. Having a diet bar changed that, she said.

"I'm always on the go. And when I'm stuck in an airport, my choices are usually a hot dog on a roller or a rotten taco which has been sitting for three hours," Fix said. "Now I have a zone bar, which I keep everywhere, in my briefcase, in my desk, in my car."