Weight Loss Products: Selling A Custom Fit By Lisa Schofield Sweet Alternatives Not only do many of your customers want to control their weight, many also want to control blood sugar levels. An increasing number of cases of diabetes and obesity are being diagnosed. Today's diets are indeed the culprit behind these debilitating maladies. "Stevia [Stevia rebaudiana] is the king of no-calorie sweeteners," declared Dan Richard, sales manager for NOW Foods, Bloomingdale, IL. "The average American consumes a lot of sugar daily. Stevia can be placed where sweeteners would be, and in the diet section as another choice for sugar," he said. While the FDA prohibits powdered stevia supplements from being sold as a sweetener, Richard stated that he is not aware of any retailers having had any problems selling stevia in this respect. He did advise, however, that retailers "may have problems if they advertise stevia products as sugar alternatives." NOW Foods sells stevia in powder and liquid form (both alcohol-containing and alcohol-free). Mesa, AZ-based Wisdom Herbs has launched SteviaTabs, a calorie-free tablet that is as sweet as one teaspoon of sugar, according to the company. Each 100 mg tablet dissolves in hot or cold beverages. But there are other herbs that are sweet tasting, too. Also new from Wisdom Herbs is Sweet & Slender. This product combines fructose and the Chinese fruit extract, Luo han guo. The company noted that the product "offers a healthy alternative to sugar or artificial and chemical sweeteners and is effective in weight loss and weight management." The product is said to be approximately 10 times sweeter than sugar, so only a small amount is needed. TriMedica, Tempe, AZ, features a unique fruit blend Lo Han Gold in its SlimSweet! product billed as a natural sweetener. According to the company, SlimSweet! does not significantly raise insulin or blood sugar levels, contains zero calories per serving, burns fat and does not promote fat storage. It is offered in a shaker jar, or in a box of 50 packets. New from Ideal You, Malvern, PA, is the company's eponymous sweet-tasting supplement, Ideal You. It features Beneo, a brand of natural fiber found in vegetables, grain and fruit. Beneo is said to enhance calcium absorption and promote good digestive health. Targeted to women, this calorie- and sugar-free powdered supplement is offered in 35-packet boxes. For those customers who want to block the taste of sugar, and help ease sugar cravings, Sugarest Gum, new from American Biosciences, Blauvelt, NY, can help cut down on sugar intake. "By continuously blocking the taste of sugar, literally making sugar-containing foods tasteless and unappealing, the person can achieve some weight loss," said company vice president Rick Jahnke. "This also helps reduce sugar cravings and promotes healthy blood sugar levels." Sugarest Gum features Gymnema sylvestre, and the effect lasts approximately one half hour to an hour. "We have a five-month test market study that showed that 98 percent of the people who chewed Sugarest Gum and then tried to eat a Milky Way candy bar found the candy so distasteful they did not eat it," Jahnke said. Ask a reasonably healthy person what he or she would change overnight on the body, and invariably, the answer would have to do with some form of weight or fat loss. Whether it's that pesky five pounds around the middle, 10 pounds gained slowly over two years or so, or 30 to 50 pounds, there's a natural product or group of products that will match the goal. "I would say that three-quarters of our customers want to lose weight," observed Michael Van Guilder, store manager of Purplecone Flower Health Food Store, Bridgeport, MI. "The majority want to drop about 20 pounds, and some want to lose about 30; there's a handful that need to lose quite a lot!" In Freehold, NJ, at Pauline's Health Food store, those customers who want to lose weight frequently tell store manager Paul Emerson that they no longer have the time to eat right or exercise. "We also get quite a few people who walk into the store for the first time, looking for things that tend not to work; they seem to be driven by what they see on infomercials." The Basics "The number of obesity cases continues to rise at an alarming rate," reported Robert Portman, president of PacificHealth Labs, Woodbridge, NJ. "Currently, close to 60 percent of all adults are considered overweight. Keep in mind, there are no 'virgins' in the weight loss market. Anyone who is even moderately overweight has tried to lose weight at one time or another and failed. But, many if not most people are all optimistic that the next thing will be the one that works," he added. "The main reason why people gain weight is caused by the food they eat daily," said Klaus Sinn, president of Almased, Inc., St. Petersburg, FL. "The body has a basic daily requirement for certain amino acids. With the manufactured, processed foods that people eat daily, the amino acids they need are not being supplied. So the person eats more because the body is trying to get what it needs," he said. Brenda Embree, director of marketing for Stella Pharmaceuticals, Don Mills, Canada, blames the former fat-free trend on many of today's weight woes. "Consumers have, by and large, bought into the fat-free way of eating. By doing so, they are not considering calorie consumption and are not getting rid of those excess calories. This leads to weight gain," she summarized. The natural products industry continues to introduce trends in products that help your customers shed pounds and fat quicker. The range of product types continues to widen, challenging the retailer to recommend the "right" product to the "right" person for a successful product relationship, the ultimate goal being to lead that person to become a long-term store patron. Mark Bozza, general manager of House of Fitness, Mesa, AZ, noted that he refrains from using the term 'weight loss,' preferring to talk about body composition and permanent body fat reduction. "Reducing body fat and enhancing body composition is really what people want to do," he said. The staff at House of Fitness, a four-store chain, is comprised of fitness and nutrition enthusiasts and competitive bodybuilders. "Most people who want to do things right will follow our advice about changing eating habits and altering lifestyles to ensure body fat reduction," he said. "There are those people, however, who just want to pop a pill and look like Mr. America overnight." Retailers who are successful in helping their customers to slim down spend time discussing lifestyle and good habits. Van Guilder said he explains the difference between a negative diet and a positive diet to his clientele. "We also encourage overweight customers to think like a diabetic," he said. "We teach them to identify high-glycemic foods that will cause insulin surges, for example." Emerson said he and his staff don't just hand bottles to customers asking how they can lose weight. "We ask many questions first, which will lead us to the best recommendations. For example, we'll ask about caffeine sensitivity, and if someone doesn't like caffeine, we'll recommend a non-stimulant thermogenic. We also discuss healthy foods and exercise, and often find that many people are consuming a lot of white-flour products such as breads and pastas, and do not eat enough protein. Most people want to lose about 10 to 15 pounds; we tell anyone who wants to lose more than 25 pounds to also work with a personal trainer." "The reason why there's room for another weight loss plan is because each of us will gravitate to a plan that works best with our lifestyle and the foods we enjoy," said Mary Helrich, CN, vice president of sales for FoodScience of Vermont, Essex Junction, VT. Satiety Producers Many people who want to lose weight want to suppress their appetite, and speed up the sensation of feeling full (satiated). First, advise that they drink eight to 10 glasses of water daily. "It is essential for people to drink up to 10 eight-ounce glasses of water daily because people often believe they are hungry when they are actually thirsty and need water," observed Theresa Iarardi, manager of sales administration for American Health, Holbrook, NY. She said to advise customers that if they are still hungry about 15 minutes after drinking water, then they are indeed hungry and should eat something healthy. Beyond that, there are several products that are said to reduce appetite. Satietrol and Satietrol Complete, from PacificHealth Labs, has a distinctive ingredient. The products work on cholecystokinin (CCK), which is the peptide released from the small intestine that provides the feeling of satiety. CCK travels to the hypothalamus in the brain, triggering the signal that enough food has been eaten. Satietrol is available in an 80-calorie drink mix, and Satietrol Complete is offered in a 220-calorie meal replacement powder. Long-time Canadian top-seller, Nutribar, is a new launch stateside from Stella Pharmaceuticals. This meal-replacement bar is formulated to induce satiety, at approximately 250 calories per meal-bar. Nutribar contains a specific percentage of protein, carbohydrates and fats along with vitamins and minerals, and is in compliance with Canadian meal replacement product regulations. Embree noted that the company sponsored an experiment that demonstrated Nutribar's satiety characteristic. Participants fasted overnight and ate one Nutribar as breakfast. They were then asked to rate their satiety at specific intervals. "Respondents reported feeling satisfied for up to six hours after eating the bar," said Embree. Multi-Part Programs Some customers desire a program approach for quicker weight loss. There are several healthy alternatives to SlimFast that provide more nutrients. Scientists at Almased have created the Turbo Protein Diet along with the Almased-brand high-amino acid meal replacement powder. "Almased is totally organic and offers all the essential amino acids. This liquid-fast diet is a two-week program that encourages the body to drop between 12 and 18 pounds without the person feeling hungry or enervated," explained Sinn. The product is a combination of soy and yogurt proteins and honey enzymes. "The average protein content per 100 grams of powder is 53 percent," Sinn added. To help customers understand the diet and the product, the company offers a 96-page book, Alma Goes On the Turbo Diet. Health food stores can order the books at a dozen minimum. New from FoodScience of Vermont is Simple Steps Program, based on the nutritional science of superfoods that contain phytochemicals that improve energy and burn fat; these include green tea, bitter orange, grapefruit and cabbage, said Helrich. "Simple Steps is an easier program than most because the customers doesn't count calories and is not restricted to one or two food groups. This easy plan just counts carbohydrates," she explained. FoodScience offers displays and a Simple Steps Two-Week Starter Kit containing Chitolean (fat blocker formula), ThermoSet (fat burning formula), DIM-Plex and Daily Best (high-potency multi) along with a carbo tracker and calendar book to chart weight loss. The Scottsdale 7 Day Diet, from Dynamic Nutrition, Scottsdale, AZ, is a physician-developed, stimulant-free program engineered to help lose up to seven pounds or more in seven days. "The system provides nutritional support to help your customers block fat, burn fat and suppress the appetite," explained Jared Nielsen, company president. The program consists of Burn and Block Capsules, seven Meal Replacement Packets (chocolate flavored), 14 Appetite Suppressant Chews (chocolate flavored), and a Weight Management Guide. "Customers are not just buying one diet product at a time," said Nielsen. "We are seeing consumers purchasing a suppressant with a fat burner, or a thyroid support supplement with a suppressant, etc. This demand is motivating manufacturers to put together complete systems that are attractive because of their convenient 'all in one' advantage." Also new is the Macro Slim Diet, from Nx Nutraceuticals, Sparks, MD. This consists of Macrocarb (carbohydrate cutting formula with Gymnema sylvestre and Phaseolamin 2250), Macrobind (fat-binding supplement with chitosan and glucomannan), and Macrometa (ephedra-free metabolic enhancers). The company noted that this year, it will spend $3 million on marketing to drive customers into natural food stores. SlimSense, Westminster, CO, also offers a comprehensive system. The SlimSense program entails SlimShake powder in two flavors; OptiBar, a low-calorie, high-protein (20 g) nutrition bar; OptiBurn, said to cut hunger in half and enhance fat burning by 400 percent; OptiBurn EF, a stimulant-free metabolic optimizer containing cayenne pepper extract; OptiBlock, a fat and sugar blocker featuring LipoSan Ultra, and SleepSlim, a night-time fat burner featuring Coleus forskohlii extract and Glucosol. Lose While You Snooze A relatively new wave of products has surged from the sea of natural weight-loss products that are based on collagen. and involve night-time routines. It began with Calorad, hawked on infomercials, and now available for retail shelves. This product featured natural ingredients, notably collagen, and users were instructed to take some of the liquid before bedtime, or about three hours or more following the last meal of the day. "Calorad was the first collagen-based weight loss product sold via network marketing; BioSculpt is the first such product to be marketed in a major way in health food stores," said Bob Bernotas, CEO of 4 Your Health, White Marsh, MD, maker of BioSculpt and sister product, ThermoSculpt. BioSculpt, Liquid Life Weight Loss (new from The Rockland Corp., Tulsa, OK), and the new Lean Success PM Diet Program from American Health, all contain a combination of collagen, aloe vera, pyruvate and CLA. "Liquid Life Weight Loss is a night-time weight loss product that is stimulant free; it helps speed up the metabolism during sleep, helping to burn more calories," said Rocky Heinrich, president of the Rockland Corp. Liquid Life also contains chromium picolinate, acetyl-l-carnitine and vitamins B-6 and B-5, plus amino acids. Iarardi of American Health asserted that Lean Success is formulated to work best when taken three hours following the final meal of the day; and is suitable for those who want to lose up to 25 pounds. For those who want to lose more than 25 pounds, she said, an additional capful in the morning is recommended. 4 Your Health, pointed out Bernotas, is kicking off a $1 million ad campaign for 2002, and will support retailers with a Retailer Rewards Challenge. For every six bottles of either product purchased, the retailer will receive one postcard entry. The more ordered, the more entries retailers have to win the grand prize, a Mercedes Benz Kompressor convertible; there are also 30 other prizes (to be drawn and announced at the NNFA MarketPlace tradeshow in June). These same prizes will be awarded to consumers in a before-and-after contest dubbed The Dream Body Challenge. Thermogenics Still a strong and accelerating category, the stimulant-based thermogenics that combine the core trio of ephedra, caffeine and white willow, remain popular. "Ephedra, caffeine and an herbal aspirin comprise a combination that works again and again," stated Tim Ziegenfuss, PhD, a sports nutrition expert and consultant to Cytodyne Technologies, Lakewood, NJ, maker of the popular Xenadrine thermogenic formula. A number of studies on Xenadrine, he said, all reached the same conclusion - "that it is a safe and effective way to lose fat." Two studies - one for eight weeks and one for six weeks - showed superior weight and fat loss effects from Xenadrine versus a placebo, he said. The second study was important in that the participants maintained their normal eating and exercise routines. "The product works by causing the metabolic rate to increase, indicating that calories are being used up more quickly," Ziegenfuss explained. "A second mechanism of action that occurs mostly when one first begins taking the product, is one of appetite suppression. Why this occurs is not yet clear." TrimSpa, from Cedar Knolls, NJ-based Nutramerica, like Xenadrine, is backed by a major visibility campaign. Its non-ephedra counterpart, TrimSpa EF contains chromium, vanadium, glucomannan, green tea leaf extract and Coleus forskohlii extract. Biotech Corp., Glastonbury, CT, offers Norexin, a thermogenic that combines ephedra and caffeine from green tea with AdipoVin grape seed extract. Draper, UT-based SilverSage offers its ThermoGenics Plus Quick Start Rapid Weight Loss Formula that features Phosphosterine a phosphate-based proprietary formula clinically shown to improve energy levels by 32 percent. There's also a stimulant-free version. From Castle Rock, CO-based Natural Balance, Diet Pep and the System-Six trio of thermogenics (with ephedra, original formula and men's formula with ephedra), round out the popular thermogenics category. Summary "Selling the best weight loss product depends on what the customer wants to accomplish," said Bernotas. "There is no quick fix. If the person wants to lose weight and keep it off, a commitment to better eating and other lifestyle changes such as exercise must be maintained." Nielsen of Dynamic Nutrition agreed, placing emphasis and responsibility on natural products retailers to offer quality inventory. "Navigation of the weight loss products section can be extremely difficult," he said. "Retailers should always make sure they know the weight loss goals of the individual and also explain any potential side effects some products may have. Think safety and honesty first, and sell the products that fit your customer's goal." VR
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