In the United States there are about 26,000 health clubs operating today. A substantial share of them offer some kind of weight loss plan, in addition to just exercise. The reality is that most people that join health clubs are there to lose or maintain weight. The industry’s trade group “IHRSA” further reports that 39 million Americans are paying dues to be members of health clubs.  Are health club-based weight loss programs the right diet for you? 

Approximately 13,500 health clubs in the U.S. today are estimated by Bestdietforme.com to offer some form of weight loss or nutritional counseling program (about 52% of all clubs).  Health clubs find adding weight loss to be a “natural” for members, since the dieter has access to exercise facilities and expertise, as well as nutrition information -- a combination that’s rarely available at the typical commercial weight loss center.

A telling quote: “We have all of them here in the area: Jenny Craig, Diet Center, Weight Watchers,” ...But we don’t see them as competition. We get a lot of referrals from them because they see us as offering the exercise component they don’t. When we opened years ago our marketing strategy was to go to each of the commercial weight-loss centers and offer to give talks on exercise and weight loss.”

Exercise is NOT a primary component of most weight-loss programs. There’s a big void between Jenny Craig, for example, and health clubs, say club owners. The health club is in a unique position to work with one of the weight-loss clinics. For example, when one purchases a Jenny Craig diet program they could get a membership in a health club.

Some clubs hire a professional counselor or train an existing staff member to provide nutrition information. At other locations, a registered dietitian (RD) or nutritionist offers counseling, then gives the club a percentage of fees in exchange for free office space. Other strategies include homemade or turnkey programs, or simply selling non-prescription nutritional supplements and weight loss aids. Yet another alternative is to join forces with a commercial weight-loss center.

BestDietForMe.com finds that fitness clubs such as Curves, Ballys and other chains are only beginning to aggressively market themselves as weight management and nutrition centers. Club Industry magazine has reported that many club owners are focusing on current members to launch new weight management programs. While media attention builds interest in the program, the “facilitator” (group leader) is the main reason why people stay with or leave the program (The same is true for popular group leaders in commercial diet programs).

Health club industry consultants also estimate that 50% of health cubs today offer some type of weight loss program, and they point out that they run the gamut in style, content and price. Frequently, they’re not called “diet” programs, but “nutrition” programs. All such programs are based on proper nutrition coupled with exercise.

Bally’s has more than 400 clubs in the United States, making them the largest health club chain in the U.S., other than Curves for Women. Of course, their main focus is exercise programs, but they also offer a variety of programs or services specifically geared to weight loss. These vary in price and content from club to club.

However, the consumer almost always has to join the health club in order to gain access to its weight loss programs. Sometimes these programs come free of charge, while in other cases they may cost extra. For example, at Bally’s there is usually a $100 registration fee and you pay $31 per month (pay as you go, month by month). Therefore, using a Bally’s club for 3 months would cost you $193. If you signed up for the 30-day weight loss makeover for $65, then your cost would be about $258. If you attended for 4 months, figure $289—not a bad deal in comparison to other commercial weight loss programs.

Compare the top 60 diet programs now  to find out if a health club-based diet plan is right for you.

Bally Phone Counseling Program

This plan was added the first week of May 2005 and marks a significant and serious entry into the weight loss field for the company. It is available only to Bally members--not the general public. Too bad, it looks very good and represents a step up in terms of truly professional weight loss counseling not usually associated with a health club chain. This is a combination of Web-based tools offered via the members-only website and one-to-one phone counseling with your personal registered dietitian, who helps motivate you and design a customized meal plan. So now, you can lose weight and receive counseling from a degreed professional with in-depth nutrition knowledge (not just a personal trainer with limited nutrition knowledge), and do it from home or your office, as well as at the health club.