Inches-A-Weigh

Do you prefer to exercise and get weight loss counseling at the SAME location? Few companies do it. Then the weight loss program offered by a commercial chain called Inches-A-Weigh might be for you. Take our Diet Wizard to find out whether Inches-A-Weigh is the best diet plan for you. Our objective diet analysis examines your lifestyle, food preferences, and budget, and reviews your needs versus Inches-A-Weigh and other chains, as well as other popular diets. Then BestDietForMe.com provides you with unbiased and in-depth reports on your matches, complete with detailed reviews of diet programs like this to help you choose a diet plan that’s right for you…

Inches-A-Weigh North America

(Commercial weight loss clinics chain)

Type of Counseling: weight loss counselors, in-person at center

Typical Cost: $25 per week ($8 per visit) - total cost for ONE YEAR of service is about $1,200 ($199 registration fee included), various holiday & summer promotions offered

Type Program: commercial weight loss center chain

Type of Foods Used: regular grocery store foods, company nutritional products

At-Home or Direct Mail Plan Available? No

Headquarters

Inches-A-Weigh North America

500 Southland Drive, Suite 155E

Birmingham, AL 35226 (1-800-241-8663, 815-227-4623)

Website: www.inchesaweigh.com

Company Summary

Inches-A-Weigh claims to be the only commercial weight loss chain with exercise facilities on-site. This chain is different from other commercial weight loss companies in that it combines one on one counseling, figure shaping equipment, and cardiovascular equipment. In addition, each location has a retail cafe that offers optional entrees, powders and low-fat nutritional products.

To its credit, this company has been operating for 22 years--no small feat in the weight loss industry. The reason it has survived so long, Marketdata believes, is that it does provide a unique service for dieters--weight loss, counseling, and exercise all under one roof. Not even Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig can do that. As such, it is serving a niche that is under-represented and in demand.

Launched in 1986, Inches-A-Weigh today has about 60 centers in operation, in 30 states in the U.S. and Canada (vs. 45 in 2000). It uses Inches A Weigh "certified exercise instructors" and "lifestyle counselors". Some owner/operators are husband & wife teams, while others are female owner-operators.

The firm uses a "condensed concept", operating a center with a minimum level of staff--only 3-5 employees, less square footage and overall minimum operational expenses, which lends itself to semi-absentee ownership. The plan claims to be a completely safe and satisfying weight loss program tailored primarily for women, with nutritional counseling blended with less strenuous and isometric figure reshaping.

How The Program Works

Centers are located in secondary strip malls in retail density areas. The average center covers 1,400 sq. ft. and is staffed by four employees. Each center can serve up to 150 clients daily during 58 one-hour classes weekly. Center hours are 8:30 am to 8:00 pm Monday - Thursday; 8:30 am to 6:00 pm Fridays; and 9:00 am to 12:00 PM Saturdays.

The average cost is $25 per week, or $8 per class, and most clients are said to visit a center about 3 times per week, although you can come in as many as 6 times. Fully 80% of the clients are people over age 35. About 33% of franchise owners are male executives who manage the manager, 33% are husband & wife teams, and 33% are female owner operators.

The program is based on regular grocery store food, although the company does have its own line of 144 private label breakfast, lunch and snack items, including 50 high-protein drinks, 25 nutrition bars, cereals and soups. Vitamins are also available. A box of drinks and bars costs $14-16 for a week's supply. Roughly half the customers spend about $30/week on the various foods.

Purchase of all of these food items is optional. No dinner entrees are provided.

In this program, the company employs a "3-Phase Figure Correction" plan designed exclusively for mature women. In Phase 1, using guidelines of the American Heart Assn., it provides a nutritionally sound, family-oriented eating plan using regular (supermarket) foods, nutritional supplements and vitamins. As the client loses weight, the nutritional counseling is combined with Phase 2 -- on-site, individualized, figure-shaping programs that concentrate on low-exertion exercise using specially designed equipment to reshape and redevelop the musculature of the typical problem areas of the female figure.

Phase 3 is an open door maintenance policy utilizing a more exertional and cardiovascular activity to finely condition the heart and muscle groups. Here they address the "yo-yo dieting syndrome" by offering the application of exercise while allowing clients to periodically withdraw and return to the program. Inches-A-Weigh’s concept is designed to correct the four problem areas of the mature female (upper arm, upper back/midriff, waist/tummy/hip/buttocks, and inner/outer thighs).

According to founder Scott Simcik: " The centers feature America's premier weight loss centers for women in a "day spa" environment. It's an inviting environment with lively music and there are no men or 18-25 year old ‘hard bodies’ to make clients feel self-conscious.... Although we appeal to a broad range consumers 18-75 years old, our profile is an overweight woman who is de-conditioned, non-athletic, and has grown tired of other programs."

This company’s centers attract a clientele ranging in age from 18-80, its niche being women over 40, with 41 the average age. The company feels that this market segment has psychological, attitudinal, structural, financial and functional barriers inhibiting them from attending health clubs. They avoid aerobics, weight lifting, jumping, sweating and straining.

The plan is based on a nutritionally sound, grocery store food, menu plan that reduces calories by 800 calories per day, combined with on-site moderate and strenuous exercise classes that burn up to 400 calories. At 3 visits per week, this equals about a pound of healthy weight loss. Protein supplements (powders, bars, vitamins) may also be used, as a option. The dieter's program cost is individualized and affordable around each person's goal weight. The company will guarantee results or the dieter continues FREE until reaching his/her goal.

Website

The company website has been vastly improved. It is easily navigated and provides lots of useful information. One can find the nearest center by searching by zip code.

Comment

This company has been around since the mid-1980s, serving a special niche with a very good program and some different features than other commercial weight loss chains. It is not the biggest weight loss chain around, but does offer one thing much larger companies do not—exercise on-site at the center, which can be very convenient. Bigger is not necessarily better in the weight loss field. This company has managed to survive some tough competitive times, by catering to its niche—middle aged women that prefer to exercise among other women, rather than at a health club

Try our Diet Wizard to find out which diet programs are best suited to your specific needs, and which ones will help you keep the weight off.

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The information on this web site is intended for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Before starting any weight loss program, it is recommended that you consult your physician or other health care professional.