The global weight management market size is expected to reach $298.6 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 9.7% over the forecast period, according to a Research and Markets report.¹ Increasing adoption of a sedentary lifestyle is expected to drive the global weight management market. Euromonitor International valued the global weight loss supplements market at nearly $5.7 billion in 2021 and projected a CAGR of 2.0% by 2026.²

Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975, with about 13% of adults being obese and about 39% of adults being overweight.³ Forty percent of adults in the U.S. have obesity and another 32% are overweight. The cost of obesity is estimated to account for 5-14% of health expenditures from 2020 to 2050.

The vast majority of Americans said the COVID-19 pandemic is a significant stressor for them, with more than 40% saying they’ve gained undesired weight since the start of the health crisis, according to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) annual “Stress In America” report.⁴

So 2022 is supposed to be our transformational year, righting the wrongs, being more healthy and making the necessary changes. The opportunity for science-backed weight management options is ready for the taking. Wellness companies that approach this category with clinical research and science to substantiate claims can be impactful.

Media attention often drives new weight loss/gain trends. Google searches for “how to lose weight” overshadow those for “how to gain weight,” but by only 6:1. However, the weight loss industry is far more than six-times more competitive and saturated than the weight gain industry. In fact, there are almost 3,000% more apps for losing weight than gaining it.

Companies like Noom—45 million users strong—have been able to build up a large following by helping users lose weight. Weight loss is crucial for a healthy and fit life. Obesity is not only a problem on its own; it also contributes to other health complications like heart disease, diabetes, bad sleep, and injuries from falls.

What are the Weight Loss Trends in 2022?

Personalized Diet

The concept of a personalized diet is quite new, but it’s already taking the internet by storm. The entire point of a personalized diet is that every recipe and workout is picked specifically for that individual, taking into account the person’s age, current weight, goal weight, food preferences, and allergies. This, by far, is the safest choice because this diet is non-restrictive, meaning that none of the food groups are taken out of the menu. Instead, nutritionists create a meal plan with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks already planned for you.

According to the Harvard Public School of Health, personalized nutrition (precision nutrition) can also help reduce the risk of various diseases like obesity, metabolic syndrome, certain cancers, and type 2 diabetes.⁵ All things considered, personalized nutrition is one of the healthiest current trends on social media and is suitable for almost everyone who wants to lose weight.

#SocialMediaInfluence

Social media and food bloggers have affected the way we live our life. According to research published in the journal Brain and Cognition, regularly viewing mouth-watering food photos on social media may trigger feelings of hunger and encourage overindulgence.⁶ The same review also suggested that the current obesity epidemic in the U.S. may be, in part, due to the abundance of such images people are viewing.

Ironically the best #whatieatinaday hashtags for TikTok (below) indicate that we are looking for ways to lose weight and eat better, but social media may be doing the opposite!


Although delectable food images can increase your hunger and up your likelihood to overindulge, they may not be the only culprit in online-related weight gain. People who spend a lot of time on social media likely spend large amounts of time sitting while they scroll. Sedentary lifestyles are associated with obesity and other health concerns. 

Meal Replacements 2.0

The food and beverage industries are working hard to launch healthier alternatives to calorie-laden snack foods and drinks, as well as a wide range of more specialized weight management products, such as meal replacement shakes and bars.

Typically, meal replacement products are often equated with powder or ready-to-drink (RTD) shakes; but product lines are now offering a variety of other convenient options such as soups, bars, and pasta meals. All these products satisfy the craving for something to bite into, which was a shortcoming of the early meal replacement plans that were based strictly on shakes.

As consumers continue to further engage with their own nutrition and calorie counting, meal replacements have evolved to simplify the process of eating as well as fill a need for the way people are merging weight management and lifestyle.

A Boutique Approach to Activity

To coincide with the wellness trend that has further manifested in 2022, the market for keeping active and exercising has increased. Younger Millennial and Gen Z consumers coming from higher income classes have been raised with education that sedentary lifestyles and physical inactivity can lead to health complications later in life.

To capitalize on the growing demand to be fit, boutique fitness studios, personalized training apps, and interactive digital exercise companies like Peloton are growing year over year. This trend has expanded the market for sports nutrition at the cost of weight management products.

Product positioning is particularly valuable in aligning to new consumer values; thus weight management and wellbeing products likely could benefit from realigning their message to younger audiences and their tastes to prevent movement away from the category.

Smart Supplements for Smarter Consumers

The rise of holistic wellness and social-media-influenced dieting as weight loss trends has led to a decline in interest for prescription weight loss medications. Dietary supplements, though viewed as a more positive option than prescription meds for weight loss, are now part of the solution where in the past it was a way more popular solution due to ease and convenience.  There is a definite shift to changing eating patterns vs. popping pills. Supplement manufacturers should offer products that fit into the regimen of clean and sustainable living.

The stigma of weight supplements being “contaminated” or “possibly harmful” has passed. While some older consumers have fallen prey to this sentiment, the younger generations—Gen Z and Millennials—have not been harmed by this sentiment. The consumer (all ages) is becoming savvier and looks for science-backed, clinically-researched, and credible products from well-respected companies.

References

1. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-weight-management-market-2022-to-2030—size-share–trends-analysis-report-301559412.html
2. Euromonitor International Report, 2021.
3. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/obesity-rates-by-country
4. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2021/sia-pandemic-report.pdf
5. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/precision-nutrition/#:~:text=Precision%20nutrition%2C%20also%20referred%20to,communities%20and%20the%20general%20population
6. https://www.sharecare.com/weight-management/ways-social-media-making-you-fat