As waistlines have expanded to Pillsbury Doughboy range, a sizable weight-loss industry has stepped into the vacuum, thanks to the insatiable appetite of more than 70 million Americans claiming to be on a diet at any one time. The U.S. weight-loss and diet control market could top $50 billion in 2006, accordlng to Marketdata, a market research firm that has tracked diet products and programs since 1989. That works our to $136 million a day spent on the following:
books promising the "newest" approach to weight loss, plus a handful of perennial bestsellers: Atkins New Diet Revolution, South Beach Diet, and The Zone. gastric bypass surgery, in which surgeons staple or bind the stomach with an adjustable band. This creates a small pouch able to hold only a few ounces of food. Celebrities such as singer Carnie Wilson and Today Show