January 2nd marked as National Weigh-In Day

Jan 2 2012

A recent survey by the Special K® brand indicates that weight loss is often top-of-mind at the beginning of the New Year, with 67 percent of women saying it is the ideal time to begin a weight-loss plan. Now, in an effort to change the way women think and talk about weight loss, the Special K brand has marked Jan. 2 as National Weigh-In Day and is inviting women to "weigh in" on the topic of weight management.

According to the survey, 62 percent of women fixate on the number of pounds they hope to lose, which often derails them from their weight-loss plan. The Special K brand wants to make stepping on the scale fun for women. Rather than focusing on the numbers that appear, the Special K brand wants women to imagine what they will gain emotionally when they lose.

"As 2012 rings in, we all know people all over the world will be making New Year's resolutions to lose weight," says Yuvraj Arora, Kellogg Company senior director of Special K. "We hope that we can use this resolution moment to help women focus on the positive gains and feelings of accomplishment they foresee in the New Year."

Special K Offers New Tools to Help Women Stay on TrackThe Special K survey also found that 75 percent of women said they aim to gain confidence by managing their weight in the New Year. At the same time, more than 63 percent of women find that personalized meal plans or tracking tools make weight loss programs easier to follow. In addition, 64 percent find a lack of support the reason for getting off track from a weight loss plan.

Recognizing women need flexibility in their plans and tools at their fingertips, the Special K brand is offering new ways to keep women on track. SpecialK.com features tracking tools, peer inspiration and motivation that make it a potential alternative to best-in-class weight loss communities. In addition to the tracking tools and communities, the SpecialK.com site now allows women to design a plan just for them.

The Special K plans are also customizable to women's lifestyles. There are on-the-go options for busy lifestyles and adventurous recipes for "foodies," plus vegetarian recipes. After selecting their meal plan and activity level, women are given a personalized Special K plan that is unique to their needs and goals. Women can easily track their progress online via their mobile device.

Women also can take advantage of National Weigh-In Day to share their goals. The Special K brand is encouraging women to share what they hope to gain via social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and their own personal blogs on National Weigh-In Day, which also marks the launch of the Special K brand's Twitter handle, @SpecialKUS.

Women living in the New York City and Los Angeles areas are invited to live events on National Weigh-In Day, where they can step on a scale and see messages about the emotional benefits they can gain from achieving their weight-management goals.

The Special K brand will use its Twitter feed not only to provide updates of local events, but also to empower Special K consumers to share content and spread positive words of encouragement to impact the conversation around weight loss.