Janet Jackson Joins Celebrity Diet Endorsement Gravy Train

By Celebrity Health & Fitness, December 16th, 2011

Janet Jackson, who has battled weight fluctuations throughout her career, has been named the new rep for Nutrisystem, which she credits with helping her keep her weight under control.

Janet joins a superstar trio of celebs who are parlaying their weight loss into lucrative endorsement deals.

Mariah Carey recently lost 70 pounds on the Jenny Craig diet plan, while Jennifer Hudson shed 80 pounds last year on Weight Watchers.

Meanwhile, ex-NBA star Charles Barkley recently lost 27 pounds on Weight Watchers.

Now the company is reportedly paying Jessica Simpson $3 million to use the product to lose weight after her pregnancy.

Valerie Bertinelli says she struggled with weight issues over the years, but lost 50 pounds and become a spokesperson for the Jenny Craig weight-loss program.

She replaced Kirstie Alley, who shed 100 pounds on the diet plan and has since launched her own line of diet supplements.

Most of the plans are based on simple portion control.

Janet, who wrote a best-selling diet and exercise book “True You,” earlier this year, says her weight has been a major issue her entire life.

“Dieting never worked for me, counting calories never worked for me, and denying myself the foods I love never worked for me,” Jackson said in a statement. “I needed a better plan.”

Janet Jackson is the latest celebrity to pick up a lucrative diet plan endorsement deal.

Janet, 45, previously revealed she was teased for being heavy as a child by her eight older siblings, including the late Michael Jackson.

Jackson says she internalized the negative comments, which damaged her body image and self-esteem.

“If it isn’t our arms, it’s our thighs, it’s our butt, it’s our stomach,” she recounted. “I could easily pick myself apart. That’s what I would do, that’s what I did.”

While Janet says the relentless teasing wasn’t malicious, the hurt and embarassment she felt stayed with her.

“It started when I was very little,” she said in 2009. “My brothers were gone on tour a lot, and I would miss them so much. Certain things in my life would become triggers. I’m an emotional eater.”

Nutrisystem and Jackson are also creating Nutribank to distribute meals to the hungry, beginning with $10 million in company food contributions for 2012. The company has pledged one dollar’s worth of company food for every pound lost by Nutrisystem customers next year, according to The New York Times.

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