How we should be eating less, eating better and exercising more. Its a growing epidemic with high societal and economic cost. As millions struggle to lose weight, reporter susan lee has more on the business of slimming down. Thats our cover story this week. Running, stretching, sweating. Millions of americans need to lose weight every year. Dieting never worked for me because i felt restricted and i wanted more. I will stick to it about six month thaens crash and go back to my usual routine. Reporter a cycle so many people across the country are facing and why staggering 35 of American Adults are now obese according to the centers for disease control. Its costing the u. S. Economy big money. Comparison against the 315 billion treating obesity in the United States every year, Hurricane Katrina is estimated to cause 125 billion of damage. Whats developed is a multibillion dollar weight loss industry as companies aim to help the overweight trim down. In 2014, according to market data enterprises, 64 billion was spent on the business of weight l she knows what it is like to be overweight. Like many she tried all sorts of diets with few results. I had tried to many other programs. I had done the shakes, in the counting, and the group thing and gosh, the cabbage soup diet. Did it all. Reporter what workd for her was a Jenny Craig Program which she credits to helping her lose the weight and are regaining her self esteem. I have more focus on relationships, better work performance wise, a better parent. Im proud of that, but im most proud of setting an example for my kids. Reporter even with Success Stories like hers, profits have been declining for the Weight Loss Companies like jenny craig and weight watchers. Theres new competition from nutritional Companies Like herbalife and medifast the good news is you have plenty of options to choose from. No matter which method you choose you have to put in the work to see results. For on the money, im suen lee. Why is the country so overweight when we should know better and what can be done to reverse the obesity trend and all that it costs us. Joining us are sam kass, former white house chef and dawn zier who is nutrisystem ceo. Thank you for being here today. Sam, you have advised the president and hearing statistics like the number of 315 billion a year it costs us in Health Care Costs whiec. Why are americans so overweight. We are not setting ourselves up for success. Fast food on most corners, all kinds of unhealthy options. We surround ourselves in our homes with unhealthy options and battle to make better choices but if it is too hard for people to make better they are not going to be successful. Thats what you are seeing time and time again, people saying they try and fail. Every day, you make slightly bad choice and over time you gain a pound a year and over 30 years you are 30 pounds overweight. It is bad choices we have made over years and years. Dawn, when people come to you they are looking to slim down let me start tomorrow, the next day, after the party. We reallied a zero kate structure. So many people have a hard time losing weight on their own. Its hard with over 200 food decisions a day to do it without a structured program. By being on a structured program, you can learn about that portion control and what the right size is. Part of nutri systems set up is you can buy four weeks of food. Comes in a box for 300 and seems different to the message we get a lot of days which seems different than to eat the fresh and healthy. It is generally frozen food and you walk the perimeters, which is where we should be shopping for vegetables and fresh fruits. Its not just about the freshness. It is about what is in it and whats not. Not having added sugars, artificial flavors, sweeteners and that adds up to bad habits. I think the challenge for many people they are bombarded with the whats, more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and we havent focused on how. You fit that in to your busy life is the challenge for a lot of people struggling with that these plans give them a way forward. Theres a lot of nonsense out there. What are some of the most ridiculous things you hear. A lot of diets that say you should only eat steak or cabbage soup and it is undermining people. I think a lot of whole grains not too much sugar and not each eating too much is the foundation. We have these weight loss shows where people see people losing 50, 60, 70 pounds. Is that a real aistic expectation. They are good because they are helping people but they are extreme. It doesnt reflect normal american. What we find when people come off the program, after every show a couple of people call us because they havent got then structure down. We advocate, you know, moderate change. You cant change your lifestyle. It is one change one day at a time and doing anything extreme will be hard to stick to. Sam, i think of how much healthier the messages for food these days. What type of things are paying off, and do you see the next generation doing a better job than we did . Absolutely. We are seeing the numbers starting to come down in terms of Childhood Obesity for youngest kids. Schools have better nutrition and kids are smarter than we are. I was with a bunch of 11yearolds yesterday and asked them, what are some things you want to see differently in your food. This girl raised her hands and said i propose to eliminate pizza friday. No. I couldnt believe it. Assuming the rest of the group it was like 50 kids, wouldnt support her and i said who else agrees, half of the group raised her hands. You have to be kidding me. And she said why, they are fed gm os and the cows have antibiotics in them and i dont think that pizza is good for us when it is made like that and therefore i propose eliminating it. Shes 11. All the kids were speaking like that. It blew my mind about how much more sophisticated the next generation is. This is their normal, these expectations. Thats a powerful thing. She will have to hang out with my 4yearold and pizza is his favorite. I love pizza. Thank you for being here. Thank you. Up next, we are on the money, it is pretty, cheap and a great place to raise a family. What spurred one western citys rebirth and what lessons can be applied across the country. It is not night at a museum but one New York Institution is using new technology to breathe life in to its exhibits. As we take a break look at ekw the stock market ended the its intelligent drive is msystems. Ng. Paradigmshifting. Its technologyfilled cabin. Jawdropping. Its performance. Breathtaking. Its selfparking. And selfbraking. Showstopping. The allnew glc. Mercedesbenz resets the bar for the luxury suv. Starting at 38,950. Weinto a new american century. Born with a hunger to fly and a passion to build something better. And what an amazing time its been, decade after decade of innovation, inspiration and wonder. So, we say thank you america for a century of trust, for the privilege of flying higher and higher, together. Heres a look at what is making news as we head in to a new week on the money. The Federal Reserve something expected and something week. Janet yellens open Market Committee kept rates steady. That was expected but they signalled they are likely two rate hikes rather than four they forecast earlier. That was a welcome surprise for stocks. The dow closed at the highest level of the year on wednesday after that meeting and hearing all of the things she had to say but turned positive for the year by thursday. The markets continued to climb on friday. American shoppers werent terribly busy last month. Retail sales fell a 10 of a caused in part by lower gas prices. The januarys retail Sales Numbers were revised sharply lower. Less than six years, almost every car in america will be safer when nearly all of the cars sold will have automatic braking as a standard feature. It applies the brakes even if the driver fails to to preevent a crash. Blue skies, cheap housing a great place to raise a family. It sounds too good to be true but it wasnt always that way in ogden, utah. The mayor is joini mary thomps joining us with more. Ogden, of course, is where the Union Pacific railroads linked up in the elate 1800s, earning the city Junction City nickname. When people st abandon railroads for autos and planes they started to abandon ogden until it struck olympic gold. While still a work in progress it has a diverse economy and Outdoor Recreation firms. West of the ba r wasatch mountains and 40 miles from salt lake city, businesses come to ogden driven by low cost and scenic settings. A marked contrast from 16 years ago when the city tried to bring businesses back. When we first started, we would recruit anyone we could get. While ogden streets reflected the rail hubs, when it hosted the twoi 2002 olympic downhill events they started to Sell Companies on the natural beauty. The events we brought in specifically highlighted rivers, trails and mountains. Reporter selling a lifestyle it sold businesses on an initial project, a converted military depot home to 6,000 jobs at firms ranging fre insurance. They didnt seek a single big company to cure its economic ills. They have foe cussed on smaller companies, a lot of singles and doubles. Reporter small steps to make ogden better in the long run. Since 2000, ogdens population increased by 9 and the Median Income at 41,000 while below the National Average is up 21 since the renewal plan began. Back to you. Sounds like there are a lot of different lessons other cities could take away that a lot of other cities wouldnt be lucky enough to host the olympics there, too. Do the people you talk to think it could have been pulled off without the fanfare from the olympics that came . It would have been more difficult because you wouldnt have had that big event to showcase ogden. Keep in mind, it is close to a ski resort. So when you bring people in for that recreation, you can kind of encourage them, listen, this is a place where you can have an outdoor lifestyle, enjoy the natural beauty, et cetera. But it would have taken longer. Thank you. It is great to see a Success Story like that. Up next, were on the money, dinosaurs are Going Digital at the New York Museum of Natural History and they are using technology to showcase one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered. A of content with the ads that come to life. The dinosaur, by the way, is really cool. And later, they make your life easier. They are cheaper than everhas a number. Olicy but not every Insurance Company understands the life behind it. For those whove served and the families that have supported them, we offer our best service in return. Usaa. We know what it means to serve. Get an insurance quote and see why 92 of our members plan to stay for life. Unless you have allergies. , then your eyes may see it differently. Only flonase is approved to relieve both itchy, watery eyes and congestion. No other nasal allergy spray can say that. When we breathe in allergens our bodies react by over producing six key inflammatory substances that cause our symptoms. Most allergy pills only control one substance. Flonase controls six. And six is greater than one. Complete allergy relief or incomplete. Let your eyes decide. Flonase. 61 changes everything. The American Museum of Natural History is one 0 of the most famous and beloved institutions. It was founded by likes of jpmorgan and Theodore Roosevelt and features attractions that are millions of years old and now has a new way to discover them. This is a game. They are in the museum using the explorer app. It knows where you are and what you are interested in and presents the world through those lens. 5 million visit the museum every year navigating the 1. 6 million square feet. There you go. There are 45 halls featuring mammals to sea life to dinosaurs. A lot of extra content that you cant get looking at the diorama with the app it comes to life. Wanted to give you more than the label. Like having aen friend that works at the museum. Along with the app, the museum is embracing Digital Technology including afterschool Educational Program for kids and courses for educators, as well. The president of the museum has been at the helm more than two decade answer we saw this incredible technology. You have been there two decades. What made you think this is the way to go . What were you following, any model . It is interesting. When i first got there i was worried about getting the museum air conditioned. Come a long way. And then we got the place wified completely and now this. Using technology permeates every aspect of what we do. In science we have 200 Research Scientists on staff. They are using everything from dna sequencing to ct scanning, in education, all kinds of technology and now vrt visitors we have been using in our exhibitions. You can fly like a tarbosaurus, you can test how they flew and they have feathers on their wings. This is different. This is meant to allow you to create a personalized con textualized visit through the museum. Location awareness and tell it what you are interested in. Is it a necessity in this day and age where kids are so used to technology. I think of the museum being a stuffy place if you dont keep up with the times. We try to keep up with the times and since we are a Science Museum we have to be at the vanguard and we are. You want to meet your visitors, young and old, short and tall how they live and think about things. This explorer allows us to do it. People think with their hand helds and it is optimized and meets them the way they think. Of course it has an avatar, if you are a child you can be a bear 0 or dinosaur. Mummy . Not yet. It cant come cheap to come up with these changes . No. But this has been funded by bloomberg philanthropies than is 2. 0 of explorer. This is the first internal gps. It is quite remarkable and bloomberg funded both of them. We mentioned about how you are using this for educational purposes. What is bridge up stem. It is a new program that is one we are very proud of. It is teaching youngsters to do coding but in a context of science. So it is working with High School Girls and also middle schoolers who are from under resourced schools because we know these skills will be vital for young people to be prepared for the work force, but often they learn coding but out of context. By putting it in context of science we open up worlds of opportunity for them. How many kids does this help . How many are involved . Groups every year and they repeat. It is just starting. So over time it will be a pretty big number that have been through it. People must be always asking what is next but you have a lot of exciting things coming up. Whats next is a major new building on columbus avenue, the richard Guilder Center for Science Education and innovation and it will be spectacular. One feature will be an invisible world theater. We are using new technologies. We can take everyone from inside to andrough man body and brain outer reaches of the atmosphere. When will that be completed . 2020. Appreciate your time. Up next a look at the news for the week ahead and how to avid being taxed to the max. Which Tax Return Program is best for you when we come bac you can fly across welcome town in minutes16, or across the globe in under an hour. Whole communities are living on mars and solar satellites provide earth with unlimited clean power. In less than a century, boeing took the world from seaplanes to space planes, across the universe and beyond. And if you thought that was amazing, you just wait. Hundreds of crash simulations. Thousands of hours of painstaking craftsmanship. And an infinite reserve of patience. To create a vehicle that looks, drives and thinks like nothing else on the road. The allnew glc. The suv the world has been waiting for. Starting at 38,950. For more on our show and our guests go to our website. And you can follow us on twitter onthemoney. Heres the stories that may impact your money this week. On monday, president obama will be the first sitting president to visit cuba in 88 years. We will get existing home sales for february. On tuesday, if you live in arizona, idaho or utah its your turn to vote for your favorite candidate. On thurs goods orders for february. On friday, the banks and markets are closed to observe good friday. We will still get the final read for 2015s Fourth Quarter gdp on friday, as well. Thinking of filing your own taxes this year, you are not alone. 93 of returns received this year have been filed electronically and half self proe prepared. Not all Tax Software Programs are created and equal and figuring out which is best for you can require home work. Joining us with an idea of what to look for is Sharon Epperson who has dpoen done the home work for us. Yes, i have. Lets look at the two major players, turbo tax and h r bl k block. The Senior Editor brings up a great point about testing them out first. You dont have to pay for tax software until you are ready to file. You can try out as many different types as you like before you actually file. Heres what you can expect to pay for the top two Tax Software Programs. Turbo tax charges 55 for its online deluxe version. H r blocks version is 35. To file a state return, turbo tax charges 40 and h r block just under 37. Lets pretend im the type of person that doesnt want to try out two. Is there a type of person that fits better for either one of those. It depends if you have done a lot of self filing. If that is you, maybe you should go with turbo tax. If you are a heavy itemizer or if you really want to make sure you get the top value for your deductions, thats another reason why turbo tax maybe a place for you. Then a lot of folks want to call anybody anytime they want for free. They have tons of questions. They are not familiar with it. H r block maybe a good one for you there. If im in a household that has, is there some floor that if i fall below that i may be able to file for free . If you have a really simple return, like 1040 ez or a, you may be able to file for free with many Different Software programs. The irs has a Free File Program for any household making under 62,000 a year and thats a large swath of the country. The great thing is you have access to 13 Different Companies that have tax software you can use. What you want to do, Consumer Reports advocates this, look at which ones work with your state so you can file your state return for free, as well. Sometimes you may get to the end and then have to pay to file a state return. I know the government has been pushing people to file electronically for a long time. Some people have huge concerns about what will happen if their information is protected, if it is getting hacked. Since the majority of people filing on their own or having their cpas do it, there are things that you should look for. Mainly never reuse your passwords. Two factors, make sure there are two ways to find out that you are you and make sure it is a secure website. Thats the show for today. Im becky quick. Thank you for joining us. Next week, the sweet business of chocolate. We take you inside Jacques Torres sweet chocolate factory. Have a great weekend. Announcer nbc 10 news starts now. Really, really, really, really, really, really, really excited. It is round two of tournament time. Fans of a pair of school in the philadelphia area are fired up for todays ncaa matchup. Well have a preview. Plus another skirmish on the campaign trail at a donald trump rally in arizona. Backlash from trump candidacy reaching his family including a relative with a philadelphia connection. And it is a cold start to spring as we take a live look at the center city skyline. 37 degrees right now at nbc 10. It will feel like winter for a few days. A little s