Jenny Craig
OI FATTY
Four out of ten women who diet end up heavier than when they started watching their waistline, a study revealed yesterday (Tues).
A 'foot off the gas' approach to weightloss once a target is reached coupled with a lack of willpower means many dieters quickly pile weight back on.
Partners who cook or buy unhealthy food or big portions were also blamed for backfiring diets as was the 'office feeder' whose desk is crammed with cake and biscuits.
It also emerged a large percentage of women will start noticing the pounds creeping back on just 21 days after reaching their fighting weight.
Yesterday, Dr Ian Campbell, doctor for the Jenny Craig weight management programme said: ''In the UK 61.4% of adults are overweight or obese and almost a quarter (24.5%) of adults are obese.
''Successful weight management requires a long-term commitment in order to lose weight successfully and for good.
''Too many women simply flirt with the notion of dieting via unhealthy yo-yo dieting or quick fix solutions - rather than entering into a proper long-term relationship with healthy eating.
''The report reveals that over half of women say they would give a major food group the elbow in a bid to lose weight and a third are just 'girls who can't say no' and lay the blame firmly at their lack of willpower.''
The 'Food: Body: Mind' report was commissioned by weight management programme Jenny Craig who quizzed 2000 women aged between 18 and 65 who diet regularly on their attitudes, beliefs and behaviours around weight loss.
Six in ten said they are currently on a diet and one in five women saying they are on a 'continuous diet'.
It found the most common triggers to start dieting was seeing their 'reflection in the mirror', preparing for a summer holiday or unflattering photos posted on social networking sites.
Other popular reasons include cutting comments by friends or relatives or remarks from their other half.
Four out of one hundred said landing a new job had been a spur to lose weight, while six per cent revealed a new man in their life lead to them shedding a few pounds.
One in ten fall off the wagon within ONE DAY, while almost a fifth manage to make it to a week or more.
The average is ten days before they fall off the wagon and return to their old ways.
Many blamed pressure they put on themselves to lose weight too quickly for the weight gain, which leaves them with a bigger appetite than normal.
Amazingly six out of ten women admitted to being yoyo dieters who are comfortable fluctuating between dress sizes from time to time.
Those who fail and end up carrying more excess weight also blame colleagues, who tuck into lardy lunches and snacks unaware of the effect it has on the dieter.
Others said the children who fail to finish their meals leaving mum to step in and polish off the leftovers were a common cause.
One in five said boredom lead them to break their diets while one in three said they sought comfort food once they'd reached their target weight.
