Victoria Beckham slender frame deters us from our diets
Super slim celebrities like Victoria Beckham and Cheryl Cole are a huge turn off for women dieters, according to new research.
Rather than encourage women to lose weight, they actually demotivate ladies and the latest study, by low carb expert Atkins, found that the vast majority of women prefer to look closer to home for inspiration.
Female dieters are five times more likely to dig out an old picture of themselves when they were slimmer if they need inspiration to lose weight, rather than stare at an air brushed image of a celebrity in a glossy magazine or online.
Two thirds told researchers they were inspired to lose weight after seeing an image of themselves slimmer, while just 12 per cent said a picture of a skinny celebrity helped spur them on.
Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham was the dieter that women loved to hate the most; with a quarter saying they dreaded seeing pictures of the mum-of-four looking her super skinny best.
Pop princess Cheryl Cole was next on the hit list, as a fifth said looking at pictures of the Geordie beauty or watching her writhe around in music videos, made them feel less motivated to lose weight and one in ten insisted images of WAG stunner Abbey Crouch hit them the hardest.
Other super slim celebs that came in for a bashing included, the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie and popstar Rihanna.
Meanwhile, a whopping 90 per cent of women insisted they did not believe celebrity dieters when they said they were able to eat whatever they liked.
The survey of 2,000 women across the UK was commissioned by the New Atkins Diet.
Speaking about the results of the study, Linda O’Byrne, chief nutritionist for the New Atkins Diet, said: “For the first time we are able to prove that most women do not respond to glossy, air brushed images of super skinny celebrities.
“In fact women are saying that these images are the least effective way to inspire them to slim down, as it simply makes them feel less satisfied with their own body and less motivated to lose weight and get in shape.
“People know the glitz and the glamour of celebrity life is not the real world, where what you see is not necessarily what you get. So where better to turn to for inspiration than yourself, this can often be the best motivation ever.”
The study also revealed that 95 per cent of adult women across the UK – that is over 28 million females – have dieted at some point in their life; while one in seven insist they are always on a diet.
Three quarters believe there is too much pressure on women to be slim, with this figure rising to nine out of ten females aged over 55. Interestingly just over half (50.78%) of women under 25 believed there was too much pressure to be a certain size.
Glossy magazines and the media in general, followed by celebrities and the fashion industry, were named and shamed as those applying the most pressure to ordinary women to be slim, while two fifths insisted women had to accept some of the blame themselves.
The New Atkins Diet chief nutritionist, Linda O’Byrne, added: “Our survey reveals how difficult it can be to keep your motivation up when you are on a diet and it is for this reason that we have developed the New Atkins Diet so that it is easier than ever to follow.
“The new diet is a low carbohydrate approach that is versatile and sustainable for a lifetime of healthy eating. And the key element is that it is simple, safe and convenient to follow, plus it will fit into any lifestyle.
“We recommend that dieters slim down safely and effectively by cutting back on sugars and other refined carbohydrates. However, the range of foods and balanced carbs allowed on New Atkins means that no food group is banned, dieters can therefore enjoy a variety of tasty dishes and snacks that will leave them feeling satisfied.”
Celebs dieters love to hate