Do you feel the pressure from colleagues?
Motivation to lose weight comes in many forms, desiring bodies like Miranda Kerr's or Kelly Brooks may be one form, but a new study has revealed that diet wars in the office is another.
British women are under more pressure to shed the pounds to look like their skinny colleagues.
Longer working hours and lack of job security have increased the incidence of competitive dieting in the workplace, with almost 20 per cent of female workers – some 2.3 million - slimming to keep up with peers and gain the edge in an increasingly cut throat environment, according to the study by the New Atkins Nutritional Approach.
As well as coming under pressure to ‘look the part’ in order to get ahead, women are also requiring higher energy and stamina levels, to keep up with late nights at the office and stressful deadlines, with five per cent - over half a million - insisting they diet to ensure they are fit and healthy enough to manage the physical demands of their jobs.
Worryingly, however, this pressure to look good and out-perform colleagues is causing a growing number of women to suffer from ‘diet brain’, a condition that affects those battling to lose weight, inducing mood swings, impacting on close relationships and – critically - performance at work, with almost 40% of women admitting to experiencing the condition.
The study revealed how symptoms such as forgetfulness, nausea and depression caused a third of women to believe their work had suffered as a result of ‘diet brain’, with over 30% admitting being distracted from their job by thinking about food.
The study of 2,000 women, which forms part of the New Atkins Nutritional Approach’s annual ‘Satisfaction Report’ into attitudes towards food and dieting, also reveals this new breed of slimmer recognises the airbrushed figures of Hollywood stars are not attainable – causing them to look closer to home for their competition.
Chief nutritionist for the New Atkins Nutritional Approach, Linda O’Byrne, said: “The modern workplace is an increasingly competitive arena for women and appearances certainly do matter, so it’s no surprise that women are under pressure to diet to look better than their colleagues.
“The physical demands in the workplace are also much greater now, with a higher level of stamina required to keep up with the pace, as longer working hours become commonplace.
“While it’s encouraging women are rejecting unrealistic images of what a healthy, adult woman’s shape should be, many are going about it the wrong way, sometimes dodging meals altogether to ‘keep up’ with workmates bragging about how little they have eaten and how much weight they have lost.
“Skipping meals causes your metabolism to slow down and makes you much more likely to give in to sweet treats so often available in the office, or overeat at teatime.”
Other reasons for dieting included to snare a man, to avoid embarrassing their children and to feel more confident in the bedroom.
Almost half of the women surveyed insisted ‘diet brain’ had also negatively affected their relationship, with one fifth admitting they thought about food more than their partner. Almost a quarter (22.95 per cent) confessed that dieting had been in danger of taking over their life completely, while a shocking 86.60 per cent admitted feeling guilty about how much they eat.
Linda added: “If you find yourself suffering unpleasant and disruptive symptoms when dieting, which are having a drastic impact on your relationships or work, then the reality is you are not slimming down correctly. No one should feel guilty about eating. Consuming a healthy, balanced diet that provides safe, steady weight loss should not have a negative impact on your life, it should enhance it.”
Linda’s Top Five Tips For Office Dieting Success:
1. Don't go longer than four hours between eating - if you have lunch at 12pm then make sure that you plan to have a snack at 4pm, so you won’t be starving by dinnertime or eat the wrong foods
2. Stay hydrated – not drinking enough can often be mistaken by the body for hunger, so ensure you keep a bottle of water on your desk and sip it all day
3. Switch to cream - if you drink tea or coffee you should avoid adding milk, as it is high in sugar. Instead, use cream - watered down if necessary - or unsweetened soya milk
4. Be prepared for cravings - make sure you have some healthy treats in your desk drawer, such as the brand new Atkins Advantage Chocolate Mint Bar, to prevent you from diving into the office biscuit tin
5. Avoid mindless munching - habits such as eating at your desk, or even while standing up talking to a colleague, can cause you to overeat. Instead, step away from your desk, be aware of what you're eating and savour every bite
Tagged in Health Diet Healthy eating Diet tips weight weight gain Weight loss