Are you secretly snacking whilst trying to lose weight?
There's nothing quite like the pull of a bar of chocolate or a packet of crisp, and new research shows that we just don't have the willpower to say no.
According to new research one in four women admits to being a ‘dishonest dieter’; making it appear as though she is dieting to friends and family, but eating unhealthily in secret behind their backs.
The main reason for doing so was revealed to be the ‘fear of judgement of not dieting.’
The study was conducted by www.UKMedix.com as part of research into the nutrition habits and weight loss experiences of Britons, given that the site features remedies to help aid weight loss. 1,812 women aged 18 and over from across the UK took part.
As well as fear of judgement, a fifth explained that they received ‘a lot of dieting support’ from friends and family, and so kept unhealthy eating a secret so as ‘not to disappoint them.’
Sarah Bailey of UKMedix.com commented on the results: “Dieting is evidently something that most women across the UK will turn their hand to at some point, so we wanted to look into the efforts that go into this- specifically related to perception versus reality. To see that so many women feel the need to lie to friends and family about being on a diet was surprising, particularly as so many did so as they felt that others would essentially want them to be on a diet. Your own health and weight is your business and your business only, so no on should feel the need to lie about dieting. Whilst a healthy diet and exercise is important, it is also your choice- so what others may think should have no impact on what you do (or pretend to do!)”
When asked how they committed their ‘diet fibbing’, 45%, of the women who admitted to doing so claimed to eat separately from friends/ family; enabling them to eat unhealthy without detection. 38% admitted that they would eat healthy in front of others, and eat additional unhealthy foods in secret.
When asked to elaborate on how far they would take their dieting fibs, just under half admitted that they would openly lie about how much weight they had lost to friends/ family. 16% even admitted that they pretended to attend weight loss clubs/ classes.
When asked if they had ever been ‘caught’ eating unhealthily when attempting to keep it a secret, 25% said ‘yes’. Furthermore, 27% claimed that they attempted to counteract their unhealthy eating with weight loss pills or tablets, to enable them to eat what they liked, yet still lose weight.
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