Are you standing naked on the scales to help reduce the number?
From stripping completely naked to blow drying wet hair and even breathing in, British women go to extreme and somewhat bizarre lengths to think themselves slim, according to new research.
More than 80% of British women find dieting stressful and nearly half of them said stress is the main reason for them to fail on a diet.
The poll was conducted as part of the Small Steps campaign in partnership with Nadia Sawalha. The campaign aims to take the stress out of dieting by providing advice on the Small Steps people can take to reach their healthy diet and lifestyle goals.
The survey revealed that many women feel extreme pressure to get results from dieting with some reverting to extreme measures to reach their goals. The bizarre tactics included stripping naked, going to the toilet, or even weighing themselves as soon as they get out of bed.
Hannah Vose, a spokesperson for SPLENDA®, who conducted the research, said: "Our research has shown that some women are so stressed by dieting that they are resorting to a range of bewildering tactics to think themselves slim, from getting naked on the scales to drying wet hair!
"We know that going on a diet can be a challenge for many women and seeing results when stepping on the scales is an important part of the process. The real test of a diet is not just losing a few pounds quickly, but taking small steps and making small changes to your lifestyle and diet that last for years and can make a big difference.”
The survey also revealed that British women are not averse to telling a few fibs if they haven’t quite met their weight loss goal. The study found that four in ten had fibbed to work colleagues about their weight, 38 per cent to friends and 25 per cent to their partner. Others had lied to their parents and weight loss group or slimming coach.
Women disappointed at not losing as much weight as they had forecast also admitted resorting to some strange behaviour, such as throwing out their old scales and buying new ones, going on a complete detox, breaking down and crying or even abandoning their diet and going on a food binge.
Nadia Sawalha fronts the SPLENDA® Small Steps campaign and has created a range of figure-friendly recipes and practical ideas to help women adopt a healthier relationship with food.
Having spent 20 years on short-term fad diets, Nadia recognises the impact smaller lifestyle changes can have on overall wellbeing: "The Small Steps SPLENDA® survey results just go show how stressful women find dieting and that this can have a negative impact on overall weight loss. Every diet I’ve tried has turned out to be a temporary fix, and as soon as I returned to my old eating habits I put every pound back on. Making drastic dietary changes is never going to work – I need small changes that can be easily incorporated into my life.”
Tagged in Diet Diet tips Weight loss