Average woman spends 21 minutes each day calorie counting

The average woman spends the equivalent of almost one year of her life obsessing about calories, research has revealed. A study found typically women think about, talk about or read up on their diets for around 21 minutes per day – or over two hours every week.

That means they fret about their weight for 127 hours a year, which over 67 years of an adult lifetime equates to around 355 days.

By contrast men spend 18 minutes a day or 109 hours a year thinking about calories, which equates to 304 days of their lives.

The study also found over half of us claim to be unhappy with our weight and manage what we eat by monitoring their calories.

Fiona Hope of SodaStream, which commissioned the study, said: ”Counting calories is a part of modern day life and our research shows Brits are obsessed with watching their weight.

”It’s important to offer people choice as part of a well-balanced diet.”

It also emerged the average adult spends 338 days of their life calorie counting – that equates to 20 minutes a day, over two hours a week and an average of 121 hours, checking labels for calorie content, talking about calories or thinking about calories.

And it’s not just women who are trying to tackle the calorie war – nearly two fifths (38%) of men admit to checking the backs of packets for dietary information in a bid to stay slim.

The research also highlighted that keeping lean for their nearest and dearest is the main driver for people who want to lose weight, with over a third of those surveyed (38%) wanting to shed a few pounds to make their partner happy.

Nearly one in ten, or 9%, watch their calories so they can be as slim as their friends.

Office workers can’t escape the diet fads, with one in fourteen admitting to reading labels to look good in front of trim colleagues.

Advances in technology mean that dieters are calorie counting around the clock, with over a fifth reporting they use a smartphone app to keep track of the calories they’re consuming, whilst nearly one in ten use a specialist website to monitor their calorie intake.

One in six dieters stick with old fashioned pen and pencil and keep a food diary.

The survey also revealed Brits find calorie counting tough going, with nearly a third admitting they find the process time-consuming.

Whilst most try to be good by opting for low calorie options, over a quarter of respondents stated they don’t like the taste or flavour of low calorie food and drink.

A further 27 % wish there was a bigger choice of reduced calorie food and drink choices available.