Cheryl Baker loses 18lbs on Jenny Craig diet

With nearly 90 per cent (89%) of UK women surveyed having tried to lose weight at some point in their lives – 60 per cent are claiming they are currently on a diet and one in five women saying they are on a ‘continuous diet’ – there is clearly a massive disconnect between how women think about dieting and what they actually do.

The food: body: mind report commissioned by weight management programme Jenny Craig quizzed 2000 women on their attitudes, beliefs and behaviours around weight loss and reveals why the great British diet paradox exists. The report reveals that we are a nation that suffers from ‘Diet Dating Syndrome’ with more of a ‘casual dating’ approach to dieting than a ‘going steady’ mindset.  Too easily lead by temptation our ‘food flings and holiday romances’ mean we are likely to rebound from one diet to another – without so much as a ‘it’s not you - it’s me’!

Dr Ian Campbell, founder of the National Obesity Forum and the Jenny Craig doctor, commented: “In the UK 61.4% of adults are overweight or obese and almost a quarter (24.5%) of adults are obese. Successful weight management requires a long-term commitment in order to lose weight successfully and for good. Too many women simply flirt with the notion of dieting via unhealthy yo-yo dieting or quick fix solutions – rather than entering into a proper long-term relationship with healthy eating.  The report reveals that over half of women say they would give a major food group the elbow in a bid to lose weight and a third are just ‘girls who can’t say no’ and lay the blame firmly at their lack of willpower.”

Food - Yo-yo dieting ups and downs

The food: body: mind report reveals many British women have ‘Diet Dating Syndrome’ with nearly 60 per cent (58%) of women surveyed dating a variety of diets rather than embracing a long-term lifestyle change.  Over a third (36%) have been on at least one diet in the past year while nearly a quarter (21%) have tried two diets in the last twelve months.  Choosing the wrong diet can be as destructive as the real-life bad-boys who some of us are drawn to - raising our hopes then letting us down.

Body - Mirror, mirror

According to many British women – their appearance is the number one reason to start ‘dating a new diet’ with nearly eighty per cent (77%) of women stating that their reflection in a mirror is their top reason for starting a diet.  This is followed by nearly forty per cent (38%) of women having a ‘diet holiday romance’ and stating that ‘time of year’ is a key diet driver which is closely followed by unflattering pictures on Facebook at 36 per cent.

Mind - Commitment

Over half of women who diet in the UK want to see results within a month while a worrying 15 per cent want to see results within days.  18 per cent of women will stick to a diet for just seven – ten days before falling off the wagon while ten per cent give up after just three days! All of which lead to Diet Dating Syndrome (DDS).

Cheryl Baker: Making my diet mind up

Bucks Fizz singer and TV presenter Cheryl Baker, 56, says she’s definitely suffered from Diet Dating Syndrome (DDS) in the past:  “I’ve not just been a yo-yo dieter – I’d describe myself more as a bungee-jumping dieter!  Always ready to jump in, both feet first, to any new diet or fad that was going.  I’ve certainly been around the block when it comes to dieting and have had a bad relationship with food in the past as I’m a very sociable person and equate being sociable with eating good food.  This means I’ve been jumping from one diet to the next since I became a figure-conscious teenager at the age of 14 – and now I just want to settle down and have a healthy relationship with food. The Jenny Craig programme is working for me – if I can lose weight and keep it off anyone can – I’ve lost 18lb in 11 weeks so far!”

Fat Nation: Top 5 worst affected regions

% of women currently dieting by region
 
1. 74% - Scotland
2. 62% - East Midlands
3. 62% - North East
4. 61% - North West
5. 61% - Yorkshire & Humberside
 
% of women constantly dieting by region
 
1. 24% = North East
2. 22% = Scotland
3. 20% = East Anglia
4. 20% = North West
5. 20% = South West
 
Watch our video to find out more.