Dec 22, 2010 19:01 GMT  ·  By
British women are the worst dieters, while American ladies don’t even bother with diets, survey reveals
   British women are the worst dieters, while American ladies don’t even bother with diets, survey reveals

Nutritionists have repeatedly warned that dieting alone is not enough for successful weight management and that the changes must be turned into a new lifestyle option to avoid yo-yo-ing weight. A new survey reveals that British women are the worst even when it comes to short-term diets.

One of the most certain ways to pack on weight again is by thinking of losing weight as a short term thing, that can be achieved by cutting down calories, experts say.

Dieting must actually be a lifestyle change, one that implies eating healthier and getting plenty of exercise, so that whatever weight loss is achieved is also sustainable.

British women not only do not understand the difference, but they’re also the more likely to fail at their diet, a new survey cited by the Daily Mail reveals. About 86% of women going on a diet will fail to see it through.

If compared to women in other countries, like France, Germany and even USA, the dieting failure rate is quite impressive. It also shows that women in other territories have a healthier approach to food.

Speaking strictly numbers, 34% of the British women queried have said they gained weight since last year, with German ladies at the opposite pole, with only 19%.

Brits also fail in the working out department, with the ladies getting a mere 25 minutes of exercise a day, with the minimum recommended time being of 30 minutes for a healthy life.

However, American and French women place even worse here, as they get less than 30 minutes a week of exercise. Nevertheless, the French eat more fresh foods, whereas the Brits and Americans don’t.

“Women in the UK are also more likely to eat in front of the TV than any other nation surveyed. Around 37 per cent regularly had TV dinners, higher even than in America where 29 per cent eat in front of the telly,” the Mail says.

British women also rely more on pre-processed foods more than any other, while the French have the healthiest diet, including lots of fresh foods and vegetables.

“Women in the United States also had the lowest rate of dieting of everyone surveyed, with just a quarter having dieted in the past 12 months. German women were the best at keeping their weight steady, with two thirds claiming they neither put on or lost weight,” the Mail further notes.

The survey was conducted by a marketing firm on 1,534 women from various European territories and the US.