London: According to a study conducted by The Laughing Cow®*, despite the past year being hailed as the year of the size 00 celebrity figure, over a third (34%) of sensible British women polled now cite Charlotte Church, rather than skinny Victoria Beckham, as having the perfect figure, with size 12 being the aspirational size of the majority of women.
However 40% of men considered the sporting physique of Victorias husband, David Beckham, as being their ideal goal, according to The Laughing Cow® Extra Light Diet Survey, an in-depth analysis of the British attitude, aspirations and approach to dieting.
The Reports results show that the average diet lasts just five and half weeks. With 48% of people starting their summer holiday diets in March, in preparation for showing off their figures in June, July or August, mid April is the danger period for a weakening of resolve perhaps due to the temptation of all those Easter eggs, as 50% give lack of will power as the main reason for failing to stick with a diet! The results are available for all to view on www.laughingcowdietreport.co.uk, which also offers tips, advice and recipes to help would be slimmers stay on track to achieve realistic weight loss goals via a healthily balanced diet.
Were a Nation of Bridget Joness – Always on a Diet
The revealing results also show that 1 in 10 (or 6,658,630) Brits are currently on a weight loss diet amazingly, if gathered together, this number equates the total population of Scotland and Northern Ireland combined. Whats more, like popular fictional character Bridget Jones, 21% of dieters consider themselves as always on a diet, with the average dieter spending around £150 per diet on special diet foods.
Sisters Are Dieting for Themselves
On motivation, three quarters (75%) of all dieters claim that they want to slim for themselves, with less than a fifth (18%) wishing to lose weight to please their partners. 70% of dieters also cited health as a reason for wanting to slim, although half of all women dieters are driven to diet in a quest to look good in fashionable clothes (58%) or simply boost their confidence (59%).
Dieting to Extremes?
Many are now taking a sensible approach to dieting, with 85% considering eating smaller portions to shift weight, 64% considering consuming only low fat foods and 44% pondering joining the gym. However some contemplate going to extreme lengths to shed excess weight, with 22% thinking about taking weight loss pills, 12% considering a liquid diet and nearly 1 in 10 (9%) pondering surgery.
Cheese and Chocolate Cravings
Craving comfort food, a fifth (20%) of those polled cited cheese as the food they most craved when dieting, beaten only by the ubiquitous chocolate (23%). Nearly half (48%) of dieters wished that cheese was less fattening, although over half (52%) considered cheese as a healthy food.
The survey was commissioned by the dieters friend, The Laughing Cow® Extra Light, the first truly low-fat cheese portions, packed with all the Laughing Cow cheese taste and goodness but with only 3% fat and just 20 k-calories per individual triangle.
To support wavering and would-be slimmers, The Laughing Cow® Extra Light has launched an exciting microsite www.laughingcowextralight.co.uk and have teamed up with respected nutritionists and registered dieticians, Sian Porter and Azmina Govindji, to bring you a site packed with dieting tips, tasty recipes, tips from real life dieters, plus the opportunity to download a free podcast offering an inspirational practical guide to successful dieting.
Jo Wozniak, Group Brand Manager, The Laughing Cow® commented: The Laughing Cow® Extra Light Diet Survey reveals many insights into the different attitudes, approaches and aspirations of slimmers and identified five distinct dieting types that each take a different approach to weight loss. As April is the month when the majority look likely to fall off the pre summer holiday diet bandwagon, we believe that the motivational tips, information and advice offered on our microsite will go some way towards helping slimmers lighten up and stay on track. Understanding different slimmers needs, motivations and difficulties is important as it enables us at The Laughing Cow® to devise ways to help slimmers achieve their dieting goals with a healthily balanced approach.