A recent survey by the supermarket chain Tesco has revealed that approximately 1 in 3 people are on what they consider to be a permanent diet to aid weight loss. However, each year there are more people recorded as being overweight or obese. Most people in later middle age are likely to go on a diet at least once a month to try to lose some weight, or to control weight. Of these people, 15% try to restrict their calorie intake every day, which is twice as many people as in any other age group.

Experts have warned that by the 2050, 60% of adults will be overweight if action is not taken to reduce the ever increasing rates of obesity.

The only way to control weight effectively in the long term is by combining regular exercise with healthy eating, as part of a healthy lifestyle. Short term fad diets and exercise routines do not work. Weight can be lost in a few weeks on a soup diet, but long term weight control and health requires a permanent change in lifestyle.

The UK Secretary for Health, Alan Johnson, has warned that obesity poses a potential crisis on the same scale as climate change, and a government think tank has determined that 70,000 lives could be saved if Britons followed simple healthy eating guidelines.

Research has long shown that yo-yo dieting is not effective in the long term. In fact, often people put more weight on as a result of poor diet advice. In another survey, carried out by Tesco, is was revealed that 15% of adults spend up to an hour each day worrying about their weight. And as many as 5% of women worry about their figure, and their weight, for up to three hours a day.

Most people questioned said that self esteem and self confidence were the main reasons for dieting and trying to get into shape. About 60% of women and 45% of men said that they would feel better about the way they look, and feel more confident, if they lost some weight. 20% of respondents dieting admitted that their goal was to improve their sex lives.

One surprising result of the research showed that many people are driven to want to lose weight to look more like celebrities, friends and colleagues. It is not just teenagers that desire a celebrity body, but many adults too.

Psychologist Donna Dawson said: “Men and women in the UK have a strong desire to feel better about themselves, and one of the ways they believe they can achieve this is through dieting and losing weight. However, it is important to understand that constant, yo-yo dieting which is doomed to failure will only work to undermine self-confidence. What is needed is developing a plan for a long-term, healthy lifestyle, substituting good habits for bad, and setting goals that can be realistically achieved.”

Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern, said he was not surprised by the findings. “I think it’s important that we do take our weight seriously, and monitor our food intake and activity levels regularly. Two thirds of us are already overweight. However we need to move away from the concept of “dieting” towards one of “healthy diet”. The best thing the supermarkets could do to help this would be to place their focus on healthy food choices.”

The research really does not reveal any startling new facts about the nature of our nation. In fact people all over the developed world are striving to attain wealthy, content lives, while at the same time paying the cost for over indulgence. For most people a permanent change in lifestyle is too great a burden to bear, so short fad yo yo diets and 2 week fat burning exercise regimes are the solution for many.