This study is disturbing for a number of reasons. #1. According to this, I have 5 years of my life yet to live before I can actually start eating! #2. I don't know about ya'll....but I can think of a LOT better ways of spending 31 years of one's life. And lastly, #3. Why can't we all just try to eat healthier (she said as she throws yesterdays Taco Bell receipt in the trash) with the overall goal of being HEALTHY rather than skinny??
Anyway, apparently it's an interesting Newsweek, people. Read on.
For many women struggling to keep slim, dieting can seem to last a lifetime.
Or to be more precise, 31 years.
For researchers have found that is how long the average woman spends on a diet over the course of her life. According to a new report, British women spend an average of six months a year counting the calories and more than a fifth are on a permanent diet throughout their lifetime in a seemingly never-ending quest for the perfect figure.
But they aren't the only ones waging a constant fight against the flab.
The average adult male spends 28 years slimming, the poll has revealed.
It found that over a tenth of the UK population is currently dieting in a bid to shed the pounds after feasting on festive treats over the Christmas period.
But despite best intentions, three quarters of those who began their New Year with the firm resolution to lose weight will give up by the end of the week.
The average diet lasts 5.5 weeks, with the post-Christmas fast being even shorter at just three weeks.
Half of slimmers throw in the towel due to lack of willpower, while a quarter of respondents said that they give up because their strict diet regime leaves them moody or depressed.
The most determined of dieters are aged between 45 and 64, with almost a quarter spending up to a year slimming.
In comparison, those aged between 18 and 24 are more likely to be yo-yo dieters, with a fifth giving up within a month.
The survey of 1,446 of men and women revealed that nearly two thirds of the UK population are unhappy with their body and feel that being thinner would make them happier.
For women, looks are more important, with over half reporting that they diet to wear fashionable clothes and a third of those surveyed said they watched their weight in a bid to feel more attractive.
But in comparison, men are more focused on their long-term well-being, with over a third saying they wanted to lose weight to be more healthy.
Almost a quarter of the UK population has been on a weight loss diet at one time, with half shedding up to a stone.
But despite the recent catwalk trend for size zero models, most adult British women don't aspire to be super skinny.
Most crave a hour-glass shape, with Marilyn Monroe's curves and the voluptuous figure of singer Charlotte Church being among the most desired body shapes.
British men, meanwhile, are more interested in a sporting physique, with 40 per cent citing footballer David Beckham's body as their ideal, just ahead of film star Brad Pitt.
The report has been welcomed by experts.
Leading dietician Sian Porter said: "Thirty one years is a lot of time dieting when you tot it up, but it shows that people are realising that they must live a more healthy lifestyle.
"It is encouraging that women are being realistic.
"They are not aspiring to be a size zero, but they are looking up to someone more curvy like Kelly Brook or Nigella Lawson.
"But what we need to do is not dieting, but more healthy eating."
Whilst the majority of those surveyed diet sensibly by eating smaller portions, almost a quarter of respondents said they would consider taking diet pills or only eating salad, and almost one in ten have considered a liquid diet or surgery.
For those watching their waistline, chocolate is the most craved sin, followed by cheese, according to the Ipsos Mori report commissioned by Laughing Cow Extra Light Diet.
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