On a Diet? Why You Can Have Your Cake and Eat it!

On a Diet? Why You Can Have Your Cake and Eat it!

NOTTINGHAM, England, May 7, 2012/PRNewswire/ --



The majority of us think we need to stop eating carbohydrates such as biscuits, cakes
and crisps when we go on a diet. A UK-wide survey has revealed a common belief that these
types of foods are a 'no no', with 63% thinking that successful weight loss requires
cutting out certain types of foods (1).



But studies of 7,592 dieters who signed up to lose weight online show the reality is
quite the opposite - people who cut down rather than cutting out food groups not only lose
weight, but are creating a more healthy relationship with food, which is really important
for keeping weight off long-term (2). An overwhelming majority (86%) of Nutracheck.co.uk
[http://nutracheck.co.uk ] (3) dieters who lost enough weight to improve their health did
so while continuing to eat biscuits, chocolate, pizza, cakes, crisps and ice cream (4).



'People tend to class foods as 'good' or 'bad', which is not helpful when trying to
change your diet. Denying yourself something you enjoy leads to psychologically negative
emotions, so many people associate weight loss with denial, hunger and feeling miserable',
explained UK leading weight loss doctor and obesity expert Dr Ian Campbell.



'Many dieters are unnecessarily too hard on themselves. Taking a more relaxed
approach, including some treats, makes losing weight successful and sustainable as it
builds in a long-term positive attitude towards food.'



Val Langthorne, 54 from Wensleydale, Yorkshire lost 4 stones 7lbs in 12 months: 'I
have just discovered I like cake! I never used to eat cake pre-Nutracheck because it was
always a definite 'NO' on diets. My life has been without cake since 1975. Now I justcount
it into my calorie allowance.'



Editor's Notes




1) All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample
size was 2103 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 13th and 16th April 2012. The
survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative
of all UK adults (aged 18+)
2) The sample comprised of 7,592 Nutracheck.co.uk [http://nutracheck.co.uk ]
members who had kept a food diary for at least a month between 2005 and April 2012
3) Nutracheck.co.uk [http://nutracheck.co.uk ] is the most comprehensive online
UK food and exercise diary service, with a calorie directory of over 90,000 UK foods
complete with picture search results for easy product/brand recognition. The online
service allows members to scan food barcodes via a free App to update their food
diary.
4) 5% is considered statistically clinically significant weight loss as it
lowers blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol levels and increases life expectancy; 10%
has more profound health benefits
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1570821




Percentage of 7,592 members who lost 10% & 5% of body weight and continued to eat the
following foods:




Weight Ice
loss Biscuits Chocolate Pizza Cake Crisps cream Average

10% 96.8% 91.1% 49.3% 91.6% 91.4% 89.2% 85.6%
5% 95.8% 89.4% 44.7% 88.9% 88.9% 89.5% 83.4%





Source: Nutracheck.co.uk

Felicity Porritt felicity@bluecatcommunications.co.uk Telephone: +44(0)7739419219



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