Revealed: Up to half of Brits who try to lose weight give up after one ‘blip’

Whether it’s spotting a bar of chocolate or indulging in a takeaway, most people experience a ‘blip’ when trying to lose weight.

But more than half of adults in Britain say just one setback could completely derail them from their weight loss goals, a survey suggests.

Meanwhile, one in five said a setback had forced them to quit their diet altogether.

A survey of 2,003 adults found that 77 percent of adults said they had tried to lose weight before, and that people had tried to lose weight an average of seven times in their lives.

Of those who have experienced a setback, 38 percent said hunger was the main cause, while 29 percent said it was a stressful life event such as a death, job loss or family illness.

Others said missing their favorite foods and not planning healthy meals has derailed them.

The main temptations that can cause setbacks include having unhealthy snacks such as chocolate, chips, cakes and biscuits at home, takeaways, cakes and pastries while buying coffee, and fast food after a night out.

One in ten said an Easter egg was the item most likely to cause them a setback.

Between 6pm and 10pm people are most likely to deviate from their weight loss plans, with almost a third saying it took them more than a month to get back on track after a ‘blip’.

The research was carried out by slimming organization Slimming World.

Dr. Amanda Avery, Slimming World’s health and research dietitian, said learning to cope with setbacks is crucial for long-term weight loss success.

“As we’ve seen with the results of this study, setbacks in weight loss are to be expected,” she said.

‘Things don’t always go perfectly to plan and that’s life. What’s important when this happens is that you are kind to yourself.

‘If you learn to accept that a setback is part of your weight-loss journey, you can prevent yourself from going completely off the rails.

‘The survey results support this, with more than half of adults surveyed agreeing that learning to deal with setbacks during their weight-loss journey has helped them navigate the ups and downs of weight loss.’

The survey also found that the most popular way people tried to lose weight was through exercise, followed by calorie counting and fasting.

Commenting on the findings, James Stubbs, professor of appetite and energy balance at the University of Leeds, said: ‘For anyone looking to lose weight, it is important to remember that this is not a quick fix, but a gradual process.

‘As with any journey, it’s good to be prepared, to have plans, tools to help you navigate and strategies in place for when the journey may get difficult.

‘Behavior change plays a key role and there will be days when setbacks are experienced and things don’t go so well, which is completely natural.

‘Learning to deal with setbacks helps people develop the skills necessary for lasting behavioral change.

“Even people who are very successful at losing weight and keeping it off experience setbacks and revise some of the strategies they initially used to lose weight.”