Britons carrying 24 million stone in unwanted weight

New research from the UK’s leading online sports nutrition brand has revealed that Britons are carrying around 24 million stone in unwanted excess body weight collectively; the equivalent of 28,000 elephants, or 21,778 double decker buses.

Whilst a little excess weight can easily be ignored, new research from Myprotein has revealed the huge amount of unwanted excess weight currently expanding Britain’s waistline.

This study has found that Britons are collectively carrying around 24 million stone in unwanted excess weight; with the average Briton looking to lose ‘11 pounds’ in order to achieve what they would deem to be an ‘ideal weight.’

Myprotein polled 1,721 members of the British public aged 18 and over; asking them questions surrounding diet and weight, given the popularity of starting new diet regimes at this time of year.
Respondents to the study were initially asked, “Do you feel as though you are carrying any unwanted, excess weight?” to which over three quarters, 77%, of respondents answered “yes.”

These respondents were then asked to stipulate how many pounds in excess weight they were carrying, based on the amount they would like to lose in order to achieve what they deemed to be an ‘ideal’ weight. When all responses were collected, the average amount in excess weight, as carried by respondents to the study, was ‘11 pounds.’

Bearing in mind the adult population of the United Kingdom (40 million), and the percentage of respondents to the study who claimed that they were carrying excess weight (77%) – this accumulates to a total of 24 million stone in excess weight, as carried collectively by members of the British public. To put this in perspective, this weight is the equivalent of 28,000 Asian Elephants; or 21,778 double decker buses.

Respondents to the study were also asked questions surrounding their opinions towards diet and exercise. Two thirds, 67%, of those who took part in the study admitted that they had tried diets in order to lose weight in the past; however, just one in ten, 11%, of these admitted that they had seen ‘lasting results’ from their attempts.
48% of those who had tried a diet in the past admitted that they had lost weight as a result. But of these, three quarters (74%) admitted that they had put all the weight back on afterwards.

Mark Coxhead, head of marketing at myprotein.com, commented on the findings:
“New diet and exercise regimes are all the rage at this time of year, with well-intentioned New Year’s Resolutions usually acting as the driving force behind them. With this in mind, we wanted to look into how much weight the nation was looking to lose; and with the average desired weight loss being 11 pounds, this accumulated in a whopping 24 million stone in excess weight expanding Britain’s waistline.”

He continued:
“However popular diets may be, they are never a truly effective way to lose weight. The majority of those we polled who had tried a diet admitted to piling the weight back on afterwards, which inevitably will happen. Making small, lasting changes to your diet and fitness habits is the only way to lose weight in the long run; and the only way to keep the pounds off. Remember, small changes are the best way to make a lasting difference, so don’t believe the claims that a diet promises, as they rarely ever work.”

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MP