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

Whether it’s scoffing at a chocolate bar or giving in to a takeout, most people experience a “batch” at some point when trying to lose weight.

But more than half of UK adults say a single setback can completely derail them from their weight loss goals, a study suggests.

Meanwhile, one in five said a setback made them abandon their diet entirely.

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

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

Others said missing out on their favorite foods and not planning healthy meals was what 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 10 said an Easter egg was the item most likely to set them back.

Between 6pm and 10pm is the time when people are most likely to deviate from their weight loss plans, while almost a third said it took them more than a month to get back on track after experiencing a ” bap.”

The survey was conducted by weight loss organization Slimming World.

Dr Amanda Avery, a Sliming World health and research consultant dietitian, said learning to manage setbacks is crucial to long-term weight loss success.

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

‘Things don’t always go perfectly as planned and that’s life. The key when this happens is to be kind to yourself.

‘Learning to accept that a setback is part of your weight loss process can help prevent you from going completely off the rails.

“The survey results support this: More than half of the adults surveyed agreed that learning to deal with setbacks in their weight loss journey helped them cope with the ups and downs of weight loss.”

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

James Stubbs, professor of appetite and energy balance at the University of Leeds, commented on the results: “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 is good to be prepared, have plans, tools to help you navigate and coping strategies for when the journey may become difficult.

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

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

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