Time and money sink diets

One in two people abandon a new diet or fitness regime after less than a month, a study shows today.

They blame lack of time and money for the failure of their willpower and admit chocolate bars are the snacks they find hardest to resist.

The study makes grim reading for health professionals and government experts who are trying to discourage our love affair with junk food in a bid to tackle Britain's obesity epidemic.

While celebrities such as Robbie Williams struggle publicly with their weight, 49 per cent of those questioned in the survey said they are determined to get slim this year.

Losing inches from waistlines is 12 times more important to people than losing pounds from bottoms or thighs, although women are three times more likely to target all these areas for weight loss. However, when it comes to dieting, women have the best intentions but the worst willpower. Fifty-four per cent intend to lose weight this year, compared with 39 per cent of men. But 54 per cent of women drop their diet or exercise regime within a month, compared with 42 per cent of men.

The pleasure of losing weight is fitting into smaller clothes for 40 per cent of respondents, and eating good-quality food for 50 per cent. Only seven per cent enjoy the gym.

Half of the 2,000 adults questioned in the survey for Marks & Spencer said it takes only days for them to crack. Only 8.6 per cent are "never tempted to give up".

The survey reveals that 41 per cent blame lack of cash for their failure, while 38 per cent blame lack of time to exercise or prepare healthy meals. When they crack, 48 per cent of women and 32 per cent of men reach for a chocolate bar.