Half of dieting women admit to using laxative quick fix
Anyone who has attempted to ditch their favourite food indulgence in a bid to lose weight will know only too well how frustrating and arduous dieting can be. And for many dieters in the UK, it seems a quick fix is just too tempting.
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According to a survey of 1,911 adult British women, conducted by online pharmacy UKMedix.com, 47 per cent have resorted to taking laxatives at least once during their dieting lifetime.
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Of that 47 per cent, more than half said they knew all too well that it was bad for their health, and the majority realised that the results were very much temporary.
The poll, which aimed to reveal more about women's attitude to weight, found that 71 per cent of British women regularly try out weird and not always wonderful weight loss techniques.
Some 45 per cent have tried fasting as a means to shift excess pounds, while 39 per cent have endured the 'cabbage soup diet'. More than a third have attempted a 'liquid diet', and almost 30 per cent had tried body wraps in the hope of losing an inch here and there.
At the more worrying end of the diet scale, a quarter of the respondents confessed to having tried out the baby food diet, with a similar number opting for a raw fruit and vegetable regime.
And 14 per cent admitted they had deliberately eaten foods they knew would make them sick, simply in order to bring on a dose of diarrhoea or vomiting.
In total, 76 per cent said they 'prioritised weight loss results' over any potentially negative impact on their health.
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Sarah Bailey, from UKMedix.com, told the Daily Mail: "Some of the weird weight loss techniques we found to be most commonly employed by women in the UK were worrying - particularly those who claimed to turn to laxatives or eating foods known to disagree with them, or make them ill."
She added: "We'd advise any women thinking of doing this simply not to. Your health is paramount, and a healthy diet coupled with exercise is always the best way to lose weight, not abusing medication or food allergies."
Which fad diets have you tried? Did any work for you, or did you lose weight the healthy way? Leave your comments below...
