Glum in the sun: Why pounds are weighing us down

Weight worries are casting a shadow over our summer holidays, leaving many of us self-conscious and spoiling our fun in the sun, a new survey has found.

The survey of 2,340 people, conducted by Slimming World and YouGov, found that a negative body image means that most people spend their summer break worrying about their waistline, with fears of wearing a swimming costume, climbing into the pool in front of a crowd and even getting the photos developed afterwards causing distress to holidaymakers.

As well as revealing that more than half of people (53%) felt they would enjoy their holiday more if they were slimmer, the survey found that in their most indulgent summer holiday the average person has gained as much as 13lbs. Losing weight after a holiday was a problem for many, with two out of three people saying that it usually takes them at least a month to reach their pre-holiday weight and one in seven admitting that they never shed the pounds they gain on their summer break.

“When you’re feeling hopeless because of your size, the added self-consciousness can overshadow almost everything,” says Dr Jacquie Lavin, Head of Nutrition and Research at Slimming World. “If you’re worrying about your weight on holiday it’s easy to feel like you’ve blown it for another year and seek comfort in food and drink but that can send you into a spiral of guilt and shame that leaves you feeling bigger and more worthless than ever. Often you end up feeling like there’s nothing you can do, and so give up completely.”

The figures from the survey show that vowing to lose weight is the most popular decision to be taken by Brits on holiday, three times more common than other lifestyle changes like stopping smoking, drinking less alcohol or getting a new job.

Susan Warr from Norfolk decided to lose weight after a holiday in Rhodes last year to celebrate her 40th birthday. “Being overweight on holiday really affected my confidence and while I had easily brushed it off before then, I found that I couldn’t enjoy myself as much as I wanted to as I was too self conscious to go in the pool or play games on the beach. I wanted something to remember my birthday by though so I posed for photos, but when we got them developed I was horrified. That holiday changed my life because I joined Slimming World as soon as I got back and I’m now 3st lighter and feeling happier and more confident than ever. I’m going to Minorca this year and I can’t wait to strut my stuff in my bikini. I can relax and enjoy all the things you’re meant to enjoy when you go away and, best of all, I don’t have to worry about the pictures!”

The survey revealed that people were more than twice as likely to see the run up to summer as an ideal time to lose weight, rather than in summer itself. However Dr Jacquie Lavin believes it’s never too late to start making healthy changes before a holiday.

“Whether you’ve got a month or a week to go, taking control and starting to lose even a small amount of weight will be a huge boost to your confidence,” says Dr Lavin. “You might not feel completely ‘beach ready’ in just a couple of weeks, but you’ll start to see changes in your body and you’ll feel like you’ve turned a corner. You’ll put yourself in control of your life again and that can do wonders for your self-esteem. So even if you haven’t reached your final destination by the time the plane touches down, you’ll have started the journey and that’s often the hardest step.

“Sharing your commitment to lose weight with friends or family or by joining a group or signing up to an online programme can help you stick with it,” adds Dr Lavin.

Top holiday horrors

Top decisions taken on holiday

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Notes to Editors

• Slimming World is the largest and most advanced slimming organisation in the UK. Margaret Miles-Bramwell (OBE, FRSA) founded the company in 1969 and there are now around 7,750 groups held weekly nationwide via a network of 3,000 Slimming World trained Consultants.
• 400,000 members attend Slimming World every week and achieve outstanding success.
• Members lose 1.5 million stones every year; 28,500st every week; 4,071st every day; over 170st every hour, that’s 2st 8lb every minute of every day at Slimming World.
• Slimming World pioneered referral schemes in the UK and actively supports the building of partnerships with the NHS and local authorities to develop effective strategies to manage overweight and obesity in the community. Slimming World works with university researchers and specialists in an active research programme to further knowledge of the causes and treatment of obesity.
• Slimming World’s healthy eating plan, Food Optimising, and the principles behind Slimming World’s philosophy are based on a deep understanding of the challenges faced by overweight people. Slimming World integrates practical, up-to-date dietary advice with a highly developed support system.
• Slimming World Consultants receive specific training in dietary aspects and the role of physical activity in weight control. The highly developed training focuses on facilitating behaviour change in a group environment, acknowledged by experts as being the most effective way to support long-term weight management.