Cardiff is Christmas diet capital

Vox pop: Will you diet in the run-up to Christmas?

Katherine Hall, 32, psychologist, Roath

“I am going to diet; I want to slim down in time for the office Christmas party, and fit into a nice slinky dress. I think there is a pressure to lose weight, as there are a lot of magazines promoting that image. I watch The Only Way Is Essex, and they all look so glamorous all the time.”

Joanna Porter, 42, sales assistant, Canton

“I think I’m always planning to lose weight but whether it will happen or not is a different matter. I think the opening of the new gym in town will hopefully convince a lot of people that they want to lose weight in the run up to Christmas. I think the media, talking about all the added diets and different techniques you can use, adds extra pressure.”

Helen Smith, 35, psychologist, Roath

“I won’t be dieting, mainly because I like my food too much. I don’t really feel any pressure to lose weight, as everyone knows me as the size I am anyway – it would feel silly.”

Pat Corten, 62, retired, Newport

“I’d like to lose weight, but whether I will or not is the question. I think people do try to though because of all of the eating at Christmas time, you don’t want to put any more weight on. You want to be able to indulge and not feel too guilty.”

Elsie Evans, 75, retired, Rhiwbina

“I’ll try to diet, but I’m a member of the WI and there will be so many different dinners and things going on I don’t think I will be able to. I’ll have to wait until after Christmas.”

Alice Hughes, 53, composer, Whitchurch

“I definitely won’t be dieting. I don’t feel any pressure, and won’t have much going on over Christmas. I’ll just be hibernating and eating mince pies!”

Gail Druce, 37, tele-marketing sales assistant, Cardiff

“I definitely won’t bother with dieting before Christmas. I don’t think many people do – what’s the point when you’re just going to put it all on again anyway? I think that survey is rubbish – most people try to diet in January and February.”

Cardiff women labelled most likely to diet

Survey claims Cardiff women are most likely to diet

Seventy eight per cent of Cardiff women will try to drop a dress size in the run-up to the festive season.

The UK-wide survey, commissioned by Atkins, reported that 8 out of 10 women in Cardiff will try to lose a stone in the weeks leading to Christmas.

Atkins is a multi-million pound company in the dieting sector, and famous for its promotion of a meat-only diet.

A spokeswoman for LighterLife said of the trend, “LighterLife see a 60% increase in people starting their weight loss programme in September.

“It seems that this is the time when people start thinking about shifting excess weight in time for the festive season and getting into that dream party frock”.