Expert Advice
If you’ve ever wondered what influences when we eat, what we eat
and why our need to comfort eat - or eating to cover discomfort –
can lead to us gaining weight, then why not watch these videos of
David Moxon and Mandy Cassidy as they address these issues.
David Moxon & Mandy Cassidy
David Moxon is a psychology lecturer and
commentator who has taught a huge variety of audiences both
professionally and in the educational sphere. David has written
textbooks for undergraduate students on a broad range of
physiological subjects and also provides psychological commentary
to many national and international organisations.
Mandy Cassidy is a psychotherapist with a specialist interest in
obesity. Over the past ten years she has worked to bring
understanding to the world of obesity, which is something that has
captured her imagination and enthusiasm. Mandy helps people work
towards managing their weight effectively without punitive
dieting.
Click
here to watch the
video
David
Moxon
Mandy Cassidy
Psychology
commentator
Psychotherapist for LighterLife
Attitudes to food
You may have heard about this on the radio,
when LighterLife’s Consultant Psychotherapist Mandy Cassidy and
Psychological Commentator David Moxon discussed how the huge
potential for temptation and choice in our everyday lives can lead
to us gaining weight. But the scary fact is that recent research
commissioned by LighterLife has revealed that people across the UK
are spending over a quarter of their weekly supermarket shop on
junk food.
The results revealed…
- Of the average £65 weekly spend at the supermarket, shoppers
are shelling out £17.22 on ‘naughty’ foods such as chocolate,
alcohol, biscuits, crisps and soft drinks - the equivalent of 26%
of all supermarket purchases. And this before any ‘top up’ mid week
shops, petrol station purchases, morning coffee runs or lunchtime
impulse purchases.
- When it came to the worst offenders, ASDA shoppers were
spending the most on unhealthy food at £18.23. The ‘healthiest’
shoppers were from Tesco, spending £16.65 on junk items.
- Research into shopper attitudes shows consumers often don’t
realise what they are buying. Whilst many shoppers aim to stick to
shopping lists and best intentions, temptation can prove to be too
much.
- The survey also revealed that:
- 37% of
people in England
- 38% of
people in Wales
- 40% of
Scots
- 44% or
people in Northern
Ireland
said that every time they go to the
supermarket they overspend their set budget because they are too
tempted by what they see as treats.
- It takes just 3,500 calories to put on a
pound
- 39% of
people in England
- 38% of
people in Wales
- 40% of
Scots
- 35% of
people in Northern Ireland
confessed that they expect to overspend on
‘naughty treats’ even if they didn’t plan to buy them
- Average yearly spend on junk food equals £895 per
person
- 81% of
people in England
- 82% of
people in Wales
- 83% of
Scots
- 84% of
people in Northern Ireland
also admitted to buying additional snacks
outside of the supermarket shop.
- Just one latte a day can add up to 1 stone in
weight gainand £600 a
year.
Obesity Statistics
- In 2008, almost a quarter of adults (24% of men and 25% of
women aged 16 or over) in England were classified as obese. In the
same year, the number of prescription items dispensed for the
treatment of obesity was 1.28million; this is ten times the number
in 1999 (127,000).
- According to a 2009 report, over half of adults in Wales (57%)
were classified as overweight or obese. In the same year, 1 in 5
adults in Wales were treated for high blood pressure and 1 in 9
adults treated for asthma.
- In 2007, most adults in Scotland were overweight or obese. The
prevalence of obesity rose from 16% to 24% in the 8 year period
between 1995 and 2003.
- In 2006, 59% of adults measured in Northern Ireland were either
overweight (35%) or obese (24%). A similar proportion of men (25%)
and women (23%) were obese. Men were more likely (64%) than women
(54%) to be either overweight or obese.
- Figures from the SLAN 2007 Report (Survey of Lifestyle,
Attitude & Nutrition) indicated that 39% of the population of
people in the Republic of Ireland are overweight and 25% are obese.
Six out of ten people (60%) had high blood pressure and over three
quarters (82%) had high cholesterol. A major concern highlighted in
the report was the overconsumption of foods high in fat. The
majority of respondents (86%) consumed more than three daily
servings of these types of foods and half (48%) indicated that they
snacked between meals, most commonly on biscuits and cakes.
Click here to read the latest research into shopper
attitudes.