Half of Brits Lie About Their Calorie Intake

Aug. 4, 2010 - PRLog -- A new study by www.myprotein.com  Europe’s leading online sports nutrition brand, has revealed the deceitful habits of Brits when it comes to diet and exercise; with just under half, 46% claiming to lie about the amount of calories they consume per day. Of the men that admitted to stretching the truth, 21% claimed to regularly underplay how many calories they consume; whilst 71% of women did the same.

The study was commissioned by myprotein.com to explore the relationship between Brits and their diet and exercise regimes. A sample 1,842 men and women were subsequently polled and asked questions surrounding how truthful they are about their dietary health.
When asked the question, “Do you lie about the amount of calories you eat?” 46% of the respondents answered, “yes.” Of the men that admitted to lying, 32% admitted that they regularly claim to eat more than they have. Of these, the majority, 85% claimed that they lie to their friends.

Of the women that admitted to lying about their food intake, more than two thirds, 71% admitted that they often understate the amount of calories they eat per day. When asked to stipulate why, 45% claimed that they wanted people to believe that they ate less than they did; whilst 27% admitted that they were embarrassed to admit just how much food they ate. Furthermore, 59% of the women who claimed to exaggerate their food intake did so to their friends.

When asked the question, “Do you exaggerate the amount of exercise you do?” 26% of the female respondents to the study answered ‘yes.’ When asked to label the reasons why, the overriding reason for just over half was that they were, ‘embarrassed about not doing enough.’  When subsequently asked to stipulate whom they most exaggerated their amount of exercise to; GPs came out on top with 49% of the vote, closely followed by friends with 31%

When further exploring the issue of exercise; respondents to the study were asked the question, “How much exercise do you do on a weekly basis?”Just 1 in 5, 18% of people, answered that they exercised for more than 2 and a half hours every week – which is in line with Government recommendations. When asked, “Do you think you get enough exercise?”, a third, 34%, said they thought they did. Of the respondents that said they didn’t get enough exercise, Myprotein.com asked why they thought this was the case.

The following responses were collected:
1)         Not enough time – 38%
2)         Can’t be bothered – 26%
3)         Too expensive – 14%
4)         Dislike exercise – 12%
5)         Injury – 10%

Those that claimed to not do enough exercise were subsequently asked about how they felt about it. Whilst 46% stated that they did not think it mattered; 28% claimed that they planned to do more exercise in the near future.

Mark Coxhead, head of marketing at myprotein.com, commented on the findings,
“We were surprised to discover just how many people openly admitted to lying to partners and friends about their diet and exercise habits; particularly given the amount of women that claimed that they would lie to their GPs. What I think the study has proven is the lack of understanding when it comes to nutrition; whilst lying about the amount of calories you really eat can make you feel better on an emotional level, it can only be a bad thing in the long run.”

“We Brits need to change our attitude towards calories and exercise. Dodging exercise everyday because of a lack of time or effort is difficult to justify given the state of national health, especially since people simply aren’t as physically active as they used to be. Half an hour of exercise to raise your heartbeat per day can make all the difference to your health and body shape. Remember, whilst you may be able to lie about your diet for a while, your body will soon give you away!

ENDS

LINK: www.myprotein.com
For more information please contact Emma Kent emmak@10yetis.co.uk

EDITORS NOTES

About www.Myprotein.com

Myprotein is Europe’s leading online sports nutrition brand. Established in 2004 by Oliver Cookson, the company has expanded at an incredible rate, and was recently ranked 21st in the Sunday Times Fast-Track 100 list. With a number of awards behind it, including the CBI Growing Business of the Year 2007 and National Business Awards 2009 Regional Winner, Myprotein has firmly established itself as a market leader in the world of sports nutrition.

Buying in bulk, manufacturing in-house and selling direct online to consumers allows Myprotein to offer the lowest prices in Europe guaranteed.  Using only the finest quality ingredients and the latest production processes (certified to ISO9001:2008 by SGS, a UKAS accredited company), ensures the finest product quality is maintained.