Half of dieters give up after a month: study

Around 28 per cent of young people embark on a new diet each month and 45 per cent of them give up their new eating habits after a week.

That compares to 48.9 per cent of all dieters giving up after a month, The Mirror reported.

Thirty-three per cent of dieters admitted they need to lose 13 kg or more, found the study by weight loss firm Slimsticks.

"Obesity is reaching epidemic status and it is getting worse and that is why we are seeing more people and younger people desperate to lose weight," Dietician Priya Tew said.

"Portion sizes are bigger and people reach for a chocolate bar more often than an apple. A lot of convenience foods are high in calories and fat, so the weight just continues to rise," Tew said.

"It is disturbing because so many are risk conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease later in life," Tew added.

Research also showed 48 per cent of dieters switch plans every six months.

"People must accept it took a long time to put on the weight so it cannot be lost in a few weeks. But by eating a sensible diet, it can be achieved and the health benefits are worth the effort," Tew was quoted by the paper as saying.

Meanwhile, in another UK survey, parents say children should be kept in school at lunchtimes to prevent them buying unhealthy snacks and takeaways.

Almost 75 per cent of 12,000 mums and dads told a survey the move would avoid youngsters being tempted by fast food outlets on the high street.

Ninety-two per cent wanted tough healthy food standards to apply to all schools, including academies which are exempt from these nutrition rules.

Only 41 per cent of parents thought their child's school met food standards.

"We should encourage young people to eat school food," Anne Bull of the Local Authorities Caterers Association, who conducted the study, said.