New Survey Shows How Women Really Feel About Dieting

Posted on Feb 21st 2011 1:00PM by Hilary Walke

Woman and apple Getty

Fitness magazine's recent survey revealed shocking statistics about women in America and their attitude toward healthy eating (or, should we say, unhealthy eating). The magazine polled 2,400 women ages 18 and older to find out how far women will go in order to lose weight.

Some stats that stood out to us:

25 percent have detagged their own photo on Facebook or asked a friend to remove it because they thought they looked fat
65 percent of women say the size they wear is a bigger deal than the number on the scale
To stay skinny, 71 percent of women would rather exercise every day and eat anything they want
About 47 percent of women admit dieting to their family and close friends, 32 percent don't tell anyone
25 percent of women say a pal has tried to sabotage their weight loss efforts, 86 percent prefer to get slim solo
Only 7 percent of women say they never allow themselves to eat junk food
22 percent of women say the hardest part about being on a diet is regularly following a workout plan
To drop stubborn pounds, 43 percent of women have skipped meals regularly, 39 percent have popped diet pills, 23 percent have gone on a crash diet, and 20 percent have exercised daily for two or more hours at a time
Nearly 40 percent of women went on their first diet when they were in middle school or high school

Do you consider your relationship with food normal? Tell us in the comments section below.

10 Comment

Tags: Body Image, Eating Disorder, Facebook, Fitness Magazine, Food, Survey

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Amy 2-23-2011 @ 12:19PM

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jenp 2-23-2011 @ 9:09AM

Can't say I'm surprised. Even though American women can be extreme with dieting, they have nothing on European women. The French are definitely notorious for their use of diet pills, laxatives, food restriction and cigarettes to stay thin.

Elizabeth Danford 2-23-2011 @ 9:44AM

How women feel about their bodies is reflected in the crazy things we do with dieting. Part of this has to do with the feedback we get from the people around us.The little things we say to our daughters and how we love and care for our own bodies in front of them. It is also how we treat women in our culture. For this reason,I am very careful never to down another women's body. I have dieted twice in my life. The first time happened when I was modeling and they told me I was curvy and my hips were big for fashion at 36 inches. Iwas 5'9" and 135 pounds. I was not fat. This time I did the pop tart diet. Did'nt work and I got stuck doing modeling work where a whole lot of clothing was not needed AND NOT HIGH FASHION. The second time I dieted was when I had my baby and gained 60 pounds. A family member was so happy that she said to everyone I would never get my body back. This time it was Slimfast shakes and a crazy eating regimen. If I failed and went to Dairy Queen I would bicycle for an hour and a half. I got down to 118 pounds and I was bony. I stayed this way for seven years. Then I stopped and I now weigh 130. I decided to love my body. Even when my husband's brother in law David Baugh from Lapel Indiana , who is a sick man, sent me an email saying he thought I had gained weight and, my butt had gotten bigger it did not get me. I know that at my height 130 pounds is fine. I would never go back. I don't freak if I eat a peice of chocolate and I know I am ok. Six weeks before I got that email I was offered $10,000 to do some body modeling. I turned it down but if I am ok with me and they think I am ok then I am. We need to respect women and build each other up from the minute we are born. We have one life and I do not want to see other women and girls go through this. Eating for health is body love. Dieting that uses insane exercise regimens and 800 calories a day is self hate and punishment.

Elizabeth Danford

j. t. 2-23-2011 @ 12:43PM

I have been dieting off and on since high school when a clueless school nurse told me I was 5 lbs. overweight. This put me on the yo-yo rollercoaster.......even though at 5'6" and a size 7 I was thin....I was an athlete and everyone knows muscle weighs more than fat.....everyone but this insensitive nurse who should have known better than to say that to a teenage girl. My eating habits have never been "normal" since and I have dieted on close to 70 lbs in the past 30 years. I pinpoint the start of my struggles to that one careless remark.

whitneyhileman 2-23-2011 @ 10:47AM

I remember being 9 years old, and feeling like I was over weight, and ugly. I started being bulimic by age 11 and was severely, anorexic by age 15. Installing positive body images in our young girls is crucial to how they will choose to eat and diet in the future. I now know it's all about being healthy and eating in moderation. I hope that my daughter will never be ashamed of how she looks.

Teri 2-23-2011 @ 10:47AM

All those comments sound about right. Not a day pases that I don't consider what I eat and if it seems to be the "wrong" thing...I try to undo the perceived damage by eating a healthy choice at my next meal.

For me, being overtired and more than 4 hours between meals will be my undoing...I go straight to Taco Bell for a burrito, instead of the nice chicken, brown rice and spinach I have to go home and prepare. As long as I ate the burrito I will go ahead and have the banana nut muffin they had in the employees lounge, the one I took just to be polite and stashed in a plastic bag! Oh dear.

Paula 2-23-2011 @ 11:13AM

I went on a diet and lost 90 pounds since last May but it was unhealthy. I was restricting my calories to much and then I added working out. My weight stopped going down so I hired a personal trainer. She has me eating every 3 hours and including protein with every small meal and it is making a huge difference. And I never feel hungry. I am off all medications an went from a size 24 down to a 12. I feel great and have more energy than ever.

SANDY 2-23-2011 @ 1:43PM

I have dieted up and down for years. It has always been in direct relationship to my stress highs and lows.

I am older now and exercise is painful, but I keep walking and aim for 10000 steps a day.

I also eat more protein and fruits and veg and legumes and less dairy. Chilled Almond milk is delicius.

And yes wine in moderation is okay.

Weight is a drag, but I feel so good when my weight is correct, and it saves a fortune because I don't have to replace my wardrobe.

I think that women are manipulated 24/7 by the media to feel insecure about themselves, thereby encouraging sales. Why would I want to look like some of the models who come across as looking like anorexic heroin addcts?

Hang in there ladies and feel good about yourselves.

Lucy 2-23-2011 @ 1:50PM

I had a bout of anorexia in my late teens and now, in my late forties, still struggle with body issues. I sincerely believe our obesity problem is partly due to unrealistic expectations...not every girl can be a petite size zero or a tall, leggy size four. Some women, when they cannot meet these standards, become anorexic, others give up and become obese.
Exercise save me because when I starved, I could not bicycle or ride horses. I still work out every day and while on a good day, I like my stomach, arms and chest, I still hate my butt and thighs. Muscular and solid, yes, but TOO BIG.
Women need to defend each other. Don't call other women cows because you dislike them or disagree with their politics. It brings everyone down.
Let's all try to eat healthy most of the time, excercise and be kind to each other.

Laurre Breman 2-23-2011 @ 3:20PM

As several others have mentioned, it's all about how you feel about yourself. ACCEPT yourself for who you are INSIDE. Once that big ol' step is made, a lot of stress disappears, and adopting a healthier lifestyle becomes a logical step, and one that is actually easy because now you're thinking, "I love me, and I don't want to feed 'me' junk..." instead of "I have to lose weight, I look terrible-ie-I-AM-terrible..." The latter thinking can sabotage any attempt to make yourself healthier, because then you go back to eating crappy food to make yourself feel better.

Remember it took time to gain the weight, it will take time to get rid of it. Which is why you have to quit thinking "diet." Weight you "lose" will always find you again. Becoming healthier (which means eating real foods, nothing from a box! Nothing that is fed you through a car window...) brings about a nice side effect: you become slimmer, trimmer, and healthier. As said by many, it's a lifestyle change.

Walking steadily every day, just 10 minutes to begin with, is enough exercise if you've been sedentary. Then increase the time. You don't have to go out and run marathons! But the key is EVERY DAY. SOMETHING. Give your body the protein you need (50-60 grams a day) cut out the fast food, no junk, no sweets, no "fake foods," drink plenty of water, and NO DIET FOODS. Sugars are hidden in some low-fat items, while in the case of others it's man-made chemicals that add "sweetness."

Then ONCE IN AWHILE treat yourself. But only if you think you can do it only ONCE IN AWHILE. Everything in moderation, including moderation. So don't treat yourself to a gallon of ice cream, LOL!

Just some guidelines I go by.