London - Many women put more effort into dieting than into their relationships and think about food more than sex, research suggests.
A study by the weight-loss company Atkins also found that one in ten women would feel guiltier straying from their diet than being unfaithful to their partner.
Atkins surveyed 1,290 female dieters across the UK about their attitudes to dieting and how it affected their relationships.
One in four said they thought dieting was more important than their relationship and that they put more effort into losing weight than into their relationship with their partner.
More than a third of respondents (37.5 percent) said they thought about food and dieting more than they thought about their partner. More than half (54 percent) said they thought about food more than sex.
The most common reason for starting a diet was trying to attain a perfect beach body, while one in seven women surveyed said they were motivated to diet after receiving cruel comments about their weight.
An estimated three-quarters of the UK adult female population have been on a diet at least once in their lifetime.
Linda O’Byrne, Atkins chief nutritionist, said dieting should become part of a person’s everyday lifestyle but not something people are constantly thinking about. - The Mail on Sunday