Last updated on January 6th, 2022 at 11:19 AM
This Wednesday (5th January 2022) will be the UK’s ‘Hangriest Day of the Year’ according to new research from WW (formerly Weight Watchers), with an estimated 22.6 million Brits* (almost half of the adult population) embarking on a restrictive diet this week and the majority (26 per cent) saying they’ll feel hungry and irritable by Wednesday.
Despite the threat of another lockdown in 2022, a quarter (25 percent) of Brits are more likely to focus on their health and wellbeing this January, and 23 per cent are more likely to go on a diet now versus last year. 32% of the nation gained weight in 2021 (an average of 29.9 lbs)**.
Almost four million people (7 percent) will cut out food groups like carbs, and a further four million will begin fasting, skipping or replacing meals altogether.
A whopping 72 percent who embark on a restrictive diet will give up because it makes them hangry and 19 per cent will become so obsessed with food, they’ll actually end up gaining weight.
Many people fall into a trap of thinking about results in the short-term and suffer as a result.
More than one in three people (34 percent) end up thinking about food more, 28 per cent become more irritable and unreasonable and 18 per cent will even lose sleep due to hunger.
GP and TV personality Dr Helen Lawal says, “As a society, we have become obsessed with fad and trendy diets, particularly at this time of year and we see people cutting out whole food groups, starving themselves or sticking obsessively to one type of strict eating routine above all else.
Taking this approach simply doesn’t work in the long term and can mean you miss out on healthy nutrients, which then impacts your overall health.
Eating the foods you love brings joy and satisfaction, so cutting those out altogether may affect people’s ability to achieve their end goals.”
“People don’t need to make themselves miserable, hungry and in some cases, ill, when they set out to lose weight,” explains Anna Hill, General Manager of WW UK.
“We devised our new programme to enable people to get real results with fewer cravings, less hunger and no deprivation, which is impossible to achieve on a fad diet.
PersonalPoints is a super simple plan that anyone can follow long term and it won’t stop you from enjoying life and living it to the full. It’s about building healthy habits, eating food you love and making some smart swaps and good decisions.”
According to WW, there is no need for hanger pains. No two people are the same, and with the new WW PersonalPoints Programme, no two eating plans are the same either. It’s designed to fit into your lifestyle long term, changing the way you shop, cook, and eat forever.
WW’s PersonalPoints Programme is different because it guides members towards foods higher in healthy fats, fibre, and protein and lower in added sugars and saturated fat.
You can eat all the foods you love and still lose weight, plus the plan has been clinically proven to deliver a 17 per cent decrease in cravings plus a 15 percent decrease in hunger with zero deprivation
“In recent years people have re-prioritised what is most important to them and the last thing anyone wants to do is pause their life to get healthier.
They want to enjoy the things they love and have missed with no restrictions and no deprivation.
This has informed the development of the new PersonalPoints Programme where everybody’s plan is completely different, and tailored to the foods you love – our algorithm works out a plan that will work for you.” says Anna Hill.
