A survey of some 750 men and women aged between 13 and 57 years showed
that Singaporeans are only willing to pay up to 500 dollars to lose
weight.
In fact 90 per cent of the participants paid up to 500 dollars in their
last attempt to lose weight, while the rest paid up to 2,000 dollars.
The survey also showed that more than 40 per cent of the respondents dieted.
About a third wanted cheap and easy dieting methods, while a third wanted to lose flab without having to starve.
What's really worrying is that 7 in 10 didn't know what they lost when their weight dropped.
Dr Leslie Tay from Karri Family Clinic points out that many are shedding the pounds incorrectly.
"The loss in water weight is very fast; you also put it on
very fast because you drink half a litre of water is half a kilogramme.
So if you ever come across those programme where they put you through
something, two hours, and then show you you loss wow, half a kilo of
weight and everybody is so happy, you're just losing water weight and
people don't realise that not all weight loss is the same. What you
want to do is to lose fat."
Dr Tay says many also have the misconception that they should lose weight by cutting down their intake of fatty food.
"It is not by reducing the amount of fat that you eat that you
lose fat, you've got to reduce it by 500 to 1,000 calories per day and
that will give you a very sustainable weight loss of about half a kilo
per week? That is a permanent and healthy weight loss because you're
losing fat, fat is your storage of energy."
Dr Tay says only when people eat right and exercise can they lose the weight permanently.
The survey, called the Right Approach is commissioned by Pharmanex, which produces nutritional supplements.
--938Live