The survey also revealed that seven out of 10 Irish adults worried about piling on the pounds blame their weight gain on a lack of exercise, with over half (54%) putting it down to unhealthy eating and 2 in 5 see it as a natural part of getting older.
While the desire to lose weight is almost evenly split among males and females, the survey also revealed that significantly more women (83%) than men (68%) are motivated to do something about it by fitting into their clothes and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Playing with their kids is one of the top motivators to lose weight among 27% of males.
More Irish women than men also want to lose weight in order to feel sexy and 20% say they avoid having sex when feeling overweight.
Chocolate is the biggest temptation among a quarter of participants, followed by alcohol (15%), crisps (15%) and take away foods (10%). The tummy (77%) and waistline (28%) are the most common areas of the body where adults tend to put on weight.
When dieting, most Irish women (81%) are motivated to stay on track by feeling their clothes fit them better, while men are motivated by seeing the results on the scales (58%) and having more energy (69%).
Speaking about the XLS-Medical survey, consultant dietitian Gillian Moore said:
‘It’s seems obvious that personal confidence and feeling happy are closely linked to maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle. Feeling overweight can impact on every aspect of a person’s life and can make taking even the smallest steps towards a better lifestyle seem like a momentous task. Anyone wanting to lose weight and be healthier should seek on-going support to motivate them and help them stay on-track.’
XLS-Medical Direct also provides and online programme here, with discreet and personal support to help the dieter stay on course.
To be in with a chance to win a month's supply of XLS Medical Direct, click here
* XLS-Medical Fat Binder weight loss survey was carried out online among members of Empathy Research’s Ideas Panel. A total of 956 participants aged 18+ years old living in the Republic of Ireland took part in the survey, which was carried out from 3rd-17th December 2013
** IMS MAT value sales June 2014