Losing weight and dieting in the UK: Our Top 4 Findings
Where, why and what diets are most popular
Did you know that nearly 200k of us search for “lose weight fast” every month, with everything from Vegan to Keto diets, slimming groups to Instagram-influenced Teatoxes – the number of options can be overwhelming when we are trying to lose a few pounds…
After studying our patient database, we found that 84% of our patients had been unhappy with their weight for over five years1 – often turning to the internet in search of the new plan or ‘fad’ product that would finally work (64%). In fact, our research showed that over 2 million of us here in Britain take to Google for “weight loss” help every month – but which weight loss solutions and ‘fad diets’ are most popular, and do they really work?
Here is what we found:
1. Our favourite weight loss solutions are Slimming World followed by the Vegan diet
We found that the UK’s most popular non-surgical weight loss management solution, was Slimming World with a monthly average of 3.77million of us searching the term (and related terms) online.
Slimming World is followed closely by the vegan lifestyle which also surpasses 3 million searches per month – with a significant surge in popularity over the past few years, the Vegan diet and lifestyle is becoming a real contender for Britain’s favourite diet.
2. We want to “lose weight fast”
With so many of us searching for that quick fix to lose weight and lose it fast, “fat burners” are amongst the most highly searched for weight loss products with nearly 100k searches every month – despite many being unregulated and, in some cases, dangerous.
George Hamlyn-Williams, our Principal Dietitian said: ‘Fad diets and weight loss products designed to help aid quick weight loss are unsustainable, see dieters reverting to old habits and can be dangerous. Sustainable weight management requires real dedication and commitment.’
3. Manchester is the fad diet capital of the UK – with the Keto diet being the most popular
Manchester is the fad diet capital of the UK, with 28,227 of the 510,746-population searching for online quick fixes to get into shape every month. The Keto diet, which requires people to adopt a low-carb high-fat diet, is Manchester’s favourite with 13,000 monthly searches in the city, but it is often seen as unsustainable and can cut out vital nutrients needed for the body to function.
Our advice is always to do your research first! It is really worth considering that cutting out specific food groups needs careful management to ensure that your body is getting everything it needs to function well.
4. Bristol is the Vegan capital of the UK
Recent reports show a 360% increase in vegans in Britain between 2006 – 2016, and while some of us take up the vegan lifestyle due to our beliefs on animal cruelty, our research finds that nearly a third of us (29%) adopt the diet in order to lose weight.
As well as over 3 million searches a month on Google, the popularity of the vegan diet also reflected on social media with 952,949 people using #Vegan across Twitter and Instagram in the past year4. We found Bristol to be the vegan capital of the UK, with an average of 3,200 locals a month looking for information about the plant-based diet. London and Liverpool are also vegan hotspots with 1,800 and 1,600 locals adopting the vegan way of life.
Are you looking for a long-term weight loss tool?
Finding a diet that fits you is the key to long-term weight loss success…
There’s no quick fix for losing weight in a healthy and sustainable way so committing to a change that you feel confident that you can maintain is really important. We would always advise that opting for a long-term lifestyle solution over fads and quick fix products is the best way to see lasting results making sure to give your body all the nutrients it needs to remain healthy.
If you have tried diet and diet but it’s just not enough, weight loss surgery might be on your mind. Here at the Hospital Group, we offer gastric band, bypass and sleeve surgeries along with support from our team of experts who can give you the guidance and tools you need to achieve results.
Book your free consultation today
1 The Hospital Group, Internal Weight Loss Surgery Research (Questionnaire results) – April 2018. Questionnaire was sent to 3.7k THG customers who have had weight loss surgery with us in the last 3 years and generated 435 responses.
2 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/news/number-of-vegans-in-britain-rises-by-360-in-10-years/
3 https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6392929/over-half-of-young-brits-have-attempted-to-become-vegan-in-last-12-months/
4 Social listening data was collated in September 2018 using Linkfluence platform. We analysed social media posts across the past year looking at diet specific keywords.