The Naked Truth About British Women's Weight Loss Antics

This March, the SPLENDA® Sugar Alternative team has joined forces with celebrity healthy cooking guru, Nadia Sawalha to show women that weight management doesn’t have to be stressful with the Small Steps campaign.

From stripping completely naked to blow drying wet hair and even breathing in, British women go to extreme and somewhat bizarre lengths to think themselves slim, according to new research released yesterday by the SPLENDA® Sugar Alternative team.

The new poll of nearly 2,000 women commissioned by the SPLENDA® team found that 81 per cent of British women find dieting stressful and nearly half of them (46 per cent) said stress is the main reason for them to fail on a diet.

The survey also revealed that many women feel extreme pressure to get results from dieting with some reverting to extreme measures to reach their goals. The strange tactics included:

· Stripping completely naked before weighing themselves: 49 per cent (nearly one in two)
· Going to the toilet before weighing themselves: 53 per cent (more than half)
· Weighing themselves as soon as they get out of bed: 37 per cent (nearly four in 10)

In a bid to relieve some of the stress with weight management and help her fellow dieters keep on the straight and narrow, on the 4th March Nadia will launch the Small Steps Motivation Line, offering real weight loss advice and cake curbing tips. Long suffering dieters can simply call 0800 138 6525 for some inspiration from Ms Sawalha to help keep them on the dieting wagon.

Nadia explains, “Cutting out the foods you love when you’re on a diet is never going to work, as in my experience, it usually ends in a frightening binge! That’s why I’m launching the Small Steps Motivation Line, to give women real advice and share the small changes that we can make to our everyday lives. It’s not a big deal but it can make a big difference! These changes can be as simple as making lower calorie recipes by swapping sugar for SPLENDA®, cutting down portion sizes or going for an extra five minute walk a day.”

Working closely with the SPLENDA® team, Nadia has also created a range of figure-friendly, simple recipes. So why not take time out with mum this Mother’s Day, and treat her to afternoon tea with Nadia’s beautiful Earl Grey Mini Bakes, or whisk up some delicious Chocolate Easter Cupcakes, the kids will love them, they taste great and best of all they are lower in sugar.

Switching from sugar to SPLENDA® is an easy swap which can make a big difference - One teaspoon of SPLENDA® (0.5g) contains 2 kcal compared to a spoonful of sugar (5g) which contains 20 kcal. This means that switching just one spoonful of sugar to SPLENDA® every day could save over 6,500 calories in a year! And what’s more, 90% of people love the taste* of SPLENDA® so you can still enjoy those sweet treats.

Available in both a Sweet Minis and Granulated format, SPLENDA® is great for use in hot drinks, but also for baking the desserts you love, but without all of the calories of sugar.

To learn more about SPLENDA® Sugar Alternative and the ‘Small Steps’ campaign with Nadia Sawalha, or to view her recipes and tips please visit www.splenda.co.uk

*90% of 3,707 people asked (SPLENDA® Survey, 2012)

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Notes to editors:
For further information on SPLENDA® and the ‘Small Steps’ campaign, please contact:
Mercedes Harvey H+K Strategies: 020 7973 4416 / mercedes.harvey@hkstrategies.com
Becky Johnston H+K Strategies: 020 7413 3442 / becky.johnston@hkstrategies.com

SPLENDA® Sugar Alternative has a great sugar-like taste but a fraction of the calories of sugar per serving. Healthy cooking guru Nadia Sawalha has teamed up with the SPLENDA® Small Steps Campaign to offer recipes and tips on the small steps women can take to reach their healthy eating goals. Find out more at www.SPLENDA.co.uk

Research conducted by OnePoll among 1,873 women in the UK over the age of 30.