Brits eat 50 per cent MORE calories than they actually think, new figures reveal
Men are the worst culprits for kidding themselves by consuming 1,000 calories more than they estimate each day
THE average Brit eats 50 per cent more calories than they think, new statistics reveal.
Men are the worst culprits, scoffing more than 1,000 calories more than they estimate each day, according to the Office of National Statistics.
But women aren’t far behind, underestimating their calorie intake by 800 per day.
The report showed that the fatter people were the least reliable they were to keep track of how many calories they consume.
Men admitted to consuming 2,065 calories a day but were actually consuming 3,119 and women are eating 2,393 compared to the 1570 they confess to.
Tam Fry, from National Obesity Forum added: “People lie and I am not surprised that they do when it comes to food.
“They wish not to be taken for slobs, even though they may be just that’.
It comes as Public health England (PHE) is set to launch a calorie counting campaign in a bid to curb Britain's rising obesity levels.
New PHE advice, part of their One You nutrition campaign, states that adults should limit lunches and dinners to 600 calories and breakfast at 400 calories.
Obesity levels in the UK have more than trebled in the last 30 years and, on current estimates, more than half the population could be obese by 2050, according to the NHS.
About 27 per cent of the UK population is considered obese and a further 34 per cent are considered overweight, according to the latest Government statistics.
Being obese greatly increases a persons chances of developing deadly diseases like type two diabetes, 11 different types of cancer, stroke and heart disease.
World Cancer Research Fund estimates 25,000 cases of cancer could be prevented every year in the UK alone if everyone was a healthy weight.
MORE ON OBESITY
According to the World Health Organisation heart disease was the biggest killer in 2015 followed by stroke, both of which were responsible for 15 million deaths worldwide.
Your risk of both heart disease and stroke is greatly increased if you are overweight or obese.
In 2001 the then and called for action to prevent it.
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